Snow! Ding Dong Merrily on High + Fundraiser for Love146

I'm doing a fundraiser for Love146, which is an organization that has safe houses for child victims saved from light districts, massage parlors, brothels, etc. Some of these kids are as young as 5 years old and were forced into prostitution and were heavily sexually exploited. I'm trying to raise $500, but I'm getting so near to the goal, that I'm probably going to raise it a bit soon! This coming Valentine's Day, give a gift of love to someone who only ever knew of abuse. These children who were exploited into sexual slavery have never known of love. They don't even know if it truly exists. Their hearts have been severely broken and many suffer from great trauma that is unimaginable.  Through your donation, they will be able to have medical attention, therapy through art, dance, music, etc, the ability to gain an education, and a chance to integrate back into society without being put back into the modern-day slavery they escaped.

More Info: Love146; My Fundraiser: Justice Pirate's Broken Heart

In case you wanted to see a close-up of the hairstyle, there are a few angles for you below!

My husband Rob will be 29 tomorrow, so Happy birthday to the man I've been in love with for 12 years, been my man for 11 years, and married to for 7.5 years! I love the relationship we share together. God truly blessed me with a husband who is a hard worker & provider for our family (and such an amazing father too), who is careful to obey the Lord, who is sensitive, a great listener, honest, understanding, silly, fun, and so much more.

So didn't know these last two pictures were taken of me until after they were taken (I was picking up on it in the last one so I am so confused in the shot).

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Dress & Blouse: Modcloth (the huge 70% off sale they had)
Gloves & Stockings: Target (from two years ago)
Out Coats: American Eagle (his is circa 2002)
Shoes: Paprika (over a year ago)

Movie Suggestion Post #56

Movie Ratings are on a scale of 1-5. Anything rated over 3 stars and is in bold, is totally worth seeing! - I rate pretty harshly.

The Help 2011 (w/ Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer) - 4 stars - A young woman named Eugenia is single and lives in Jackson, Mississippi where all her friends are starting to marry and have babies. She herself was practically raised by a woman of African descent who was her family's housekeeper. She starts to take an interest in the lives of the housekeepers who work for her friends and other people in Jackson.  She starts to write a book with them about what they've gone through living as maids raising white children. It was a very good story and had excellent costumes, hairstyles, and had me laughing and nearly crying at various times throughout the film.  content: profanities and racial remarks, smoking, a couple immodest outfits (cleavage showing), a slight kiss, talk about going to the bathroom. 

Strike Up the Band 1940 (w/ Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland) - 3 stars - Another cute movie with one of my favorite movie duos.  This one is about Jimmy and Mary trying to put on a show with a band they put together so that they can live out their dream and go to Chicago. Cute story with lots of singing and dancing and fun. content: a couple costumes that might be immodest, otherwise nothing I can recall

Mr. Popper's Penguins 2011 (w/ Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll, Angela Lansbury, Ophelia Lovibond) - 3 stars - I remember reading this book in grammar school and this movie was quite a bit different, but it did hold a similar ideal.  A boy with an adventurous father eventually grows up feeling unimportant to his dad. He himself is now a father and receives an inheritance of penguins which just drive him nutty but make his kids so happy. content: a lot of penguin poop, kissing, reference to penguins reproducing, champagne shown, one use of God's name in vain (no other language)

The Last Emperor 1987 (w/ John Lone, Peter O'Toole, Victor Wong, Ying Roucheng, Joan Chen) - 3.25 stars - A long movie that I put off watching for a really long time.  What gorgeous costumes and cinematography! This focuses on the life of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi.  Although he was Emporer for a time, as he got older he realized how he wasn't in power for his country as he had always believed.  This also focuses on some of his wives and his relationship with them (which they forgot a few, but got his first two). We get to see the struggle he had with his title, wanting freedom, and being controlled by people around him in both China and Japan.  I would have rated this higher if it weren't for all the things they didn't have to include in this! content: the Emperor's wet nurse's breast is shown, the Empress' body is visible through her nightgown, although a sheet is covering them - there is a scene where you can see arms reaching around when the Emperor is in bed with his two wives, a woman licks the toes of another woman, smoking, drinking, opium, clips from an old film of footage of the Nagasaki bombing shows violence in murder and graphic dead bodies, a man is shown being shot in the head, another man is shown shooting himself in the head with much blood dripping, a man attempts suicide by cutting his wrists but is rescued from it, kissing, some language use, a naked toddler is shown running around (front and back), an infant is killed (not shown)
[screenshot provided to you by me!]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules 2011 (w/ Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachel Harris, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn) - 3 stars - I thought this sequel was cute and really funny. It is about two brothers trying to get to know one another so they can get along even though they usually never get along. content: boy runs around with underwear on, an Indian boy gets ignored by his whole school, kids get teased, some name calling, kids disobeying their parents

Christmas Lodge 2011 (w/ Peter Benson, Michelle Creber, Michael Shanks) - 3 stars - It was a bit of a corny Christian Christmas movie (but really cute and I enjoyed it) about a woman who finds an old lodge where her family spent many Christmases. She decides to restore it with the permission of the man who owned it. content: maybe a kiss, but really there is nothing at all in this that is bad.

The Conspirator 2010 (w/ James McAvoy, Robin Wright Penn, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood) - 3.5 stars - A young Civil War Union veteran, who was a lawyer became the defendant of Mary Surratt who was charged with conspiring to kill president Abraham Lincoln. This was a great story and I adore historical biopics.  It was a really sad movie though. content: someone gets stabbed repeatedly, blood is shown, a couple profanities are used, small amount of kissing

The Spy Next Door 2009 (w/ Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Madeline Carroll, George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus) - 2.5 stars - It was a funny story about a spy who was in love with a woman who had a few children from her late husband.  The kids weren't so fond of him, but he wanted to get to know them and watch over them.  He didn't realize how much trouble it would get him into with their mom and with  his job. content: kissing, pre-teen and woman in immodest clothes, name calling, a boy talks about watching porn

South Pacific 1958 (w/ Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Juanita Hall) - 3 stars - I would have liked this more but the color usage and the focus drove me crazy. I haven't seen this film since I was a child. The songs were really nice, and the storyline was sweet, but the film bored me here and there (far too long).  The story focuses on two couples during WWII set in the South Seas. One is of a Frenchman who is in love with an American woman, but is keeping something from her. The other is a young American soldier who is falling for an Island girl. This is a depressing movie with a sad and happy ending combined. content: kissing, immodest outfits, racism

A Hard Day's Night 1964 (w/ Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) - 3.25 stars - Obviously a Beatles movie. I've always loved this movie and still do. The direction and humor in it cracks me up and of course I love the music. I saw it was on instant play so I decided to watch it for probably the 40th time. content: pretend cocaine gestures, smoking, drinking, a couple sexual references such as an orgy mentioned, one word of language used, man in a bath (though he has trousers on, but is topless), women chasing and crying over men
[screenshot provided by me!]

Bundle Up! It's Getting Colder in NJ!

For the past few months of wearing my coat which I bought only a little over a year ago, I was starting to hear a lot of complaints from loved ones because of how broken my coat was. I am one who is known for wearing beat up and ripped coats.

I had my eye on one from American Eagle for a month, but when I went to purchase it online it was not available in my size (probably gone in general now). I happened to go to the mall a couple of weeks ago with my best friend Lynsie (who spoiled me to some new make-up as a Christmas present) and decided to see if the coat I loved was in the store. It was and on sale! I got this coat for $30 when it was about $95 originally. Score. It's so comfortable.

Okay, so this isn't an actual outfit post, but I have one planned coming soon!

  

Everything Put Together

I haven't actually posted anything of my family since before Thanksgiving time, I believe. So sorry for that. Oh, hello internet! I forgot you existed and that I had a blog that I posted more often on once upon a time. Here I am.

So Let's catch up!! Hopefully you won't be all, "This is outdated already, no thanks". . pfft!

Here are the boys from when we picked out a Christmas tree!

Micah turned 3 on the 22nd of December. He loved his birthday big time!

We got him a stuffed mouse named Mortimer (Leto has one named Simon from last year) from Hazel Village. I wish I got a shot of him smiling and hugging it tightly but I missed it. He also has a remote-controlled Lightning McQueen.

The boys have been really funny about constantly wanting their photos taken.

The day after Christmas I had to visit one of my brothers and his family. That's my sister-in-law and my niece/God-daughter Meiha. She's 6 months old now!!
I gave Micah a new haircut and hairstyle too.

I love when little boys have proof of being little boys in their pictures. . Leto with chocolate on his face. aw.

Snailin' It Penpal Update!

In case you're wondering how Snailin' It has been going, I can say that my two pen-pals from this project (one from Texas, another from Australia) have written me twice each (as have I, well one I've written three times).  I've received quite a bit of positive feedback from a few people who were matched up! However, I have heard that some are still waiting for letters to arrive and are sad to not hear back from them.

There have been a few who signed up recently who need matches (and haven't heard anything from me explaining who their pen-pals are).  If you want to sign up and haven't yet, all you have to do is fill out this form here.  (make sure you include zip codes, as I've had to search for a few when making matches). I will match you best I can! There were 22 people who signed up, some of them want multiple pen-pals (and have only been given one, one who hasn't been matched at all after about 3 weeks).

Click here for letter writing tips & the original post with more info!

You can live in ANY country and sign up! Many people specifically would prefer to write to people around the world rather than whatever country they are living in. We had people from 3 countries involved (multiple people from each country). Women who are teenagers through their 40s have signed up! It's been great fun!

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