Let The 20s Roar (Part 1)

Who is excited about the Electro Swing Soiree happening tonight??  THIS GIRL!  To celebrate the release of the new "The Great Gatsby" movie (see the trailer at the bottom of this post), the venue where I swing dance every week is hosting parties tonight and tomorrow in grand style!  There will be photos of course, and I've done a tutorial/process of how I did my costume.  YES, I'm going in costume.  You knew it was only a matter of time before I got something 1920s together! :D :D :D

But you can't see that yet!  Not until I have danced until I drop, recovered, and uploaded photos of everything.

But here's a clip of some Electro Swing to keep you happy until then.  It's a half hour long, so you can pick however much you want to hear, but I promise it's catchy!  Just let it play in the background as you clean the house or whatever and it makes whatever you're doing more fun x 100! :)
So much Lindy Hopping will be happening in the next 5 or 6 hours... :)

The Great Gatsby Movie:

I Take It Back, I Do NOT Want Goats!

My Gran has a large garden every year.  And just down from that garden, she used to keep chickens.  We live across the street from a horse pasture/stables, so I see horses every day.  Just down the road not even 2 miles, our neighbors have a herd of dairy cows.  So I see cows every day too.  I used to think "It would be so nice to own a couple of goats."  Right?  I could sell the milk, or use it to make soap and lotions and sell those.  You know, going back to the land and homesteading and all that.  It seemed like a good idea.  I mean, look at this face and how cute they are!

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WANT!

Until I found this.... 

...I think we will just go pet the goats at Zoo Atlanta's Children's Petting Zoo and call it done.  :)

Character Post

During the LetterMo challenge, the participants could earn different "achievement badges".  If you ventured to a new postbox drop-off location, for example, or sent a birthday or valentine greeting, you'd get to display your achievement for the rest of the LetterMo community to admire/envy/mirror with their own.

 One such achievement that I couldn't stand to NOT earn was the "Austen Style" badge.  This puppy could only be earned if you emulated Jane Austen herself and broke out the parchment, quill, ink bottle and wax seal, finally sending the letter folded up as its own envelope.  Bonus points if you wrote it in early 19th C language/subject matter.  I sent out a few- three, to be precise- but none of them as Lucy Jane or in 19th C character.  I just couldn't break into the time travel for some reason.  (Where's a Tardis when you really need one?  I ask you.)  But my usual vocabulary/style of writing leans to the old fashioned as a habit, so they really weren't that bad.

One of the three was replied to, in Regency character!  How could I not answer it back in kind*??  Finally, with her help, I had unlocked whatever the previous thing was that had blocked my writer's imagination.  Using this fantastic resource on my hometown area in the late 1700s/early 1800s, I was able to flesh out Lucy Jane more than I have ever done, and really develop her backstory and history.  It was marvelous fun to blend historical fact with fiction!  My creative brain, rather starved for that sort of exercise and entertainment of late, just bloomed with one scene and timeline possibility after another until I think I may have enough to write a novel if I get it all down on paper. (NaNoWriMo, anyone?!)  I always told myself I would never be a writer.  I'm a terrible liar to myself.  I'm not saying it will get published or make it to the NY Best Seller list, but who says it has to?  I'm enjoying it. :)

Here are a couple of photos of my "Austen Style" offerings.  I can't wait for Charlotte's next letter!

Have you ever sent a letter as a character? I'd love to hear about it!

*Although I have been SUPER busy lately and have not updated the website and/or blog in a few months, most of you know that I have a creative outlet under a pseudonym/character called Lucy Jane.  If you are new here, follow the link to see "her" wares. :)

A Swinging St. Patrick's Day Weekend

It's been a great St. Patrick's Day weekend over here!

I spent Friday night in the company of many, many friends, tearing up the dance floor at the monthly GA Tech swing dance!!!  I danced from 8-Midnight and then some of us went to the local Steak N Shake until around 2 ish.  I crashed in bed at around 2:45, with sore feet, aching muscles and a huge grin on my face.  That's the most social fun I've had in a while and I am so looking forward to next month's shindig! :) :) :)

I clean up rather cutely! Though, this pic was taken
before I stopped by to see a friend at a salon and
wound up getting a bangs trim and curls done! :)

Here's a short video- I didn't take many photos or movies CAUSE I WAS DANCING! :)

Yesterday, Mum and I ran general errands around town and then went and got our nails done.  A rare treat for me, that I thank her for!  I took this photo of my "dressed up for St. Patrick's Day" self whilst waiting for her to get done with her mani-pedi:

Green shirt and green nails (Kiwi Kiss by Salon Perfect),
 plus the shamrock necklace that the Bestie gave me for Christmas!
No chance I was getting pinched! LOL

Then we met up with some friends at the Douglasville Irish Bred Pub.  I'm completely temperance.  I don't drink anything alcoholic whatsoever.  But their food is wonderful!  I had the Blarney Burger and sweet potato fries.

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There were Celtic dancers doing Riverdance type musical stampeding. (I can't imagine what it sounded like downstairs!  It's a historic building, so I'm fairly certain it may have seemed like the ceiling was going to cave in!) Sorry, I wasn't able to get a photo of the dancers.  Too many people in the way and they were jumping around so much, the camera couldn't focus. Oh, and there was also this guy:

So grainy- but better than no photo at all, I suppose!

We stuck around until around 9 ish and then headed home so I could write a few reply letters (the backlog is stacking up! I also still need to finish taking photos of the incoming for the Flikr albums). After Friday's shenanigans, it was a good idea (however boring) to go to bed at a decent hour.

Today has thus far been spent quietly, catching up on the blogs I read; writing letters, posts, and to-do lists for the coming week; and getting my game plan down for making the most out of the hours that will compose tomorrow.  Because I have a metric ton of stuff to do that must get done if all of my other plans are to ever happen.  (This is what procrastination does to you, kids.)  I have one of those B12 energy shot drinks on hand if I end up needing it, but I'm hoping to be able to get the right amount of sleep tonight so that I won't have to open it.  Kind of nice to have a back up plan, though.  Those dust bunnies better live it up now.  They'll be obliterated in the morning. :)

I hope you have had a marvelous Green Weekend, my dears!  Don't forget about the giveaway happening on Friday!  See you soon!

Tea Themed Giveaway!

I am so blessed.  Seriously.

I have a dear friend (who wishes to remain anonymous), who does not have her own space in the blogosphere, but who regularly delights in the comments and goings on of you who read The Modest Peacock that I share with her.  She says you are some of the highlights of her day! (I'm looking right at you, Muskoka River, Square Tooth Girl, Feathered Nest, Daily Dodo and all of my Snail Mail related blog rollers!!!)

A fellow tea drinker like me, she has asked to partner with me and contribute items for a Tea themed giveaway to celebrate the signs of spring that are popping up here in the South!!!  Isn't that the sweetest thing!  Of course I said yes!!

Together, we are offering a goody package that will have the following items in:

• One Old Country Roses by Royal Dalton Demitasse teacup and saucer set
• One box of Twinings Tea - Variety set (Eng. Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Lady Grey, Earl Grey)
• One package of Biscoff tea biscuits
• One box of Pims raspberry tea cookies
• One jar of Sweetwater Creek Farms local wildflower honey
• One tin of sugar cubes
• One box of International Delights French Vanilla creamers
• The current issue of Tea Time magazine
• One custom, one-of-a-kind beaded stretch bracelet, made by yours truly
• One set of notecards by Pooch and Sweetheart and a cool pen

All tied up with a fancy ribbon and signed with x's and o's!!!

Just leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing!  I'll select the lucky winner at random on Friday, March 22!  Don't forget to send your friends over as well!  "Tea for two" is twice as nice! ;)

After

After a sleepless night (general insomnia), I heard the children wake up for Christmas morning.
After they had come downstairs and gasped with delight over their presents, there was paper everywhere and smiles and laughter and it was wonderful.
After the presents were all open, there was a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.  Simple, but so good.
After spending time playing games and setting up toys, it was time for them to go to their dad's for his visitation time.  They will be back on Jan. 1st.
After they were gone, the house was too quiet.
After I had lunch and cleaned up the downstairs, I decided to go see Les Miserables.
After I sat down in the theater, someone I hadn't seen in a long time found me and invited me to sit with them.
After the opening overture, I didn't stop crying until the credits rolled.
After the movie, we went to get a bite to eat and catch up on each other's lives for a couple of hours.
After I got home the weather turned downright nasty.  Glad to be snug and safe.
After a good night's sleep, I spent the majority of today job searching and submitting online applications.
After some general blogging, I discovered that my ex married his mistress yesterday.  I thought I would feel something one way or another, or have some sort of response since our divorce was only final Nov 28th, but I didn't.  I don't really care.  Huh.
After I helped my Gran with some stuff she needed, I went back to my job search and was interrupted by 3 different instant messages from good friends wanting to chat.  Gal pal Nikki lives in Savannah and is always ready to tell me how the city looks and what's happening there. I felt loved and cared about. :)
After writing this, I'm ready to go to bed and have a busy, productive, and happy day tomorrow, spending time in prayer, getting caught up on housework, sewing work, more job searching, and writing some long overdue letters.

I'm going to leave you with a great song lyric about "after".  It's by Mumford and Sons.  (Here's the full song if you want to hear it.  I'll likely feature it on a MM sometime later.)

And after the storm
I run and run as the rains come
and I look up, I look up
On my knees and out of luck
I look up...

There will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears
when love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see what you find there
with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

UGA vs OLE MISS

I was at the one year anniversary celebration of the new library while this game was going on, so I didn't get to hear it.  Another win, though.  My Bulldogs seem to have gotten their lucky streak back on after that unfortunate loss to SC.  37-10 Final

Auburn update: Finally, a win! 42-7 against New Mexico State (who?).  War Eagle!

Next week is the GA/Auburn game.  The Bulldogs will stomp the Tigers like there's no tomorrow.  I've already sent my Auburn fan friends sympathy cards, the same way I did with the Tennessee game.  Sorry for your loss...
I love being a GA fan.  All the time.  But especially during a good winning season. ;)

UGA vs UF

Again, there is a lot going on here to where I sometimes can't catch the game.  I was sewing Halloween costumes for the Cute Gremlins and mostly there were personal things that I can't talk about yet that were crowding out everything else "normal".  Anyway, this image from my Facebook news-feed roughly sums up the big GA/FLA game:

Final Score: 17-9.  I love you, My Bulldogs! :)


Auburn Update:  Stomped by Texas A&M.  63-21.  Owie!  Not a good season for the Tigers at all. :(

UGA vs UK

I had a very busy Saturday that included getting everything prepped for making a ton of apple-flavored- whatever from the bushel of apples I brought back from our trip to N. GA last weekend, sewing more stock for the Nov. 3rd arts show that's approaching way too quickly, and finally caving in, even though it was getting late, and actually making the first apple thing on my list- WASSAIL. (Mmmmm!)

So I didn't catch most of the game and relied mostly on friends' Facebook updates and an SEC mobile app to keep me posted on the score.  GA was down 7-14 at the start of the 2nd quarter (NO!), got their act together and got the lead by halftime (YES!) and held on through the rest of the game to win it 29-24 Final. (YAY!!!)

Next week it's WLOCP (World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party)- The big game against the Fla Gators.  While a lot of people I know hold this to be the biggest "rivalry game" with all manner of trash talk and hoopla, I'm rather indifferent.  As I've already explained, my energies and fandom are super concentrated during the face off against Tennessee (Done and won this year- I LOVE YOU, My Bulldogs!) and Auburn (still to come in 3 weeks time).  So the GA/FL game... of course I want my Bulldogs to win, but I'm not going to be hanging on the edge of my seat about it.

Auburn Note: Another loss.  Vandy beat the Tigers 17-13.  Well, dang.  This is just not a good year to be hollering "War Eagle". :(  Kind of makes me feel bad about rooting for GA on Nov 10.  (But only just.  :P )

Grilled Cheese

Yesterday my friend Carrie posed a question on her Facebook wall:
"What is the best cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich?"
Almost instantly, there were well over 20 comments ranging from the classic (including my own suggestion of deli sliced ham and swiss) to the fancy ("marble rye and Gruyere") to the extremely creative that substituted cheese altogether ("melted banana, peanut butter, honey-cured bacon and cinnamon with fresh fruit"!).  There was even a nice representation of the range from healthy ("hummus, bean sprouts, white sharp cheddar and tomato on wheat") to utterly artery clogging ("Velveeta...that block of uber-processed goodness").

One of her commenters mid-way through the thread made the good point that "ALL THE CHEESE" is the best cheese to grill (agreed!!!), which of course prompted me to borrow an Allie Brosh drawing (copyright hers) from a meme creator page and tweak the text to create this:

Pretty sure I know what we're having for lunch now...  :)

UGA vs TENNESSEE

Fact: When I am listening to the UGA game on the car radio and the play gets intense, I yell and holler along with the fans who are actually at the stadium and the people in the vehicles around me look frightened.  Or at the very least, mildly alarmed.  "Check out that lady in the Honda having some kind of fit!" LOL

Remember what I said last week about Tennessee coming all that way only to get a beating and go back home?  Well, it wasn't as sound of a beating as I (and many other fans, according to the social streams this evening) would have liked, but a win is a win and My Bulldogs remain undefeated at 5-0.  51-44 Final.  Good heavens, I love SEC football! :)

I have family who are TN alumni, you know.  I may have to send my uncle a sympathy card... "Sorry for your loss." :)  It's especially fun during the fall at the home of one of my cousins; she's a die-hard UGA fan, as is one of her two sons.  Her husband is an Auburn fan.  The other son is TN alumni/fan.
Chaos!  But we all come together again at Christmas with no hard feelings.

The Dawgs face off against South Carolina next weekend.  I predict some fried chicken for dinner that night... ;)

UGA vs VANDY

Whatever Vanderbilt did last week to shut down Presbyterian 58-0 was completely forgotten tonight!  The effort of winning that game after losing to both South Carolina and Northwestern at the start of the season must have worn them out.  My Bulldogs graciously let them get on the scoreboard in the 2nd quarter, but still mopped the field with them in the end: 48-3 Final.  Very happy GA fan over here right now. :)

And so we prepare, thus far undefeated, to face bitter rival team Tennessee next week.  Shame for the Vols to come all the way to Athens just to get a beating and then go back home.  ;)  I hope I get to be somewhere with a TV so I can watch it happen! LOL! BRING IT ON! :)

Auburn note: Held on hard as they could, but lost to LSU, 12-10.

UGA vs FLA ATLANTIC

I listened to this game on the radio as I was doing some other stuff, so I don't have any plays or special remarks/details about it to share.  Bottom line: BULLDOGS WIN! 56-20 Final.  Three wins in a row?  Why, yes, thanks, I believe we will! :)

Auburn note: 31-28 win against Louisiana-Monroe in OT.  War Eagle! :)

UGA vs MIZZOU

It's been a good Saturday.  After getting some laundry and regular housework done, I wrote some long overdue letters and then took the Cute Gremlins to the library.  We were going to play at the park, but it started to storm outside, so we ended up going to an indoor playground instead.  The weather cleared up briefly after supper at around 7, which gave us a perfect window to run around outside for a couple of minutes and then head inside to get the CGs baths and pjs on.

I turned on WSB 95.5 at 7:45 for the game kick-off.  CG the Elder enjoyed hanging out, sprawled in the floor, building with legos as we listened to the first half.  CG the Younger preferred to play with her dollhouse and Littlest Pet Shop toys.

No score in the first quarter.  Missouri gets a field goal from the 28 yard line to get on the scoreboard. 3-0 with 12:07 left in the 2nd quarter.  Georgia defense does a pretty good job of keeping Missouri from scoring, evening up the score 3-3, but then Missouri scores and the extra point is good, bringing it 10-3.  With just 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Georgia gets a touchdown and tries to tie it up a second time, but miss the field goal point.
At halftime the score is 10-9 Mizzou.  The CGs get tucked into bed.

First couple of minutes into the 3rd quarter, Missouri completes a 69 yd pass for a touchdown and the extra point is good.  Missouri leads 17-9 with 11:48 to go in the 3rd.  I start pleading with the Dawgs to come back, even though I know they can't hear me through the radio.

OR CAN THEY?  

Because at 7:27 on the clock, Georgia completes a pass for a touchdown, goes for a two point conversion, and ties it up at 17-17! (I'm screaming and hollering with glee, but quietly because the CGs are asleep in the other room!!)  Only, I don't have time to feel happy about the tie up, because Missouri attempts a field goal from the 25 and it's good.  2:39 left in the 3rd quarter, 20-17.  The Bulldogs don't take this. They turn around and complete a triple set of passes for 73 combined yards, ending in a touchdown with less than a minute to go!  Georgia has the lead 24-20 at the end of the 3rd!!!  I contemplate ways to lower my blood pressure.  It's getting a workout tonight! :)

It's the start of the 4th quarter.  Georgia goes for a 41 yard field goal and it's good, pulling the lead up to 27-20.  Missouri makes a 39 yard rush straight up the middle before my Dogs pull him down at the GA 36 yd line.  A couple minutes later, Georgia makes a 44 yd rush for a 1st down. Attempted passes after that are incomplete as the clock ticks down to 8:31 left in the game.  Missouri has the ball, Georgia intercepts and takes it down 21 yards to the 1 yard line!!! ARRRAAGGGHHH!!  Into the end-zone, TOUCHDOWN!  34-20 with 7:33 left in the game!!!

At 7:15 the ball acts like it's been greased and flops all over the place, the Dogs get it and in less than a minute have another touchdown and extra point, bringing it to 41-20!  They hold out with strong defense for the remaining 5 minutes and that's the game!!!  2nd win for my Dogs and first SEC win of the year!  WOOOHHOOOOOOO!!!!

Georgia heads home victorious and will play Florida Atlantic next week.
I'm going to bed now, a happy Dawgs fan! :)

*****

PS- Auburn played earlier this afternoon against Miss. St. and lost; 28-10 final.  Sorry, Tigers fans.  They just aren't off to a good start this season, having also lost last week to Clemson, 26-19.  Oh, well.  "War Eagle" anyway!

GO DAWGS!!!!!

This post is brought to you today by the letter:

From now until the end of November, the only colors that matter around here are Red and Black!
We beat Buffalo this afternoon 45-23!  Way to start out the season, My Bulldogs!!!

Be aware that every Saturday until after Thanksgiving will likely be a football post. :)
I also root for The University of Auburn out of love for friends and family alumni every weekend EXCEPT when they play UGA.  Then it's Die, Tigers, Die and Go Dawgs. ;)  But every other game.  War Eagle!

Also, down with University of Tennessee.  ALWAYS!!  To quote Sandra Bullock as Leanne Tuohy in the movie "The Blind Side", "...But I will not wear that gaudy orange, I will not. It is not my colour wheel and I'm not gonna wear it. ".  Amen, girl.  Amen!

 I ♥ SEC Football! :)