Eh-oh, Kiefer!

Couldn't resist posting my favorite photo from the Kiefer Sutherland Is Everywhere photo constest (take a gander at some of the other photos -- they're quite clever). I'm a big fan of the Teletubbies, and I think Kiefer makes a nice addition to the gang, don't you? Big Hug!

Friday Funnies

Another funny video to enjoy on this overcast Summer's Friday!

Any Port in a Storm

Okay, okay. I'm a chocoholic. There's no way around it. I should probably be enrolled in C.A. meetings.

I've been searching the cupboards for days, trying to find anything edible made of chocolate.

And today I found it.

It was a chocolate bunny left over from Easter...belonging to *gasp!* one of the kids. Which one? Who knows...I probably ate the other one, too.

Now, I suppose this means I cannot ever, ever again let them peruse my blog for fear of discovery, but...

...another confessional coming...

Okay, okay. I'm not at all keen on Palmer chocolate. It's made locally so I obligingly support it and buy it occasionally. But it's not good.

The choco-bunny was made by this company.

Still, any port in a storm, right?

So this afternoon as I squashed the bunny into bite-sized pieces, I realized how pathetic I am that I actually eat my kids' candy. Still, they didn't remember it was around.

And I sighed as I gazed into the bunny's button eye before popping it into my mouth.

Any port in a storm...right?

Absolutely.

* * *

A little "Japanese anime meets Veggie Tales" in singing the Veggie Tales' "Bunny Song." Apropos, no?

Going, Going, Gone

I certainly enjoy -- scratch that -- LOVE viewing other friend's photos of their kiddos. When I see their cherubic cuteness, it reminds me of my little people when they were even smaller little people...but it also reminds me that those days are gone.

Amazingly fast.

There was a part of me that "couldn't wait" for the next stage, to see how the kids would change and grow and develop. And I'm definitely enjoying that now.

And there's definitely a freedom in knowing the kids can do most things for themselves -- if I let them, of course. *grin*

But I realize I can never, ever go back to the days when they were smaller.

*sigh*

From an excerpt by Paul Reiser in the Hollywood Dads book:

...it is a game. A really fast game, too. I mean, not to get all "Sunrise, Sunset"-y here, but no kidding -- it really does go unbelievable fast. And you'd think knowing that in advance helps, but it doesn't. Everything -- the good stuff, the bad stuff, the hard stuff -- it all ultimately goes away. It evaporates, with no clear warning. One day you just notice, "Hey, you stopped doing that thing where you drop your shorts and sit on your brother's head. I guess we've moved on. Good." But the things you like fly away, too. "Hey, you stopped asking me to read you bedtime books. Hmm...I guess that's over." Or, "Hey, you don't waddle when you run anymore -- you run like a big kid now. When did that happen?" The changes are so imperceptible. But, I suppose, how else could it be? Your kids are never going to tell you in advance, "You know how I can't get off the sofa without jumping over the coffee table and banging my knee everytime? I'll be outgrowing that next month. And also, the fascination with boogers? End of July -- done." It never works like that. Nowhere along the growth curve do kids announce, "Dad, Mom, y'see this little fleshy part of my thigh that's soft and still somewhat toddler-esque? Well, take a good look, because that's all changing. Wednesday at three." No one tells you that, but come Wednesday, sure enough, it's gone.

So, as it turns out, my father did know what he was doing. His game plan was simple, but on-the-money. "You be the best kid you can be, I'll be the best father I can be, and let's see what happens." And "what happens" is ping, ping, ping, ping, ping! Front seat, back seat -- makes no difference. Every day it's something. Nobody leaves here un-pinged. But in the end, they're all good pings. And when you realize that anything and everything could be gone by Wednesday, all you can do, I've decided, is to really try to pay attention Tuesday.

* * *

Hang on tight!

And when you need to rest, to reflect on how big your kiddos have gotten to be compared to other friends' little ones...I'll be here.

We can reflect together.

Fly, Firefly, Fly!

Stuart found this gem on YouTube!

If you're familiar with the show Firefly, you'll love what someone did with the opening song using Fisher-Price Little People. If not, get on out and find a copy of it (Target sells the entire first (and only) season for around $20 -- well-worth the investment).

It only ran for 14 episodes before the brains at FOX decided it wasn't popular enough and yanked it. But it was really rather good!

Space Age meets the Wild West.

Birthday Bunnies

Today is Bubble's and Squeak's 2nd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Bun-girls!

Worm Weather

The weather has turned decidedly warmer and more humid...humider?

Yesterday, we even had some rain.

I went outside afterwards and the air smelled of earthworms. That's when I knew Summer had definitely arrived.

Warm, humid air + smell of earthworms = Summertime.

I'm not sure why that equation has to be, but for me it does. It's like smelling the combined aromas of freshly cut grass and onion grass. That's Spring for me.

Strange how smells can trigger memories.

When I was growing up we always had a chore to do in the morning before we could begin our day of playing/lazing/being bored.

Often it was weeding, and often when we weeded -- especially if it had rained overnight -- the air was humid and smelled "earthwormish."

I wonder what the worms smell in the summer...

More and More Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you! And happy first full week of Summer!


New video on the side. I love this song. As a parent, I find it so inspirational!

We've had a beautiful start to the season with low humidity and cooler weather for the last few days! Whoo-Hoo! It meant that we could turn off the A/C for a few days at least. You could hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth at PPL...

Ah, well. "There's a warm wind comin'..." so the A/C's back on.

* * *

We watched Charlotte's Web with the kids on Saturday night (and, no, Kiefer Sutherland did not star in it...you can breathe now). Let me just say...sniff...sniff...it was SO good. I told the kids that movies which make you cry are "cleansing." I'm not sure Edward agreed.

Being a huge fan of the book and the cartoon movie, I'd been a bit skeptical that this version would measure up. But since it promoted 4H and FFA (Future Farmers of America, of which I'm an alumna), I knew we had to watch it. We downloaded Danny Elfman's soundtrack from the movie that same night, too.

* * *

You gotta love the cost-cutting measures Comcast must be undergoing.

On Friday, there was a repair guy on a ladder outside our back fence. He obviously called into the office for help because he was on speakerphone, and you could hear, "Thank you for calling Comcast Cable...all of our agents are currently busy assisting others. Your call will be answered in the order it was received." Then the hold music with bits of Comcast advertising came on.

For 10 whole minutes.

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• charm bracelets
• refinishing wood floors
• breaking open a coconut
• stepping out of a movie theater into sunlight
• the love you give

* * *

I'll never forget the first time I "broke open a coconut." I'd never, ever opened one before.

So when my hubby told me to simply drop it on the ground, I didn't think and gave it a good slam....

Bits of coconut flew in every direction and coconut milk splashed up the side of the house.

Stuart stood aghast.

"A little too hard?" I asked, with a sheepish grin. At least I did it outside...

I now let Stuart cut them open.

* * *

Have you ever noticed when you come out of a movie theatre mid-day that you've forgotten where you were during the 2 hours or so that you were inside?

It's like you've gone into a spaceship, and you're transported into the movie, to another time and place for a few hours.

You arrive back as the end credits roll and depart from the theatre, blinking in the blinding sunlight.

Sometimes it's a relief...sometimes it's a bit of a letdown.

* * *

Love is a funny thing. When the kids are small, you can't help but hold them and love them and hug them and tickle them -- be a kid with them.

Then they grow bigger and you find yourself holding back sometimes. For no real reason. Perhaps you suddenly feel shy. Or you don't want to have them think you're weak or their equal. Or maybe you get too busy. Who knows.

You forget to give them the same kind of love. You forget to be a kid with them still. You become Mom or Dad...instead of staying Mommy and Daddy...

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." ~John Lubbock

I saw the above quotation on another blog and was inspired when I realized that I never lay in the grass with my kids and watch the clouds go by. I'll have to do that sometime soon. I remember enjoying it as a kid...

Perspective

Our children were outside, enjoying a popsicle after dinner the other evening. Stuart and I were doing various tasks inside.

Suddenly, the screams of a thousand banshees, the howls of a wolf pack in pain, the cries of a nation of people in deep agony (no exaggeration) reached our ears.

Nightmare images rushed through our brains as we hurried to the backdoor to see what tragedy awaited us.

In came two bright red, tear-stained faces with wide mouths still bawling.

"What happened???" we demanded in unison.

Emily held up a broken plastic cup...her favorite.....

.....

We didn't know whether to smack them or love them, the worry their yells brought to us...

We chose the latter and hugged them, reassuring them that it was just a "thing" -- although a favorite thing -- and we could buy another one soon (we hope).

Then as quickly as the emotions began, they stopped.

And all was right with the world again.

*Sigh.*

Friday Funnies

Happy First Full Day of Summer!

One of THE best ads ever! Enjoy!!

Confessional...

Okay. Okay. Here goes.

I've got to confess a few things...get them off my chest, so to speak...

...I just threw away my son's marigolds...the ones he planted in his kindergarten co-op class...that were meant to grow to 4 feet tall. They died.

...I hate balloons. The mylar ones are fine, but I cannot stand the latex ones. They last about 1/2-a-day and then lay limp on the floor for days...weeks...unless I pop them first and toss them out...always after the kids go to bed, of course.

...I've been known to count ketchup as a veggie in a meal. Sometimes I just cannot be bothered to cook something else. Hey, it's made of tomatoes, right? Once upon a time...

...I have thrown out some of my kids' artwork. Ugh. It's the hardest thing in the world for me, but the house is so overridden with stuff, most of it made of paper.

...I take great delight in throwing away Happy Meal toys...they're just little pieces of plastic junk...though I'm partial to the educational goodies we get from Chick Fil'A's kids' meals...they get to stay.

...I've forgotten twice in a week's time to play Tooth Fairy to my daughter. Fortunately, the second time around, I hovered just long enough for her to go downstairs while I searched her bed for the baggie with the tooth and replaced it with the baggie with the money...in the morning, of course. She does have a loftbed so it's hard for me to reach...

*Sigh.*

I'm such a "bad" mommy...

*grin*

Babyface...

...you've got the cutest little babyface...

I found these photos of Emily while searching my shelves for photos to scan and change to black-and-white. They were behind the others in the frame.

Forgotten moments in time...

Doesn't time fly?

* * *

By the way, did you guess which of the photos I posted yesterday were real black-and-white photos?

Technically Color

I know I've said it before, but I love photos!

Every year that it was published, I bought Life magazine's "Year in Pictures." It was an annual treat for me. And I loved poring over the various faces, scenes, places captured by the lens of the Life photographer.

Growing up in a "techni-color" world, I'm especially fascinated by black-and-white photos.

Perhaps it's my nostalgic side.

(As aside: I love old music, too, especially after I discovered a Glenn Miller record -- I know, I know. Not a large, black CD like my kids think records are but an actual LP -- in my parents' stereo cabinet.)

I used to spend hours going through the old photo albums from my dad's childhood days.

If I had enough money, I might even be an Ansel Adams junkie.

I guess it's because the lack of color forces us to use our imagination. The clothing can be any color. The scenery as bright as the gray tones allow -- it could be a sunny day or a cloudy day. The actor's eyes could be blue or brown or gray.

When newspapers changed to color, I was really disappointed. Somehow the black-and-white pages seemed to mark time better; without color meant it happened in the past...it captured a moment long gone.

*Sigh.*

Those days are gone...

But I discovered a feature on the photo software that came with my camera. It changes photos to black-and-white.

Technically they're color and not really old, but it's fun nonetheless, huh?

Totally Gnarly

With the way cool, new penguin movie, Surf's Up, just out, we're majorly experiencing a blast from the past.

Totally.

Remember all that lingo from the '80 and '90s? Gnarly, epic, mondo...

Well, for all of us 24 fans (and even those who aren't), this video is all that and more!

Sweet!

Many, Many More Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you! And Happy "Ides of June" to you...well, a bit past the actual "Ides," but the sentiments are there.

<--Loved this photo.

New week...new video...no new 24 episode or wings. We'll have to satisfy ourselves with a good James Bond flick tonight. James Bond...Jack Bauer. Same initials at least. *Sigh!*

A belated Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there. We had a nice day, going to church and then out to lunch at Pizza Hut with my family. We all enjoy the pizza/salad buffet they offer on Sundays.

I received a SPAM e-mail this morning that caught my attention before I deleted it. "Grass Seeds on Steroids" was on the subject line. What? you say. Apparently, you can order this "Turbo-Charged" grass seed from a place online. And it's guaranteed to grow anywhere, anytime of year. (That's the sort of challenge my hubby would enjoy testing out...and, oh, the places he would try to get it to grow....) Order now, and it's BOGO. Tempting? Nah. Funny? Yep!

* * *

We found out that Edward has decided not to get married. Apparently kissing -- esp. on the lips -- grosses him out. Hmmm... Wonder who helped him with that opinion.

And, speaking of marriage, the guest speaker at church yesterday was the pastor of counseling at our old church. He did our premarital counseling. He talked about how often young couples blush when he gets to the topic of sex in the counseling sessions. Emily was very curious about this afterwards. She wondered why people blushed...and if we did. We explained that because it's such a private subject, people often feel shy of talking about it personally. She wanted to know if people actually wanted to do "that" (read: have sex) after they were married. We said yes. "Did you, Daddy? And, of course, you did...right, Mommy?" Ummm...!! Am I blushing?

* * *

Just saw that the Veggie Tales creators have come out with another new Veggietunes CD. This one is Bob and Larry singing songs from the '70s. Sounds like fun! I'm sure it will conjure up some "groovy" memories, huh?

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• celebrating each day
• head-high hedges
• a Dairy Queen run after lunch
• Snickerdoodle cookies
• bats swooping in the summer night sky

* * *

True story: When I was about 10, my family bought an old house. I'm talking o-ld. It dated all the way back to 1769. My parents had shortlived dreams about restoring it but, in the end, decided to just make it livable for us.

During one of the construction periods, my dad opened up some of the old plaster walls so that he could drywall them instead. He hadn't quite finished the project when he had to go away on a trip.

It was Summertime, and I was spending the night at a friend's house, my sister Shelly was away at camp, and Mom and my other sister Sandy were home...alone.

Sitting in the living room, reading and doing some cross-stitch, the two ladies startled when something dark swooped past them. The screaming started just after the "something dark" whizzed past them again.

Mom wasted no time pulling Sandy from the house, catching Sandy's stitchery in the door as she did so.

After finding no nearby neighbors home, Mom and Sandy drove -- like the proverbial "bat out of Hell" -- up the road and down the lane of our adopted grandmother, Esther "Tick" Scheffey.

Now widowed and in her 70s, she lived alone on the farm across from our house. Since it was summer, she often had her friend, Anna, come stay with her. That night was no exception, only since it was quite hot out even after the sun had gone down, the ladies were sitting out on Esther's back porch in just their underwear. (It was deep in the country...110 acres.)

Imagine their surprise at seeing the cloud of dust that was my mom's car, flying down the lane. (At first Anna thought it might be some strange men...to which Tick replied, "Well, there's one for you and one for me.")

After hearing my mom's tearful retelling of their encounter with the flying thing, the elderly ladies were more than willing to come to the rescue. Donning some clothes and a broom, they headed back to the old house to rid it of the dark-shadow menace.

Tick headed into the house, while my mom, sister, and Anna stood outside and cheered her on. She opened a back window and chased the creature from the house. The cheering turned to screaming as the ladies dove inside, realizing the dark, shadowy creature was now outside, on their side of the world.

It turned out to be a bat...probably flying for its life from the screaming occupants of the house.

The story brought a good laugh to all the ladies...although my mom and sister ended up spending the night at Tick's house.

Happy Thoughts

Happy Father's Day

to my hubby, my dad, and my father-in-law!!
They truly do give us something to be happy about!

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• indulging Dad

• smells of basil and chive

• winning an auction on eBay

• shish kebabs

• a dream dictionary on your bedside table

One of the presents I gave my hubby this year was a book about Hollywood Dads. I love coffee table books filled with wonderful photos, and we both love anything done by Paul Reiser. This book didn't disappoint us. Full of black-and-white photographs of actors we know and love, smiling happily with their little/big offspring, the book shows that these men are just as human as the rest of us. And totally capable of loving their little ones.

I took the above photos of my honey with our little people and placed them in the front of the book. I decided that even though Stuart doesn't live in Hollywood, he'll always be my favorite star...and deserves the most prominent place in this book.

*grin*

Friday Funnies

Couldn't resist posting a few more of this great comic strip! Enjoy!

To Tell the Tooth

Emily, April 2004
Our "Gappy Girl" hasn't been "gappy" in a number of months, but somehow a few days ago she discovered a tooth she'd forgotten to leave out for the Tooth Fairy.

*We didn't realize she was still a "believer."*

Still, she got out a snack-sized ziploc bag and dutifully dropped the tooth inside. She put it under her pillow that night and happily awaited the Fairy's present.

Nothing came. She awoke in the morning and lamented that the Fairy had forgotten her.

*Ooops!*

We explained that the Tooth Fairy must have been expecting her tooth many, many months earlier...when she'd actually lost it. Perhaps she wasn't expecting to make a visit to our house.

Then I offered to e-mail her...

*Sigh*

So under the pillow the tooth went for another attempt at hopefully wooing the Fairy to leave something in exchange for her chopper.

*A quick reminder and a mad dash for a baggie and some change...*

Our daughter was thrilled this morning when she awoke to see the 8 dimes the Tooth Fairy "left" for her. She proudly showed each of us and was glad I'd e-mailed her to remind her.

*Sigh...Oh, the webs we weave...*

* * *

Emily could have followed Edward's advice, "You can still get her to stop by even if you lose your tooth...you just have to sleep with your mouth open so she can see the hole." Apparently, he read that somewhere, so it must be true.

Mind the gap.

Shall We Dance

Here's Emily's 2007 Ballet Recital as promised on Monday. The girls looked so lovely and did a great job!

In the News...

Getting into the news...literally.

Warms the heart of an "old" reporter like me.

My kids are relatively new comic readers.

They started by reading over their dad's shoulder on Sunday afternoons when he caught up on "all the news that's fit to print" -- or the "important" pages, as my husband calls them.

Now, they pull out the Sunday funnies and sit to enjoy them together.

I recently told Edward that there are comic pages in the newspaper everyday. He was surprised, but pleased.

This is how I found him in his newspaper "tent," enjoying a giggle or two.

Of course, I'd be glad to see them reading some of the articles, as well. But then again...

Maybe the comic pages are the important part of the newspaper. At least they bring a smile or laugh, which is more than can be said for most of the actual news out there.

Merrily We Muse Along on Monday

Happy Monday to you! ...the beginning of another week in our summer vacation. Whoo-hoo!

Of course, still no new 24 episodes...or wings. Only 7 months to go. Sigh.

I've decided to keep the same video for this week, still in honor of Emily's dance recital...plus, it's just so good.

* * *

Today is our official "begin the summer schedule" day.

The kids began their Summer Bridge workbooks which will take them through three sections of skills practice until the new school year begins. We love these books because they break the section into 15 days and the kids pick something to earn at the end of the section.

For their first incentive, both kids chose one hour of computer game time down at our local library. (They have the best educational games!) Along with the one workbook page, each day the kids need to read for one hour (the parents prescribe the amount of time). Should be fun for them.

* * *

Yesterday, Emily had her ballet recital. (When my hubby uploads it to YouTube, I'll post it here. Be sure to come back to see it. It's well-worth the 4 minutes and 12 seconds.) They did an excellent job! And we couldn't have been more proud of our little dancer! Next year, may prove a bit more challenging, especially when she begins en pointe. But we both feel she's ready for the challenge.

* * *

We spent part of the weekend transferring our VHS tapes of 24: Season 6 for my cousin (a new fan who didn't get to see it yet) in Kentucky. It was fun because every now and again we'd check on the tape and watch a bit from the season, once again reaffirming what a great season it was.

* * *

Some kid-isms:

We were listening to a song by Mat Kearney, and Edward suddenly asked why he was singing about toilets. Puzzled, we asked why he thought that. To which he replied, "You know, push the pedal down, watch it swirl around..." The actual line is: "Push the pedal down, watch the world around..." The singer is talking about driving a car across the country...

Then, during a lull in our Sunday School class, a little boy went head-to-head with another girl and looked like he was going to kiss her. Stuart said, "You looked like you were going to kiss her." The little guy grinned and said, "I was...but it would've been embarrassing." You might think that now...

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• inquisitive dog ears

• learning to fly an airplane

• roadside flower stands

• New York strip steak

• wishing on a new moon

* * *

There was a blue moon last week.

Did you see it?

We missed it. And now we have to wait 32 months until the next one. Sniff...

Apparently, a "blue moon" is when there are two full moons in the same month.

Click here to learn more.

Friday Funnies

Here's something a little "cheesy" but fun.... Enjoy!

Dance With Me

We got the chance to observe Emily's last dance class on Monday, and I videoed her practicing for the recital dance. I'm only putting a portion on (at this point) since the actual video was too long to upload to YouTube, but you'll get the idea.

I love watching the girls in these sorts of things because they are very distracted by us viewers and the new room they're in...but they manage to stay together most of the time.

Of Baseball Games and Sunglasses

Taking a slightly different spin on my usual online calendar pages....

5 THINGS TO BE (UN)HAPPY ABOUT (AT A BASEBALL GAME)
• loud, obnoxious sections of cheering schoolkids
• tall people sitting in front of you when you're only 4 feet tall
• impatient children who only want to "eat" their way through the game
• 9 innings (7 of them with the sun glaring in our eyes)
• losing your sunglasses under the bleachers

Still, despite the above silliness, we had a good time at the R-Phils game tonight, enjoying some peanuts and Twizzlers. The game seemed to drag a bit more than usual, but the schoolkids were tolerable, for the most part, (except when they begged the players to toss balls to them...it reminded me of the seagulls in Finding Nemo).

The clincher of the "unhappy" moments came towards the end of the game when Stuart's "dollar-store" sunglasses slid off the seat and dropped down under the bleachers. You would have thought the kids' favorite pet had died. The tears and grief that ensued was amazing...they felt that much sadness for Stuart, who shrugged it off with "I'll have to get another pair sometime."

You can't say they don't have empathy.

Monday Musings...More or Less

Happy Monday to you! (I'm having a tough time coming up with catchy titles for these musings. Ah, well. It stretches the gray cells.)

No new 24 tonight. Sigh. That means no wings either. Only 7 1/2 months to go... How will we live without our weekly dose of Jack? Sigh.

Remember the Muppet Show? We introduced our kids to it last year when we bought Season 1 for them for Christmas. They LOVE it -- who could resist the silliness of this ingenious show? We're listening to a CD of "Muppet Hits" as I type this. Stuart found out that Season 2 is coming out this August! Can you guess who's excited?

We're at the "end stage" of our school year. Everything is wrapping up for the summer.

The new video I put on the sidebar player is in honor of Emily's last dance class. She finishes her 7th year of dancing this evening with her dress rehearsal. Her recital is next Sunday. We always look forward to seeing it since it gives us an appreciation for how far she's come. She was definitely born to dance. Emily is 4 1/2 in this recital photo.

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• old Hollywood mansions

• corn fritters and remoulade

• industrious people

• a round of miniature golf

• deep sleep

* * *

Couldn't resist sharing this: You have to go to this link and this link, too, to read it. (Click on the four arrow symbol in the bottom righthand corner to enlarge.)

Imagine having two homes when you're married... Says something about personalities, huh? I told Stuart maybe we should look into buying one. I mean, it's a "steal" at $1.3 million (or whatever it is).

Plus, maybe we'd see Kiefer at the closing? I'm sure he'd be nicer/more polite than the multi-millionaire man we bought our current house from.

More on that another time...

Then and Now

What a difference a school year makes!

Photos of the kids from September and June.

Once Upon an Autumn Day...

...we began a new year of school.

And phew!

Fini!

Geëindigd!

Beendet!

τελειωμένος!

Rifinito!

Terminado!

закончено!

Acabado!

Now, we're finished!

That's All, Folks!

THE END!!

No more pencils, no more books.

No more teacher's dirty looks!