Carol Hannah

Look who I found on Etsy this morning! Carol Hannah from Project Runway!

Her creations are so beautiful and the shop's photos are just eye candy from heaven!
Enjoy!
xoxo
~Sadie

I've Been Biz-Zay!

And it feels so good!! Check them out on LolliShops.com!
Sadie Lou Who on LolliShops.com

What Halloween is REALLY About for Kiddos

When I was growing up in my small, hometown, Halloween was magical.
My family crafted homemade costumes, carved pumpkins, ate pumpkin seeds and then went out after dark to go Trick-or-Treating to cash in on all that FREE candy!
There are a lot of people out there that don't celebrate Halloween for one reason or the other but honestly, Halloween is what *YOU* make of it, as parents, for your kids. Parents are in charge of the 'atmosphere' of Halloween. My mom knows how I feel about Halloween and about Horror movies and how the consumer world has teamed up with the horror movie industry to tempt young children to dress up in disgusting, adult themed costumes. I can see a teenager wanting to go as Freddy Krueger but why do they make those in a size 'small'?
So she sent me to two websites she found
Chasing Fireflies.com
and Too Scary Costumes.com

Chasing Fireflies has amazing costume alternatives for children to keep the spirit of Halloween fresh, fun and exciting! I love the costume choices and they are not *that* much more expensive than your choices at Party America or Target...

The Musketeer
The Viking Warrior
Circus Performer
Southern Belle
Too Scary Costumes.com is AWESOME!! I 100% agree with the site's owner Joel Schwartzberg
He says,

"Whereas precautions exist to protect children from violent
movies, TV shows, music, and video games, top Halloween
costume makers and sellers do the opposite, encouraging
children under 12 -- in some cases under 6 -- to dress up
as sadistic, deranged murderers including:

 “Mike Myers” from Halloween 1 and 2
 “Leatherface” from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
 “Pinhead” from Hellraiser
 “Jason” from Friday the 13th
 “Freddy Krueger” from A Nightmare on Elm Street
 “The Joker” from The Dark Knight"

Parents: We are in charge of how we celebrate Halloween. What kids *wants* to be scared? Don't kids want to take part in festivals with carnival games, visit pumpkin patches, scoop pumpkin seeds out with their hands, dress up as something awesome all the other kids will be jealous of and get free candy?
Let's take it back for our kids!
~Sadie Lou
xoxo

LolliShops Giveaway

I had so much fun using the LolliShops.com Fall Inspiration Kits to make some goodies for a giveaway. I was in an artistic rut and this snapped me right out of it! The adorable doll stickers are from Retro Art Cafe Gallery
All the sweet trims and embellishments are from the Tin Tiara
And that precious lollipop is from Sky Blue Bunny on Etsy!
See what the other 5 designers created and enter to win my creations on the LolliShops.com Blog.

Music Review: Marc Scibilia

This last Friday, Marc Scibilia rolled into town. He's a skinny, 23 year old kid from Buffalo, NY. He sports a head of dark curls and an infectious smile. Oh yeah, most importantly-He loves Jesus and he's making his way in this world by writing songs.
Why? "To pay the bills" he joked at his concert on Tuesday night.
So Friday night he performed for a men's group at my church, NCCF (Nevada County Christian Fellowship).
Then, on Sunday, he led the church in praise and worship. I *LOVED* his song selections and it was a real treat to hear him sing some of my favorites like, "Give Us Clean Hands"
Tuesday night, Marc played a bunch of songs from his "Fixity" album and then some newer songs that he made available to us on a different, handmade cd.
You can listen to Marc Scibilia on his WEBSITE
***
Here's the cool thing about Marc's visit: Marc Scibilia is not a Christian artist. He's a musician that happens to be a believer but his musical focus in not always on Christ. He doesn't write praise and worship songs. Marc sings about Freedom, Liberty, Love won and Love lost, Life lessons, daydreams and death.
However, when you're listening to Marc's music, you pick up some Christian nuances. This approach to the music scene reminds me of the Fray

The band avoided Christian record labels, saying God called them to the secular market instead. "I feel he would be disappointed with us if we limited ourselves," Wysocki says.

Slade says he used to "write all Christian lyrics" until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: "None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary," he says. "So I went home and threw away all those songs."

I think being a church that hosts concerts is cool.
Music is a great bonding tool--people of all walks of life can get behind the same music and can relate to an artists lyrics. Inspirational music of all kinds can open that IMPORTANT door of mutual interests and bridge gaps between believers and non believers. "Be all things to all men"
1 Cor. 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
~S

Paradise!

Ugg.
I'm in a rut. I haven't felt the desire to make something in a long time. I have had ideas but I just have not been motivated to carve out the time to sit down and do it. One of the reasons is just a lack of quality time with my husband. By the end of the day, we are spent--emotionally and physically.
We have three kids ages 12, 10 and 4. The 12 year old has football three nights a week. We live about 15 minutes from his practices so 3 nights a week, our family dinner time is either interrupted, put on hold or rushed in order to make 6:30.
Our 4 year old has a lot of energy-put him together with our 5 year old beagle, "Sizzles" and well--you have a recipe for chaos!
I would love to go on a quiet, beach vacation with the family for about a week. Just to slow down, unwind-read...go for walks, take naps, fellowship around God...early bed times!
*sigh*
I also would love for just Dan and I to get away...
On our 10 year anniversary we went to Puerto Vallarta...look at these photos!



I know what I'll be praying for...
~Sadie

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

Every Thursday morning, I will be busy watching a classic movie with my Mom (who also loves movies) and my 4 year old son Andy (who mostly plays with legos).
This last Thursday a friend of mine joined us, we'll call her Mrs. F *wink*
We watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame from 1939
You can click that for a film summary...
I am embarrassed that I this was my fist viewing of the film because I can not believe what an important film it is.

Here are two of the main players, Maureen O'Hara as the stunningly beautiful gypsy woman, Esmerelda...
and the talented Charles Laughton as Quasimodo...
Other noteworthy performances would be Thomas Mitchell who played the King of Thieves, Clopin
and Cedric Hardwicke who played the Creep-O, Frollo and Edmond O'Brian who played the Poet/Dreamer, Gringoire.
Props to Victor Hugo
for the story/novel (who also wrote Les Miserables). The characters are so complex and intriguing, I don't even know where to start but I have been thinking about this film all day yesterday and this morning, so I have to try.
This is such an old movie that I'm not even going to bother with spoilers, if you haven't seen this movie or are unfamiliar with the plot--don't read past the line, just know that this is one of the greatest stories about humanity, pity, compassion, love, heroism and sacrifice ever told and you should read the book or watch this film. Now the line:
- - - - - - - - - Spoilers- - - - - - - - - -

First, we have our hero-Quasimodo
This character is so pure, so shiningly beautiful in his inward parts that he radiates beauty despite his deformities and "ugly" outward parts. Quasimodo was abandoned on the steps of the Notre Dame chapel as an infant, most likely because of his deformities.
The interesting plot twist is that Quasimodo was basically adopted by the antagonist of this story, Frollo, who took pity on the deformed orphan. This is genius because Victor Hugo is telling us that bad guys are not all bad--you know?
So Quasimodo seeks "sanctuary" in the Sanctuary and becomes the bell ringer for the prominent chapel (which also makes him deaf--the bells are so loud-poor Quasi).

I love the opening scene, the whole city is enraptured with this sort of "Fools Day" celebration. During this event we meet all the main characters and get some insight as to their character. We meet the village people, who form a character all to themselves. This is a depraved society. They are captivated by being cruel, naughty, mean spirited and disgusting--indulging in every sin and fleshly desire...HMMMM....
We also meet Esmerelda, the damsel in distress, so-to-speak.
She's this beautiful, illegal foreigner who dances in the street for money and turns all the boys' heads--including our "bad guy" Frollo--who is some sort of Church official.
There is this super modern, creepy scene where Esmerelda is chased into the chapel by some guards because she doesn't have a "visa" or papers or whatever. So she is taken in by the leader of the church and is protected by a law called "Sanctuary". Nobody can harm you once you're within the church walls--no matter who you are; the law is no respecter of person. (This comes into play later--love the symbolism)
The leader tells Esmerelda, who is unchurched, all about prayer and a little about God (mostly about Mary)
and she is captivated--she prayers for her people, the gypsies, who are persecuted.
The creepy part is when Frollo happens upon her and rejects her--telling her she can't be in the church and she's not allowed to pray because she's an evil gypsy, all the while he's staring at her chest and lusting after her!
We learn that Esmerelda's character flaw is that she is really naive, to a fault. She doesn't catch on to evil--she's not getting those womanly red flags. She is full of pity and compassion and this will save her life.
Her naivety is going to get her in trouble though. (She also has a weakness for hot guys).
So, side story here, we meet this guy Pierre Gringoire. He's this poet who is trying to enlighten this depraved society with his insightful poetry and they basically make fun of him and reject him. As he's sleeping on the streets, he stumbles into the seedy underground world of the poor. He witnesses hypocrisy on the streets-some of the poor lie about their disabilities in order to panhandle more effectively on the streets. This part reminded me of the film, Gangs of New York, where the underclass citizens have their own world, with their own moral code and their own "king" that they answer to. Our King in this movie is Clopin. This man is seriously full of wisdom and street smarts despite the fact he is a ruthless ruler--punishment for breaking his laws result in murder.
The poet find himself in a noose for breaking some ridiculous law and who comes to his rescue? Our Esmerelda; not because she loves him or anything but she is full of pity. She says she will marry the poet and according to the "rules" if one of the poor folk will marry a trespasser, he can become "one of them".
So they marry--it's a cute scene. Esmerelda makes it clear she's not in love with the poet and that's annoying to him but then he says, "Well, I'll love you like Brother and Sister then"...Sure you will kid!
Another side story, our townspeople are in the midst of an awakening of new knowledge. We see the printing press coming into effect and also, Free Thinking and some rumor about the world being round.
The King, Louis the XI is this dottering old fool but he's also endearing in that he's embracing of all this new knowledge and free thinking--he just doesn't have a clue about real issues going on right under his nose. He's not very authoritative.
One night, Frollo send Quasimodo out to capture Esmerelda. Quasimodo obeys his "father" and retrieves her. He is stopped by the poet who summons the local guard.
One of the Guards is pretty attractive and Esmerelda, even in her peril, makes eyes at him and flirts with him--he has a pretty funky name for a beefcake-it's Phoebus (Fee-Bis).
Then guards take Quasi into custody where the courts proceed to make fun of Quasi and sentence him to 50 lashes for abducting a woman.
The scene where Quasi gets punished is seriously gut wrenching. The man is clearly disfigured, he is clearly unsure of what his crime is, the townspeople mock him and are entertained by his pain--it's awful.
After the beating, Quasi--stripped of his clothing and dignity, is lashed to a post--a rotating post so that everyone can see his humiliation.
He asks for water and the townspeople mock his speech and then throw a wet, dirty rag on his face.
It's really almost unbearable and it made me angry and sad--I can't understand it, or maybe I just don't want to.
The real hurt comes when Frollo, Quasi's caretaker, rides by on his horse. He is responsible for Quasi's position and he ignores Quasi's pleading glances as he continues on.
Soon after, Esmerelda takes pity on him and brings him some water.
She has no idea that he acts of pity on the poet and on Quasimodo will save her life.
How could she know? How can we know what our acts of pity will accomplish? We do them out of compassion--out of respect to the Golden Rule--how would we want to be treated?

Quasimodo is finally released back to the church and yet, despite his ordeal, he is joyful--he is so elated by the blessing of Esmerelda's gesture of pity.
Meanwhile, Esmerelda and the poet are getting along famously--they perform together in front of various town folk--making money. One night, Esmerelda is confronted before a show by Frollo. He confesses that he is in love (lust) with her and that he doesn't want her dancing for anyone else. Creep-O!
She goes out and dances and much to her delight--her beefcake Frisbee is watching!
Frisbee is with some blond girl but he abandons her to dance with the gypsy woman and then they later go into the bushes to...um...
Well, Esmerelda, in her big "DUH" moment, asks BeefCake to say he loves her. It's so classic because she's throwing herself at him and he's so classic "I'll love you for tonight!"
So they start making out and then someone...not naming any names...stabs him in the back.
Esmerelda is caught, shocked, with a knife in her hand and is of course accused of killing the guard.
She is then thrown in prison, forced into a confession by torture and then tried for the murder of Frisbee.
During the trial, the King pops in to give her a real trial by blindfolding her and asking her to touch a knife. One knife is his own knife and one is the murder weapon. If she touches the murder weapon, she's guilty--she touches the wrong one.

The last part of the movie is the best.
We see the different responses to injustice.
The poet is on a quest to save Esmerelda through a petition (he wants to use the printing press to pass out the petition)
Quasimodo comes to her rescue by saying he killed the guard (There is no greater love than one they will lay down their life for a friend) the people laugh at the notion--they don't believe him
The King of the Streets decides to organize a revolt.
And then there's Frollo, trying his hardest to get Esmerelda killed for his crime.

Esmerelda is sentenced to hang and is led to the tower.
At the tower, Quasimodo jumps on a rope and swings in, grabs Esmerelda and brings her into the church--remember Sanctuary?! Saved!! They can't touch her there.
The "Noblemen" start a law, which Frollo signs, to take away the protection of Sanctuary
The poet gets going on the petition to counteract it
and the King rallies up the revolt.
Quasi falls in love with Esmerelda during his short stay with her in the bell tower. When he looks down from the tower and sees the revolt organizing in front of the church steps, he thinks they are coming for her.
He defends her by dropping stones on their heads and molten metal. He doesn't realize they are there to save Esmerelda. It's so sad--he drops a stone on the King of the Poor, crushing him.
I love how when we first met the king, we thought him to be cruse and devoid of morals, but he gave his life for Justice.
The poet has this sweet scene with the king because the king is dying and the poet gives him the news that his petition worked, Esmerelda was pardoned by King Louis XI
The king, with his dying breath, says "I thought you were just a dreamer"
So Esmerelda rides off with the poet--probably figuring out that she loves him now--
and Quasimodo is left watching her go.
He is standing between two gargoyles-that he bears resemblance to and he says,
"Oh that I were made of stone...like them." Rip my heart out and stick a fork in it. I'm finished.
AGGGGGGGHHHH!! So sad!! So wonderful!! So poignant! I loved it. If you stuck with this and read the whole thing--God Bless you.
I just had to get it all out so I wouldn't forget it.
xoxo
~S