Oh, The Things I Do! #2

This is the first week in a while where I haven't any plans on all the days of the week! It has been really rough on me some days but I survived! The boys had a lot of fun as did I.

1. My friend Nicole and I hung out for a couple hours around Thanksgiving time

2. Hebrews 10

3. leg warmer season while doing ballet. I've had the pair of leg warmers since '04 or '05

4. another shot of the boys with their pine cone animal craft

1. More Whoopie Pies
2. a turkey craft that Leto did all by himself, which he was really proud about.
3. Micah being smiley
4. my friend Laura and I

1. Part of a story that Leto had to read to me for his phonics/reading/writing portion of his curriculum. There were three pages total for this story.
2. One of my brothers and his daughter (my God-daughter) Meiha. His wife's grandmother passed away and we went to the service for her.
3. I was being like Jack Nicholson from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
4. Leto counting and writing by 5s as part of his curriculum in math.

The Reunion Dress

Oh goodness, I haven't posted an outfit that I actually bought in so long. I hadn't bought anything since early April. I got this dress for my husband's high school reunion (he was a graduate in 2001).  I went to high school with him (I graduated the following year since I missed the cut-off date by a few days) so it was interesting to see what people have been up to or how they've changed or even stayed the same. We weren't there very long though because it was pretty much just an open bar and we don't drink or really like being around that environment (so when many started getting drunk is when we left). Now I'm kind of excited about mine coming hopefully in less than a year.

I thought this dress was going to be more pink. I didn't think I was so pale that I'd match it! >.< I also straightened my hair for the first time in about a year.
Dress, Necklace, & Shoes: Modcloth | Hair accessory: Lila-Jo

Human Trafficking news for the week:
A couple girls that were aged 12 and 13 (as well as many others too over the last while) were runaways and forced into prostitution when they were picked up off the streets. This went on for about a year in Brooklyn (which is about 20-30 minutes from where I live). 4 people were caught and charged for doing this to many girls. These young girls were made to work in strip clubs and bachelor parties as well as being prostitutes. This is really great news that the pimps/traffickers were caught and hopefully justice will be served and they'll receive long-term prison sentences. I am sure the girls are being taken care of and helped out in either Restore NYC or GEMS which I've mentioned are restorative places in NYC for this specific situation.

The Additional Chaos

I don't think I've had so much on my schedule as I have in the past few weeks. Here are more photos of what's been happening!
A lot of you miss my outfit posts. I have one coming at the end of the week! Rejoice!!!

Me and Lynsie were kinda making fun of the posters. We read the Twilight books and she has seen the movies dozens of times. Breaking Dawn was my second favorite of the book series, but I won't be seeing it until it is on DVD. I still think Robert Pattinson is really ugly. haha.

Lynsie and Noah are Micah's God-parents

On my birthday (Nov. 3rd) we went to Rainforest Cafe and they had a large Red-Eyed Tree Frog there which I loved because that's my favorite animal (I'm a huge frog lover in general).

Random shot that we weren't really ready for that Rob took of us when we were at the park way back on the 31st of October (my sister-in-law's birthday).

I do crafts with my little guys at the end of some of the homeschool days. They each chose a pinecone animal they wanted to make. Micah chose the turkey and Leto chose the owl. The glue I had originally had them used didn't hold anything together (though they put them together so nicely) so I hot glued them afterwards.

They play with them a lot. The turkey is named "Gobble-Gobble" and the owl is "Who-Who".

I know some of you commented or liked my instagram of the whoopie pies I made for my family. These taste NOTHING like the amazing Amish-made ones, but they were good. My boys adored them especially.

Micah all sweaty but so cute.

The boys.
Oh, the reason behind the camouflaged stuff they often wear is because my dad was in the Army Special Forces, so it's just a habit that my family, since we were children (my brothers and I), always tend to get camo-wear and I guess that's been passed along. My grandfathers, great-uncles, etc. . were in the Army too as well as Rob's uncle and cousin and one of my second cousins. Of course my husband Rob has Navy on his side from his grandfathers (and I think the Navy is most fascinating of the branches). I do have a cousin who was in the Navy. One of my uncles was a Marine. I'm sure I've missed a lot but that list might be too long. These photos were taken all around Veteran's Day! We know a lot of Veterans as well as had many in the family!

Leto having fun

What he was looking at while he was on the ground

Movie Suggestion Post #54

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.

Swing Time 1936 (w/ Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers) - 3.25 stars - "Lucky" likes to gamble. He ends up missing his own wedding and disappointing a lot of people. He needs to make loads of money so he can be able to get married for certain. One problem is that he just met a dance instructor who is changing his heart. I haven't always been too fond of Astaire movies, but this one was really cute and very funny.  If you are to ever see a Astaire/Rogers film, this is the one to choose (and I've seen a few of theirs). content: kissing, revealing clothing/immodesty, gambling, drinking.

The Tree of Life 2011 (w/ Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken) - 2.75 stars - So many people have highly rated this, and that's great and all but I was so bored out of my mind most of the time in viewing it.  THe imagery is GORGEOUS and probably the best I've EVER seen. The storyline is too slow and I didn't completely understand it at times. This focuses on a family, particularly life for one man who gets a view of his whole life - the joys, the sorrows, etc.  content: a scene with a boy and lingerie, though we don't exactly get told what is happening, one can figure it out easily enough. Also some violence and boys being boys in learning things regarding violence.  literal showing of sperm and egg joining together (but no pornographic sexual imagery shown around it, which is very good).  a scene of some light immodesty

Yogi Bear 2010 (w/ Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, voices of Dan Aykroyd & Justin Timberlake) - 2.25 stars - My boys liked this movie. It didn't remind me enough of the cartoon which I adored as a child.  The voices were perfect though!  Ranger Smith wants to bring more people into Jellystone Park.  He's always had problems with Yogi and Boo-Boo, but now they want to help save the park. Of course a woman comes around trying to help and a mayor is out to own the land. It was okay. A bit too mediocre. content: name calling, kissing, talk of marking a girl with pee (ahh!)

Jane Eyre 2011 (w/ Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench) - 2.5 stars - I've reviewed a different version of this before not too long ago and had been interested in seeing the new one. It was pretty interesting and kept my attention ikn the first bits of it.  It was when the actress who played Jane was in it more that she just seemed bored and uninterested in her role. I loved the dialogue and the expressions quite a bit, but this was so slow and boring.  It is also just a strange story about a troubled orphan girl who was raised in a girls' home and becomes a governess for a strange man with a strange history. Gorgeous hair and costumes! content: kissing, girl and woman shown in a modest petticoat (but they are undergarments so that's why I mention it), a painting of a nude woman is focused on a couple times, violence)

Something in the Wind 1947 (w/ Deanna Durbin, Donald O'Connor, John Dall) - 3.25 stars - This was a very sweet movie about a young woman trying to get into the singing business so she can survive and support her aunt who has been so helpful over the years to her (and she was named after her). A rich son learns that his deceased father was sending money to the young woman's aunt, but instead mistakes the young woman of being in an affair with his father. Lots of miscommunication and misunderstanding, while also playing along to receive more money takes place in the movie. Perhaps instead love is being created in some odd fashion. This was actually a very cute movie. I really enjoyed it and I have always adored Deanna Durbin's singing. I had always heard her opera sounding voice but not her swing type of voice that comes through a couple times in the movie. That was pretty interesting and so pretty.  There were some funny instances to make you chuckle too.  content: ideas of affair, idea of a child created through affair, kissing, kidnapping

Captain America: The First Avenger 2011 (w/ Chris Evans, Natalie Dormer, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving) - 3 stars - A young man has been bullied his whole life for being short and scrawny. It is the 1940s and he wants to fight in the war, but they continually reject him. He has a heart for bringing justice to those who want to harm others and gets chosen to be involved in an experiment in the secret military tests. An evil man known as Red Skull is out to destroy the world. Can he be defeated? This movie was good and I enjoyed the storyline, but some of it was a little cheesy and made me laugh. I felt badly not enjoying it more being a Marvel fan. The good part is that the ending is different than what is common in these stories. content: bullying, fighting, kissing, drinking, violence (a few graphic scenes), immodest outfits, some foul language

Waiting for Forever 2010 (w/ Rachel Bilson, Tom Sturridge) - 2.5 stars - This is one strange story, but at times it is really sweet and other times a bit surprising.  A young man has grown up with the memories of Emma, the girl he has loved since he was a child. They have so many memories together, but he hasn't talked to her in many years.  He wants to marry her. He's struggled since the death of his parents and is ready to face the love of his life again and hopes she won't reject him. She has problems of her own though. The storyline was just a little too out there for me. I love romantic stories though. content: kissing, cleavage, noting female anatomy, violence, one bad word mentioned, alcohol (but I don't recall anyone actually drinking)

Oh, The Things I Do!

For my birthday (on Nov. 3rd), my husband bought me an iPhone because mine was awful (people would call and I'd never know unless they left a message).  I have been having fun with the instagram - I'm justicepirate if you want to follow me on there.  I use my own camera MUCH more than my phone by the way. It is fun to just take quick shots with the phone too.

1. Me and my best friend Lynsie (she treated me to birthday dinner).  

2. While the power was out we were at home for a while with the blinds open. The boys were playing with their shadows on the walls.  

3. My husband and our sons during the power outage playing.  

4. The snow melting

1. Baked cookies with the boys
2. We spent a few days painting the rooms in our home (after living here three years). The boys' room was "Surfer Wave" blue.
3. Micah was falling asleep and smiling in the car
4. And Leto was just smiling

1. Craft time at home (yey for sales on things that are out of season)
2. Micah is bug-eyed
3. the aquarium at the place we went to eat for my birthday
4. While painting our bedroom, my husband wrote this behind my back on a wall. I turned around and swooned.

1. I don't ever take my boys out to eat during the week. I decided to take them to Panera this week though.
2. With one of my dearest friend Brienne
3. We were SO tired (Rob and I)
4. Some of the books I have ready to read/currently reading. One of them I have since finished though.  Yeah. . .I didn't pay for ANY of these books. I love paperbackswap.com (and three books I am borrowing from people, and my Bible was a gift to me a few years ago). I read a lot.

Rob took this of me with his Droid.  This is our bedroom's wall color now and I looked like a gnome while painting it. as you see I was just painting over his graffiti. 

Delayed Pumpkin Post

I am slowly catching up on posts here (and on reading blog entries, still behind quite a bit). In case some of you are wondering where my outfit posts have been, don't fear, There are some in the works in my head now that will be coming. I appreciate your patience and that you don't mind looking at my family photos a bit in the mean time!  It has been over 7 months since I bought outfits! In case you missed the Pen-Pal exchange I've begun called "Snailin' It", we have 16 people signed up so far and could use even more (no matter which country you live in)! You'll be paired up with people on Monday if you did sign up or choose to now! This is so exciting!  

I meant to post this entry last week! We've been very busy here and unfortunately the usual Movie post expected every other Thursday will be delayed another week since I haven't had time to watch more than maybe two films in the past two weeks! I don't know if you remember I mentioned that my husband accidentally lost a bunch of photos. . .he took a few nice ones of me when we went pumpkin picking, and some of me with the boys. . .but they're gone. I'm glad we have some though from this day!

Snowy Autumn

In the last days of October, we received about a foot of snow on the ground. The problem was that since there were so many leaves on the trees, the snow on top of the leaves weighed the branches down. Branches (large ones at that) were everywhere. This caused many power lines to go down. We were without power for a day ourselves. My one brother was without power for about 5 days. There were detours all over the place and we saw many lines in the road, and one was actually sparking (and cops came to fix it). The snow melted since. I just think it is very odd to find leaves and snow together. We went to a park and I got a few shots.