Pretty much every weekend you can find Jon and me watching a documentary or two on the Kindle. While the kids are on the Xbox we're taking a little time browsing categories to see what looks good.

I watched a few by myself this week so I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

If you're missing Downton Abbey, the 2009 docudrama, The Queen, might fill a British void. It shows Queen Elizabeth II at different points in her life which was portrayed by a different actress in each episode. The first one, of course, is a little scandalicious.

source

 

Speaking of Queens, The Queen of Versailles is an American documentary that depicts Jackie and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts, and their family as they build the largest and most expensive single-family home in the United States, The Versailles house. It shows how the recession hit them personally and the crisis they face. It was a Sundance hit in 2012. You can even buy the house here for oh, mere millions.


source

And since I am on some sort of unintended royal theme, you can't forget the American royal family, The Kennedy's. The Lost Kennedy Home Movies tell the story of the children of Joe and Rose, as they grew up in the 1930s and 40s and through the last weekend that John and Jackie spent with their children before the assassination in Dallas. There are behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen home movies filmed by Robert and Ethel Kennedy in the early 1950s. I confess I have always been a fan of the Jackie/John F. Kennedy mystique and can't get enough of seeing young Caroline and John.

source

 

The Queen of fashion, Anna Wintour, is the subject of a great 2009 documentary, The September Issue, which chronicles the staff and the Vogue editor-in-chief's work on the then, largest ever issue. She comes across much more subdued than the character that was supposedly modeled after her in The Devil wears Prada. I find her skillfully decisive which is a quality I admire. The Creative director, Grace Coddington, is a genius and I love that she'll go to bat for her vision. The clothes and photographs - oh yeah, love it all.

source

 

Happy viewing!

 

I'll be back for some fun thrift store scores this week and I barely spent anything...

Looking forward - a personal lesson on being comforted

The weekend is always the part of the week where I look forward to a little down time (naturally) but lately the down time is smothered by the frustrations of the week before; just rolling into Saturday and Sunday.

During Sunday School yesterday, my mind was drifitng to warmer locales and faraway places. It wasn't for a lack of good teaching or discussion. Quite the contrary, our teacher is excellent and the discussion was thought provoking. I just wasn't tuning in. Isn't that the way it always is? The messages are always the same; good and uplifting. We just need to be ready to hear. He that hath ears to hear...

So as the discussion went on, I jumped from page to page in the scriptures, not really looking for anything in particular, just randomly turning pages. And then I landed upon John 14:18 and it jumped out at me,     "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." Just like that.

I was thinking how I could really use my mom's comforting wisdom right about then. It's been so long without my confidant. And then the scripture popped up and I thought, 'Dang, the Lord's good. Knowing just what I need at the precise time.'

And with that, the sun peeked out this morning, a reminder that there are warmer days ahead, in all respects.

Have a good Monday.
xo
Laura

My two February babies, Reese and Belen, circa 2002

Photographing love

Jocelyn & Cory| Washington DC LDS Temple

A quick thinking, use-what-you-have craft

Or...Keeping it real, or lack of planning, or whatever you want to call it...

It was the 11th hour and I hadn't gotten Valentines for Reese or Blair's classes. I am a room parent for both grades in two different schools so I was really only thinking about the snacks that day.

So with some leftover gold paper and foam hearts that I used for a church dance last weekend, I made some quick and easy Valentines. When I got to Blair's, I only had 10 foam hearts for 20 kids so what to do?

I cut them in half, each time cutting them a little differently, wrote a saying on the back, "Valentine, half my heart beats for you!" and other sayings that had to do with "Half" a heart and then stuck a Hershey's Bliss candy on the front of each side. Bing.Bam.Boom.

 

 

 

 

 

I told Blair to tell her friends that they should look for the person who matched their half of the heart, like a game. She thought that would be really fun and was hoping they could do it.

When she came home and I asked how her day was, she was beaming. She said they got to match their hearts and then they had to go around the room and share something about their Valentines. They all shared hers and loved having an impromptu game.

You can never go wrong with keeping things simple nor should you ever feel bad for doing so.

P.S. I guess Grant said that he and Blair "have a special friendship" which turned Blair all red in the face. Settle down there, Cowboy...

Have a great day,
xo
Laura






The Shabby Nest