Search Results for: blog moment of beauty

Sleeping Beauty: A Strange Fairy Tale

Charles Perrault’s “La Belle au bois dormant” (literal translation “the Beauty sleeping in the wood”) is a bizarre little tale. Some people might find Walt Disney’s adaptation of the story as soporific as the curse upon Aurora, but at least it has narrative consistency. So many of the things that happen in Perrault’s story leave (modern) readers scratching their heads, and that’s on top of the hefty dose of terrible messages for women, something that didn’t come as a surprise after I read the 17th century Frenchman’s take on Cinderella. Up until the point of the teenage princess’ pricking of … Continue reading →

On Blogging and Real Life

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We celebrated winter solstice. After the darkest day of the year, the light starts to return to the northern hemisphere. We began with trimming the tree in the morning. It is an outdoor tree, so it comes indoors for less than a week, beginning on winter solstice. We moved on to decorating the back yard with food for the birds and watched chickadees move from seed-covered cone to seed-covered cone. In the evening, we went on a lantern walk through the forest at a church near the ocean. We threw stones in the ocean to … Continue reading →

Beauty Queen

I had a bad mommy moment the other day. My daughter was playing outside with the other children, and she asked if she could go into one of their houses to play. I said yes, just for ten minutes, as it was almost bed time. Nine minutes later, I put on my shoes to go get her, only to find her crying in front of our house. The older girls had told her that since they were playing with makeup, she should go home. After calming her down, I began to think about this whole makeup thing. Makeup and preschoolers? … Continue reading →

Waking Sleeping Beauty

“The real heartbeat of this company was, is, and will always be, the film business.” – Roy E. Disney A few months ago I caught wind of a Disney project that’s excited me more than I can remember in years, more so even than hearing that Disney was to return to its hand-drawn fairy tales with “Princess and the Frog.” Any of my anticipation for upcoming Disney projects is always tempered by wariness; I know that due to nostalgia it’s unlikely that I will ever feel the same way about new Disney films as the ones with which I grew … Continue reading →

Reading Beauty Labels: Petrolatum

You may run across petrolatum as an ingredient in some of your favorite skin care products. Or, you may be familiar with petroleum jelly — a staple in many medicine cabinets. Moisturizers in beauty products fall into two categories: humectants (which draw moisture out of the air and into the skin) and occlusives. Occlusives trap water in the skin and prevent it from evaporating. Petrolatum is most definitely an occlusive, reducing water loss from the skin by as much as ninety-eight percent in laboratory tests! Other studies have pointed out that petrolatum can help fill in spaces between skin cells … Continue reading →

The Beauty of Walking in the Morning

Have you ever gone for a walk just as the morning birds are beginning their song and the sun is but a promise on the horizon? Depending on where you live, this may not be the ideal scenario for you, but for some, a walk first thing in the morning is just what the doctor ordered. We spend so much time rushing around, there’s laundry, dishes, meal planning, kids, cleaning, animals, work and a dozen other things vying for our attention from the moment we start our day to the moment we go to bed at night. Typically, by night … Continue reading →

Moment of Beauty 2

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite web sites out there. It is called Moment of Beauty. A new, lovely, photo or image is presented every day. From bright images of flowers and landscapes to solemn photos of religious statutes in shadow, to little hands discovering new things, Moment of Beauty offers a wonderful new surprise each day. This is the second half of the series. If you missed the first blog, click here. Mary Ann: What do you think is the best thing about Moment of Beauty? Patrice: For me, it is getting to pick out … Continue reading →

Moment of Beauty

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite web sites out there. It is called Moment of Beauty. A new, lovely, photo or image is presented every day. From bright images of flowers and landscapes to solemn photos of religious statutes in shadow, to little hands discovering new things, Moment of Beauty offers a wonderful new surprise each day. I enjoy this web site because it is very family friendly, it brings a smile or moment of serenity to my day, it reminds me to slow down, and it introduces me to some pretty interesting people. One of … Continue reading →

A Rose By Any Other Name – Perfect Moments

Posted on by

If you’ve never been married before or you’re just freshly married, you may be surprised by how much work a great marriage takes. In fact, you may be surprised that the happily ever after takes work at all. We’ve talked about happily ever after and the work a marriage takes and we’ve talked about the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect marriage or a perfect spouse. What there are, however, are perfect moments. What is a Perfect Moment? A perfect moment is that time when everything just seems to fall into place. You can achieve a … Continue reading →

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

One of my favorite Disney classics of all time, “Sleeping Beauty” tells us the story of Aurora, the beautiful princess born to a king and queen who had thought themselves unable to have children. Coming as a miracle, she was adored and doted on, and a grand celebration was held to commemorate her birth. All the good fairies in the land were invited to come, and each bestowed upon her a gift. Beauty, kindness, and a lovely singing voice were amongst the gifts, and the king and queen couldn’t be happier. But then the evil fairy Maleficent arrives, furious that … Continue reading →