11 Reasons why Mary Poppins is one of the greatest movies of all time

1. Julie Andrews. Practically perfect in every way. She could be all eleven reasons why, and this list would still be completely valid. Andrews accepted the role of Mary Poppins after she was passed over for the movie role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (in favor of Audrey Hepburn). She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mary Poppins AND beat Hepburn out for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Let's be real. This movie would not truly be Mary Poppins if it wasn't for Julie Andrews.

2. Nannies go flying. Like witches, except not. I always thought this scene was hilarious, because they just all go flying up in the air. Some of them are even grasping at the fence posts, trying to stay on the ground. And then the maid opens the door to tell them all to go home, and the street is just completely empty.

3. Mary Poppins blows in on the wind. I can't tell you how badly I want to be able to fly on the wind with an umbrella. Every time there's a big wind storm at Cherry Crest, I'm tempted to jump off the bridge with one of the big Pepsi umbrellas, because I'm pretty sure I'll go flying through the air like a proper British nanny. So if you ever see someone doing that, it's probably me.

4. That infamous tea party scene. I've always been fascinated by it. As a kid, I KNEW it was movie magic, but I could never figure out exactly how they did it. I think that was part of the charm, that I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I won't spoil anything for anyone, but I did some research, so if you're curious, here's a great video that explains some of the magic.

5. "I Love to Laugh." While I'm on that scene.... I just can't deal. Bert does all those different laughs, and they're so accurate, it's hysterical! Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are both amazing on their own terms, but the two of them together are almost too much brilliance to handle. Their back-and-forth banter is wonderful.

6. 13 Oscar nominations, 5 wins at the 37th Annual Academy Awards. Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Original Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee"), Best Substantially Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. That's the most of any Disney movie, ever. Boom, y'all.

7. Nursery clean-up was never so much fun. Even though I can't actually clean up a room by magic, I just pretend that I can. It makes it go much faster.

8. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does anything else need to be said about this awesome word and accompanying song? Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. It even sounds awesome backwards (around 1:52).

9. Dick Van Dyke. Not only does he lead the way as the delightful chimney sweep and jack-of-all-trades, Bert, but he also stars as the elderly bank owner, Mr. Dawes, Sr. He is so utterly convincing that I genuinely forget that he's the one who plays the old man, every single time. Also, his tap dancing is superb. I mean, I don't know that much about dancing, but it looks pretty awesome to me.

10. The chalk drawings. When they melt, it's sad and beautiful and haunting, all at the same time.

11. The family dynamics and lessons learned. It may be cliche, but the story as a whole is quite touching, with the change that George Banks goes through. At the beginning, he's a strict and regimented workaholic father, who doesn't pay any mind to his children. By the end, Mary Poppins has taught him that "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is the word to say when you don't know what to say and that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and he goes off to fly a kite with his kids and his wife. I love a happy ending. *tears*

And a bonus reason: 
I'm sitting here watching the movie, and listening to Julie Andrews "Stay awake" is having the same effect on me as it is having on Jane and Michael.... I'm falling asleep just lying here.

One of the timeless movie classics from the end of the Golden Age of movie musicals, Mary Poppins is worth watching at any time, by anyone. And for those of you who now have a strong desire to watch the movie right away, you can stream it here. You're welcome.

12 Reasons Why I Love Topanga Lawrence

I have to admit, I came onto the Boy Meets World scene a little late. Like 15 years late, give or take. My best friend Star introduced me to the show... I think it all started with a conversation that went something like this:

Star: Liesl, you're like the Cory to my Shawn.
Me: .......Who's Cory?
Star *picks herself up off the floor after dropping over in shock and horror*

Needless to say, she decided to fix that problem real quickly, so we spent the rest of the semester watching all the episodes of seasons 1-4, in order. She was right by the way.... I'm totally the Cory to her Shawn.

Anyway, I never made it to the 5th and 6th seasons, since she didn't have them on DVD, and I hadn't yet discovered the beauty of streaming tv shows on the internet (I swear, I didn't ACTUALLY live under a rock for most of my life. Only part of it). Recently, my younger sister borrowed the first season from one of her friends, and we got hooked on the show again.

And I've discovered something. Topanga Lawrence is seriously one of my favorite tv characters of all time. She's just awesome. And here's why.

1. She calls her parents Jedediah and Chloe. At their suggestion.

2. In season 1, she does this interpretive dance to a poem she wrote, called "Donut in the Sky." It's about the sun and the environment, and she makes Cory read it while she does a dance. Observe:

3. When Cory is sick, she brings him tea to "help him cleanse his aura." It's like the Topanga version of chicken noodle soup.

4. Her hair. Just look at all these photos of her hair.

5. She calls Cory, "my little butthead."

6. "I do my thing and you do your thing. You are you and I am I. And if in the end we end up together, it's beautiful."

7. When Cory asks how she's doing, she replies, "Well, Mercury is in retrograde, making projects difficult to complete and causing general chaos in the universe."

8. She goes just a liiiiittle bit crazy that one time that she eats ONE meatball. One.

9. She lets Cory call her "Topey." Like Dopey, but with a T.

10. "How do you 'accidentally' kiss someone?! Did she slip and your lips broke her fall??"

11. In the back in time episode, she's a 50s rebel chick, and when Cory mentions how tall her hair is, she says, "Look buddy, if I see an air-o-plane, I'll duck, alright?" [you've gotta say it in the accent so it sounds right]

12. And her name is Topanga. Coming from someone with a more unusual name, this one really just spoke to me. I would totally name my kid after her. But also this happens in a later episode:

I'm quite sure there are so many other reasons why Topanga is awesome, so feel free to tell me in the comments!

Why my children will be allowed to read about the Baudelaires

I was very fortunate when I was younger to have parents who encouraged me to read. And I took full advantage of that... I read just about anything I could get my hands on. They had some rules about what I could read when I was younger, and it didn't take me too long to get to the point where I pretty much knew whether or not I'd be allowed to read something.
*I should make the disclaimer that I completely respect my parents for the beliefs they hold and the rules that they had in place*

Now, I don't remember my mom ever saying to me, "You may not read A Series of Unfortunate Events." I think I just always assumed, from reading the titles and synopses of the first few books, that she probably wouldn't let me read them. So I didn't. Although, to be fair, I never asked. Guess that should teach me a lesson about assuming.

But anyway, after filing them on the "Probably not allowed to read" shelf of my brain for a good 10+ years, I finally decided to read them this past winter. And I was hooked from the very beginning. I'm sure it was an amusing sight... I'm twenty-two years old and was obsessively checking them out at the library, 3 or 4 at a time. The series by Lemony Snicket focuses on three siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny who are shipped from one guardian to the next after they are orphaned in the first chapter of the first book. The sinister Count Olaf is after them (and their fortune) throughout the entire series, and he keeps sneaking into their lives, despite their efforts to hide from him. There are thirteen books in the series, each with thirteen chapters, and the siblings experience misfortune after misfortune, as nothing seems to go right for them. Ever.

But in thinking back to why I had never read them, and after a discussion with my mom where she didn't really remember ever telling me that I couldn't read them, I made a decision: My kids will be allowed to read about the Baudelaires. And here's why.

Vocabulary
These books have an astounding use of vocabulary, including some words that I didn't even know. Like who uses the word ersatz?! I don't think I've ever heard that word used in casual conversation before, but there it was, on the cover of book 6: The Ersatz Elevator (it's a word that refers to an imitation or substitution, usually something inferior). Any phrase or word that might be unfamiliar to a child is followed by a definition, often quite humorous (spring in her step defined as "in a surprisingly cheerful manner considering she was in the clutches of a ruthless villain on top of a mountain so cold that even the nearby waterfall was frozen solid") or only relevant to the situation at hand (perfect unison defined as "reciting a list of very odd words at the very same time"). But it gets the point across, and it expands the reader's vocabulary.

Engaging 
Maybe it's just me, but I was hooked from the very beginning. From the moment the kids found out that their parent's had died and they were going to live with their closest living relative, I had to know what was going to happen next. There were moments when I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, frantically reading as fast as I could so that I could finally find out what the heck VFD stood for.

Written for Kids
The series is clearly meant for kids. Everything happens on child's level. The heroes are kids, and everything is happening to them. Violet is an inventor, Klaus is a researcher, and Sunny turns out to be a great cook. Using their specialized skills, they do all of the problem-solving, and get themselves out of every tight spot they are in. They learn pretty quickly which adults they can trust and which ones they can't.

Imagination
My imagination was going crazy trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I had so many different scenarios in my head. At some point I was convinced that the Quagmires were actually related to the Baudelaires somehow, long-lost siblings or something. I found that the books stimulated my imagination because it was pretty obvious that many of the events couldn't actually happen (there's no way that a baby could climb to the top of an elevator shaft using only her teeth--no matter how sharp and pointy they were). Since I had already accepted that the limits of our world didn't exist in the Baudelaire's world, the sky was the limit! Anything could happen. And anything did.

Good Life Lessons
There were some pretty solid lessons along the way... Practical lessons like "If you're lost, stay put" and "In a fire, stay low to the ground." But also classic ones like "Family is the most important." Normally I'm not a big fan of moral-heavy books... they usually feel too cumbersome to me. But I found these to be subtle and thought-provoking, in no way hindering the story itself.

Genius
There are little strokes of genius just hidden throughout the series. The plot is wonderfully twisted and complex and everybody is connected somehow. I imagine all the characters pinned on a story board, with different colored yarn connecting them all, a wonderful web of relationships. Sunny's words (only understood and translated by her siblings for most of the series) start out as mostly nonsense, but end up being quite understandable, whether it's through cultural references, words from another language, or phonetic clues (like defining Unfeasi as "To make a hot meal without any electricity, I'd need a fire, and expecting a baby to start a fire all by herself on top of a snowy mountain is cruelly impossible and impossibly cruel"). Seemingly random sentences are actually code phrases for a top-secret organization. Events from the beginning of the series seem unimportant until the final book, when suddenly they seem like a very big deal.

Needless to say, I was a big fan. This series is a masterfully woven story of grand misfortune, repeated disaster, and the never-ending love of a family. And my kids will be encouraged to read it.

DIY Rick-Rack Roses

So this whole project started when Linna posted this link from The Crafting Chicks on my Facebook wall, saying, "Can you PLEASE try these out because I maybe want to use them in my wedding?!" And of course I said YES and so while back we had a rick-rack-rose-making party! And I thought I'd share my thoughts on the project, so that YOU can make rick-rack roses too.

They make really cute bobby pins. I used medium rick-rack for these (it's about an inch in diameter), though you could use jumbo-sized if you wanted to make them bigger. Linna used some GIANT rick-rack to make some BIG flowers to decorate lanterns. I like the smaller ones for decoration, though. I cut two 10-inch pieces of rick-rack and twisted them together, like so:

Then sew down the center, or slightly off center, to give the petals a fuller look. In this case, I used thread that was the same color as the rick-rack, but of course you could always use a complimentary color to give just a little bit more pop (though the thread doesn't show too much). Because the medium rick-rack is smaller, stitching down the middle worked fine for me, but with a larger size, you definitely want to sew more to one side (and this will become the bottom of the rose).

Then start rolling from one end. Put little dots of hot glue to help the flower stay together. I used the glue pretty often, to make sure that it would stay. You also want to put the glue more towards whichever side is going to be the bottom of the flower, so that the petals can open up nicely and not get glued together.

When you've rolled the flower the whole way up, you can trim the tail or tuck it under and glue it to the underside. Peel the outer petals out to give the rose an open feel. I also put some extra hot glue on the bottom of the flower, to hold it together and also to attach the bobby pin.

And that's it! They are really quite easy to make. Linna and I beasted out about 25 of them in an hour or two (I was sewing, she was gluing). And they look great in your hair!

How to Raise $200- Part 2

About a month ago, I posted this about how my church is doing a fundraiser this summer to raise money to expand our cafe area (it's currently a little crowded). I've been very happy and blessed with the response to far. Lots of you have come to me with your requests/orders.

At the same time, my grandma asked me to do a painting for the cafe, some sort of word art on a background that she had already started. I agreed, and used Isaiah 58:12, which is the verse that our clarion call (basically a mission statement) is based on. That set off a whole new string of orders that involved original word art (instead of the paint-sticker art).

So I thought I'd post some pictures, in case anyone else is interested in getting like this instead.

I also take special requests... if you see something on Pinterest that you would like me to recreate, let me know! A friend from church had found this painting through Pinterest, and asked if I could do something similar. This is the result:

Pricing:
8X10 = $15
11X14 = $20
16X20 = $25
special sizes will be individually priced, based on the cost of the canvas and hours working on it.

If you are interested in getting a canvas (whether it's the original word art or the sticker-paint art type thing), email me with this information:
1. canvas size
2. for word art: background colors and lettering color
3. for sticker art: underneath colors (which will be the colors of the lettering) and the overlay color (which will end up being the background color)

liesl.nafziger@gmail.com

How to Raise $200

Those of you who know a little bit about my church know that attendance at Timberline has been growing exponentially since we started in 2003, particularly in the last few years. The current lobby/cafe/library area gets pretty crowded on Sunday mornings, especially between services. We are finally at the point where we can begin Phase 3 of our building project, which would expand the cafe area to reduce the congestion and make the entrance area a more guest-friendly.

In order to raise funds for this project, the fundraising committee is asking for each family unit to raise $200 (above and beyond their regular giving) by the end of the summer. This is very doable for a lot of the families in our church, and I figured that my family would be no exception to this very reasonable endeavor.

But guess what?? Something extra-special-awesome happens when you graduate from college.... you suddenly become independent, and therefore your own family unit!! So yes, I was informed today that I am my own family unit, and therefore they are asking me to raise $200 by the end of the summer to contribute to the Phase 3 building fund.

Now, I could go off on some rant about how I have massive college loans because I went to Messiah and gas is so expensive and I'm still living with my parents because I clearly can't support myself yet, so I should probably just be counted in their family unit. But I decided that the mature thing to do would be to prove that I am, in fact, an independent person, and raise the money myself. I figured, I'm a super arts-and-crafts-y person, surely I can figure out something to make and sell to raise money.

SO HERE'S HOW I'M GOING TO DO THAT!!
Many of you have probably seen these DIY projects popping up all over Pinterest. You may have even noticed that I've done a few myself. It's clearly the "in" thing right now (Esme Squalor would totes agree).

 These canvases are customizable and one-of-a-kind, so they make great gifts! Here's where I come in.
I will be selling custom, original canvases (whatever size, colors and quote you want), with all of the money going to the Timberline building fund.
I just wanted to make sure you would be able to see that, since it's kind of the point of this particular post.
Anyway, here are the prices:

8X10 = $15
11X14 = $20
16X20 = $25

These make great wedding/birthday presents! They can be inspiring bedroom/bathroom/living-room decor! Also, boys, these make great gifts for your girlfriends/fiances/wives.... trust me, girls love this kind of thing.
Need a Mother's Day present? For only an extra $5, I'll have your order ready by Saturday evening, if you order by this Wednesday!

You tell me what you want it to say and what colors you want, and I will make it for you. I also just really like crafty things, so if you find another similar project on Pinterest that you want me to try, let me know and I'll give it a whirl. Here are some more pictures of what I've done:

And of course, you can get it in GLITTER for an extra $7 (see pics here), because who doesn't want something in glitter?? And of course, if you have an extra-special request, let me know!

Anyway, help a girl out.... because in the end, you're actually helping Timberline out. If I somehow manage to raise more than the $200 that I need to contribute my part, the rest of the money will still go to Timberline, whether it's towards the building fund, towards one of our missions projects, or towards the general expenses of the church. For more information about the church, click here.

Have a question/order? Email me at liesl.nafziger@gmail.com!

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

So a number of months ago, somebody posted a video from the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on Facebook, and since I had just finished watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries with Sara and was feeling obsessed with anything Jane Austen, I decided to give it a go and see what it was all about. It took about 2.5 seconds before I was hooked and from then until the series ended, I eagerly rushed home from work every Monday and Thursday so that I could quickly squeeze the new episode in before supper.

What is the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, you might ask? It is an original web series that aired on YouTube, created by Hank Green and Bernie Su, and is a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice! Now, obviously there are a lot of modern adaptations of Jane Austen's beloved novel, and I'm pretty sure that many of them just don't do the book justice (*cough* Keira Knightley version). But while this series of vlogs puts an extremely modern spin on the story, I found myself being drawn further into their world.

The premise of the series is that Lizzie Bennet is a 24-year old grad student who starts a video blog with her best friend Charlotte as part of a class project. Of course, her sisters Jane and Lydia are a big part of her life and the vlogs (Mary Bennet is a cousin and Kitty Bennet is... well, a cat), as are the rich-hot-and-single Bing Lee and the aloof Mr. Darcy.

One of Lizzie's trademarks is her use of costume theatre to portray everyone who she talks about, especially her mother. I think she's portrayed just about everyone on the show, and the impressions are usually dead on, with just enough caricature to make it the exaggeration that it is.

I'm in the middle of re-watching the series, and this time around I just find myself marveling at the actors. I'm literally watching Lydia Bennet deteriorate before my eyes, and Mary Kate Wiles just kills it! You don't even realize how gradual the change is until you go back and compare episode 1 Lydia to episode 87 Lydia, but the differences are night and day. And don't even get me started on the way Lizzie slowly fall in love with Darcy. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I found myself rooting for her the entire series.

Basically, if you are all about Pride and Prejudice, then you must give this series a chance. Look, I've even embedded the first episode, so you don't have any excuse to not start watching right now! And make sure you don't miss Lydia's spin-off vlogs. There's also the Collins&Collins channel and Gigi's Domino demonstrations that help tell the story later on. Seriously, it's like a whole new world that's been created for these characters.

But consider yourself warned--once you've started, you won't want to stop. So give yourself plenty of time. Like, say, a lazy Saturday when you don't really have anything else to do. :)

*Update: Here's a link to a YouTube channel that put together all of the videos in the series, in chronological order (including Lydia's videos, some from the Collins&Collins channel, Gigi's Domino demonstrations, and also Maria Lu's videos): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisuGP2lcPs&list=PLS_PzAkdmDSI-KhZcGAFIveX0RC6jGhOb