Small Glimpse Into My Daily Life

In the early morning I feed the boys breakfast and immediately afterwards Leto begins his school work. Here he is doing his phonics/reading/writing assignments. Leto's in kindergarten (he's 4.5 years old). He has learned a lot and I get to work on things longer with him one on one in a way he wouldn't receive if he were in a classroom setting. When he has a struggle with an area, I get to help him understand it. Really his only issue is that he sometimes confuses reading a b for a d (he writes them fine). All I have to do is say, "no" and he quickly corrects himself saying, "I mean [word]". I have been asked by a couple people what I do with Micah while I teach Leto.  Most of the time he is right there next to his brother, just observing (and learning too).  He tends to color for a long time (and in the lines, which is impressive for a near-3 year old, I think).  Other times he enjoys being alone and building things (since he doesn't get a lot of alone time other than at that time). You'll see he built a parking lot one morning. Sometimes he'll sit on my lap or I'll hold him as I teach his brother (he's not antsy while I do these things, he just is a mush who likes affection).

After lunch they have nap-time which lasts any time between an hour to four hours (which is when I do ballet and watch a movie - sometimes at the same time)! They are pretty used to being on a set schedule. Some days they don't nap in which they are put into bed earlier than on the days they'd nap.

When they wake from their nap (depending on the time) we'll have a snack. Our favorite is to have popcorn together (which I make from an air-popper).  While the popcorn is waiting to be popped they spin around and around on the floor as the air popper spins. They imitate the machine every time I put it on.

I melt some butter

And put it on the delicious popcorn

And we all sit down to eat it.

In case you are wondering what goes on the rest of the day, they play a LOT with one another. They have tons of fun and are really creative and imiginative. We don't have any T.V. channels which seems very weird to many people. When I was a child I sat for hours in front of a Television and stopped watching completely once I was about 9 years old.  It is nice to not have that extra distraction. I've found that a lot of parents seem to try to keep their kids calm by putting on a T.V. in front of their child so they don't really have to "deal with them" as much. I think that is ridiculous and they're missing out on teaching and learning with their children. I do let my boys watch something once in a while (yesterday Leto asked to watch Toy Story, so I put it on for them when they woke from their nap, and that was all they watched all day). They have gone through full weeks without watching anything at all. I have fun talking and playing with these two guys, and sure sometimes it gets frustrating, but really they're pretty obedient and well behaved and extremely happy kids. I think it's because their mom and dad pay attention to them and they know they are loved because we give them so much of our time.

Snailin' It - Join the project!!!

I decided to start a project and I truly hope you are all interested in joining in on the fun!!

A lot of people call mail that arrives in a mailbox "Snail Mail" since it arrives slowly.  We live in a-fast responding social networking world. We expect things so immediately that sometimes we forget how to relax and take our time. There is a beauty in letter writing; a sort of romanticism that I love in learning about other people and seeing their handwriting and being able to connect personally with them.

If you want to be matched up with a penpal (from either your own country or another), please do the following things:

1. Sign up only if you are dedicated to writing to someone. Don't sign up and never write to the other person. Please be dedicated to writing your pen-match more than once as well.  I understand you have a lot that you do, but don't let a letter response go unwritten for over 3 or 4 weeks at a time. A letter should never be delayed for more than 6 weeks (if you don't hear from your pen-pal the first time after 3 weeks, please let me know and I will match you with another person).

2. Fill this out (it is information I will need to match you with someone, and some information will be given to your pen-pal/s. It will not be shared anywhere else.)

3. Please either tweet, re-link this post on your facebook (or other social networking areas) or link one of the following images on your page with a link back to this entry! (you can do both if you want). This will help spread the news and give you a better chance of being matched faster with someone else. Tell your friends too!

 

4. Common letter writing rules (though you don't HAVE to do it): write a date on it, write a term of endearment such as "Dear Victoria," and always end your letter signing your own name. Ask questions. Respond to questions. Don't be brief. Letters should paint a picture to the reader of what you are going through or what your life is like. Be descriptive (don't just write a 3-sentenced opening letter or response to someone). Talk about yourself as much as you want, but again, also show an interest in the person you're writing to! This is common courtesy in letter-writing! People who do these things will be able to continue their letter writing to the same person for a few months to a few years!

5. Be aware that postage costs differently in each country (if you want a pen-pal in another country, be sure to find out the rate for that area)! Make sure you have your letters sealed properly and that your addresses are legible so they don't get lost so easily in the mail! (I like to tape letters going out of country up pretty good and write "air mail" on it).

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When do we begin?
We have had 20 people involved in the exchange (updated as of November 17, 2011). A few people are waiting for even more penpals! You can sign up today! Give about 2 weeks' time before you receive a response about your match as I match based on  and age group (and I try to match by interests as well)!
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MY OWN LETTER WRITING EXPERIENCE
My love for letter writing began when I came home from my first time away at camp (I was 11, it was the weekend of her 12th birthday). I made a friend who was so much like me (and I didn't have any friends so a bond was created) that I exchanged my mailing address with her. She was my first pen-pal even though she only lived 4 hours away. We wrote each other constantly. We would meet up a few years later at camp again (which happened for a few years in a row). Eventually I would see her outside of camp a few times (most recent was earlier this year). After all these years she is 28 and I am nearly 28 and we still write one another, though not as often.

When I was 13, I enjoyed writing to my pen-pal so often, that I was excited when my 7th grade Language Arts teacher introduced to us a program where we would receive a pen-pal outside of the US. We each had to choose one and it cost us $7 to do! I loved writing so often that I received 3: one from Korea, one from England, and one from Ireland (who never responded and was replaced by one from British Colombia, Canada).  I wrote them until I stopped hearing from them (which lasted a few years)!  During that time I collected many more pen-pals from camp and one from a girl I went to school with who had moved. By the time I was 15 I had 64 pen-pals. It was so fun for me! Keep in mind I didn't have friends, so these people were my closest friends. In time they all stopped writing me. Up to date I've probably had over 200 pen-pals (most were short-lived). I have always responded to every letter I've received.

Currently I have about six pen-pals. Some have been writing to me for a few years. It is really fun to receive a letter in the mail, read it, and have the chance to sit down and write a hand-written response! I truly encourage you ladies to be a part of my new project "Snailin' It".

Nature Walk

Last week I did two photoshoots which you can see at my new photography blog called Shine Like Stars (please follow it through bloglovin or E-mail subscription at the bottom of the blog over there)
We got to the location of the shoot early and as a family went on a little nature walk that we noticed was sort-of hidden (but had a specific path for and a sign stating it was a nature walk area). We had a really nice time and I got some great shots of our little guys. Unfortunately a bunch of lovely photos my husband took were all accidentally deleted off of his memory card (including cute ones of me with the boys). At least we have the memory in our heads of it and that I was able to get shots we could keep!

Micah's got the forest reflecting off of his eyes here (his eyes are usually bright blue with yellow around the pupil). strange.

Movie Suggestion Post #53

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.

Where the Boys Are 1960 (w/ Dolores Hart, Barbara Nichols, Paula Prentiss, Connie Francis, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Hutton, George Hamilton) - 3.25 stars - A group of fresh college girls decide to go to FL for their winter break (maybe spring since they were in a colder environment) in hopes of meeting guys. It starts out where one of the main characters speaks up for sex with whomever she wants. Throughout the movie you see people's minds being changed or sticking to their moral. It was an intense story at times, other times it was very cheesy. I laughed a couple times. Beautiful outfits worn throughout it. Although I don't agree with all the things mentioned in it (although some of the things I disagreed with was said by an actress who later became a nun, so I suppose she disagreed too!), I thought it was an enjoyable movie. I really enjoyed the character who was "the tall girl".  The most hilarious person was Connie Francis who also has a dynamite singing voice, she sang a couple songs in this (go listen to her music). content: kissing, drinking, smoking, people being flirtatious, hints of sex, talk about sex, girls in bathing suits & getting dressed (being in slips for a few seconds).

The Yellow Handkerchief 2008 (w/ William Hurt, Kristen Stewart, Eddit Redmayne, Maria Bello) - 2 stars - This is a remake of a 70s Japanese movie (which was based off of a book). This movie kept making me wonder what was going on with the main character. He was in prison for six years and as soon as he gets out he meets a couple of young people who take him along for a ride. Throughout it you get to learn about the characters (mainly the ex-convict).  Little by little, you learn about his story. It was too slow at times (boring!) but things got pretty good nearer to the end. content: kissing, couple taking their clothes off in a shower - though you can't really see much, you see the outline and slight view of a woman's breast (briefly). man trying to get sexual with a woman by grabbing parts of her body (she stops him), language, people being bullies and fighting, brief violence

Since You Went Away 1944 (w/ Claudette Colbert, Shirley Temple (teen), Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten) - 3.25 stars - This to me was like a WWII version of Little Women (but with some differences and less girls and without too much of them growing up). It was very long and I think they could have made it shorter (it's close to 3 hours or so).    We get to see what life is like for a wife/mother and her two daughters while they wait for her husband to return from war. They try to take care of themselves best they can and open their home to have people rent out rooms. There were lovely outfits throughout it (and hairstyles).  It was a bit dramatic and sad.  content: kissing, smoking, drinking

The Flame and the Arrow 1950 (w/ Burt Lancaster, Robert Douglas, Virginia Mayo) - 3 stars - This movie was in very nicely remastered color. A mercenary goes against a Hessian leader because he doesn't like his ways.  This causes the leader to kidnap the rebel's son to live with his mother who is now wife to the leader. The rebel will do anything to get his son back.  In the process he meets a lady of title who he kidnaps as well so that they each have someone in their hold worth exchanging. It was filled with adventure and was a fun tale. content: little boy's bum hangs out a bit from an outfit he is wearing, cleavage, kissing, kidnapping, sword-fight battles

My Louisiana Sky 2001 (w/ Kelsey Keel, Juliette Lewis, Shirley Knight, Michael Cera) - 3 stars - A very sweet movie about a young girl who is reaching her teen years in the 1950s living with her grandmother and her mentally handicapped parents. When a big change happens for their family, her aunt comes to help out. She has so much going on around her from wanting to have friends who are girls, keeping her guy friend's attention, and dealing with her parents.  I liked it! content: kissing, talk about menstruation, mockery of the mental handicapped characters

Three Smart Girls 1936 (w/ Deanna Durbin, Charles Winninger, Nan Grey, Barbara Read) - 3.25 stars - [screenshot by me. . the only one I remembered to make one of] What a cute movie! Three sisters find out that their father is getting remarried (their parents had divorced). They set out to see their father and try to stop him from marrying someone since their mother still loves him. It is filled with fun and comedy and love.  Deanna Durbin sings about 3 or 4 songs in this (how lovely).  The outfits and hairstyles are so great! content: kissing, girls in short sailor shorts

Oh October, You're so Busy!

A few of you who read my blog know that I homeschool my older son Leto who is in Kindergarten at the moment (next year my younger son Micah will have pre-school at home).  I am a part of two homeschool groups that have co-op classes, clubs, music lessons, and various activities. There isn't a whole lot available to my sons' age groups at all, so what I can get to, I will. There will be a lot more available once they reach second grade. The first thing I was able to go to was a picnic within the first few days of October. After all the kids ate they gathered around to hear a man talk about various animals. He would walk around so that every kid could touch the animal (unless it was poisonous like the scorpion, a certain type of turtle and toad he had, etc).  My boys both loved these three animals the most to touch. Two types of snakes and a chinchilla. They had a lot of fun! There were probably 35 kids gathered around.

One of my dear friends (She's made a few appearances on my blog) Brienne, had a birthday party for her younger son Gavin, who turned 1 year old. The birthday boy seemed to enjoy his cake a lot too!

I am also a youth group leader at my church for two age groups (one 6th-8th graders, another 9th-12th graders, though some stuck around to be with friends even though they graduated high school).  With the younger group, a few of the kids came and played mini-golf (not too big of a group). They all had fun and afterwards the girls ran around like crazy and dragged me around to take photos of them doing odd things. These are only a few out of many.

And on Saturday Rob and I took our long-time friend Cristina out for dinner for her 29th birthday (she's also made a few appearances on my blog). She has instagram, so this is from her camera.

If you're still reading this, it's because you actually read my blog. Thank you! I have run out of outfits to wear, and wanted to share with you that I will still be posting on my blog, but it might be some time before you see more outfit entries (though you will see them again, I promise).  I haven't bought vintage clothes for six months (only bought a couple shirts from some of my favorite anti-human trafficking organizations, and that's all). 

Posts you'll see: outfit posts every so often (not every week, possibly once a month, though maybe one every two months).  I am not borrowing outfits any longer from people because the last one I wore ripped (getting it fixed) and I don't want to damage anyone else's beautiful clothes.  I will still post human trafficking stuff with my outfit entries! I know this might cause many people to stop following the blog, and that's your choice. I hope you'll stick around! The Movie Suggestion posts WILL still be posted! I've always loved doing them! I know it isn't a very popular entry, but I also know a few people who enjoy them. 

Posts I rid of: Modesty features (too much of a hassle, though once in a while I will still post on the tumblr a few outfits I like that I see while reading blogs). As you see I have a lot going on and haven't time to go through loads of blogs to find modest inspiration. I am pretty behind in my blog reading as it is. I apologize to you, because I know it was a hit.

Also my husband and I have a photography blog (mainly in the works), and temporarily we have this one up until we get a new layout worked up. Please follow it, because you'll see a lot of lovely photos!!! We are in the process of changing the 5-year run "Marvelous Things" name to "Shine Like Stars" too.

A Formal Thing

Here are the rest of the photos I wanted to post from the wedding I attended (my cousin Matt and his wife Jessica). I didn't really take much of their actual wedding and of them since they had a load of photographers around them and I always had people's heads in front of me!

Here's my husband Rob (I believe he looks quite dashing, but I'm a little obsessed with him)

Here's a photo of the Bride and Groom coming out of the church after they were wed. There's a shot of me and Rob and on the right you see my parents (who have been married for 40 years!!!)

I don't have many shots of me and my parents at all (probably the last time I got one taken was when I got married over seven years ago). My dad has never dyed his hair before and still has a lot of it. Pretty good for a 64 year old.

My youngest cousin (there are 25 of us born from my mom and her siblings, I'm the third youngest of my cousins and siblings on this side of the family). She did a huge transformation and never looked so glamorous ever! She's 21 (and is the sister of the groom). On the bottom left is one of my aunts (mother of the groom) with my mom. On the right is one of my aunts holding her granddaughter.

My cousin again on the left and the groom (also my cousin) with his mama dancing together. This was a tough day for them all since a year and a half ago my uncle passed away.

I leave you with another shot of my parents because they're just so cute!!

Sea Foam and Make-Up

- Outfit #21 to stand up against modern-day slavery/human trafficking & promote modesty! -
This is the last vintage dress borrowed from Lauren of Sparrow & Urchin. It was lovely (and probably the hardest dress I've ever had to iron since it's two layers, one thin and one thick so i had to constantly change the settings).  I wore it to my cousin's wedding. I'll be posting more photos from the event a little later on. You'll be able to see how goofy I am sometimes. There were two long pieces on the back of this dress that I didn't know exactly the use of them, so I kept doing silly things with them. I want to thank Lauren for sending me all these amazing dresses. Now to get ready to send them all back!

 Reason Why I'm Doing This #21:
A couple weeks ago I was informed about Radiant Cosmetics which is a make-up company having "Beauty with a purpose". Every time you buy from them, they send 20% of their profits to Free the Captives, who works in helping victims of human trafficking in Houston, TX (mainly girls who are 12-18 years old). The founder of Radiant Cosmetics worked with The World Race after she got out of college and during her missions work befriended a prostitute in Thailand, who was a victim of sex trafficking. The founder of this make-up saw all the brothels in Thailand firsthand and worked in helping victims and families out there. On her return and through her love for make-up, she decided her "dream is to set the captives free, one lipstick at a time". 

Magic Light Gonna Take You For a Ride

I dyed my hair (and it is too dark for my liking, so I look forward to it fading) and also this is not a human trafficking awareness entry today because this is an actual vintage dress I own, though I didn't buy it. I won it from Fancy Treehouse's blog through When Decades Collide in July. It was really difficult for me to pick out a dress that would be long enough for my tall body in my size, but still this one is a little short for my taste (hello, scrawny legs). It's cute though. Today marks six months since I bought a dress or anything that doesn't go to a cause (though my mom bought me a pair of jeans since she noticed I wear one pair).

When I was a little girl in the 1980s, I really loved Rainbow Brite. This outfit totally reminds me of her and the color kids. I actually own the only 13 episodes +movies that were ever aired and still have my Rainbow Brite, Patty O'Green, and Twink the Sprite doll (should have used them as props, but didn't think about it). I had a few other things as a child (like sheets). . I even still have a toddler nighty that I kept for a future daughter with Rainbow Brite on it (but no daughters for me. I'll be giving it to my niece when she's older since my brother and his wife have all the episodes too . .she'll get my dolls if she likes it enough too). I am not sentimental when it comes to my possessions and got rid of the majority of things I used to own (I'm a bit of a minimalist), but those I kept.

Tomorrow will mark the 11th anniversary from when my husband Rob and I first became a couple!! We haven't any plans or anything (we're simplistic), but it is just crazy to think we've been a couple for OVER a decade already. It is so cool to be able to say that I have memories with my husband from when we were teenagers. We are starting to take note of how we're each aging (I'm aging more than he is) and it is nice to know that even though we're starting to look older, we are more in love (and more obsessed) with one another, and I believe it is because of our dedication to following God's will for our lives individually and together, since God is the center core of our relationship.

Here are my favorite three males!!

Movie Suggestion Post #52

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.

Sullivan's Travels 1942 (w/ Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake) - 3.25 stars - A movie director is truly hoping to do a picture on human suffering. He wants to experience it for himself, so he decides to become a bum. His friends and colleagues don't really think he can do that without their help. Along the way he meets up with a woman hoping to make it big in acting, but instead is really taken by Mr. Sullivan. At times the humor in this seemed dry and forced, but in some way it was also brilliant. The movie went from seemingly comedic to more dramatic and sad. It was a good film though. content: bare legs on a woman as she sits in a robe, smoking, punching, unseen violence and death

Meek's Cutoff 2010 (w/ Bruce Greenwood, Michelle Williams, Neal Huff, Paul Dano) - 1 star - A bunch of people are trying to reach Oregon and seem to have stepped off the trail (set in 1845). It is based or inspired by a true story. The group of people are trying to find their way back and they come across a Native American in which they don't know if they should follow or not. This movie was very slow and boring (waste of an hour and forty-five minutes). It had a nice wardrobe though. Not worth it. content: about two vulgar/profane things said, violence against a Native American

Dreamer 2005 (w/ Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue) - 3 stars - Based off of a true story, a man who gets fired from his job as a horse trainer ends up taking in a horse because of his daughter's love for it. She becomes determined to get the horse in the races to win a big cup! It was a sweet story. I like horse movies. content: a couple profanities

Captain Horatio Hornblower 1951 (w/ Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo) - 2.5 stars - A British Naval Captain sets sail around Latin America so that they can get some allies. Sailing on the seas is tough work and he rarely gets to go home. On his journey he rescues a white woman who becomes smitten with him. Of course there are things in his life that make that complicated. The acting was well done, it's just comical to me to see lines from brown make-up on white guys trying to play Spanish men. I couldn't get into the movie until probably the middle of it. content: kissing

White Heat 1949 (w/ James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien) - 3 stars - A gangster uses his power to manipulate and control people. The cops have been on the hunt for him for quite a while and are working on a lead and a way to arrest him for his notorious crimes. He loves his mom and has a beautiful wife who seems scared and trapped. One cop in particular is out to get him. There is a lot of drama and intensity throughout the film.  Although it was a very good story, my problem was that I was surprised at how horribly Virginia Mayo acted (first film I ever hated her acting in, and I've seen a bunch . . like the movie above).  Goodness her hair and outfits are amazing in this though. James Cagney's gangster voice was too forced and annoying. Also I don't think a normal handgun is capable of shooting a person through a solid door (though a tommy gun would). content: woman in suggestive outfits, assumed affair, kissing, guns, violence (no gore), control, manipulation, male hitting female across the face, fighting cops, shooting

Red Riding Hood 2011 (w/ Amanda Seyfried, Billy Burke, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons) - 3.25 stars - I almost rated it a little lower than that due to content, but I did find the story quite interesting. This is based off of the faerytale, but extended in a unique way. There have been large wolves attacking villages for a very long time, causing fear throughout the land. When a girl's sister gets killed, she wants to live on but has a hard time accepting a match made for her to marry against her will when she has loved someone else for most of her life. Things change in the village when a man who killed his own wife who was a werewolf in disguise comes to stir the people up and control them. What can a young woman truly do to save her village? It was really a beautifully made film and had a good plot. At first it was a little slow, but it got really interesting.  content: kissing and playful flirting, killing of a couple animals and displaying a head of a wolf, some violence and blood shown (not too graphic, mostly a hand being cut off), torture device used against a child with disabilities, a young girl offering herself to a man - she takes the top of her dress off where she is wearing a camisole (nothing visible underneath), an affair talked about, accuasation of witchery, a couple kisses passionately as he lifts her body and holder her legs up as her body rests against a platform/pole/wall) then lowering her to the ground as he starts undoing the strings of the top of her garment - nothing is shown other than it being untied a bit (I don't recall if he grabbed her there though),  slightly scary imagery, people die, two girls being seductive in a dance to make a guy jealous, man and woman dancing seductively, woman tries to slice a guy's chest with a knife, some violence (not really anything gorey shown), the cutting open of a body - though not graphic and angled so you can't see anything, a couple appears to be naked  while kissing to show that they have been intimate (shoulders up seen)