Katharine...

Katharine Hepburn



Thank You, Dear. I Think...

Elizabeth, peering closely at Emily's face:

"Emmy, it looks like you're wearing fake eyelashes."

*


Emily, looks up from project, a bit baffled:

"Umm..."

*


Elizabeth, quite serious, imparting 'wisdom'
as only a twelve year old can:

"Oh, that's a good thing.  A really good thing."

*


Emily, trying to look serious, too:

"Oh.  Well...err...thank you then, sweetie.
That's...*cough*...very nice of you to say."


* * * *

Little sisters are one of the dearest things on earth.

It's a Fact...

Contrary to popular belief, sparkly sweaters really

do make girls with miserable colds feel better.

A little bit, at least.

♥

Where Emily Raves About Footwear...

Remember those two pairs of new shoes I mentioned?

*          *          *

Well...

This is a photo of one pair.

*sigh*

*          *          *

We fell in love the first moment we saw each other.

I mean, they may totally not be your thing.

That's your prerogative.

But right now...

I'm pretty much, basically, absolutely in love.

Nothing major.

*          *          *

I guess Elizabeth thinks they're pretty snazzy, too,

since she was the one that wanted to take a picture of them.

I mean, sheesh.

But...being the wonderful big sister I am

I gave in & let her do her thing.

;)

*          *          *

Marilyn...

I'm Thinking About...

The USO

Because...

I'm now officially a proud volunteer. 
And loving every minute of it.

Though, I've never yet had to force donuts down a young soldier.
Maybe we haven't come to that part yet.

*          *          *

Family

Because...

I ♥ them so very much.

You know you have it bad when just thinking about them
makes a happy little ache creep into your throat.

*          *          *

High Heels

Because...

I have two brand new bee-you-ti-ful pairs I can't quit thinking about.

Literally.

*          *          *

The Ramsey Family

Because...

Emma, Johanna, Grace & all the others

 have become so dear to me.

These days, my thoughts & prayers are

with them more often even than usual.

*          *          *

 On the Waterfront

Because...

With faces like these & a love story like that...

it's too drool-worthy to not think about

watching for the 646th time.

*sigh*

Have I mentioned lately that it's my favorite-est film?

*          *          *

Falling in Love

Because...

It's one of those things girls think about.

Just tryin' to keep it real.

(Don't worry, I'll tell you when it happens.)

*          *          *

Sunglasses

 Because...

My two lovely sisters & I went shopping for them today.

And two of us found them. 

You know, that perfect pair. 

*          *          *

A New Blog

Because I've been thinking about possibly starting one for months.

I don't know. 

I've loved my time spent writing for songs I sing very much. 

But anymore, it seems tied a bit too

much to everything we once had.

Everything that makes me ache so much I feel I can't breathe.

It's just an idea.

But one I'd love to hear your opinion on...

*          *          *

This Picture

Because...

I like it.

*          *          *

Yes, I'm Blaming Them for the Lack of Posts...

I'm sorry my posts have been sporadic once again. This time, though, it's actually not my fault. I can't tell you how many times I've actually written something & was prepared to post it...only to find that Blogger somehow squashes everything together in an odd, unreadable sort of way or eats every word except the odd sentence or two.

I can see everything I've written on the regular "new post" screen, but when I switch to preview it or actually do go ahead & post it, everything has completely disappeared. *sigh* I can't tell you how frustrating that is.

I try to save my post & go back & try to fix it, but that hasn't been working. After struggling with trying to post the same thing ten times over, I must confess, I give up & erase it altogether. If you'd typed & re-typed that same post that many times, I think you'd be sick of your own writing, too.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm still here.

Love,
Emily

Whispered Thoughts...

I write the story of my life on tiny slips of paper...

...that slip from my fingers like so much falling snow.

Jennifer...

* * * *

"If you could choose one characteristic that would

get you through life, choose a sense of humor."

Jennifer Jones

* * * *

And It's Purple, Too!

* * * *

I finally caved in and purchased the video camera I've been considering for some time now. I tend to lean much more toward the 'necessity only' side of things when purchasing anything for myself. Except, that is, when it comes to books...but they are a necessity to me! ;)

I can drive my family, and myself, crazy sometimes with my questioning before a purchase. 'Should I buy it...or shouldn't I?' And this being only the second 'major' purchase I've made in my entire--gulp--life.

I'm so glad now, though, that I decided to spend the money for it.

It's tiny, and prettyful, and matches my laptop.

Can it get any better than that?

I'm going to have so much fun capturing some of the crazy, lovable, & downright silly antics of we people around here. Not sure if I'll ever muster up enough courage to show them to anyone outside of immediate, immediate family, though.

Not, that is, until I sound a little less like a

deranged squirrel & a little more like myself.

Sheesh, it's quite frightening.

* * * *

War...

Sgt. Mike Strank
KIA March 1, 1945, Iwo Jima
He was 25 years old.

* * * *

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.
The decayed & degraded state of moral & patriotic feeling
which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.

The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight,
nothing which is more important than his own personal safety,
is a miserable creature & has no chance of being free unless
made & kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.


John Stuart Mill

* * * *

August...

* * * *

I blinked one day...

...and found that Summer
is nearly winding to a close.

How did the days slip by so quickly?

* * * *

Betty...

* * *

"The practice of putting women on pedestals

began to die out when it was discovered

that they could give orders better from there."

Betty Grable

* * *

Sometimes...

Sometimes I look at my life and wonder

what exactly it was that has made me the person I am.

* * *

Sometimes I wonder what causes me to have such empathy and deep love for those whose lives touch mine...and yet, have so very little left over for myself.

Sometimes I dance in the rain...just because I can.

Sometimes I doubt.

Sometimes, all of the time, I regret everything we'll never be able to do now.

Sometimes I believe that the small, exquisite moments throughout life almost make up for every ounce of heartache.

Sometimes I fall down more often than I move forward.

Sometimes I laugh so hard I cry.

Sometimes I tiptoe around the house after Mama & Elizabeth are asleep, just so I can stand over them & make sure that they are safe, and warm, and...there.

Sometimes I ache so much it feels like I can't even breathe.

Sometimes I say "I love you" far too often. But it's only because you can still hear me.

* * *

I have no idea where my life will take me, but I

always wish to live it with abandon,

and sincerity, and faith.

That, my friends, is my deepest desire.

* * *

Sylvia...

* * *

"Paramount paid me by the tear."

Sylvia Sidney

* * *

One June Evening...

* * * *

There's just something about nighttime.

Something about the way the warm night air wraps itself around me & the stars that seem to bow down out of the heavens, so close it seems I can almost touch them.

Sometimes, I think it almost seems as if I could shout out, "God?" And surely, if I only listened hard enough, I could hear His voice come echoing back to me.

* * * *

Elizabeth & her small, blonde-haired friend sit together, cross-legged, engrossed in a game of cards. Their voices drift lazily across the concrete of our small front porch, winding across the front lawn to my listening ears.

The sound of their laughter, the look of happiness on Elizabeth's face...means everything to me. She deserves to just act like a normal, happy little girl for awhile. Before we know it, she'll be all grown up...

* * * *

Yes, there's just something...

* * * *

Ann-Margret...

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)


"...I am still many times fragile and
vulnerable; it's just the way I am.

My parents were like that, too.
It does present challenges for me.

I can be knocked over by a feather when I'm really down,
although, I must say that when I'm on stage, it's different."


Ann-Margret

In Search of Emily...

* * *

Have you ever lost yourself & never even realized it?

Have you ever fallen so far that one day you find

that, somehow, you've misplaced all of your old dreams?

* * *

These days, my one thought, the one beat of my heart, is trying to remember all of those little important things that make me...well, me. I'm trying to pick up all of the tiny, shattered pieces of my life; trying to remember those things I've always dreamt about; trying to remember just why I once thought they were so beautiful.

Over the last painful months, I've come to realize that it is the easiest thing to lose sight of who you really are, who you wish to be, in the midst of all encompassing grief. Before you know it, it seems the most impossible of things to find your way back to what you once considered...your everything.

It's easiest to just let yourself get lost in your grief, to give up on everything you've always hoped for, give up on those things it seems you were meant to be, meant to say, meant to stand witness to. But lately, more & more, I've felt pressed upon my heart the thought that, living your life like that, allowing yourself to give up on those things most important to you, would be such a...waste.

It would be throwing away what I've always stood for, always believed in. It would be forgetting what my Daddy would have hoped for me & what I have hoped for my own life.

So...no matter how hard it may be, no matter how narrow this road may seem to become, I'm going to try to remember those old, familiar dreams.

I'm a strong person. With the love of those nearest to me, the faith that still lives in my heart, & with the dream of a better tomorrow...I'm going to make it through.

I know I can.

* * *

Grace...

* * * * * *

"Women's natural role is to be a pillar of the family."

Grace Kelly

Cary...

* * * *

"I've often been accused by critics of being myself
on-screen. But being oneself is more
difficult than you'd suppose."

Cary Grant

"Thank You" Isn't Enough...

* * * * *

I can't thank you all enough for the sweet words,
prayers, and support you sent me in response to my last post.

You all have touched my life & my heart.
I appreciate you more than you will ever know.

♥

* * * * *

If Only...

It is easiest to try to forget.

For if I think of the way he said "I love you," the way his eyes crinkled up in the corners when he smiled, or the fact that he'll never come home again...

I'm lost.

It is easiest to try & pretend that nothing has happened; to try & make myself believe that everything that is new & different around me...really isn't new at all.

When all I really want,
more than anything else,
is to go back to what we once had...


...is to go Home.

No one knows what to say to me. I think they're afraid to hurt me in some way, but more often than not, it is that distance, that suffocating invisible thread, that hurts me more than any stumbling words ever could.

I wish that someone would wrap their arms around me & hold me. They wouldn't need to say anything at all, because I would understand...

I wish that people would realize, that though the months go by, my heartache does not ebb. It's not something that will just go away. Each day I wake up wishing that this terrible nightmare my life has become would end up being just that...a bad dream. But it's much, much too real.

If only love, and death, and life
didn't hurt so very much.



Daddy, I ♥ you...

Jean...

Jean Peters in
Captain from Castile (1947).

* * * * * *

"I often think our glamorization of Hollywood
stars--the perpetual photographing us in ermine
& bouffant tulle, in French bathing suits or
sleek satin--throws the public off.

They don't recognize us as human beings
subject to the same discomforts of climate &
working conditions as they are.

They expect to see that goddess
leading a couple of wolfhounds
come striding onto the set."


Jean Peters

A Love Like That...

* * * *

Jimmy & Gloria Stewart
with children:
Ronald, Michael, Judy & Kelly.

* * * *

I'm so thankful for a family that's always
loved each other as hard as they can.


That's one thing you realize.
When you share a love like that...


...nothing, not even death,
can really separate you.

* * * *

The Long, Hot Summer...

Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward as
Ben Quick & Clara Varner in 1958's
The Long, Hot Summer.

"Mr. Quick, I am a human being.
Do you know what that means?

It means I set a price on myself. A high, high price. You may be surprised to know it, but I've got quite a lot to give. I've got things I have been savin' up my whole life. Things like love and understanding and...and...jokes, and good times, and good cooking.

I'm prepared to be the Queen of Sheba for some lucky man, or at the very least the best wife any man could hope for. Now that's my human history & it's not gonna be bought and sold and it's certainly not gonna be given away to any passin' stranger."

I Confess...

* * *

I Confess (1953), is one of famed Alfred Hitchcock's lesser known works. Starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, and Karl Malden, it is the story of one man, a priest, who must choose between proving his innocence in a crime he did not commit or holding true to his priestly vows.

Father Logan (Clift) unwittingly becomes the lead suspect in the Villete murder case after listening to the confession to the murder by one his parishioners. Unable to alert detectives to the real killer's identity without revealing information given to him in the confessional, Father Logan quickly becomes the prime suspect.


I Confess lacks a great deal of the sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense that marks some of Hitchcock's most noted films, as viewers know the identity of the killer right from the start. But even with the lack of suspense & mystery...the great filming, heartwarming plot line, and memorable casting of characters more than makes up for it.

Montgomery Clift's performance as the serious, caring Father Logan is captivating. I would be the first one to admit that I couldn't quite picture Clift--of A Place in the Sun fame--as a believable priest, but after watching only the first few moments of the film, you can't help but be drawn in by the sincerity & warmth of his performance.

Anne Baxter & Karl Malden

Co-star Anne Baxter is one classic actress I usually don't care that much for. But, in I Confess, Anne is luminous as Father Logan's former love, Ruth Grandfort. Also, watch for Karl Malden, who only one year later would play a priest himself in On the Waterfront. He is perfect as the obnoxious detective you just love to hate.

All in all, I think the "Master of Suspense" hit the nail on the head with another classic, well-made film. If you haven't yet watched, I Confess, make sure to find a copy!

M is for Marlon...

* * *

"Regret is useless in life. It's in the past.
All we have is now."

Marlon Brando

A Blog Award...

Fellow classic film fanatic, Millie, was sweet enough to pass an award my way. Thank you so much! If you haven't yet visited her blog...you really should stop by. Her enthusiasm for Classic Hollywood & its luminaries is refreshing & mirrors my own wonder.

The rules:

1. Tell you seven things that you don't already know about me.
2. Name seven other blogs to receive this award.

3. Leave a comment on the blogs I have nominated letting them know that I have given them an award.

4. And lastly, thank the blog that gave you the award.

* * * * * *

7 Things About Me:

1. When I was much younger I used to dream about becoming a world famous gymnast. Or ice skater. Maybe both...now wouldn't that have been interesting?

2. We used to have a pet pot-bellied pig named Harley when I was a little girl.

3. I never in a million years would have thought I would become one of those "blog" people. But I have. And I love it.

4. The words 'tendon' & 'flesh' send shivers up my spine.

5. I read much too quickly. I can thoroughly read (no skimming allowed) several books in a day easily.

6. I hate to do things by myself. I am definitely a people person. I enjoy having time by myself to do, or dream, or write...but with the knowledge that people are close by.

7. I've been knitting since I was seven years old. Only another knitter will understand that sometimes your fingers just "itch" for a new project to work on.

* * * * *

I'd like to award:

A Banner of Crimson
Actually Laura
Blessed Femina
Dum Spiro Spero
In My Own Little Corner
Ribbons of Light
Those Northern Skies

* * * * * *

Up next: an award from lovely Elise!

Elizabeth...

"People who know me well,

call me Elizabeth.
I dislike Liz."

Elizabeth Taylor

Where Emily Admits Modernity...

I have something to confess.

*whispers while peering over her shoulder*

You'll never believe it,
but I have a...Facebook page.

* * * * * *

Alright now. Pick your jaw up off of the floor.

Yes, you guys know me too well. I usually tend to be one of those "behind-the-times" sort of girls who actually, you know, likes it that way. But awhile back, a friend from college pestered me about joining Facebook so we could swap pictures--and pestered, and pestered, and pestered--until, you see, I just had to give in if I wanted to keep any semblance of sanity. Yes, it seemed pointless and stupid and...and...idiotic at first, but now, I have to admit, I've succumbed. I actually sort of....like it.

So, anyway, the whole point of this confessional post was to ask:

Do you use Facebook?

Over the past two years I've grown to love you all so dearly. You have brought me friendship, and empathy, and such joy. I really wonder where I would be without you. So, if you'd be interested, I'd love to invite you a little closer into my life. Leave a comment (enlightening me a bit on who you are if I won't be able to recognize your screen name) & I'd be more than thrilled to swap info for Facebook with you.

Would you like to be "friends?"

:)

* * * * * *

Ann...

"As an actress, I have always believed that the truer challenge,

the deeper obligation, begins after the camera stops.

My role as a woman in my community and in my home has

always overshadowed the excitement of any

part I have ever played on stage or screen."

Ann Blyth

So Very Long...

It's been so very long since I've written anything at all for songs I sing. I can't tell you how much I've missed it. Somehow along the way, though, I've lost that spark that makes words leap readily from my pen or my fingers dance across the keyboard. I know that someday my heart will sing through my fingertips once again, but for now, it is slow going. More than anything else I appreciate the patience others shower on me since I can't seem to find any for myself.

* * * * * *

Life has been a whirlwind these past few months. Sarah, my beloved Sarah, was happily married in Florida at the end of December. Seeing her happiness, being a part of something that has been a dream of hers for so very long, is something I will never forget. She has always been my kindred spirit, confidant, and best of friends...Sarah, I treasure you.

Along with all of the craziness that seems to go hand in hand with out-of-state wedding planning, we have once again picked up roots and moved--this time all the way to North Carolina from Michigan. Being the second move we've made in six months, yes, things have been more than a little harried, but now that we are mostly settled in, I can't tell you what a peace I have in my heart about being here. It's the right place for us right now...it really is.

* * * * * *

I can't promise how often I will really be able to update songs I sing with new posts, but I can promise that I will try. I've found how easy it is to lose sight of yourself in the losing of someone you love. But I'm working on it. Some days it is more of a struggle than others...but at least I'm trying. I find that is what is really most important.

Much love,
Emily

Marilyn...

"I believe that everything happens for a reason.

People change so that you can learn to let go,

things go wrong so that you appreciate them when
they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn
to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes
good things fall apart so better
things can fall together."

Marilyn Monroe