Month: November 2014

Something for Everyone on your Christmas List Inspired by Outlander

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I found lots of inspiration on http://www.outlanderstore.com.  I saw several items for my own Christmas List.  For friends and family, I’ll start with the most obvious. For the book lover on your list, I would most definitely recommend Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. There are now eight books in the series. I have multiple copies of the first three books with versions on my Kindle, iBooks, and in paperback. My local bookstores are Books a Million and Barnes and Noble. Diana autographs books at her local bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, www.poisonedpen.com. Diana’s web site is a great resource if you have questions, www.dianagabaldon.com.

If you are in the Cape Cod area, I discovered some fantastic bookstores on Chatham Island while I was on vacation. Where the Sidewalk Ends featured Outlander as a staff pick.

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For the music aficionados on your list, I would recommend the show’s theme song composed by Bear McCreary, “Outlander – Main Title Theme (Skye Boat Song) [feat. Raya Yarbrough]”. My other recommendation would be the album Unravelling by We Were Promised Jetpacks, FatCat Records, 2014. The group is based in Glasgow, and the alternative album is produced by Paul Savage. Both are already in my iTunes music library.

For the chef in your life, you can surprise them with A Taste of Outlander, by Theresa Carle-Sanders. She is professional chef and a huge fan of the Outlander book series. I have made Theresa’s Shepherd’s Pie recipe, and both of my picky children gave it a two thumbs up review. “Mom, you should make this again!” Information to purchase the cookbook is on her website, www.outlanderkitchen.com.

For the Exercise Enthusiast, I will direct you to Bear Strength Clothing Co. I have ordered a shirt and a vest, and they are so soft! The web site is user-friendly, and converts to US currency. You can find them at http://www.bearstrength.co.uk, and they ship to the United States. I had a wonderful experience the first time I ordered from the company. They carry men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel.

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I haven’t forgotten the children on your list. If a Scout Elf visits your house from the North Pole, Elf on the Shelf has designed a Tartan skirt and boots combination. This Claus Couture Collection piece can be found exclusively at Target.

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While shopping on Chatham Island, I stumbled upon the most adorable store. Ducks in the Window carries more rubber ducks than I have ever seen in one place.

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As you can see, a duck in a kilt is a must buy. It was the last one, so of course I bought him. I have also seen similar items on the Oriental Trading web site, www.orientaltrading.com.

For the fashionista, it can be tricky; however, plaid seems to be a safe choice. I don’t think it is just my selective attention at work here either. I am seeing plaid everywhere. These two items made it into my shopping cart at Target. Notice the teal and black, in honor of the Jacksonville Jaguars fans on the list.

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I found this Cashmink acrylic scarf at Stein Mart.

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If you are feeling brave, you could also visit www.auntmjcreations.com. The company makes hand-made ladies Celtic and Renaissance clothing. They are also coming out with a children’s line. I met some very nice representatives of the company at the Lannadoo Festival last weekend. My husband asked me what colors I preferred. He said, “If I am wearing my kilt to the NE FL Highland Games, you should also have something appropriate to wear.” I wouldn’t be surprised to find one of their creations under my tree.

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For the person who has everything, you might consider a subscription to Starz. I firmly believe the show Outlander is worth the price of subscription. If you have children, our cable bundle also includes the Starz Kids&Family Channel. We all enjoy watching movies together.

On a different note, look what I found while shopping at my school’s Used Book Sale.

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The second and third pictures are from the book, The Cooking of the British Isles. The Crofter and the Laird, by John McPhee, according to the description on the back of the book, “gives us a deep and rich portrait of the terrain, the history, the legends, and the people of this fragment of the Hebrides.”  My husband will thank me for this book about his clan that I never would have found if not for my “obsession”.

I’ve made shopping for me easy on my family considering I have already purchased most items on this list. I know all of you are on Santa’s Good List, I hope you find an Outlander Christmas under the tree! Happy Shopping!  We have 17 weeks until April 4th, and 26 shopping days until Christmas.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Jenny Mc

inspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com

@jennymcinspired

To be a fan girl or not to be a fan girl, that is the question…

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I really appreciate your comments about the blog. I asked a very close friend what she thought of my last blog post. She was very honest, and shared that the tone in my last post was similar to a “ten year old at a Justin Bieber concert”. I did ask for constructive criticism. Devotion of that level was not my intent however. “I don’t know how to explain it,” I told her, “the books and television show have had an impact on me.” I’ve processed what she said, and curious, I Googled fan girl. Below is the Merriam Webster definition:

fan·girl

noun \ˈfan-ˌgər(-ə)l\ a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something

Now I understand why my sister asked me if I was going to the San Diego Comic Con.   I fear anything else I might say on the subject could be digging a deeper hole. I keep thinking of the television show The Big Bang Theory, the episode where Sheldon explains his framed restraining orders. (You can watch The Big Bang Theory on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. on CBS). On the off-chance that I would actually meet anyone associated with the books or show, a restraining order would not be the memento I would want from the occasion. I’m a fan. I’m a woman. I’ll leave it at that for now.

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For the record, my love affair with all things plaid started early. I once had a crush on a guy in high school initially based on a pair of plaid shorts that he wore to school. Later, I met and fell in love with my husband, and now my last name starts with “Mc”. I had even agreed that my husband and his groomsmen would wear their kilts for our wedding ceremony until someone pointed out that I would no longer be the center of attention. We do have some nice pictures of him in his kilt at the Rehearsal Dinner and on our Honeymoon though.

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DH on left with his Best Man                                 With our niece Spring 2000

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Honeymoon Cruise Formal Night                                          2007 with son and daughter

You know what they say about hindsight, it is always 20/20. I might make a different decision now after watching “The Wedding” episode of Outlander.

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We have 19 more weeks until the second half of the season airs. Trying to think of ways to include my husband in this “obsession”, I thought of our trip to Tampa to order his kilt. Fourteen years have passed since we got in the car for our road trip. If your husband or significant other is interested in a kilt, this might be a fun weekend getaway. The kilts are pure wool, hand-made, and were woven in Scotland. The label says Lochcarron. At the time, the company was Dunedin Highland Wear. I went online, and they have changed their name to Lothian Kilt Rentals, and are located in Dunedin, FL, www.lothiankiltrentals.com. His best friend and wife joined us for the weekend. The boys went to the store to have their measurements taken, and the girls went shopping. We ate dinner one night at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. The Flamenco dance performance was amazing. We also have a Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine on St. George Street. I would highly recommend either location.

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Closer to home, the Florida Celtic Festival is November 22 and 23rd at the Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. Their web site describes the event as follows. The 2014 Lannadoo Jacksonville Celtic Fest is a free, one-of-a-kind, weekend-long Celtic heritage festival held on November 22 & 23. The festival will showcase the best of the Celtic nations in a unique celebration of culture, music and heritage, all taking place in Jacksonville Beach! Go to www.lannadoo.com for more information or on Twitter @lannadoo. There is a Kids Zone with fun activities for kids of all ages.

I am going to take a break from reading Outlander this week. I want to read Gone Girl before the next book club meeting. I look forward to hearing from you!

J Mc

inspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com

@jennymcinspired – Twitter

Twitter, Teslas, Tartans, and Time Travel

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As I am new to the Blogger World, I would like to take this opportunity to share a little bit about myself.  I am a married, mother of two who works part time in a preschool.  I’m a soccer mom who is involved in the PTA, and my daughter’s Girl Scout troop.  I am a huge fan of the Outlander book series and television show.  I just wanted to provide some insight as you read further into this post.

The first time I saw Sam Heughan was on my television screen August 9, 2014 in the starring role of Jamie Fraser in the television adaption of Diana Gabaldon’s book Outlander.  I read the book three years ago, and therefore had a picture in my head.  My first impression was that he is perfectly cast in the role, and he does in fact match the picture I have in my head.  It was his acting prowess that first caught my attention.

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I watched the show every week, and enjoyed every minute as the story unfolded.  As each show aired in the U.S., Sam started popping up on my Facebook newsfeed, Twitter, and Pinterest account.  When he appeared as a Pop Culture reference in a book I was reading on my Kindle as “Sam Heughan”, curiosity killed the cat so to speak.  The book is not related to Diana’s books in any way, and he is described in a most complementary fashion.

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Naturally, I started following him on Twitter.  This begins the period I refer to as “the week I lost to the Twitterverse and the World Wide Web”.  When I Googled “Sam Heughan”, 516,000 results came up in 20 seconds. I spent more time on Twitter that week than all the combined time spent since I joined three years ago.  I was sucked into the Outlander fandom.  In my humble opinion, he is a social media genius.  I especially love the witty conversations between Sam Heughan and Diana Galbaldon.  Diana describes his fans on Twitter as, “taking the bait, hook, line, and sinker.”  We do.  I’ve only tweeted him once though.

profilepickilt Outlander Inspired ‏@OutlanderI   Oct 29

1967 Corvette Stringray convertible I drove one in dark blue once.

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As I repost, I am utterly mortified to find a typo…*Sting Ray…I guess that’s what I get for tweeting while I may or may not have been at school.  My colleagues weren’t fooled though.  My excuse that I was checking the weather app prior to playground time was pretty flimsy.  Confirmation came Friday afternoon when one teacher said, “Goodbye Tweet, have a good weekend!”

I am not proud to admit I neglected my own husband and children.  My reality check moment occurred when my son leaned over my shoulder as I was watching a certain LA pool antics vine on my phone.  Sorry, I can’t bring myself to repost it.

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My son:  Who is that?

Me: No one you know.

My son: Can you please turn that off, it’s loud, and I can’t hear my show on TV.

I was so engrossed in reading the comments; I didn’t even realize the sound was on.  Feeling sufficiently chastised, I did turn it off, and placed myself on Twitter Restriction which lasted all of 40 minutes.  Surreal indeed!    I couldn’t help but think, “I hope he’s O.K.”.

I have since pulled my head out of the Scottish mist, but from the standpoint of anyone involved with Outlander, my week wasn’t totally unproductive.   I talked to all who would listen about the books and the show.  I even spread the word to Irish viewers.  I have a friend that still has family in Ireland, and we commiserate over the fact that they are now watching the new season of Downton Abbey while we have to wait.  I told her to tell them they could also watch Outlander on RTE2 starting October 21st.

I also expanded my world view.  Here are some things I’ve learned from following Sam Heughan on Twitter:

1.  I now know what a #TweetConvo is, as well as a #TweetFest/#TweetFeast.

I didn’t know you could read the replies posted under a tweet. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally clicked on one of his tweets.  As I write this blog, this is the juncture where I lose the ability to form a coherent sentence.  WOW! Just WOW! I can’t even…the responses to his tweets range from very sweet to things that made this blogger blush.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal, but I’m still…speechless…the sheer volume of responses is staggering.

2.  I can now speak intelligently with Publix employees about a Tesla.

One Sunday afternoon, a very outgoing young man was helping me and my children out to my car with the groceries.  Here is our conversation as we walk to the car:

C: Is yours the Suburban?

Me: No, but can I tell my husband you think I should have one, trying to convince him I need a new car.  Mine’s the Toyota.

C: You know what kind of car you need?

Me: What kind?

C: A Tesla.

Me: … laughing… Really? Do you think so? (Immediately my mind flashes to this image)

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C: … his eyes light up … You know what one is?

Me: Yes, it’s a smart car, right?

C: And what is cool is that it is like a Prius, but it doesn’t look like a Prius.  Have you seen one? (Opinions expressed by C do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this Blogger)

Me:  Just pictures.

C: Really? I’ve seen one in this parking lot.

Me: Good to know. (It is good to know that Florida’s First Coast is on trend.)

C: Do you know if the Jaguars have scored?

Me: No, I didn’t check Twitter while I shopped.

I Googled “Tesla”, and found a Tesla Service Center in St. Augustine, Florida.  I didn’t find a dealership, but found an article on Jacksonville.com complete with slideshow.  “Smart Car” is definitely an understatement on my part.

3.  San Francisco has a MLB team, the San Francisco Giants.

At a recent Thursday trivia night at Culhane’s Irish Pub, I contributed two answers to this bonus question: Name the 4 teams still in the MLB Playoffs.

Me: San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles

My co-workers (team building trivia) look at me with shocked expressions on their faces, “How did you know that?”

Me: Twitter (Not that I would be totally clueless in a conversation about sports, my husband and son watch ESPN 24/7, mainly focusing on American football.)

I also correctly answered this question, who sang the song, “Ghostbusters” from the 1984 movie of the same title?

Me: Ray Parker Jr. (This was pre Sam pic with Ecto-1 however.)

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4.  I can go see Mr. Heughan in the film “Emulsion” on Monday, November 17th

7:30PM – 9:22PM at AMC Orange Park 24    1910 Wells Road, Orange Park, FL, US, 32073    $11.00 General

For more information, go to www.tugg.com/events. The deadline for ticket purchase is November 10, 2014.

5.  Sam’s fans are very creative, clever, committed, entertaining, funny, industrious, loving, and loyal.

6.  I am only six years older than Sam.

Now that we have 21 weeks before the second half of the season 1 airs, I could advise you to spend some time on Twitter to ease the Outlander Withdrawal.  I must caution you before you follow said advice.  If I had started following Sam this month, I might be passing out pizza on paper plates for Thanksgiving dinner.  I will post a list of fun Twitter accounts I have found to follow on this site.

As always, I look forward to your comments, but if I don’t hear from you this week, I will understand.  I’m off to go look out the window for the mailman, my Bear Strength order shipped!

Maybe it was a little longer than a week lost?

J Mc

@jennymcinspired

inspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com