Celebrate Musicals Week Tag Questions

Hey everyone! It's Celebrating Musicals Week over at Yet Another Period Drama Blog. Sorry I'm a little late jumping on the bandwagon but... school. :) Better late then never though right? So, here are the tag questions to start us off:

 1.  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?
After some consideration, I am choosing to spotlight the Sound of Music, because there is a rumor going around there is a remake in the making and it is one of the best musicals ever....so that's why. :)

2.  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?
Umm....I really have no idea. It seems I've always known about it, always seen it, and always been singing it. I remember falling asleep to the CD when I was little.

3.  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?
"I am Sixteen, Going on Seventeen" because it's just so happy and sweet and adorable and I always want to be Liesl in that song. :) "The Sound of Music" and "Edelweiss" because who doesn't tear up when Christopher Plummer sings it before leaving his beloved home country?

4.  What's your least favorite song from your musical?
I love them all... but I suppose my least favorite is "The Lonely Goatherd." Yodeling... Hmmm ;)

5.  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?
Maria, obviously; the Captain grew on me a lot..... and finally, Liesl. I've always loved Liesl.

6.  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?
I have only seen/ listened to one. But the best one IMHO. The movie version with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

7.   Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?
Well, its ONE of my favorite musicals of all times.... I never seem to be able to make up my mind on a favorite musical.

8.   Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?
My Fair Lady I listen to all the time. It's just so fun to sing!

9.   What is your favorite costume from your musical?


10.  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?
Um, I've never really thought about it..... and now that I am I can't seem to think of anything. It'll take a while...
11.  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?
Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady would be SO MUCH FUN! :D 


Also, maybe Eponine? From Les Miserables. Her voice range is good, her songs are good, the musical is better than good, so that would be a TON of awesomeness.


12.  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?
Can we throw Aaron Tveit in there somewhere? Because I love him. Otherwise, it really is wonderful casting. I mean, Julie Andrews?


13.  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?
Somewhere in the middle, probably.

14.  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?
Not yet, ask me later. Haha

15.  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?
My Fair Lady "Just You Wait"  Which is one of the funniest songs to sing, especially in Eliza's cockney accent.
"Tell Me on a Sunday" which is a beautiful song from my The Hit Songs of Andrew Lloyd Weber album.
My Fair Lady "You Did it" which isn't my favorite from that album, but still a really good and important song from the musical.

At Home in Mitford

I recently started hearing quite a bit about the Mitford series from several people. I wasn't really into any book, so I thought I'd try it out.... and I'm so glad I did! Mitford,to paraphrase the author Jan Karon, is a series written to give the readers an extended family, a secure and homey place to go. And it does. Father Tim is a dear. He is sweet, kind, reserved, serious, and at times, humorous. A little confusing, right? Well, he is complex in that he can be adventuresome, silly, and outgoing, while at other times being the opposite of adventuresome, reserved, and serious. Got it? You will if you read the books, don't worry.

At the beginning of the book, Father Tim is a little Episcopalian preacher in the small town of Mitford, which is located in the mountains of North Carolina. He keeps himself busy by going on his rounds, dealing with his well meaning but rather pushy secretary Emma, and reading and cooking at home. He loves his peace and quiet and his house is a bachelor's paradise. But soon, his peace and quiet is turned upside down when a huge black dog befriends him, a mischievous boy Dooley is left in his care, and a new, outgoing, and attractive new neighbor moves in next door! There are many lovable characters and fun surprises in the book At Home in Mitford.
I have also read the second book in the Mitford series, A Light in the Window. Tons of surprises come then too, proving that life in a small town is anything but boring!

Since I've enjoyed these books so much, I thought I'd take the time to answer the Reader's Guide questions; I hope you enjoy!

The Mitford Years Book I: At Home in Mitford
1. What role does Barnabas play in Father Tim’s life? What other characters seem to invade Father Tim’s
already busy life, only later to prove enriching elements? Are there any that are a permanent drag on his
spirits? How does Father Tim come to terms with them?
  Barnabas, Father Tim's new dog, plays a big role in Fr.'s new life. Fr. is starting to think maybe he's hit a dry spell, feeling rather dull and boring. Suddenly, a dog comes bounding into his life, providing Father Tim with exactly what he needs: a companion. Father Tim now has someone to read to, talk to, walk with, and sleep with. He is a God send, to say the least.
              
2. Dooley appears on the scene untamed and uninvited. What is it that finally makes Father Tim and
Dooley aware that they need each other? How does Dooley contribute to Father Tim’s life? Have you had
“Dooleys” in your own life?
Father Tim is not exactly thrilled he is left with a boy to take care of, especially a rambunctious boy like Dooley. But I believe Dooley's flaws are just what make Father Tim love him. And Dooley finds in Father Tim a mentor and friend, both things that he desperately needed and hadn't necessarily had up to that point. I can't think of the exact moment, but those feelings developed slowly throughout the book.
                 
3. Choose two of your group members to read the dialogue between Dooley and Puny in the middle of
Chapter Seven — the scene where they first meet. How does the dialect differ in your part of the country?
Try reading a brief part of a Dooley speech in the dialect of your own region.
  Weeeeeellll this will be tricky because y'all can't hear me. So, let me say that I do not have a southern accent, but a Midwest one, so Dooley's speech sounds extremely different when I say it.

4. Which characters did you dislike at first, only to later come to appreciate or at least understand them?
What characters in the book react that way to someone new?
I was iffy about Dooley at first. He was sweet, but crude and rough around the edges. He truly was a diamond in the rough though, and I realize that now. Another character that I disliked at first, and at times still do, is Father Tim's neighbor Cynthia Coppersmith. She was nice and funny and outgoing at times, but at others she seemed to be pushy and overbearing and overly sensitive. I understand her now, for the most part, but she surprises and angers me at times.

5. Compare Miss Sadie and Miss Rose. They are very different characters, but both make a powerful contribution to the books. What makes them such vivid characters? What would Mitford be like without them? What unique contributions do they make?
 Miss Sadie is a doll! She is the oldest of Father Tim's parishioners, and she is caring, old-fashioned, and a wonderful story teller to boot! She provides Father Tim with guidance, which he needs on occasion, as he's usually the one having to give guidance to others, and she reveals surprises and love at every turn. Miss Rose is quite a character as well, but in a different way. Miss Rose has a disease, which has its ups and downs. She can be mean and cantankerous  then happy and silly. She is almost like a child in some ways. She and her husband, "Uncle Billy"  live in a decrepit mansion on Main Street and are quite the pair.

6. Priests seldom have people they can confide in. Who are Father Tim’s confidants? What secrets does he
entrust to them? What role does prayer play in giving Father Tim a chance to truly vent his feelings?
Father Tim has several confidants, thankfully. His bishop, Stuart councils and consoles him, an old preacher Absalom Greer is great for discussions and answers, and his oldest friends in Mitford, the vet and his wife, Marge, can be counted on for a sympathetic ear and some homemade dinner anytime. Not to mention Miss Sadie, who I talked about above.

7. “Mitford takes care of its own,” says Mayor Cunningham. How does this happen in the book? Is this
limited only to small towns? What other types of communities can it take place in?
There are so many occasions in which this happens! Uncle Billy and Rose are greatly helped along by the town of Mitford, as is Homeless Hobbes and just about everybody you can think of. Mitford is a close knit, loving community, rather like a family. They may bicker and fight with each other, but the minute an outsider threatens them, or anyone is in trouble, they can be counted on to stick together. I don't think this is limited to small towns. It's easier to see and happens often in "small towns," but if you look closely, this sentiment could be said of any town, big or small.

                

If you made it all the way to the end, congratulations! You win 1,000 Madd Rose points! Have any of you ever read a Mitford book, if so, what did you think of it? Do you think you might look into it now that you've read this? TTFN! As Tigger says :)

I've Been Awarded the Elegant Blogger Award!

Hello everyone! Hamlette has been so kind as to nominate me for the elegant blogger reward, and I can't wait to answer the questions.... This will be fun! :)

The rules:

• When you receive the award, link back to keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com and the blog that nominated you (Hamlette)
• Display the award button in the post 
• Answer all of the 12 questions given in this post (do not make your own questions) 
• Nominate 8 bloggers (see below)
• Notify them that they have been awarded. 

Questions:

1. What made you start blogging?

Well.... I was searching for pictures of Anne of Green Gables, and I came across one entitled "Anne Week" which immediately caught my eye. I followed the link to Yet Another Period Drama Blog, and then I followed Miss Dashwood's links to other blogs. I was thinking while I was reading them "I could do this! It looks like lots of fun!" So here I am, with a blog, and definitely having fun with it! :)

2. What is your fashion style?

My fashion style is cute but comfortable (I hope!). I'll show some of my Pinterest pictures to show you what I like:

                         

                     

3. What is something none of your followers know about you?

Um...... I have never liked sparkles. In fact, when I was younger, I used to freak out if I got some on me. And they are super hard to get off yourself! And I used to hate tea. I love it now, but I used to think it was the grossest thing.

4. What are some of your blogging goals?

I hope to keep up with blogging now that school starts again and I want to actually publish some posts that have been rattling around in my head.

5. Where is your favorite place to shop?

The bookstore. Indubitably. If you mean clothes..... then probably Forever XXI. But only some of their stuff. Lots of their stuff is kind of out there.

6. What would your ideal amount of blog followers be?

Well.... I'd like to have some more, but it be sad to have so many followers that I couldn't really get to know them. Maybe enough so I would get 3-4 comments on each post.

7.  What are your talents?

For some reason I'm blanking. I must have some...... I love music, I'm an avid reader, I like writing, and history. I believe I'm pretty good at those things :)

8. Are you a leader or a follower?

I am usually a follower, but if no one will step up, I can be a leader. I have thoughts and ideas, but I'm usually to shy and self conscious to put them out there.

9. What is one of your favorite quotes?

Can I cheat and do two? One of my favorite nonsensical quotes is: "I'm not saying she was very silly, but one of us was very silly and it wasn't me!" - Wives and Daughters. Another of my favorite quotes is: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!" -Pride and Prejudice

10. Do you have a favorite book or series? 

Just one? I will do a favorite book and series. Book: An Old Fashioned Girl by: Louisa May Alcott. Series:  The Anne of Green Gables series. But I love so many!

                            

11. Out of all the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with? (smart--stylish--dressy--graceful--dainty--fine)

I have been told I'm graceful, but I don't see how that could be possible considering how clumsy I am. Still, someone said so, and so I must appear so sometimes. ;)

12. What is your favorite flower?

A rose! Your surprised, right? ;) And I love all colors of roses too.

Most of the blogs I follow have already been nominated....

So if anybody is reading this, think it looks like fun, and hasn't been nominated yet, I nominate YOU for the Elegant Blogger Award!