Old Lady Shoes? Pish Posh + Reviews

I think these shoes are cute.  Kind of a 1940's secretary feel.  But certain someones (minus mom and dad) told me these would be considered old lady shoes even in the 40's and they wouldn't be caught dead in them.  And I respectfully kept my opinions to myself. 

See, my friends and family (minus my mom and dad and various other family members) have been a little, hmmm... they just never seem to like what I wear.  Which is fine, whatever, everyone has their own style opinions, but sometimes it gets frustrating to me (though I get frustrated easily so that's no big news).  What I really hate is when people (I'm not saying anyone has actually said this) act and talk like this is a phase I am going through and have to "get through" until I can be/dress normal again.  I'm sorry, but honestly I think the way people who wear vintage is very stylish and classy and modest.  I don't think anyone can create something negative about those things.  I'm not hurting anyone.  It allows me to put my sewing skills to use instead of wasting them away.  I'm not dressing provocatively.  So I just don't get it.  Do any of you have to deal with comments like that all the time from your friends or family? 

I just realized today that I am in desperate need of navy shoes.  For as much nautical inspired and navy clothes I have, you would think I would have at least one pair of navy shoes.  But alas, not one.  I must get on that.  I made the 40's 8 gore skirt from a Simplicity (I think) reproduction pattern.  The sweat my mom got me for Christmas.  I love it because, 1- its cashmere, and 2-the really cute atomic feel.  And I was just having one of those days were all the pictures I was taking came out rather crummy, but these were the best ones :D

Warning.  I didn't know I could write so much about each thing.  i guess I just get really passionate about things i watch.  So fair warning, it feels like I wrote a book about each thing haha.

What I've Been Watching (and its a lot)

The Phantom of the Opera           A-

One of my very favorite stage shows and favorite movie musicals.  I think they could have done so much more with the choreography, and it bothers me that I can tell they are lip syncing, but that doesn't stop me from falling in love with the soundtrack every time I watch or listen

Who Framed Roger Rabbit          A+

I honestly do not have a negative word to say about this movie.  It is a family favorite and we have watched it so many times.  It has everything I love- crime, mystery, animation, a lovely song, romance, humor.  And it has such a nostalgic feel.

The Lord of the Rings (there's not separation with me.  I watch them together.  Always)         A+

Honestly what can I say about the Lord of the Rings that hasn't already been said.  I practically live breathe and sleep Lord of the Rings.  Its the one movie that is perfection.  It is the one movie that I never, ever tire of.  It is the one movie that I can count on entertaining me every time I sew a new dress.  It is the one movie that inspired not one but two outfits of my senior year of high school: my prom dress and my dance costume I made for a 4-H project.  It is the one movie that I have written pages and pages of character development/arcs on just for myself.  It is love.

Downton Abbey          A+

Wowee.  I didn't think I could fall in love with a series as quickly as I did with Downton Abbey. It is so rich with characters, politics, social status, that there is not one boring moment it.  Not to mention the gorgeous clothing.  I've really been getting into the older style (20's and 10's) of clothing lately.  I've always admired the clothing on Titanic (I know, totally different everything), even when I didn't wear vintage.  But now that I do, I might venture further down the timeline.  And my first stop will be to make a dress inspired by the striped dress Mary is wearing in the picture.  That's my favorite dress.  Plus Hugh Bonneville is in it as Robert Crawley.  I've always thought him to be a rather handsome man and he frequents period dramas a lot.  Yay him.

Legend of the Seeker         A-

I wrote about this show on my blog a bit ago, so I won't waste more time singing it's praises.  It's one that I could watch over and over and over (though I can do that with most sci-fi/fantasy shows).  And I can now say I have read the first book in the Sword of Truth series that the show is based on, 900+ pages of it, and I can say I like the show better.  Yes, the show changes quite a bit...quite a bit.  In fact, even from the opening scene you can tell it is going to be a very different show, but to be honest, in the vein of LOTR, the changes make the show better imo. 

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind           A+

I've written about how much I love Hayao Miyazaki movies before.  He is so adept at creating a masterpiece that is appropriate for both kids and adults.  I don't think even Disney does that with most of their stories (don't get me wrong I HEART Disney movies with a fiery passion).  But these stories feel more adult to me in that there is not a 100% good and 100% evil represented in the stories.  The characters tend to be more ambiguous. There are so many themes in it that would pass right over a child's head. And I am surprised that I like them so much because they are rather quite liberal, and I tend to not like movies that are so overtly liberal (Rent excluded).  

This was the first movie that of his (and Studio Ghibli) that I saw and fell in love with as a child.  This movie is about a young princess from the Valley of the Wind.  They are near the toxic jungle where all the giant insects inhabit.  They are a peaceful nation, but that gets turned upside down when the warring nation of Tolmekia crashes their airship near the valley.  What happens then is a long line of events that unfolds a plan to revive this giant warrior embryo to destroy the toxic jungle and allow the humans to gain back control of the land.  It is honestly an epic masterpiece of an animated movie.  I know my description is sorta crap, but trust me and see this movie.  I just reserved the Manga series of this movie at the library and am super excited to read it !

La Femme Nikita          A+

Wow, I'm giving out a lot of A-pluses aren't I?  Well this series definitely deserve it.  My mom and I  started off watching season one off the computer with crap quality, but we like it so much that I went ahead and just bought the rest of the seasons on dvd.  I only do that with shows that I know I will watch multiple times.  I would compare this slightly to Alias, and of course Nikita on the CW (which is a continuation of sorts to this series).  However, I would go as far to say that this is better than Alias.  It is darker, more serious, tighter story line and has way more character develpment (which yall know I love, right?).  Anyways, it tells the story of Nikita, a young homeless girl that gets sentenced to death for a murder she did not commit.  However, a anti-terrorist group called Section fakes her death in prison and makes her into an operative.  Another operative, Michael, trains her for two years.  He teaches her how to fight and kill, and how to use her beauty to her advantage.  There is so much sexual tension between the two of them it practically seeps off the screen.  I have never fallen so deeply in love with a character as I have for Michael (except for Dean Winchester in Supernatural.  He will always.  Always be my first love).  I fall in love with characters often, but there is just something about Michael that makes him stand out.  He is a very conflicted character.  He is stoic, and hardened.  He is a man of very few words.  He kills without question.  He romances others without question.  Yet we still root for him and Nikita to work things out.  Gah.

Tuck Everlasting                 B+

I love this story.  It is such a sweet and innocent love story/coming of age story.  It is refreshing to have such a pure story, but sometimes I wonder why it takes a period drama to make a clean teen romance movie?  Some people still have morals in this day and age too and we should be able to have movies set in the present day about them.  Anyways.  Off my soapbox.  This story kind of reminds of me Twilight in that the Tuck family found this magical pool of water that they drank from and now they never age and will never die.  Winnie Foster is a young girl feeling the pressures of society and from her family to do the right thing and go to school to learn to be a lady.  To escape the confinement of home, she runs away into the woods and stumbles upon Jesse Tuck drinking from the water.  His older brother, in fear that she might drink from the water herself or find out about them, kidnaps her so she won't tell.  From there a very chaste and adorable romance happens between Jesse and her.  I love it so much.

Lastly, I created a formspring account, which I know some of the blogs I read have and a few of my friends of facebook have as well.  I think its a fun informal way to talk to people.  So if you want to ask me anything go ahead.  I 'll answer anything you want.  http://www.formspring.me/timelark 

 

Movies, Books, and Bible Reading

In this episode of what Caitlin's been wasting her time on, we have some quality entertainment for you (in my opinion).
Movies

Ponyo
I love Hayao Miyazaki movies.  I have ever since my parents taped the version of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (renamed Warriors of the Wind)that they had on HBO when I was like three years old and they butchered the entire thing.  He was also involved with Spirited Away, which is probably the movie most people have seen that involves Studio Ghibli.  Anyways, he/they make super fantastic, fantasy movies.  I like his movies because they are smart childrens movies that have messages for adults too.  The movies all share similar elements like a very strong female (usually young) lead, magic, there is always some sort of flying element, and there is usually an environmental and anti war message (those last two I'm not crazy about, but I get over it).  Well, Ponyo is probably the youngest and childish movie he has made, but that is not to say it is not worth seeing.  The story focuses on a young goldfish princess who escapes from her father (some wizard or spirit of the ocean) and finds refuge with a 5 year old boy.  She finds the strength to turn herself human with her father's magic and stays with the boy, but it causes a horrible imbalance in the world.  The two commence on an adventure to save the world from being destroyed and to save Ponyo from changing back into a goldfish.  Disney's releases of these movies annoy me a bit because they only use celebrity voices that you would know, and I find it slightly distracting.  Whatever happened to employing voice actors that can actually act in an animated movie.  This seems a difficult feat for well known live action actors, and I hate it when I can recognize their voices because that is all I see, not the character.  But don't let this minor quibble stop you from seeing these beautiful movies. B

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
If you haven't noticed, I kinda love Harry Potter.  I have since I started the reading the books back in 7th grade (yes that was before they became an international smashing success).  I think the movies just keep getting better and better.  The acting, the cinematography, the story lines improve with each installment.  I know a lot of people do not like this book/movie the best because it focuses more on relationships and on back story rather than progressive action, but I really like it.  Both book and movie are full of character development (my favorite thing) and you get to learn a lot about Tom Riddle/Voldemort.  Sad thing in this movie is that they only show two back flashes, when there was a plethora for them to choose from, there was a random burning of a house that is kind of important that never happened in the book and only succeeded in pissing off a family's Christmas, and the ending is seriously lacking in action that should have been there.  And, no Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), one of my favorite actors.  Sad day.  But it is the most mature of the movies so far. A-

Wind at My Back Season 2

I first learned of this show about 10 years ago when the Hallmark channel or whatever it used to be called replayed them along with Dr. Quinn and Christy, some of my other favorite shows.  Wind at My Back is done by the same company that did the Anne of Green Gables miniseries and Road to Avonlea that used to play on the Disney channel back when they played quality shows and movies.  Wind at My Back follows Honey Bailey and her 2 sons, Fat and Hub, and her extended family.  It takes place in the 1930's Great Depression in Canada.  It deals with their struggles during this time financially, emotionally, raising a family, etc.  It is not too serious, every episode has a slight light feel, but that is not to say it is paltry or unimportant.  But, if you enjoyed Road to Avonlea or Anne of Green Gables at all, you will enjoy this super adorable serious, and there is some awesome clothing and hair inspiration in it too! A-

Little House on the Prairie Miniseries
I watched the miniseries Disney made based on the first two books of the Laura Ingalls Wilder series.  I have to say this is far superior to the 70's TV show.  Definitely not as syrupy and sweet, though still a fine example of family fare.  It is very well acted and chronicles the family's difficult journey to the Prairie, setting up a homestead, and fighting off the Indian attacks.  It is more serious that I expected from Disney and the soundtrack is very high quality.  I definitely recommend it if you enjoyed the TV series, enjoyed the books, or enjoy movies about a journey or family.B+

Gigi
This is the first time I have ever watched this musical, and by chance caught it on TCM this week.  Gigi is dubbed the last great traditional musical MGM produced.  MGM also made My Fair Lady, and Gigi has a similar feel.  It takes place in 1900 Paris.  Gigi (Leslie Caron) is the main character, a young adolescent girl, about 16, who is very carefree in spirit.  However, she is being groomed by her aunt and grandmother to be a courtesan, and they are teaching her things like how to eat cold lobster properly, how to choose a proper cigar, etc.  Very important things, I assure you.  The young man in this story is Gaston (Louis Jourdan), a playboy of sorts and all the papers follow his every move.  Gaston is becoming bored with his lifestyle and finds refuge in his time he spends with Gigi, who at first, enjoy a more younger sister older brother type relationship.  But as the movie progresses, Gaston begins to think of Gigi as something more.  The songs are cute, the acting is fantastic, and the story is great, though I am surprised at the references to sex in this movie.  For the 50's, its pretty shocking to me, though extremely tame in today's standards.  A-

Peter Pan
I love anything to do with Peter Pan, and/or Tinkerbell.  That includes Disney's Peter Pan, Tinkerbell movies, Hook,  Peter Pan the musical and Finding Neverland.  This version of Peter Pan I definitely think is the best.  It is far darker than any I've seen, the acting is superb, and the filming/cinematography is gorgeous.  And, Jason Isaacs as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook?  Yes please.  I tend to be very critical of child actors, as I've said before, but I think all the children pretty much hold their own against the adults.  And the soundtrack is pretty much magical.  A+

Books

The Demon's Covenant, Sarah Rees Brennan
This is the second book in the Demon's Lexicon Trilogy, and it just keeps getting better.  The first one is one of my very favorite YA books.  The writing is fun and sharp.  It is never dull, and the dialogue makes me laugh out loud at times.  It centers around 2 different sets of siblings.  There is Mae (older sister) and Jamie (younger brother), and Nick(younger brother) and Alan(older brother).  Obviously, it deals with demons, but also evil wizards.  There is not much I can truly say about this plot without ruining the first book, but I can say that Nick and Alan are very good at getting rid of demons and wizards, which is how they first meet Mae and Jamie.  The main focus of both books is love.  Not just romantic love (though that does make an appearance), but more love of family.  Mae and Alan both go to extreme lengths to protect and save their respective siblings, and its book like these that I love most.  It also reminds me quite a lot of Supernatural, which can only be a good thing in my mind.  A+

Iron King, Julie Kagawa
This is one of the first books that focus solely on the Fae, or more commonly known as fairies.  The main character, Meghan, is 15, almost 16, and lives with her mother, step father and half brother.  When she was younger her father mysteriously disappeared, leaving practically no trace to follow.  Her step father has raised her but hardly notices her, same goes for her mother. The only one at school who really likes her is her best friend, Robbie.  On Meghan's 16th birthday, she finds out her brother has been kidnapped and exchanged with a changeling, and that her best friend is actually a fairy, and that she is more connected to his world than she realizes.  This book reminds me a lot of Jim Henson's Labyrinth movie, which I quite enjoy.  It is not boring in the slightest, and the two male leads, Robyn and Ash (prince of the Winter Court) are quite charming and very well written.  They are each given their own unique personality.  However, my problem with this novel over all is the main character.  This is girl is pretty much as dumb as a box of rocks, is gullible, and is pretty weak. She annoyed me to no end.  So, by all accounts with me not liking the main character, I shouldn't like this book at all.  However, with all the other elements, Meghan's annoying nature is canceled out and I plan on reading the next one in the series. B-

Bible Reading
Joshua 7- 2 Samuel 1
Basically what I have been reading is the story of David.  How he started off as a shepherd in his father's fields, to the slayer of Goliath, to Saul's right hand man, to Saul's most wanted, to being King.  There are just a few points I want to touch on.
1 Samuel 18: 1-4

"After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn't let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself.  Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt"

 First off, don't we all yearn for a love and bond with someone as strong Jonathan and David's was.  It is a pure and unbreakable relationship, and one that you can not deny was God designed.  Jonathan was exactly what David needed in his life, and at every step he provided something else to him.  David, at first, needed a genuine friend.  And then, later on, he allowed David to escape from his father's wrath.  Critics of Christianity try to pervert Jonathan's love of David, and honestly it makes me sick.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  And, from the beginning of this chapter, when Jonathan gives David his clothes and weapons, we know that this is just the beginning of putting David ahead of himself.  And is that an implication to David being King, I see as well?

1 Samuel 18: 7-9

This was their song:
"Saul has killed his thousands,
  and David his ten thousands!"

This made Saul very angry. "What's this?" he said. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!" So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

 This is what they sang in the streets, that David was a better warrior than Saul, and Saul became jealous.  Forget money... jealousy is the root of all evil.  Jealousy makes otherwise good people, ugly on the inside.  It makes people hate others because they have what the other person does not have.  Jealousy causes people to not be happy.  If you are jealous of someone you are saying you are unhappy with something about you.  Jealousy can take hold of you very easily and color your every move and word.  Is this something you struggle with?  Because I know I do.  I've even flat out told friends in the past that I am jealous of them.  It's not something I'm proud of, and honestly I struggle with it a lot.  And its not really about just one thing.  It is a whole lot of little things that I wish I could have but don't.  The past 2 weeks or so, I have been sort of in a slump or funk or whatever you want to call it.  I'm not really sure why, or even what my true reasoning for it is.  I've just had this really negative attitude and been short tempered and all around grumpy, and I feel at least part of it is because of me wanting a different life/situation than what I have, even though I live a perfectly great and fabulous life.  I've been praying lately for God to give me the strength to help me curb my jealousy and to help me to see the joy in what I do have.  I have so much to be thankful for, I get embarrassed at times with this issue, but it is just one of the many struggles that I live with daily.
1 Samuel 30: 6

David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

 I believe this happened when the Amalekites invaded where David and his men had been staying.  I love that David alone found strength in the Lord.  Here they are in this desperate situation where everyone thinks they have lost their entire families, including David.  And what does everyone do?  They blame David.  And what does David do?  He turns to the Lord and looks to Him for strength and knowledge.  How awesome is that?  If you were in that situation, would you be able to not freak out and rely solely on God?  I hope I could say "yes" that is exactly what I would do.  However, knowing me, I would probably freak just a little and then pray about it.

And lastly, our sermon today in church was about poverty.  And at first, it honestly felt like I was back in my social work classes learning about poverty and what we, as social workers and government workers need to do to help.  Here are some of the statistics I hope I wrote down correctly:
Of those in or applying for Low Income Housing:
83% are single Mothers
46% of those single mothers are 18 years old or younger
80% live on about $1,200 per year
and, 36% of those considered low income could not find adequate housing for themselves
Now are those statistics shocking to you?  Because they were for me.  I thought our pastor was going down the path of saying how the government needs to help them, how we need to help the government, which is all I basically heard all 4 years of college.  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  Right off the bat, I am going to say I will not apologize for my politics, and I do not hide my views on things very well.  I think the government pretty much does jack squat.  I don't think any of their programs truly help or get to the root of the problem.  And, I do not believe it is really the government's business to get involved in these type of affairs.  The government should not make me charitable.  Me, as a Christian, should feel and want to be charitable.  I as a Christian should want to give back to God...and in turn to those in need, as a response to our faithfulness.  I (me personally) need to give back what God has given me.  Christians should be the agents of change in the poverty problem.

Navy Outfit, Fixed.

Alrighty.  I finally got my Navy outfit fixed that I had got like in April.  That is how ridiculously slow I can be sometimes.  Does anyone remember how absolutely disgusted I was with it?  I loved the pictures I saw of it on Etsy, but as soon as I opened the package, I was completely disappointed and was certain I would probably never wear it.  It was most likely from the 70's or 80's (bleh), made of polyester (double bleh), and had the most horrid gold braiding on it (I had enough of that my 14 years of dancing thank you very much).

Well, I had a moment of clarity and decided to cover those ugly gaudy gold trimmings with white.  I used 3/8inch white grosgrain ribbon to hide that nasty, belongs on a dance costume only, gold trim, and it did a pretty good job.

I replaced the painted gold buttons with plain white buttons.

The biggest challenge was re-embroidering the emblem on the upper pocket.

I need to go over it again with embroidery floss, because when I was fixing it, for some reason I was completely out of floss so I was using 1 strand of thick quilting thread.  That was....frustrating.

Well, I finally got it all put together over labor day weekend!  And, just in time to take my bike out on its maiden voyage, which I forgot to take a picture of.  Stupid me.  I don't think most of my family liked this outfit, but I don't think it's truly awful.  Anyways, I think it turned out relatively cute.  I obviously need to get a smaller belt.  Certainly not the cutest thing I own, but certainly not the ugliest thing I own either.

I should entitle this area of my posts What Caitlin Wasted Her Time Doing This Week, or something probably more creative than that:D

Well, these past few weeks since my last post on this subject, I have watched a few tv series, a few movies, a few animated favorites, and read 3 books which is an unusually tiny amount for me.  I think it might be because I have taken to reading my Bible readings at work now too, so that takes away time from other reading (not that that is a bad thing).  Alrighty, here we go:
TV SHOWS

VERONICA MARS SEASON 2
First off, my mother and I like to marathon tv shows, especially when we are both sewing, though she hasn't sewn in a while.  We finally finished watching Veronica Mars Season 2.  I love love love this series.  I cannot believe it only lasted 3 seasons.  It is so much better than all the other crap they are trying to have teens watch nowadays, it's not even funny.  Veronica Mars is adorable, sassy, snarky, smart, and a kickbutt private eye.  And, it's not dirty, nor does it focus on who is hooking up with who.  Yay! The best thing about this series is the strong, realistic relationship between Veronica and her protective father.  I am a sucker for this type of tv trope. A++

BLACK BOOKS SERIES 1-3
My mother randomly decided to pick up this series from the library, and I am so glad she did.  I love shows imported from England, as if you needed to be told that, what with my love of Doctor Who, Merlin, Being Human, etc.  I think the writing is better, the acting is stronger, the comedy is actually funny, unlike most American shows (with the exception of American comedy Arrested Development).  This series is no exception.  Sometimes, I have to be careful with English shows because they don't have the limits on what they can show on broadcast TV after a certain hour like we do.  Thankfully though, this series only issue is that the main characters are constantly drinking with each other.  The language is pretty tame, and there is almost no sex in it whatsoever.  And it is one of the funnies shows I've seen.  The main character owns a used book shop, but hates people and is constantly verbally abusive to his customers.  I don't know how he stays open because I don't think he ever sells anything.  Which is good, because he doesn't know how to order new stock.  He hires a helper in the first episode and the helper basically becomes his poor abused peon.  And, he has only one friend: the lady who owns the shop next to him who is very unlucky in love and they drink a ton of wine together.  A-

THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
This is yet another one of those English show that I adore.  It is a Doctor Who spin off, which yall know I am in love with, right?  Well, this series focuses on one of the Doctor's former companions, and her adventures fighting aliens on earth with her son and her son's friends.  It can pretty hammy at times, no where near the quality of Doctor Who or Torchwood, but if I didn't have those shows to compare it to, I would think it was pretty fabulous.  It is definitely geared towards a younger audience, unlike Doctor Who and Torchwood.  However, as with those two shows, it does push evolution and liberal theories in your face, but if you are okay with that then it shouldn't be a problem. B

SUPERNATURAL SEASON 5
Alright.  I don't think I have ever written about Supernatural.  If you've been following me for awhile, you'd probably think my favorite show was Glee.  Dead wrong.  While I do have a lot of love for that show, my heart belongs to Supernatural.  I started watching this in the second season after catching up with the first season on DVD my sophomore year of college.  I love this show so much, I usually record all the episodes so I can watch them again the following week, read several blogs solely dedicated to this show, look up and practically memorize every episodes mythology, know which classic rock songs have been on the show, mostly know which classic rock songs are in what episode, buy the DVD the day it comes out, etc etc.  You get the picture.  In fact, the first season, my college roommate and I watched so many times, I should probably be embarrassed by the amount.  Sometimes we would watch the same disc or episode a few days in a row, especially our favorites.  Well, each season just keeps getting more and more awesome.  And this season it was basically heaven vs. hell, angels vs. demons.  And the boys fight lucifer.  And it is pretty epic.  Though the religious undertones of last season make me a little nervous sometimes because they are so theologically unsound, I hope teens or other viewers don't take that part seriously or to heart.  While this show is about the brothers fighting demons and supernatural entities, the true heart of the show is about the brother's relationship with each other.  This show is all about family, which as with Veronica Mars, is my favorite thing about any show.  A+

MOVIES

BLUES BROTHERS
I watched this for the first time.  This is like one of those classic movies that everyone sees and you can't help but like it.  Like John Hughes movies in the 80's (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Breakfast Club, etc.).  They are fun and everyone can enjoy them.  Well, I certainly liked my time watching the movie.  I can't believe I had never seen it before, and, besides some language it was pretty clean.  A-

TITANIC
Well, what can I say about Titanic other than I love it.  This was the first pg-13 movie I saw, back in 5th grade.  Wow, that's how old this movie is, and that's how long I've loved this movie.  I even got it when it first came out on the 2 tape set.  With certain movies or shows that I love, as if you couldn't tell, I can get pretty obsessive over and watch multiple times in a short amount of time with no problem.  I have watched Titanic a ridiculous amount of times that I should be embarrassed about.  I remember when I first got it on tape, I would watch one tape, then tape 2, then tape 1 again, then tape 2 again.  Over and over.  Thankfully I had my own tv so I didn't drive my parent's nuts with it.  A lot of people make fun of this movie, but it is just this epic romance/adventure that is so engaging, I honestly don't know how you can't enjoy it.  Plus, I was watching with someone who had never seen it before, so it was almost as if I was experiencing it for the first time again, which was rather quite lovely.  I could pretend to experience Jack and Rose's dramatic first meeting, the 3rd class Irish dance party for the first time, the evilness of Cal and his manservant, the amazing effects of the ship filling with water and breaking in half, the sorrow and the sadness all for the first time.  I liked that a lot. A+

PRINCE OF EGYPT
I said I was going to have to watch this movie while I was reading Exodus, so I did.  I hadn't watched it in years since I only have it on tape and our only tape player is in the sewing room.  I am surprised at how accurate this movie actually is.  I mean, of course they take some liberties with the text, but the heart and message of Exodus is fully intact.  Sometimes, when animated movies use celebrities instead of voice actors to voice the characters I get really distracted and all I can see is the actor instead of the character.  However, with this movie I don't really notice it, despite having Sandra Bullock, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Fiennes, etc.  And, the songs are beautiful and very singable which is important for me.  In fact, the ending song "When You Believe" was the very first song my best friend and I sang in church.  We weren't really even friends when we decided to sing this, but after a few months of working on it together, countless sleepovers, buying matching outfits to sing in, she became my very closest friend.  Man, I wish we had that performance on tape somewhere.  That would be hilarious.  Me a lowly high school freshman and she a superior high school senior.  Oh the memories.  A-

STARDUST
If you couldn't tell already, most things I watch have some fantasy or supernatural element to them.  I just think it makes things more enjoyable and I tend to use it as a form of escapism.  Well, Stardust is no exception.  I think most people compare it to Princess Bride as in they are both truly enjoyable films that most people enjoy.  I don't think you can really hate either movie.  Neither movie can really be narrowed down to only one genre, there is an adorable love story in each, these weird fantasy lands, magic etc.  Stardust is about this boy, Tristan, who is one of those very loyal boys who you know would do anything for anyone who needs help and you can just tell he would make a really great husband.  Well, he is in love with Victoria, a spoiled snobbish girl who does not deserve his love.  She is in love with someone else purely because he can afford to buy her things, but agrees to marry Tristan only if he can find her the star they saw fall.  The problem is the star is across the Walle, where no one ever ventures.  Well, through a series of events, he gets into Walle, and finds the star.  Problem is, the star is a young girl and an evil witch is after her to eat her heart.  There is a whole lot more that goes on in this story, some dark humor, some more witches, some sky pirates.  Just trust me,  You will enjoy it.  A+

Moulin Rouge is my favorite contemporary musical, so I can't say a bad word about it, though I know a lot of people hate it.  It does take a while to get used to it.  In fact, I had to watch the first 20 minutes of it 3 times before I could go any further, it is just that weird and random and hyper.  The costuming, the scenery, the music, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous in this movie.  The songs are all songs you would hear on the radio if it was in the 70's and 80's, with a few originals thrown in. It is about a Christian, a writer(Ewan McGregor) who moves to Paris to discover things about life, like love and beauty.  He meets Satine(Nicole Kidman) who is a courtesan and she makes him believe that she loves him the first night they meet because she thinks, by a comedy of errors, that he is a very rich duke who can fund the play that the owner of the Moulin Rouge wants to put on.  Well,  Christian truly does fall in love and continually pursues her, despite her being contractually obligated to the real duke in order to get the funding.  It is full of romance, betrayal, jealousy, etc.  And, for a movie about a whorehouse in the 1800s, there honestly is not as much sex in it as there could be.  Most of it is implied.  A+

Man, I watched some awesome movies the past few weeks.  This is one of my favorite Disney movies.  And I just realized now, watching it with adult eyes and mindset, how much this movie truly is not meant for little kids.  It is rather dark and ominous, and edgy for a Disney movie.  Frollo, the mentor and father figure to Quasimodo, is the most cruel and vile villian in a Disney movie.  I am pretty sure there is nothing redeemable about him, not to mention he lusts after Esmeralda, is sexually obsessed with her and threatens to kill her if she doesn't submit to him.  All of which he blames on Esmeralda herself, because she has used her "witchcraft" on him.  And we are advertising this movie for little kids?  The soundtrack is one of the more fabulous Disney soundtracks, which is hard for me to say because I basically love all Disney soundtracks. A-

The last movie I watched, several times actually, was Annie.  No, not the 1980's movie version, but the Disney made for TV movie.  I had never seen this version before, and I have to say, as much as it pains me to say it, I like this version just a smidge more.  The one thing this movie definitely has going for it is that it includes a few more songs in it from the Broadway show that did not make it into the other 80's movie.  I also think the singing is much stronger in this version, except by Kathy Bates.  No one can beat Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan.  Even acting wise, Kathy Bates is blown out of the water by Carol Burnett's drunken swagger throughout the entire movie.  The acting is not as good, however, in this Disney version.  Sometimes it feels too "stagy" if you know what I mean.  But, Victor Garber, who played Jesus in the Godspell movie and Mr. Andrews in Titanic is in it as Daddy Warbucks.  And, Kristin Chenoweth, from Wicked and Pushing Daisies: one of the cutest, if not the cutest show ever created, is in it.  She is just the most adorable thing ever.  Though, she doesn't sing very much.  How dare they do that to her. But, yeah, its awesome! B

Alrighty, that's it for now.  I will work on a preview of what I've been sewing and Bible post tonight.

Garage Sale

A few days ago I was trolling along on Craigslist and stumbled across a yard sale only about 20 minutes from my house with promises of vintage and retro things.  So obviously, I got very excited and left with my mother as soon as I got home from work.  I found a few good things, but most of the hats and dresses they had, and a Navy jacket from WWII, had obviously not been cared for properly and had tons of moth holes and tears in them.  That made me sad.  But I did find some 50's glasses, a makeup case, 30s/40s shoes, and a knitting pattern book filled with great dress and sweater patterns.  Now if I only knew how to knit....hmmm

I also cut out three things this week that I am going to start working on.  A few weeks ago my mom went to a garage sale and found about 7 yards of this navy blue fabric (unsure of what it is) that has a nice random thread texture to it.  I had enough to cut out a three piece suit from a reproduction pattern from Simplicity

I think that will come in handy when I finally start substitute teaching this year. 

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with some friends, and one of them took pretty pictures, though I don't technically remember that night very well, I did wear a 60's wrap skirt I made.

I think I am going to start making a list each week of movies I have watched while sewing, cutting out fabric, or doing  tailor tacks, because I am pretty sure that there will be some sort of trend or commonality to them.  Well we'll see.

This week, I watched: Newsies (love love love it), Secret of NIMH (childhood favorite), Beauty and the Beast (one of the best Disney movies ever), Serenity (best sci movie I have seen, but watch the TV show first, you won't regret it), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (my favorite Harry Potter book and movie).

And lets see.  I am going to get those stupid things listed in my Etsy store tonight if it kills me.  Goodness me, it has taken me forever to get those up, but the past few weeks I have been busy with Godspell that sucked up my life, haha.

And if anyone is interested, I think I am going to make a list of the books I read each week and grade them.  I read a lot, like probably 3 or 4 books a week due to the nature of my job, however, most of the books I read are urban fantasy or sci-fi, so I am not sure how popular those books will be with my readers lol.

First, I finished Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong.  This is the 10th book in the series Women of the Otherworld.  Whereas I love Kelley Armstrong's young adult series, I only mildly tolerate most of the books in the adult series because almost every book is a different narrator.  The series deals mostly with necromancers, witches, half demons, and werewolves.  The books in the series that deal with the werewolves are my favorite, while the other ones are sort of hit or miss.  Frostbitten does follow the werewolves, but it had so much more sexual content in it than the ones I had read before, I honestly do not know if I will continue the series.  It is common for urban fantasy books to have some sexual content, some more than others, but I can honestly say I have never read it this bad before.  C+

I also started reading the Mortal Instruments series again by Cassandra Clare.  These are young adult books, but they are so well written and take place in this massive environment that reminds me of the feel of Harry Potter.  It is definitely not an intimate story like most YA books are.  The first one is called City of Bones.  I'm a sucker for covers, and I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by a cover, but this one is just so lovely I will admit that I would have read it even if I hadn't known anything about it.  The first one is a little boring at first, some explanations of things that could have been written in about a paragraph took pages and pages to read, but the characterizations are just wonderful.  I guess that is what I focus on most.  Yeah action is fine to read but if there isn't any character development to be seen I don't see the point in reading the book.  The basic plot premise for this is the main character is a 15 year old girl, Clary, who lives with her mom and has surrogate father of sorts, Luke, who is her mom's best friend.  One random night she goes to a dance club and suddenly is able to see this group of three teenagers called shadowhunters that her best friend cannot see. When she follows them further she sees them attacking this seemingly innocent human, but is really a demon.  The three teens figure out that Clary can see them, which is not normal,  and she gets drawn into their world and discovers things about herself that she never knew.  A-

And last but not least, my uncle became a father for the first time, and I could not be more thrilled for him.  She is just the most beautiful thing ever, not that I am biased or anything.  Here's Rachael Jane:

Oh, and I finally started a plan to read the Bible in 90 days.  If all goes according to plan, I will be done just before Thanksgiving.  I hope it won't offend my readers, but I sort of would like to post a little something each day about what I read.  Not anything too deep or anything, unless I am led to, but just something new that I didn't know or random thoughts I had while reading.  Unless I get major protest about this, I plan on starting to write a post tomorrow.

A Little Long Post and some talk about TV shows

 I meant to do this blog post last week, since the pictures are, ya know, from last week.  But laziness ensued and now I am getting to it.  So, vintagey blog first, then serious talk about tv shows at the end.

Last week, I finally tried something different with my hair besides pin curls.  They do get rather tedious and tiresome after a while.  I don't know if I am doing something wrong or if it just really takes and hour+ to set them each night, but my arms hurt dang it.  So, I only did half of my hair in pin curls, and the rest I did in small little victory type curls I guess I would say.  I still am not sure if I actually like the results or not.  And I know they are a little uneven, and I still need practice, but what say you readers? 

Also last weekend, the youth theater in Marysville put on a production of Guys and Dolls, aka my favorite musical ever, might even be in my top 3 movies.  Literally, I watch this movie once per every dress I make.  That's how much I love this movie.  I'm sorry, but how can you not like a movie that has these two lines:

                       -Sky Masterson: "I am not putting the knock on dolls. It's just
                                                 that they are something to have around only when
                                                 they come in handy... like cough drops."

                       -Sarah Brown: "That bacardi flavor, it crtainly makes a difference,
                                                doesn't it?"
                        Sky Masterson: "Oh, yeah. Nine times out of ten."
                       Sarah Brown: "You know, this would be a wonderful way to get 
                                              children  to drink milk!"

So, of course I was analyzing absolutely everything.  So excuse my bluntness on all critiques.  I know people are going to be doing it to me in a few weeks with Godspell.  Well, for one the costumes..some were great, some not so much.  The ladies did sport some fabulous 50's hats, but the dresses were all over the place.  Some looked authentically fabulously 50's...others looked like they got them at the grab bin at the local 99 cent store.  And don't even get me started on Sarah Brown's outfit.  She wore a suit, which is fine, but to have the skirt fit just above the hip bones is not.  At least the guys all wore fedoras.  The acting and singing, though, was spot on.

My award for best singer goes actually to the kid who played Nicely Nicely Johnson.  He had the first note, and the moment he opened his mouth to sing I was totally in love.  It was heavenly.

Best actors were definitely the two lesser leads: Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide.  They were just fabulous, especially Miss Adelaide.  The two leads who played Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown were just kind of blah.  Not much stage presence.  Especially Sky.  He should command the stage, and he just, hmm... did not.  I know its not really fair to compare anyone to Marlon Brando, but when watching the movie, you just cannot help but keep your eyes glued on him.

The dancing and choreography was just lovely too. And side note, the dress Miss Adelaide at the end of the movie is my dream wedding dress...ya know, if that ever happens to me someday:D

Isn't it just a dream?  Well, to me it is.

Well, those of you who have been following my updates of Godspell rehearsals, it is actually going pretty good.  The weekend of the performance is August 20th.  We started adding choreography to a few dances and everyone does a pretty good job of acting without the scripts in front of them.  However, it didn't hit me until just now that we only have 3 weeks.  Ahh....

So other than working my part time job, and sewing, and rehearsals, I've just been watching a lot of TV.  And almost all of the shows are imported from other countries.

Sadly Doctor Who has ended for another year.  It ended a few weeks ago, but we got behind and just watched the last episode a few days ago.  And, I hate to say it, but I think Matt Smith is my favorite doctor....Ahh, there I said it, all you purists who think no one can top David Tennant.  I love everything about Matt Smith's version of the Doctor, down to his bow tie.  How about you all who also watch Doctor Who.  Thoughts on this season?

And sadly, my mother and I finally caught up on season 2 of Merlin finally.  Sad face.  I love that show so much.  Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin is one of the most charming and talented actors I've seen on tv.  Plus it has Anthony Stewart Head, who we all know and love from his years on Buffy, right?  You can't really go wrong with this show.

Two fabulous shows done for the year, what's a girl to do to get her through til September?  Suggestions?  What is everyone else watching?

We just started watching Being Human on BBC.  We've only seen a few episodes, and so far I absolutely love it.  I love that it doesnt focus on sex and who everyone is hooking up, and more on their relationships with each other and how they relate to the world now that they are a ghost, vampire, and werewolf.  I heard that SyFy is remaking this show for American audiences, but I ask why?  Why is that necessary.  I feel like when we try to remake shows from England they lose their charm and quirkiness with the bigger budget and focus more on advertisement support.  And all I have to say is thank goodness for BBC edits.  I know most people complain about them because it is like saying we can't handle the violence and or nudity, but just because I am an adult does not mean I enjoy that sort of thing in all the shows I watch.  Please.  I'd rather see character development.

 The only other show that is getting me through the summer is Degrassi.  I know I know, what is a 23 year old doing watching Degrassi?  I've long grown out of it, but something about it keeps drawing me in.  When I was in high school, for health class, we would watch the original Degrassi show from the 80's, like it was some sort of educational tool or something.  And, when I was a freshman in high school, they brought it back with a new generation.  And, that generation is gone and now it is a whole new slew of kids.  Degrassi is different from stupid shows like Gossip Girl or 90210.  All those shows focus on is who is hooking up with who, which scandal can out scandal the top scandal, etc...and the kids are all too rich and spoiled for their own good, without decent parental influences.  I hate it, and I hate that a generation of kids is growing up watching that crap and aspiring to be like those characters, when I grew up watching fabulous shows like Avonlea, Ocean Girl, 7th Heaven (when it was good), etc.  But Degrassi is about normal kids, who don't look like models, who may not have the most perfect teeth or skin, and who deal with real problems.

 Those of you who watch Degrassi and aren't ashamed, who are your favorite characters this season?  My absolute favorite characters of the entire 10 seasons, except for Spinner, Sean, and Jay, are Declan and Fiona.  I think they did such a good job at casting them, I would believe that they are related in some way.  I think its the eyes maybe.  I just find their characters, their behaviors, and their intense, distorted relationship with each othejust so interesting.  I like dissecting my characters if you can't tell:D 
Although, I am kind of digging Eli and Clare together as well.  Super cute and quirky.

Welp, that's all I have to say for now.  I know I write so much.  I need to start a tv show blog separate from my vintage blog, lol.