1940s Green Gingham Spring Dress

I know I just made an entry, but I don't plan on making any entries over the next couple days. To those of you who have been commenting on my blog, thanks SO much. I really love when people let me know their thoughts rather than keep them in their head. Continue to comment, please!!!

A lot of people jump for joy. I really literally do.

I look at nature and how can I not be thankful for the beauty God made!!?!?

A happy Landing!

I was freezing. This dress is really wondefully lightweight and perfect for spring and summer. It was so cold This was in NY state. It was 30 degrees out on Saturday! You'll notice I am all red especially in my nose!

My favourite shot from the set. Thanks to my husband Rob for taking these.

vintage 1940s Dress: from 1385 on etsy

vintage 1940s Slip (obviously not visible): Ayek8 on etsy

Belt: came with another dress I got from Bettie Page Clothing

Saddle Shoes: Payless

Flower Hairclip: Lila Jo on etsy

Movies & Music Suggestion Post #12

Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars. Anything over 3 stars is very worth it and is in bold.

I'm pretty harsh with my ratings, but this post has a lot of high ratings!!

Blade Runner: The Final Cut 1982 (w/Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah) - 4 stars. This used to be higher up for me but I really can't take certain violence in films at all anymore and I can't take nudity either. This has language as well but thankfully this version cut out the worst of the language (there are three versions of the film and we own them all and this one just came out not long ago and we had to see it becuase Blade Runner is Rob's favourite movie ever and his favourite author Philip K. Dick wrote it and he read the book in which it was based off of). Basically it is about a race of androids that were made for slave labour but ended up getting "retired" or executed because they were killing people, etc. So here we have the different androids (called Nexus 6) that are being hunted down by Harrison Ford's character.

Bringing Up Baby 1938 (w/ Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant) - 3 stars - Very funny. I really have a hard time with Katharine Hepburn movies. She annoys me, and even more so in this film because she plays a fun but chaos-infested character that pulls Cary Grant's character into her chaos no matter how often he tries to get away from her.

Teen Witch 1989 (w/ Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier) - 2 stars - This movie screamed cheeseball 80s flick as soon as you see the opening credits! The rap fight off made me laugh the most. Oh man. Robyn Lively however I find to be adorable in the film. This really isn't worth it unless you are like me who actually loves to just watch 80s movies whether bad or good.

Flakes 2007 (w/ Aaron Stanford, Zooey Deschanel) - 2.75 stars - a lot of language and a tiny bit of drug use. It is about a guy who manages an indie cereal eating restraunt/bar and his girlfriend badgers him to live his musician dreams all while things occur with his job due to a guy across the street who opens a cereal place as well.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 2009 (w/Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner) - 4.25 stars - I saw this in theatres so this has already recently been put in my suggestions so I'll just leave it at the fact that it was my favourite from the book series and that they did a great job on taking the book and putting it to film because the first one was awfully done.

That's Adequate 1986 (w/ Tony Randall, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Dey, more) - 0.5 star - OUCH. That's how bad it was. . not even a full star. It was my 57th RDJ film I've seen.  It was a boring movie that was a fake documentary comedy. Very unnecessary content. Not funny at all.

Failure To Launch 2006 (w/ Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel) - 3 stars - A woman works to build self esteem in men who still live with their parents. She doesn't fall in love with clients ever! Her roomate is out to destroy a Mockingbird (best part of movie). I don't like the language and sexual content in this.

The Go-Getter 2007 (w/ Lou Taylor Pucchi, Jena Malone, Zooey Deschanel) - 0.5 stars - I didn't finish this movie. I turned it off because it was already so boring and then there was a graphic sexual scene involving drugs and ms. Malone that I turned it off pretty much as soon as the scene started (I usually skip scenes like that, but instead I was just annoyed at the movie). no thanks.

The Stratton Story 1949 (w/ James Stewart [my favourite], June Allyson) - 4 stars - Based on the true story of Monty Stratton (baseball pitcher for the White Sox) and how he loved baseball so much even when a tragic accident strikes his life and career. Really wonderful and heartfelt!!

Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 (w/ voices George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray) - 4 stars - I recently read the book by Roald Dahl (I'm sure you could tell I'm a huge fan of his and have read many of his books and have been reading them all to my sons now) because I wanted to see the movie when it came out in theatres. Unfortunately I never got to see it in theatres and netflix sent it to me on the DVD release date (it was on the top of my que for a couple weeks). It is really well done with how they animated it. I love it. It reminds me of watching the old Wind in the Willows T.V. show from the 80s. There was no language but instead of swearing they used the word "Cuss" throughout it.  . that was odd to me because they didn't need to do that. So for instance: "what the cuss!", "the cuss you are!", "Are you cussing me?", "You little cuss!". There were a lot of "cuss" words. The storyline was changed but they did a good job of making it more interesting this way. Leto loved this movie. It is rated PG because of all the "cuss" words and one of the farmers smokes a lot of cigarettes. anyway the music was amazing in this too!!! I loved it.

Little Shop of Horrors 1960 (w/ Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph) - 2 stars - What in the world was that?? I loved one scene with tires and how the lighting was, etc. But really this was super weird. Just listening to the quotes in this movie was so weird. Rob now says the last line of the movie to me all the time. I always thought the musical version was corny, but this was even cornier!

Stormy Weather 1943 (w/ Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lena Horne) - 3 stars - A couple weeks ago I mentioned how much I love Bill Robinson's dancing. This movie is filled with dancing and singing and amazing hairstyles! It was a happy story all around.

She Done Him Wrong 1933 (w/ Mae West, Cary Grant) - 2.5 stars - It was a bit interesting at times. It was nominated even for best picture. I am sure you are getting tired of all the Cary Grant movies in my lists, but he's been quickly growing to the top of my favourite actors list so I've been reviewing all his movies. He was really young in this one. The story overall was pretty much focused on a cabaret girl and all the men that adore her. I sadly couldn't get into the movie.

Dragonball: Evolution 2009 (w/ Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, James Marsters) - 3.25 stars - I HATE the anime and always did because I was watching so many lesser known in the U.S. anime while it was airing and the show was always confusing and lame for me (I used to be an obsessed Otaku). However, despite the bad reviews the movie received, it was very good (other than all the cleavage far too purposefully shown). Rob liked it more than me so I rated it a little higher for his sake. There was a lot of action in it too.

Music I've been listening to lately

Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man" (I liked their live self-censored version better which I linked)

Dr. Dog - Toothbrush album

The Runaways - Self Titled [album], Waiting For the Night [album], Little Lost Girls [album], Flaming Schoolgirls [album], Queens of Noise [album]

Mutemath - Armistice [album]

She & Him - Volume Two [album]

The Almost - Monster Monster [album]

#1 song that gets stuck in my head this week goes to:

The Almost - "Hands"

The Almost - New Music - More Music Videos

About Me

My name is Victoria from New Jersey. I'm 28, married my high school sweetheart, have two little boys, am a volunteer youth leader at my church (Christian Missionary Alliance; Protestant "non-denominational"), I'm an abolitionist, a freelance photographer, and a lover of Vintage fashion.

This blog's focus is to promote modesty and spread awareness of a growing crime of modern-day slavery. I stopped buying outfits (april 2011) and borrowed other bloggers' & shop owners' outfits (June - October, 2011). If you'd like me to borrow your clothing items, please email me: marvelousthingsphoto@gmail.com

Slavery?? - If you think slavery ended after the Civil War in the U.S., this is incorrect. It was abolished and is a crime throughout the world now, but it is worse today than ever because of the easier forms of transportation, the ability of faster communication, and increase of materialism and easy-access to pornography. (human trafficking) which 27 million people PER YEAR are suffering from (half are children)! I have decided to stop buying clothing (and other things, unless handmade) because most are made by slaves who are not paid enough to survive each day, work under horrible conditions, are abused, are often times children, and work vigorous hours (such as 16 hours in some places) with a certain quota per day or they might be beaten. It is truly an injustice and my heart aches for them as well as the many people who are forced into sexual exploitation and prostitution. The average age of prostitution in the US is 13 (150,000-300,000 people are forced into prostitution in the US each year).

Modesty?? - It is far too easy to excuse what people dress in today's society. Most women tend to say "It's the man's fault if he looks at me and lusts." This is true that he is the one choosing to lust, but we aren't helping them out in any way by shoving it in their faces. Because of the link of pornography and sexual slavery, I believe that how we dress can be a problem as well.  For a man, if he were to see me wearing little to nothing, it could cause him to lust (and I don't want to cause anyone other than my husband to lust after me). There are many men who fight lust addiction (there are loads of sexual rehabs) and they really don't want to have to deal with such distractions (I know many who have come out of such addictions personally). I want to be able to think about those people and help them by how I dress because it's a heart issue to where a man might choose to dwell on the images of my body and go to pornography, in which those involved in porn and prostitution are usually forced into it through coercion, kidnappings, being drugged and threatened, etc. I believe modesty can help increase respect for a woman instead of being objectified or made to simply satisfy man. I believe women are much more valuable then that. 

What Kind of Camera do you use? - I use a Pentax K-100D and my husband uses a Pentax K-X

Where did you meet your husband and how old were you when you married? - I switched out of a Protestant Dutch Reformed school and over to public school in 10th grade.  That is where I met Rob. I wanted to meet him for a couple months and finally did at a Christian club that opened and closed the same day (due to threats, since it was only nine months after the Columbine School Shooting). We met January 27, 2000. I was 16, he turned 17 a few days earlier. He kinda asked me out by asking me what I thought about relationships but I told him I didn't date (because I wanted to get to know him better before dating). The next day he asked another girl out whom he rarely saw or talked to in person. We became close friends and after nine months of a lovely friendship and having a crush on each other (and always vocal about it) we became a couple on October 5, 2000 (immediately after he dumped his gf. . so I was a rebound)- were on and off until January 5, 2001; first kissed October 13, 2000; Engaged September 16, 2002; Married June 19, 2004 in which I was 20 and he was 21.

How old are your kids? - Leto is 4, Micah is 3.

What decades do you like best for fashion? - I love wearing 1930s-1970s clothing the most, specifically adore 40s fashion, certain 50s styles, early 60s fashion (think Sandra Dee), and prairie styled 70s dresses

Do you do hair tutorials? - Many people comment about the hairstyles I've done. I used to do hair tutorials but the videos are all gone now. I'm very sorry! Most of the time I just fool around and try things out. Now that my hair is super long, it is hard for me to do many styles I did when my tutorials were up.

Stylin' Mama

Before I had bought my Highland Lady dress from Fabgabs I bought this vintage 40s dress from there too (actually Rob did. . he picked it out and told me I had to get it. . .he does this a lot while I look through etsy.com. It is safest to not look at it with him around because he badgers me to purchase things).

I finally wore it for photos. My only issue with this dress is that I have had to fix various seem stitchings a couple times now on it. Considering this one is a little more pricey than other dresses I've bought, and considering how often I am probably going to have to pull the sewing machine out to fix it, it should have cost me much less. I do love it though. It is lightweight and I prefer sleeveless clothing because I sweat a lot. haha.

My favourite part of this dress are the green buttons on the collar!

I know it is hard to see the pattern details, but they are black and green vines all over.

My fashion weakness are sundresses. My first vintage sundress was from the late 50s/early 60s and was so adorable (it was white with little pink seashells on the neckline and pink straps). I was 15 when I bought it. I don't have it anymore, but I owned a lot of vintage sundresses after that.  . and do still, but I only own one of the first ones I bought from the 70s, in which I've owned since I was 16 that I still wear (but will be selling when I fix it up soon). That's when I was an ebay addict and worked and spent all my money on anime, records, & vintage dresses rather than saving for car insurance for my beat up car. BAD.

Top 40 songs to damage our youth + Lady Gaga/Beyonce video review intertwined

[all pictures are of zooey deschanel, slightly mentioned in this entry as a better - yet not completely the best - but much better influence to have than the overly popular, overly sexual influences in the media, as she is an actress (films like Elf, 500 Days of Summer, Yes Man) and singer for band She & Him]

Yesterday one of my fellow youth leaders/dear friend and I were listening to different top songs that are on the radio right now. Keep in mind I haven't listened to the radio since 1997. I'm very out of the loop and have been listening to underground/lesser known music since I was a child through my brothers, and on my own since I was 14/15 in 1999.

Why were we doing this, you ask? The thing is, our youth girls who are aged 11-18 listen to this music. A couple weeks ago we heard three of the 13/14 year olds singing a certain song with very odd content. I asked them, "What are you singing?" and they all were smiling and trying to sway out of the question by saying, "Oh a song." and not telling me the title or anything. Then I said, "What are the words?" and they said, "I don't know I just really like it." and I said, "but you know the words, as you are singing them now, aren't you?" So they started to sing the chorus a little and told me it was about something that was not really what the lyrics were motioning at (meaning I am sure they didn't really understand it, but were singing it innocently, for now). This song also was one that a 17 year old asked my friend/fellow youth leader to play in her car on the way to laser tag recently (which she didn't have the CD of it and wouldn't have played it anyway, and we believe this student is not allowed to listen to it but was hoping to get away with it). I was really interested to know why they liked this song. Was it the catchiness or was it the content? I think it was a bit of both combined. It doesn't help that in these top songs, the majority of them repeat things over and over so they get in your head. about 30 out of the top 40 songs did such things.

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." - Colossians 3:5&6

I decided yesterday, that once a month I am going to check out the billboard charts to see what is playing on the radio that my youth girls are so into so I can perhaps help guide them and help them understand things. Do their parents know what they are listening to? Are these girls watching the videos for these songs too? I am going to probably make a mix CD for each of them using uplifting messages in the songs. Hopefully they will listen and like these songs (maybe doubtful considering their friends won't know the bands or anything, since peers effect them a lot, and honestly I never went through that so I don't understand that drive. I have always been an individual, standing alone.).

In regards to everyone glorifying Lady Gaga recently, (not the artist that my youth girls were singing songs from, thankfully, but they might like her songs for all I know) I decided last week to watch this new Telephone song video that she performs with Beyonce. I was appalled. There was an explicit and clean version on youtube, where I KNOW a lot of my youth boys have little phone videos up on, and where they had ads for this video. Both versions were not clean at all and I was appalled at the content.

To have tape covering nipples, hardly any fuzz over a lower body part, to have aggressive female on female kissing w/ saliva everywhere and touching of lower body parts, to have lots of open shirts with bouncing bossoms, girls wearing thongs and bras while dancing and bouncing around with the camera zoomed on such areas, and to make "art" out of sunglasses filled with smoking cigarettes in which we know 2nd hand smoke is harmful, to show a girl slap another girl, and to have trashy diet coke cans as hair rollers, to have crime scene tape wrapped around hardly much of her body, glorifying the "pussy wagon" from the movie Kill Bill when the man who owned it in the movie was prostituting women in comas in the hospital, mass poisoning people in restraunts and running away all happy about it and the law not catching them (oh but the video is to be continued. . great). . . .to me this is a big problem and is not something people should be so happy about seeing. The video had nothing to do with the song other than all the telephones they show and having them dancing. The worst part about it is that if you know me or have been reading my blog for a long time, you know how I feel about sexual slavery and how the average age of girls put into prostitution ARE 12-14 year olds. This media glorification is not going to help those statistics because the little girls are going to think this is how women are liked and how men will love them, if they act or dress the way such stars are.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." -Philippians 4:8&9

Now I had a bit more respect for Beyonce because she had met and was involved with the anti-human trafficking organization GEMS (Girls Educational & Monitoring Services) where they deal with so many girls who are in their teens who are being helped out of prostitution in NYC. . .how is this video going to help them out of this?? How is it going to prevent more from getting into it? Guys who watch this will want to act out putting crime scene tape on girls and doing this to them, believe me they will. . .this is no joke, this is what goes through most men's minds where they get tired of just looking at this and they need to act out. Even so I don't think it should be endorsed. We should be willing to be good influences. . like for instance Zooey Deschanel in her band She & Him and how she is always covered up and is not over sexualizing anything. She is beautiful through being more modest and sadly she is not being played on the radio.

"You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols." -1 Corinthians 12:2

In reviewing the Billboard charts and listening to the songs on the top 40 chart, I realized there were only about 4 songs that weren't about sex, drugs, drinking, partying, etc. . . No wonder why the statistics of pornography, prostitution, slavery, etc are all higher than ever.  We call it "art" and make it acceptable in every way and hand our children condoms like they are jellybeans saying, "be careful", we tell them, "go ahead and drink at home with your friends" when they are still in high school and we tell them, "it's okay to experiment and find things out on your own" when so many of them will end up possibly fighting addictions the rest of their lives. I only use these examples because I've seen them done with my friends and family in and out of sex rehabs, psychiatric hospitals, drug rehabilitation programs, people who have eating disorders, major porn addicts, AA meetings for DUI/DWIs, people getting paid to do porn, people who have had many pregnancies out of wedlock (or abortions), people who have made excuse after excuse but all were influenced by the media (favourite bands/singers and actors/actresses) and parents that sadly ignore the outcomes of issues or aren't closely involved in helping their kids. . .

It is so important that we stop condoning or accepting everything without a problem when our world is falling apart around us.

"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." -Philippians 3:18-21

Patriotic Picnic

I bought this dress over the summer but never wore it because it is big on me. I have it pinned like crazy for these pictures.  I am going to be selling it soon. It is a vintage 1940s dress, the first of my 40s dresses EVER (my first vintage clothes ever were from the late 50s/early 60s). I got it because of the colours and I realize I have a big love for plaid (is it just me or are most of my clothes plaid, gingham, or flowered??) This dress is perfect for Independence Day while watching fireworks or going for a picnic!

so if you want this dress (measurements later), click on my etsy link on the right, and add me to your favourites. I've been getting my vintage clothes together (that don't fit) and that are in need of fixing and cleaning (getting them fixed and cleaned) so that I can sell them! I've had some of these since I was 14, not worn since I was 19!

And with a jacket!

Superman in the 1940s

For Christmas Rob and I bought Leto this dvd set of loads of 1930s and 1940s cartoons (4 discs).

Thing is, over all the cartoons, he constantly asks to see Superman. They have maybe 4 or 5 Superman cartoons included in the set, all in a row.

Here's what I love about Superman from the 1940s cartoon!

Lois Lane's hair and clothes! haha. I couldn't find many shots of what she wears in various episodes, but they are great! She was quite the pushy woman, often getting her way. Pretty surprising for that time period that she was that way plus a working woman. Women were pretty much expected to stay at home and be submitting to men (to the extreme at times).

Another thing that I love is the art in it. The shading is really beautiful. It seems really lifelike at times that I can't explain how often I have thought some of the men were real. I know this is the 1940s and the art isn't like today (with our technology) where we can do that, but they get me often in these!

This is a great episode but the shot of it is awful. It really is beautiful though!

The hero always prevails!

I found out there is a dvd boxset for the cartoon. I am thinking about getting it sometime soon for Leto (and Micah for when he can enjoy it as he gets older). Leto has superman underwear that he loves too. haha.

The Highlander Lady

I got this dress from Fabgabs. It is a vintage 50s dress.

One problem: the bust is too huge on me. Therefore I have it pinned down.

I might resell this one eventually because of that factor. I love it though.
I always have issues with wool clothing, which this is wool, and it was bad to wear it on a hot day.

I wear petticoats, slips, and camisoles so it wasn't itchy. It was just hot, and I sweat enough as it is.

Meet Holli. She's my mom's dog (I picked her out for her birthday a while back). She is 11 years old and is a German Shepherd/Golden Retreiver mix! She's the sweetest dog ever. A lot of people assume I'm a cat person when they meet me (many have admitted it to me after I get to know them). I think it is because I look like a lion (I do, it is kinda sad). I am a BIG dog lover!!!!!!

Playground Documentary + Account

I don't really get too many comments as it is, but I wanted to make another entry because this is important and something too many people don't realize is real or happening around them. The average age of girls/women who are prostitutes in the U.S. alone are 12-14 year olds. Truth! Last year I heard about this documentary coming out, and now it is touring around the country.

Check out http://www.playgroundproject.com/ for dates/locations and more info. If you have netflix, it will be released but I don't know when (I have it in the saved part of my que). I think a lot of people tend to believe that people choose to be prostitutes, but only 5-10% of women involved in it choose that lifestyle. Most of it is forced and it is a form of slavery.

I should share a few of the accounts I've read about from the many human trafficking books I read (11 so far). I read an interesting one recently in the book I'm almost done reading now by Kevin Bales (who runs/is president of http://freetheslaves.net/) called Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. I think I will share it with you. Keep in mind that this stuff happens to girls born in the U.S. as well in our own country in their own towns. It is everywhere.

About thirty minutes north of San Diego is a town called Oceanside, where strawberries and other fruit grow in fields bordered by beds of golden reeds. Waving gently in the ocean breezes, the reeds concealed an ugly business. Pimps pushed paths through the tall reeds, and hollowed out small "caves" along the paths. There on the ground, with scraps of clothing, bits of blankets, used condoms, spit, empty bottles, and trash, teenagers were on their backs, forced to have sex with the two hundred men a day who prowled these paths.

One of these girls was Reina. At the age of fifteen, Reina was slipped across the border from Mexico by human traffickers, who lured her with the promise of a job. She was quickly put to work, forced to have sex with itinerant farmworkers in the reed caves. Because she was pretty, more men wanted her and used her every day. In Reina's case, and for the girls enslaved with her, we have something very rare - an independent witness, "Patricia", a Mexican doctor who supplied condoms and care to these girls. Like other HIV/AIDS workers around the world, Patricia was allwed into the darkest holes of slavery only if she promised not to intervene. . . . .

Virgins are too valuable to put out in the dirt for migrant workers to use; their degradation is more likely to begin with a gringo. Patricia explained that local American men contact the pimps looking for a "cherry girl."  Later, once she has been broken in by the men. . .. .the girls will be shuffled from camp to camp.

This was Reina's life, though she was not a virgin when she was brought to the United States. Born in Puebla, Mexico, Reina lost her mother when she was seven, and her education ended after the second grade.  For a while she was cared for by her grandmother, but her grandmother died as well. She was left with her father, and her life turned ugly.  When she was eleven, he gave her as a gift to the local police chief, who raped her again and again.  In time she became pregnant and gave birth to a little girl. Then, aged fourteen, she met pimp Arturo Lopez.  In an old-age scam, Arturo convinced Reina that he was in love with her and that he could take her away from the abuse she was suffering. He persuaded her that if she would just leave her baby with some of his relatives, he would take her to the United States and fix her up with a good job.

Taken to Tijuana, Reina was forced to become a sex slave. When she resisted, she was told her baby would be killed.  Soon a "coyote" slipped her into the U.S.  She was lodged in the town of Vista, California, and during the day was sent into the reed beds or other sex camps for migrant farm workers. Shattered emotionally and in great pain, she readily turned to the drugs and booze the traffickers offered her. For her the drugs offered a moment of oblivion and relief; for the slaveholders they were another tool used to control Reina and the other girls.

Perhaps it was the thought of her baby in the hands of the pimps; perhaps it was Reina's moment to be "sick and tired of being sick and tired" We don't know for sure, but after seven months, Reina made a run for it. Caught, she was beaten savagely by her pimp, Arturo. After a few days, she tried again.  This time she made it and managed to reach the local police station.  The police in turn called social services, as well as the county sheriff, who was known to be investigating human trafficking cases.  Because Reina didn't fit the guidelines for child protection, social services called Marisa Ugarte of the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), who interviewd her at the police station.  Marisa later described the girl she found: "She wore a tiny miniskirt and a jacket and was so overpainted that you almost couldn't recognize her real face.  She looked to be between tena nd fifteen years older than her real age.  her hair was short and dyed brown, her mouth was small, she had the eyes of a dreamer and a very seductive attitude.  When we began to interview her she broke down and out came an agonized human being, drowning in pain."

Marisa didn't know Reina, but she knew all about her situation. For months Marisa and the other members of the BSCC had been telling anyone who would listen that there were sex camps in the fields around San Diego.  At first the Mexican consulate didn't believe them, so they turned to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); then consulate asked for a formal complaint supported by concrete evidence.  A few weeks later, Reina escaped.  Soon the BSCC was helping to coordinate a raft of agencies in building a case against Arturo and his employers, the Salazar crime family. In Mexico, the police and social services stepped in to rescue Reina's daughter.  Reina began to heal slowly, but her recovery was rocky.  Although the infections and injuries of her body could be treated, her mind was much more difficult to mend.  At times she would tell her story and testify; at other times her mind would crack and she would regress to childhood, losing touch with reality.  Many of her abusers melted away, and with Reina swinging between clarity and confusion, she was deemed an unreliable witness. Other girls, fearing for their families, refused to testify.  Two of the three Salazar brothers went to prison for lesser crimes; the oldest brother remains free.

Rockabilly Round-Off

I never really posted photos of these two dresses!

This is one of my ultimate favourite dresses that I own (Rob bought it for me as a Christmas present). It is so light and so nice for warm weather (like how it was yesterday here. I was sweating outside while taking these. ah, I love my remote for my camera so i don't have to run back and forth with the self timer any longer, yet I'm still sweating!) It is vintage!

The back is so interesting how it clips together with buttons rather than bow-styled

One of my favourite parts of this dress (rather than the Gingham style) is the buttons in the middle.

I look so tired here. Motherhood!

Anyway I need to sell this dress. It is too large for me now. I got it in October and it is too loose now which is uncomfortable. The chest measurement would be good for a 36-37 and the waist would be good for 26in (it ties to tighten in the waist)  to 29in (which is the max measurement when relaxed). sleeve round: 15 inches, Full Length:43 inches . . I'd sell it for $34 via paypal (includes S&H). I wear a petticoat under it which isn't included. It is a reproduction dress.

The back of the dress that does tie

50s style brown with white stars dress

For months and months I had this dress in my favourites on etsy.com (got it from Clever nettle)

and then it seemed to have disappeared for a while. When I noticed it was listed again recently I took the plunge.

It is such a comfortable dress. It was certainly handmade and who knows when, but it was in using a 50s pattern. I love that on the sides of the shoulders there are tiny white star buttons sitting there. Sorry I didn't get shot of them. I told Rob to really quickly take these of me while our boys were napping.

Weird angle. . but yeah my legs are tiny like it seems.

Those are white stars everywhere.

I've been noticing lately that some of the dresses I've had that are vintage from after I had Micah are far too big for me mainly in the bust area (since I've shrunk a lot since being done nursing for 3 months). I will be selling them soon. I also have old clothes  from my teen years that are vintage that no longer fit in which would be too tight on me. I just have to take photos of them all, add a ribbon to my gunne sax 70s dress (since the old one broke), and start selling them.

St. Patrick Thoughts

About today being St. Patrick's Day. Here's the problem I've always had about this day. We seem to celebrate someone who did a lot of wonderful things, this is true, but to be a part of the destruction of the mystical druid people has bothered me big time. Yes the druids did some awful things, especially for their sacrificial purposes. At the same time, someone who carries on Christ's name as he witnesses shouldn't be out for blood of any people. That just isn't giving people a chance to have the free will to choose to listen about God and decide for themselves if they want to also follow Him. By killing them that just makes it worse and puts you in a sinful area for murder.

We are to seek justice. Killing is not justice. Vengeance is the Lord's. It just seems to me that St. Patrick grew tired of trying to preach to them and warn the druids of their occult use that he gave up and destroyed them. Yet this man is glorified today???? I think of the prophet Jeremiah who prayed, preached, and was all alone in asking people to turn to God. He went through torture physically and continued trying. No one listened to him until after he was already dead.  He didn't go to violence to try to prove himself. He was relentless but to me St. Patrick was a coward and disobeyed the Lord, did not wait on God, didn't have patience, and wanted to be the one in control.

I was reading last week about Jesus' crucifiction in The Bible (NIV fanatic). There was the scene when a disciple cut off a soldier man's ear as soldiers came to take Jesus away. You see the heart of Jesus big time in this scene where he picks up the ear and puts it back on the man's head as if it were never cut off. He told them that if they live by the sword they will die by the sword. He doesn't want us to destroy each other in any way, but build each other up, love one another, and serve others. That's asking a lot, I know. But it is worth it.

My brothers and I always wore black on this day, in mourning for the druids. I don't say things to people who want to enjoy this day. If they ask me however why I am not wearing green (which by the way, Catholics wear green, Protestants wear orange. but it doesn't really matter. This is the representation of Ireland's flag. . maybe I'll start wearing white so there is no division even though I am a protestant??)

Movies & Music Suggestion Post #11

Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars. Anything over 3 stars is very worth it and is in bold.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky 1986 (w/ voices of Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek) - 3 stars. Considering I've been wanting to see this anime since the late 1980s, It is due time I did so! It was good. I wasn't wowed like I thought I'd be.

Love*Com: the movie 2006 (w/ Ema Fujisawa, Teppei Koike) - 3 stars. Very cute. I watched the anime series with Rob a couple of years ago. It is about two people who are very different in height. . the girl is taller than the guy (like Rob and I). They want to find love but mock each other for their height and it would be too weird, or would it be? The acting was so over done at times but it was funny. Gotta love anime made into live action.

The Time Traveler's Wife 2009 (w/ Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams) - 3.25 stars. Rob read the book (I will eventually) so the problem is that he would make little comments here and there as we were watching it. I might have liked this more otherwise. There was male nudity (backside) and a few sexual situations. It is about a man who can't control where and when he goes as he travels to different years/places (ending up naked every time he travels). He does fall in love in the process. This is their love story. I like love stories. I think I might have liked this more if Rob kept his mouth shut and didn't explain things to me afterwards that they forgot to include. :: sigh ::

Four Christmases 2008 (w/ Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn) - 2 stars. What a let down. I waited for this from netflix since November! It finally came only to be awful. The storyline was of a couple who felt they had all the answers and were wonderful and that married people were absurd as well as having kids. This just was not funny. It was boring and annoying.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2009 (w/ voices Bill Hader, Anna Faris) - 3 stars. It had a few unnecessary parts in it that is questionable for my little ones to see (like a cop tightening up his bum in anger- close up . .don't see why they had to do that). thing is, aside from that it was pretty funny. It was about a guy who loved science so much that he wanted to invent things to protect his island of people, only to make a food invention that would get out of hand.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 1984 (w/ voices Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart) - 3.25 stars. This is another anime I've wanted to see forever. I thought it was great. It was about a warrior princess who tries to think for her people in the best way possible, as her planet is dying.

Adventureland 2008 (w/ Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg) - 3 stars. My problem with a LOT of movies is I hate the overpour of langauge, sexuality, and drug use. This had all three of those things, but no nudity (I don't think. . I fast forwarded through two scenes). at the same time I would have loved this movie without those things. It completely had an 80s feel to it like the 80s movies I watch and love. It is about teenagers who work for a park with rides and games and want to experience and feel love.

Lady Jane 1986 (w/Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes) - 3 stars. Depressing movie about a young girl who is forced to marry in order to gain the throne for when King Edward died as he was sick. Of course as much as she couldn't stand the man she married, somehow they fell in love completely and wanted to change how the rich treated the poor and give them real shillings worth shillings (not worth less) and food, etc. She was very in love with God and wanted to show love to others. Her husband liked her mindset. There were scenes I had to skip (there is nudity). If you know the real history about her, then this would be close and you know what occured. What a very sad situation they put her through!!!!

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon 1942 (w/ Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce) - 2 stars. this was only an hour long and was boring. nothing like the stories :: sigh ::


Music I've been listening to lately:
not much actually :(
The Smiths
Morrissey
Dolores O'Riordin

so here's some of The Smiths with "Ask"