IF YOU LIKE JANE AUSTEN

I really enjoyed this annotated version of Sense and Sensibility.  I have never before read an annotated book, so I thought I would share some highlights and you can decide for yourself if you might enjoy this book!

 

Originally written around 1795 as a series of letters titled Elinor and Marianne, it
was later published in 1811 under the S&S title.

Forward by Author, Julie Klassen 

How the annotated columns work.

I had no idea

Reading
in the Garden

Interesting

Love that her prayers are shared!

and my sister's birthday :)  But, seriously, I never knew
when Michaelmas was, even though I have read it
many times in other period books.

I did not even understand this was a duel!  Thank goodness for commentary!

Haha!  I enjoyed this.

As a homeschooling teacher myself, I appreciated this annotation. 

Naturally, there is plenty of tea drinking in the book.  As a feast for the eyes, I decided to give the 2008 mini-series a go.  I found it free on Amazon Prime and immensely enjoyed it.  I never would have watched if it had not been for the comments in
the book!

I had already watched the Emma Thompson / Alan Rickman
version, so I did not expect to change my loyalties and was
not really interested.  However, I was very pleased with this
edition and enjoyed the differences as well and was
happy to relate to the book on a new level.

It definitely took me longer to read this book since it is written over a hundred years ago and there are multiple characters to keep straight, but reading through an entire Jane Austen novel has long been on my bucket list and I am so happy to have read this version and accomplished my goal!
I am grateful to Bethany House Publishing for coming up with it.  Just wonderful!

If you would like to purchase your own copy, here is the ISBN info.  I found mine quite some time ago at a Christian Bookstore that has long since closed.

ISBN 978-0-7642-0740-2

I hope you have a lovely Labor Day Weekend friends!
Until next time,
Hugs and a cup (or mason jar) of tea!

MUG SWAP 2016 My Box to San Diego

Back on August 1st, I shared with you about a Mug Swap fundraiser here.
I managed to get my box completed well ahead of schedule & it was delivered last Thursday.  I received confirmation that my Mug Swap sister {Siraya} received it, so now I get to share my fun with you dear readers.

The different sides of the box

I decorated the inside of the box with cute pictures and quotes I thought she would like, and included a fun card. I lined the bottom of the box with a green cloth napkin, and placed one on top as well. Green is her favorite color.

She loves comics and super hero movies, so I found some fun Wonder Woman items.  Max was keen to check out the mug!

I could not decide on just one mug, so in addition to whimsical, I included a girly one with encouragement, which just so happens to be green and will go perfectly with her favorite drink!

Just like me, she's a Whovian.  We have so much in common.  We both love British.  Everything pictured below is British! Whoooop!

Both of us; Christ followers... aaawww yeah!

She's big into photography; found this cute camera washi tape WITH green washi tape.  Well, that was meant to be!

All this benefited Bags4Kids.  And to date, over $1400 has been raised on the swap.  But I think it's gone up from there since late addition swappers joined.  What a blessing!!

NOW, since I was searching for mugs... I came across something I could not resist for myself. This beautiful Jane Austen tea mug, which was ON SALE.
Check that quote on the upper right: "But indeed, I would rather have nothing but tea." Yep... that's me!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Here are a couple of fun ones that @TheMugSwap featured on Instagram. If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you may have heard that Netflix is releasing FOUR NEW specials on 11/25/2016.  We can not wait!!! This was mine and my daughter's special mother-daughter show when she was a teen. Now, if you know me, you know I detest coffee, but these are certainly cute!

they found these on Pinterest

 

I hope you have enjoyed my little mug swap fun.

Remember friends,

free printables from JoyInMyKitchen.com

AND

Be blessed,

Teacup Tuesday & Tiny Jars

I wanted to do a Teacup Tuesday post (my 1st one), that I could share with others who post the same :)

Yesterday at Burlington Coat Factory (of all places), I found an assortment of Davidson's brand teas and decided to give them a try.  It is USDA Organic certified, and each bag comes sealed in its own wrapper, which is always lovely for sharing in gifts.  Tonight's selection is Apricot Essence black tea.  I hardly steeped this tea at all, and it quickly darkened in color.  The taste of the black tea was quite strong, with the apricot notes arriving afterwards.  Not my favorite, but nice to try something new.

My teacup is November Chrysanthemum from the Avon Blossoms of the Month series.  I love the orange and yellow colors which work well in spring or autumn.  I found it at a yard sale for just a few dollars and couldn't pass it up.  The tray in the background is another find from Ross this week. It was only $5 or $6 :)  Woo-hoo! 

I have an affinity towards tiny jars.  I don't know why, but I do.  I spotted these at the store, and loved them, but I don't have any babies in my daycare right now.  What to do?  Why, make smoothies of course!

I added 2 soft bananas, and some ice along with the baby food, and The Littles enjoyed their treats very much.

Extra bonus, when I washed up the jars, the labels peeled right off - no extra scrubbing needed.

See  how the jars look with flowers in them.  Jane thinks they are lovely.

The other teacup featured on the right is Duchess bone china made in England.  I am not too sure of the flower shown on it, however.  Any ideas?
Update: the lovely Beth from Conversations from my house, informed me the teacup on the right features DOGWOOD flowers.  Thank you Beth!

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. Jer. 31:25

Jane Austen Family Letters at the Huntington

The Huntington Library and Gardens in Southern California, has acquired a new set of letters, which is very exciting as a lover of all things Austen.

Leigh Family Papers (Jane Austen’s Mother was Cassandra Leigh) unpublished letters and manuscripts from Jane Austen's mother's family, 1686–1823, 1866. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

"The Council also acquired 52 unpublished letters, poems, and other materials from Jane Austen’s mother’s family, the Leighs of Adlestrop. The collection spans six generations, capturing intimate family relationships across time."  

“This is a deeply personal collection of family papers that draws back the curtain on the formalities of society in 17th- and 18th-century England,” said Vanessa Wilkie, William A. Moffett Curator of English Historical Manuscripts. “We’re looking at correspondence revealing the intimate, mundane, playful, and tragic aspects of the times.” The collection spans almost 200 years, with a range of voices from within one lineage. “You get a dear mother, affectionate father, dear son, dear cousin, dear brother, dear little niece, dear Madame, and even A. Nonymous,who writes a really funny letter that cautions against the dangers of falling in love with Miss Fortune.”

Historians and literary scholars continue to mine the legacy of Jane Austen, already well studied. These materials provide an unpublished window into her mother’s side of the family. It does not include Jane Austen material; most of her letters were burned by her sister after her death. The collection supplements other Leigh family material already in The Huntington’s possession."

CLICK HERE for Huntington Gardens & Library

I am joining the lovely Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose for her Tuesday Roses of Inspiration Party.  Please join me by clicking here.

Happy Kitchen Shelf

I have an adorable vintage shelf above my stove that I bought around a year ago at a sweet store in Murrieta, CA.  I enjoy changing the decor to reflect the current holiday.  
I just found these adorable tea themed kitchen towels at Kohl's and to make it better, I had a 30% off coupon!  I always tell my daddy Love You More! :)
The flowers are camellias from my garden.  I don't actually garden, but whatever shows up, I enjoy!
The mock books actually contain pouches of tea from the Jane Austen series, which I ordered from Bingley's Tea's Ltd. The tea is good quality and always packaged in such a way you feel like you are receiving a present in the mail.  Additionally, I thought the lovely Jane Austen who is sporting a pretty pink spencer would compliment the shelf nicely. 
Do you decorate any corner's of your home for various holidays?
Have a blessed day.
Hugs, and a cup of tea!