Happy Robert Burns Day!

I also have to throw a shout out to one of my favorite people who pays tribute to Robert Burns every year...the awesome Toddish McWong of the famous Gung Haggis Fat Choy event in Vancouver!  Check it out!

MOP Chat Cancelled

MOP Chat will be cancelled tonight in honor of the great Martin Luther King Jr., whose national holiday is being celebrated today in the US.  Have a great night and we'll see you next week.

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes
to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."
~Martin Luther King Jr. 

ELEVEN!!!

Check out this oldie but goodie I've posted before...but it's worth another look.  Why?  Because my friend, Hugh from Scotland is visiting Philadelphia this week...and guess what his room number is?

1111!!!!

Happy Birthday DIANA GABALDON!

This was made by my daughter, Keelin.
She is too young to read Outlander, but is
a voracious reader and just...understands.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANA!

It's always a tremendous day every year.  Remember sassenachs, Diana Gabaldon IS Jamie and Claire.  Without her, none of us would be having so much fun on Mr. Fraser's Wild Ride.

ALSO - got the following DG BIRTHDAY TWITTER info from the Outlandish Observations site.  (Thanks Karen!)
To celebrate Diana's birthday, we're going to try to send the hashtag#HappyBdayDG around the world on Twitter.  Please tag your tweets with #HappyBdayDG TODAY, January 11, from 7pm - 9pm in your local time zone. Let's see if we can get it trending!  (And feel free to use the hashtag for ALL your tweets today, if you want to.  This is just for fun, after all.)

GO FORTH AND TWEET GABALDON!

Video of OUTLANDER winning the People's Choice

OUTLANDER WINS the People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show!!!!!

Monday Night Outlander Chat

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  

9:00 - 9:30:  Spoiler-free Outlander chat!
9:30 - 10:00: The entire Outlander series will be discussed!

SASSENACH WIFI

So get this...my friend, Jule was at her friend's condo...and when she went to hook up with her friend's wifi, guess what someone else in the building had named theirs?!

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  

9:00 - 9:30:  Spoiler-free Outlander chat!
9:30 - 10:00: The entire Outlander series will be discussed!

Hope to see you there!

PS - My apologies if you are getting this email update on TUESDAY!  I am trying to remedy this! 

Rainbow Loom Claire and Jamie

I have to share my daughter's latest Rainbow Loom creations, made of her own accord.  :)

Scottish CLAYMORE offer on Amazon!

So I bought a Scottish Claymore (reproduction) on Amazon last year...and I absolutely love it.  I look at it every day and it makes me SO happy.  You can also buy one of their new-looking Claymore swords (Amazon Prime only)...but I prefer this rustic-looking one; it looks like Jamie just used it to fight some mean sonofabitch (and won, of course.)

BUT - get THIS - Amazon is offering FREE ONE DAY SHIPPING to the US! And Amazon Prime in Canada!

If you've always wanted your own...now is the time!!!

Happy Holidays!!

TEAM FRANK, Anyone?

I couldn't resist, y'all.  :)  Check the latest edition to the MOP Shop!!!

Dougray Scott On Outlander...Please!

Thanks to Que M on Twitter for forwarding a tweet about this fantastic Buzzfeed list of the 21 Hotttest Scots in Hollywood.

Dougray is #5, y'all.  Just LOOK at all that pretty.  And in addition to that, he is a FANTASTIC actor.  (Don't get me started on the fact that he did "Enigma " LONG before Cumberpatch.)  Please, someone, for the love of all that's holy...GET THIS MAN ON OUTLANDER.  I fear my carrying a watermelon with Ron Moore did not work.  ;)

Carol and Tracey's Excellent Adventure

OK so I'm going through photos for Christmas cards (late, party of 1?) and reminiscing a LOT today.  HOW much fun was this?!  I can't wait until the next Outlander outing so we can hang with all you awesome Outlander peeps again.  And Sam.  Definitely Sam.  :)

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat!!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  What does that mean?  That means chat starts RIGHT NOW!!!  Hope to see you there!! 

OUTLANDER Starz Season 1 Part TWO Trailer:

"I never counted on loving you."
 

No MOP Outlander Chat Tonight! (Monday 12/1/14)

Have to cancel chat this evening but we'll be back next week!!  Have a great night!

PS - Happy Anniversary Tracey and Hubster, John!  :)

FREE SHIPPING DEAL at the MOP SHOP!

FREE SHIPPING on orders of 2 or more items at the
MOP SHOP through December 2nd!!

Enter CODE: Coupon Code: XMASTWO at check out!

Fun with Pocket Jamie...and Turkey!

BIG THANKS to Janet for making us this awesome Pocket Jamie meme. It totally MADE MY DAY!!!  :)

Happy Thanksgiving, Sassenachs!

You can purchase this Adey Bryant cartoon with no watermark at cartoonstock.com!

MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight at 9PM Eastern!  

- Basic Outlander discussion from 9:00 - 9:30 
- The entire book series from 9:30 - 10:00

Hope to see you there!!! :)

OUTLANDER Wins E! Online's Fall TV Obsession Tourney!

Go OUTLANDER for winning in E! Online's "Fall TV Obsession" tournament!

Was there ever any doubt?!?

MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight at 9PM Eastern!  

9:00 - 9:30:  General Outlander discussion with as few spoilers as possible!
9:30 - 10:00:  The entire Outlander series is discussed!  

SAFELIGHT Starring Evan Peters and Juno Temple

I interrupt this Outlander page to share something I think some of you may be interested in; it's something very close to my heart. This is a poster for the upcoming film, SAFELIGHT...something I've been extremely lucky to be involved with...along with its production company, Aloupis Productions. SAFELIGHT stars Evan Peters (American Horror Story, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Juno Temple (Horns, Maleficent), Jason Beghe (Chicago P.D.,Californication), Kevin Alejandro (True Blood, Sons of Anarchy), Christine Lahti (Hawaii Five-0, Chicago Hope), etc etc...and will be out in 2015!

Come check out the new Aloupis Productions page on Facebook for more info, photos, etc! 

MOP Shop SALE

20% off orders of $30 or more in the MOP Shop until November 11th!!!

Use Coupon Code 20EARLY at checkout!!

MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  ***We will be discussing MOBY after 9:30! 

My Outlander Purgatory Turns FIVE!

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear MOP, happy birthday to you!

Whether you've been reading my ramblings for five years...or just stumbled upon MOP yesterday, THANKS SO MUCH for all the laughs, cries, and everything in between.  And thanks so much to Diana Gabaldon for changing so many lives with the stroke of her pen.

If you keep reading, I'll keep blogging.  And Tracey will keep Tweeting.  And we'll both keep making those CRAZY videos.  We are truly blessed to know all of you!!!  ❤︎ Carol

THANKS Jamie!

I have to give a shout out to an AMAZING MOP friend who many of you may already be lucky enough to know through our many Outlander circles.

Just LOOK at what Miss JAMIE made for me. Hand-made body butters...essential oils...all with a divine scent.  Just like Claire, this woman knows her stuff! And lucky for us, she may very well be SELLING her concocted potions some time in the near future...so STAY TUNED!!!

Jamie's OM-azing potions (which are
blurred so I won't give away her secrets, y'all!!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Carved by the AMAZING husband of JJ over at The Book Bosses! 

MOP OUTLANDER Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  Why not come CHAT OUTLANDER?!?

je suis prest!

Look what my friend Shannon found in St. John, New Brunswick!!!

MOBY ALERT: Old Tennent Church VIDEO!

SPOILER ALERT!!!  The following post and video make many references to situations in Written in My Own Heart's Blood.  MAJOR spoilers ahead if you have not read that far in the Outlander series yet!!!

Oh MAN do I have a treat for you!!!  My friend, Shannon recently gave me an article from the Asbury Park Press about the Old Tennent Church in Manalapan, NJ...site of some of my favorite scenes in the entire Outlander series.  (Shannon and I are paying our Halloween visit next week.)  Weird New Jersey (way cool magazine about...well...weird things in New Jersey!) did a piece on the church and cemetery...and little did I know, there is VIDEO!!!  Video of the church...video of the cemetery...close ups of Battle of Monmouth graves...and even possible blood stains from a pew where a dying soldier was allegedly lain.

THIS IS THE FIND OF THE CENTURY...at Halloween and Samhain, no less!!!

Click the photo watch the video...and ENJOY!!

Those Crazy MacGyver Mackenzies!

This new video from Kiltlander is my favorite new Outlander "thing" to come along in a long, LONG time. It's like the Love, American Style of Outlander! (MacGyver, actually...but work with me.) Absolutely brilliant!!!

MOP Outlander CHAT Tonight!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  (Alas...I have finished MOBY (le sigh) and will have plenty to say.)  ;) 

MOP Chat TONIGHT

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  BE THERE!!!  :)

MOBY: Find Your Way Back

SPOILER ALERT:  I am *almost* finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood (and am verra sad about that fact.  The shakes are already starting to set in.  I went as slowly as I could...but it's been really hard to delay gratification over the last quarter or so of this book.)

Why am I so behind on blogging about MOBY?  Well, this little thing called STARZ got in the way , and although I've been reading, I haven't been keeping up with my commentary.  My spare time has gone to making videos and updating MOP Facebook and blogging about all things Outlander Book 1.  (Oh yeah, and raising two kids...but I digress.)

I just wanted to let you all know I will be catching up now that the show is on hiatus until 2019 (kidding...April 4, 2015 can't come fast enough!)  I am going to have to backtrack like a mofo (thank GOD for Kindle's highlight feature) and do some spot-rereading to remind myself of all the things I've been wanting to wax on about for months regarding this book.  (Freehold, much?  Old Tennent Church?  Claire getting SHOT?!?  Um, yeah.  Those things.  Along with "what the devil" Percy is up to...and multiple weddings...and Rollo and Henry Christian.  Lordddddddd the tears.  I can't even GO there right now.)

So...I ask that you please forgive me...and know that in the upcoming weeks I will try to give you some food for thought while you wait for Outlander to be back in the spring.  Maybe it's better that I did it this way!  (The only person who will disagree with that logic is MOP bud, Christie.  Come to MOP Chat on Mondays and watch her abuse me for taking my time about it, aye?)

And now...I leave you with this:

Could I be ANY FREAKIN' HAPPIER that Jamie and Claire are back on the Ridge?  No, no I could not.  As much as I enjoyed them traipsing around my back yard in Monmouth County...I feel like I can breathe - just like Claire - now that they're home.

Oh and Post Scriptum?

That willna stop me from posting things like this. :)

Sam Heughan Soars Up The IMDb Starmeter!

Ummm...holy crap.  Has anyone noticed that Sam Heughan is NUMBER 2 this week on the IMDb Starmeter?

WAY TO GO, MR. JAMMF!!!!

Why "Part 2 Jamie" Will Be Straight-Up Badass

I have had an epiphany.  It's about Jamie Fraser's character in Outlander on Starz, and the major game change that's taking place right in front of our very eyes.

Up until now, I haven't quite been able to explain how I feel about Jamie's character in the show.  I watch every week, unintentionally comparing the "show to the book" (and being beyond pleased while doing so)...and reveling in the story add-ons that have been such a refreshingly perfect fit thus far.  I have felt like "TV Jamie" (brilliantly portrayed by the talented and swoonrific Sam Heughan) is beautifully written...but has seemed slightly different than his character in the book series (by literary wonder, Diana Gabaldon.)  Perhaps he seems somewhat timid...while coming off like the clan's little brother, instead of the true Highland warrior I've had the pleasure of getting to know over the years.

Any slight bewilderment I had was made perfectly clear once I saw the trailer for the upcoming 2nd half of the season, slated to air in April of 2015.  I had this "a-ha" moment, realizing that we are witnessing the EVOLUTION of Jamie Fraser, and he will be channeling his inner badass in part 2.

Allow me to elaborate.

First, we saw Jamie as a wounded young man.  A fine specimen, mind...but a fellow much younger and less seasoned than his rough-and-tumble clansmen:

Shoulder pain?  What shoulder pain?

Next, we saw a cute and flirty Jamie, impressing Claire with his vast knowledge of horses...

She wants me.  I know she wants me.

And yes, we did catch a glimpse of a stronger, wiser Jamie during his brilliant, thinking-on-his-toes pledge during The Gathering.

Let's get this over with, aye?

But then he was right back to being vulnerable on the wedding night.

Awkward, party of 2?

Now pay attention, y'all.  This is where the tide started to turn...and my epiphany started to take shape.  Claire got attacked...and something changed inside of Jamie.  He felt like he didn't protect her...

Shite!  I dinna ken what to do! 

...and he got mad.  Really, really mad. 

I'll no be fooled again.

And he wasn't going to take it anymore, especially when Claire was attacked, yet again.

Go ahead.  Make...my...day. 

And NOW look at him in the new trailer!!  He's like a deranged animal...in a cage that's been left well unlocked.

Kill...kill...kill...

And THAT, lads and lassies, is a realization that has me giddy with Outlander Part Deux glee.  Jamie is a changed man!  Now that he's a husband (and needs no guidance in the bedroom), he's no pushover ...and he's not going to be anyone's sap anymore!  I never really saw the change taking place while reading the books (much like you don't notice your children growing on a daily basis)...but Ron Moore is so ridiculously insightful, I have no choice but to ponder it now.

I am now so torked up for the second half of the season, I dinna ken what tae DO w'myself!  (Whoa - slipped into a bi' of Pocket Jamie for a minute there.)  

In the words of Oscar Wilde, "the suspense is terrible..."

...but I'm no sure I want it to last!!  Come on, April 4th!!

MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!

MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  BE THERE!!!  :)

OUTLANDER on Starz Season 1 / Part 2 TRAILER!

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.  This new trailer for Outlander's 2nd half of its maiden season on Starz makes me weep with _______ (insert appropriate adjective here; "fear", "rage", "joy"...they'll all do nicely.)

They had me at that haunting, ethereal voice.  And this got me thinking about the fact that I need to fill up my iPad with it - and similar voices - STAT.

Suggestions??  Anyone??  I'd love to hear some!

My Outlander Purgatory Breaks Down Starz' Outlander Episode 8: Both Sides Now

Villain Guessing with Tobias Menzies

Now that we have 7 months to wait for new Outlander on Starz, you MUST check out this hilarity with Tobias Menzies. LOVE HIM!!

 

MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!

Tobias Menzies as Frank Randall in "Outlander" on Starz

My Outlander Purgatory Breaks Down Starz Outlander Episode 7: The Wedding

REMEMBER PAOLI!

The Battle of Paoli, September 20, 1777

 "Rest well, Paoli's heroes brave
 You did your part this land to save
 And as the centuries roll by
 Ever we'll sound your battle cry
 REMEMBER PAOLI!!"

 ~Henry Pleasants Jr.

MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!

A young and adorable Tobias Menzies in HBO's "Rome." 

MOP Outlander CHAT Tonight!!!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight  at 9PM Eastern.  We will be discussing Episode 6: The Garrison Commander.  Please NO MOBY spoilers until 9:45.  Thank you!! 

My Outlander Purgatory Breaks Down Outlander Episode 6 on Starz: The Garrison Commander

THANKS to Jax from "Outlander Stuff!"

Have to throw a HUGE THANK YOU out to MOP pal, JAX from Revive1775 (tremendous website that is chock full of info from the Revolutionary war and the happenings of 1775!)

Jax sent Tracey and myself these truly awesome bracelets...that she made!!  And where can you get one?  At her Etsy site, OutlanderStuff!!!  She also sells celtic knot bracelets and key rings with other quotes from the Outlander series; tons of awesome goodies!  Go check her out!

 I canna tell you how much we appreciate these wee gifties.  We are truly touched!!!!
THANKS JAX!! :)

Going Through the Stones!

This is MOP friend, Kris, going through the stones today! Jealous, party of MOP?! GO KRIS!! Tell Claire and Jamie we said Hi! And JE SUIS PREST!!! 

MOP's TOBIAS TUESDAY!

Tobias Menzies as "Black Jack Randall" in episode 6 of OUTLANDER on Starz

MOP discusses "RENT": Episode 5 of OUTLANDER on STARZ!