.

Posting should resume next week.

~Rebecca

For the record, even though I’m not a proponent of beauty pageants, Modestia is in full support of the current Ms. California Carrie Prejean.

If you are unaware of the current controversy surrounding Ms. Prejean, check out this video:

I can’t help but be incredibly proud of the way she has handled herself, especially after being called a “dumb b—-” and a “c—” by the childish and misogynistic blogger Perez Hilton.   She truly is pure class. 

Ladies, take note…

Last Sunday, CBS premiered “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler,” a true story about the Catholic woman who saved over 2,000 Jewish children during WWII.

Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin stars in the titular role, and recently sat down with Catholic Digest to talk about the film. I must admit I’m a big Anna Paquin fan and have been for years.

Some snippets:

You’ve said that doing this film made you feel part of something important. Would you share a little more about that?

I think that telling any story that’s such an important part of history and that is so sad and painful for so many people, and telling a story of someone who was trying to make a difference and did… that’s a really amazing thing to be able to be part of. [Irena] was a very, very incredible, strong, and sort of anonymous figure from that time. It’s kind of amazing to think about how many people like that have just gone unnoticed, and to get to be a part of telling those sorts of stories is really important.

 

How do you think Irena’s Catholic faith influenced her actions, and how did that factor into your interpretation of the role?

She was raised a Catholic, but what she was doing was probably more, I would say, derivative of the basic values of a belief system rather than (from her) being a very religious person herself. She was doing what she believed was the right thing, which was to be helping in any way she could and to be putting herself out there and on the line. 

Sometimes people encountering heroic stories like Irena’s tend to ask themselves, What would I have done? Would I have been as brave? Did you ever find yourself asking those kinds of questions?

Other people have asked me probably more than I’ve asked myself. (laughing) I was more worried about not offending her memory by trying to be as true to her as I could be without ever having met her. I would hope I would be as strong as her, but I hopefully will never have to know.

How did preparing for the role and then being part of the production affect your own life? 

We were in Latvia for two months and it was winter and it was really cold. We worked six days a week and it was pretty grim. The subject matter that you’re dealing with, it’s hard to shake it off at the end of the night. Really all I was doing was preparing for the next day and trying to sleep.

In one interview on the Hallmark site you mentioned something she had said — that she was scared about what she was doing but that she was more angry about what was going on, and that that helped her.

Yeah, her anger sort of helped her overcome her fear. Anyone caught or found out or suspected to be helping in any way in the Jewish community would be killed. There was no middle ground. You’d have to be a pretty determined and strong person to really not care that that was the situation you’re putting yourself in because the situation of the people you’re trying to help was so much worse.

  You can read the rest of Anna’s interview here.

In honor of Divine Mercy Sunday—

On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to this simple nun, bringing with Him a wonderful message of Mercy for all mankind. Saint Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:

“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing,  the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, ‘paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.”

You can read more about St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion here.

Nicole Ricci’s new jewelry line is now on sale at Shopbop.com…but I kind of want her clothes instead…LOL…

Happy Easter ladies!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with your families.  My weekend was a little chaotic, but still very fruitful nevertheless.

On Holy Thursday, I drove down to Orange County to have lunch with Jessica Rey of Rey Swimwear and Katelyn Rose from Suddenly Darling. It was a lot of fun and Katelyn and her family were wonderful!

After lunch I was able to sit behind the scenes and watch Katelyn interview Jes, and then get a little preview of Rey Swimwear’s 2009 line. The three of us (Jessica, Katelyn, and myself) are in talks to work on a project together in the coming weeks.

But more on that later!

Because CT is having a contest!

We are excited to announce our largest community event yet: a full scale dress design contest. The winning design will be part of our Spring 2010 line, and the chosen designer will receive one of the completed dresses compliments of the C-T staff.

Judging the Work:
Christa, and a few members of the design team, will select the top three design entries. These designs will then be featured on our website and (this is the best part) YOU, our friends, will get to vote on your favorite.

Submissions:
All submissions must be entered by July 25th, when the voting will begin. The winning designer will be selected August 15th.
Only one submission per person will be accepted.

Mail submissions to:
Christa-Taylor Design Contest
PO box 65820
Vancouver, WA 98665

All Submissions must include the following:
-Sketch, front and back
-Name,
-Mailing address
-Email
-Phone number
-Age
-All finished/designed products become the property of Empowered Traditionalist, LLC dba Christa-Taylor.com.
Christa-Taylor reserves the right to make changes to the finished design

Guidelines:
Here’s what we’re looking for:
-Vintage inspired, in basic colors.
-No patterned fabric
-Keep the standard. The design should be self-sufficient, you don’t have to wear a tshirt or camisole underneath it.
-No formals. This is a dress to wear and to wash in everyday life. No prom gowns please.
-Fabric swatches, if you have a fabric idea, send it along; the design team would love it.
-Patterns are preferred, but not necessary. If you develop a pattern, by all means- send it! We will return it as per your request.

To the guy who apologized for not opening the door at Starbucks last week—I didn’t expect you to, as you had three coffees in your hand—

but I appreciated your consideration. 

To my friend “D,” (or shall I call you King Julien?), one of the most caring and intellectual men I’ve ever met—

I appreciate you.

To my BFF “L,” who has stayed up late with me, prayed with me, and flat out told me when I’m acting crazy—

I appreciate you.

To my friend “W,” who always opens the door and offers a fresh perspective—

I appreciate you.

To my uncles who have stepped up during the various points in my life when I needed it the most—

Gosh darnit I appreciate you.

To the priests, friars, and other male religious in my life—

Your holiness has affected me profoundly.  I appreciate you.

Christ-filled men of the world, I appreciate you!

(And I just wanted to say it…because sometimes you don’t get enough credit.)

This vintage inspired lace top is $16.99 at the Belissima! Modesty Boutique. Perfect for spring!

I just found out that Modestia is ranked within the top 3 blogs on St. Blogs.com.  There are hundreds of blogs hosted on this server, so thank you so much ladies!

~Rebecca

A friend of mine had a party after mass on Sunday to celebrate John Paul II’s life. (The 4th anniversary of his death was last Thursday.) One of my CU girlfriends who is an amazing cook and baker made this cool rum & carmel cake for the party!

You have to admit this cake is pretty cool. And it was yummy too!

That was my initial reaction to the “motherhood” photoshoot French Vogue did in its current issue which seeks to explore the “wackiness” and “humor” of motherhood…or something like that… 

The explanation for this shoot doesn’t make a teaspoon of sense.

My official response that I originally wrote on Facebook:

I fully respect any woman who doesn’t want to have kids. Kids aren’t accessories to put in the closet, so if you don’t have the desire to put in the hard work it takes to raise a decent human being, then PLEASE refrain from procreating. 

However.

What pissed me off was the sheer disrespect shown by FV and its staff for children and motherhood that resulted in creating this poor excuse for a fashion spread that masks extreme narcissism as some sort of edgy statement. ugh.

Oh and by the way, glorifying child neglect and abuse isn’t entertaining or edgy either.