More Monday Monday Musings

Happy last Monday in March -- the eve of April Fool's Day.

Another new month starts up tomorrow. Wow! The year's flying by already.

An eventful weekend in our household. Edward got his new glasses on Saturday and has spent the past two days looking very dapper. They'll take some getting used to, I think, but he's pleased with them (he cleans them every few seconds) and happy to be able to see far away.

So we're 4 for 4 in the glasses department now. Edward wonders if the new baby will need them, too. Let's hope not.

Emily is spending the today and tomorrow at the Goggleworks for her PSSA tests. She was extremely nervous beforehand, but as we went in one of her best school buddies, Madeline, ran up behind her and gave her a big hug. The nervousness evaporated. Quite an answer to our prayers!

So the countdown continues for Season 7 of 24. Let's see...only 9 1/2 months until it starts. Yeehaw! Sigh. Still, we have the other "Kiefer" items to look forward to, including his new movie and the 2-hour prequel for Season 7.

In other news...

Hmm...there's not much other news happening.

Stuart and I started to watch a movie I picked up at the dollar store last week. There was a definite reason this movie was only $1...and even then I was overcharged... I've never ever destroyed a DVD -- it was actually very interesting and fun to see how a disc is made -- but this movie was so insulting and vulgar that I took great pleasure in wrecking it and shredding the DVD inserts and promotional postcards "to send to friends" (as if! *snort*) that came with it. The movie's title? E-mail me, and I'll tell you. I'm not giving it any more presstime than it deserves...which is none.

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• Guernsey cows

• Nova Scotia’s seacoast

• having your caricature drawn

• dancing with your moon-shadow

• a personal note

* * *

Emily just finished a unit on embryology in her homeschool learning group science class. The course was taught by a woman who works with our county's 4-H educational program.

It brought back memories of my four years of agriculture class in high school when I was also a member of our school's FFA. It was a great experience to be a part of this group even though I didn't grow up/live on a farm. My rabbits were my project...not that I ever made any money with them.

Still, even though I wasn't a farmer per se, I had to do many of the farming lessons, learning about the various types of cows, sheep, chickens...and attending the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show. (I was even a member of the Farm Show's FFA band for two years.)

I enjoyed seeing all the animals and petting them. Among my favorite cow breeds is the Guernsey. They are one of the breeds that makes the best milk. And for cows, they are almost pretty.

You learn a lot about the actual technical stuff from books, like the size of the animals, their markings, lifespans, etc.

But my farmer classmates taught me all the other "unknown" stuff, like the fact that cows like to have their tongues pulled.

Okay. Okay. I'm normally a natural-born skeptic, but on stuff that I'm not completely sure of I cave and get a bit gullible...which tells you the rest of this story, right?

...

Let's just say that cows aren't really that keen on having their tongues pulled.

If you don't believe me...give it a try. *wink*

Failing to Succeed

Emily has her 5th-grade PSSA tests on Monday and Tuesday. I usually don't tell her until closer to the actual dates, but this year I decided she is old enough to prepare herself for them...so I told her two weeks ago when we first got the e-mail.

Hmm...

(Well, I use "prepare" lightly since she's only going to be tested on what she should know already. This particular test measures where the student is as far as grade level is concerned. There's not chance of "failing" since it isn't a pass/fail kind of thing.)

Hmm...

Already Emily is worried about failing. She's dreading it to the point of tears.

I don't know why since she's bright and has done well on the tests the past two years that she's had to take them.

Still, I'm realistic in knowing she may not do as well this year since school has gotten (in her words) decidedly harder.

Am I worried? No way.

As I keep telling her, even if she doesn't do "as well" as in past years and even if it flags her as "needing help," that's success...not failure. How can we improve something if we don't know that it needs improving?

As parents, we are doing our children a huge disservice when we don't allow them to fail. Somehow that reflects poorly on us, making us look "bad," and we don't like that. Whine, whinge. It's not our children that do wrong but someone else's children...or the system...or the teacher...or any other nameable thing.

What does that teach them?

That failure at any cost is bad...wrong...awful?

How does that set them up for the real world when they don't get that long-sought-after job, or they don't get recognized for an award, or they don't get the lead in the play?

I prefer to think of failure as a stepping stone to success.

It doesn't have to be something awful that deflates a person's ego and self-worth. It can be a way of learning; learning that we're aren't as good at something as we thought, that we might need to work harder or try something else.

As I said to Emily the other day: not everyone is born a prodigy. Many, many -- if not most -- of us have to work hard to get somewhere in life.

And that's the true booster of self-worth.

I think hard work makes a child realize and appreciate what she has, including her brain power.

Friday Funnies

How can you not laugh with this adorable little guy? Ah, the joy of simple pleasures!

Have a fun and happy Friday!

The Pleasure of Dyeing

Dyeing Easter eggs is always a pleasure in our house.

In years past, we tried the fancy little boxed kits with the buckets and stickers and sparkles and decided that good old-fashioned food coloring worked the best.

If you use crayons to draw on the eggs first, you get some fun designs that the dye won't adhere to.

I think we enjoy it as much as our kids...but there are only so many hard-boiled eggs needed in a household so Stuart and I were limited to two eggs each this year.

The end results? A plethora of colors and designs!

Here a Chick...There a Chick

Remember Old MacDonald and his farm?

Well, Emily's science teacher at our homeschool learning group took it upon herself to teach the kids about agriculture this year -- being that the learning group meets at a church in the middle of farm country.

This semester, she employed the help of the Berks County 4-H and had a teacher come in to teach the children about embryology using chicken eggs.

The kids got to watch 20 eggs develop over 21 days, even candling them to see them developing inside the shell. Her teacher kept an "egg blog" to track the progress.

Today was the day to meet the chicks, which hatched (ironically) on Easter. Fifteen out of 20 made it.

Emily was very excited and quite worried about what to wear since her teachers had explained that sometimes chicks "leak." But I assured her that whatever she wore, if the chicks soiled it with chick droppings, it would all come out in the wash. She even had Edward worried about it, though "camo" seemed the perfect choice. *wink*

We headed to the learning group for the last hour-long class on farming and a chance to hold a chick.

Now, if only we can have a couple at our house...

Just kidding...

...of course.

Classic Easter Cuteness

2002

2008

What a difference a day makes? Or, in this case, six years. Time sure flies when you're having fun...and kids don't stay small for long.

Cliched? Of course, but also so true.

Memories, Mumus, and Musings on Monday

Happy Easter Monday!

I hope you enjoyed a blessed Easter weekend...and didn't gorge on too many marshmallow bunnies or Cadbury eggs. *wink*

We had a good time sharing dinner with my family at my parents' house. Stuart and I made the cole slaw. We often are in charge of making that since Stuart has a severe carrot allergy, and we can make it sans carrots, unlike all the store-bought brands.

Now it's back to real life.

School started again today, and I'm pleased to say that the week off didn't hurt the kids in their studies. Both buckled down and finished all their work by noon. I decided to hold out a "carrot" of sorts to Emily to keep her focused. This "carrot" came in the form of stickers and a piece of candy. Hmm...amazing how a little piece of sugary goodness and some brightly-colored sticky pictures help immensely...but, hey, I'm not complaining. She struggles with staying focused, and if this works -- ALL the better!

We lost a very dear older friend on Good Friday. She was my "auntie" while we lived in England and taught me all sorts of stuff about English foods and customs. We had our first "high tea" at her house over the Christmas holidays -- our first away from family -- and shared many a "roasted meal" with her and her husband after church. We hadn't seen them since Emily was a baby since they moved up to Scotland to be closer to children...but they were always close in heart. And they will forever remain my English auntie and uncle.

Stuart and I were discussing "mumus" the other night. I was telling him about how when my mom was a girl she made them with some friends at a sleepover. Stuart didn't even know what they were exactly. I wondered from whence they originally came. So we turned to handy-dandy Wikipedia.com for some answers. Turns out the "mu'umu'u" originated in Hawaii. To learn more, click here. Always nice to learn something new.

Heard from the 7-year-old: "The most best foods of summer are Popsicles, lemonade, watermelon, and ice cream." All the best food in life comes loaded with sweetness, right?

Kids say the darnedest, huh?

My friend Angel's 4-year-old C'sa watched me take off my coat last week when we got together to have donuts. "I was wondering what you were wearing," she said matter-of-factly. I loved that my clothing choice for the day interested her. And I think she approved since we were both wearing stripes. *wink* Watch for this girl to be in charge of a fashion runway at some point in the future.

Photo art courtesy of BennyBlog. THANKS!

I don't know if I mentioned that Kiefer Sutherland's latest flick, Mirrors, now has an official release date. Did I say that the movie Mirrors has a release date? I think they finally announced a release date for the Mirrors movie.... Think I'm a little excited?? August 15th is the day that the movie will hit theatres. We have a new IMAX theatre going in nearby...wonder what this horror movie would be like in that sort of theatre...

I'll forgo my usual "5 Things to Be Happy About" list so that I can actually get this posted on Monday.

Enjoy your last full week of March.

Sweet Easter Sunday

I am continually amazed by His love for me! Hallelujah! He is RISEN!





"Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" by Charles Wesley

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, "Alleluia!"
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of Earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Awaiting His Glory...

Good Friday

Solemn thoughts of the sacrifice made on this day...



Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood—
Sealed my pardon with His blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior! —Bliss

Stay tuned for Sunday...

Friday Funnies

This ad is fairly cheesy, but the rabbits are so adorable. *grin*

Spring Has Sprung!

Emily, April 2002

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

I feel like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. I want to bounce around on my tail, proclaiming the joy of Springtime's arrival. Of course, not having an actual tail would make that a bit difficult, but the sentiment is there, nonetheless.

Today is not a sunny, idyllic day with flowers in full bloom or birds singing their lungs out. Afterall, it's still March. But the day signifies that warmer weather is indeed coming...and the world will eventually burst forth in color...sooner rather than later.

That's all that really matters, right?

We want to see green grass and brightly-colored flowers and leaves on the trees.

I've always maintained that each season has its own beauty, but I think this past Winter brought a bit of contradiction to that. Was it the lack of snow? (No complaints here.) Or the general dismal weather and gray-brown world? (Sigh.)

Or maybe I just forgot to store up enough sunshine inside of me to get me through the cold, gray days.

Nevermind now.

Spring is here! And soon enough warm weather will be here to stay...along with the pollen. Hmm... I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

Speaking of Spring...

I had a sudden memory of Emily at age 2 or so.

We were visiting my sister, and she was showing Emily the flowers in her garden. Every time Emily smelled one, she sniffed loudly and said, "Ahhh."

No matter what it smelled like.

Gotta love that enthusiasm.

Random Sweetness

Some photos I found from 2002...my how quickly kids change...*sigh*

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Tips

Some handy hints from Heloise:

When Making Dry Powdered Milk:
Mix it up and put into a covered jar or pitcher and leave in the refrigerator overnight before you drink it — because it will taste better. Add a pinch of sugar too!

How to Keep a Pot from Boiling Over:
Rub just a bit of vegetable oil or butter around the inside of the pan before you put in the water. Another classic hint is to put a wooden spoon across the top of the pot.

Recycle Leftover Cookie Crumbs:
Take crumbs from the bottom of your cookie jar and add them to puddings that you are making to create a crunchy taste or on top of ice cream.

It's in the Numbers

This is a real 5th grade math problem. It is not a trick question, so don't say that a bus has no legs. *grin*

Ready? Okay.

There are 7 girls in a bus.
Each girl has 7 backpacks.
In each backpack, there are 7 big cats.
For every big cat, there are 7 little cats.

Question: How many legs are there in the bus?

Good luck, and have fun!

Green Monday Musings

St. Patrick's Day 2005
Top o' the mornin' (and week) to you!

My "green" Monday greetings have nothing to do with finding energy alternatives (though I wouldn't mind a few bursts of new energy *wink*)...the green-ness is in honor of the day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Being married to a genuine Englishman and having no real Irish ancestry (save a rebellious Scottish youth on my father's side who may have married an Irish beauty in the 1600s when his family moved to Ireland for a "few" years, giving us a "wee bit" of Irishness), we just enjoy joining in the merriment of the holiday. It holds no real significance for us except in the fun of wearing green and eating "green eggs and ham," or the more appetizing alternative: corned beef and cabbage.

Only a few more days until Spring officially is sprung. Not that the world is suddenly going to burst into a Disneyfied world of flowers and baby animals singing together, but the idea that warmer weather and more sunshine is on its way is extremely appealing this year.

The kids enjoyed an overnight visit with my parents this weekend, while Stuart and I went to a little couples' "shindig" at church. We were marveling at how quiet the car and house seemed without kids and then realized we weren't truly "kidless" when you take into account my growing bump (fondly nicknamed "Leech"). Still, this one is quiet...at the moment. *wink*

Filming begins again soon on 24. We aren't sure if they'll start with the prequel or the actual season (I'm guessing the former). Either way, it'll be VERY exciting. Only 9 1/2 months until the new season. *sigh* I'm not sure how long it will be until the prequel airs...but I'm sure we'll get the ol' countdown clock moving for that once we find out. Meanwhile, Kiefer did a few more shots for his newest movie, Mirrors, due out sometime later this year. Whoo-hoo!!

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• a weekend away

• pennywhistle music

• grandma’s piecrust

• stuffed animals

• a pint of green beer

* * *

When I was in college, I spent a semester in Harrisburg, doing an internship in our state government. I was part of a group of 12 students -- one from each of the state system universities -- to enjoy this interesting experience.

While I didn't mind it one bit, I found that living on a college campus was somewhat sheltering. I worked on campus, lived on campus, attended classes on campus, and ate on campus. I had a car so I would go out shopping occasionally, but for the most part I stayed on campus. And not being a drinker of any kind, I didn't attend parties. Besides, I was underage for the first year of my college years.

In Harrisburg, however, I lived outside the city, drove my car into the city for work, worked in the city, ate in various places inside and outside the city. It was a whole different experience for me.

I still didn't party or drink.

But when St. Patrick's Day came that year, our little group decided to visit a local bar that was hosting holiday festivities.

It was the first -- and last time -- I tried green beer. *grin*

It was fun to hang out with the group, but I knew I didn't need the beer to have a good time.

Still, it's fun to try new things, right?

Sweet Sunday

"And Can It Be," yet another of my favorite hymns. This one is written by Charles Wesley.

Please remember to stop the sidebar video. And enjoy a SWEET Sunday!



And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood! Died He for me, who caused His pain! For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies! Who can explore His strange design? In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine. 'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more. 'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore; let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father's throne above (so free, so infinite His grace!), emptied Himself of all but love and bled for Adam's helpless race. 'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me! 'Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine; alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, bold I approach th' Eternal Throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own. Bold I approach th' Eternal Throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Friday Funnies

This is absolutely hilarious! Even if you're not a fan of cats, you'll find yourself laughing at them. I cannot believe some of the antics of these cats! They're definitely acrobats!

Enjoy, and have a very FUN Friday!

It's a "Jean"-thing

My mom asked our 7-year-old, Edward, to go out to lunch with her. She then had plans to take him shopping for clothing.

She did this for our 10-year-old daughter on her last birthday and had such a good time that she thought she'd repeat it with Edward around his birthday.

She asked him what he'd like to have in the way of clothes, hoping he might like to have a nice new Easter outfit.

He mentioned that he might like a few more pairs of jeans since all of his had holes in them. (Guess he's not into that style yet. Yay!)

She agreed and out they went.

When she brought him home a few hours later, she told me that girls have nothing on him when it comes to talking...he never stopped talking.

"He's certainly not shy," she said.

I smiled.

Maybe it's in the "jeans?" *wink*

Wordless Wednesday

A Sweet Tuesday Tidbit

So we had our first visit with the midwife last night.

We made it a family affair since it would be the first time the kids got to hear the baby's heartbeat.

After a jolly time chatting with our midwife about life and traveling and politics and babies, we finally got to the moment the kids had been waiting for "so patiently" (minus the sighing)...

I lay on the table and our midwife put the device on my belly and there it was: wompf-wompf-wompf! 148-152-155 A good strong heartbeat that sounded like an approaching train.

We asked the kids what they thought and both were excited, though Edward grew thoughtful. "Is that it?" he asked. "I wanted to hear the baby waaa."

...

Plenty of time for that, my boy.

Moseying Monday Musings

A big thank you to Benny for this gift!
Happy Monday to you!

Only 10 more days until the first day of Spring! Hooray! Not that my allergies enjoy the springtime, but the rest of me does.

So Daylight Savings Time began at 2 a.m. on Sunday... And everyone in our house -- despite reminding ourselves on Friday and Saturday -- forgot.

Then, on top of it all, I also forgot that we "spring forward" and thought on Sunday morning at 7 a.m. (Standard Time) that Stuart had kindly set all the clocks back for us...since all of the clocks except my computer were saying the same time. My computer needed to be reset by me, of course. Except my computer had reset itself to the PROPER time for Daylight Savings Time....and when I realized all this, it was 8:20 a.m. DST, and we needed to leave for church no later than 8:35...and I was the only one up. Hmmm...can we say: PANIC?

Amazingly enough, we managed to pull out of the driveway, completely dressed and munching on sandwiches, at 8:40 a.m....only slightly behind schedule. And happily, we made it to church in time to beat our students to the Sunday School classroom.

It certainly made for a rushed morning, though.

*sigh*

Onward and upward...in other news...

FOX has decided to release a 2-hour prequel-movie for 24's Season 7...this Fall!! Can you feel the excitement of this fan? Oh, what good news that was to my ears! It will certainly help with the looooong wait until next January. Bring on the wings!

We had a visit to a 4-H club member's rabbitry last Tuesday night. 60+ rabbits! It made our 8 seem like nothing. It was truly amazing, especially when you consider how much food she goes through in a week. We came home and hugged ours, thanking them for being small in size and number. *smile*

Speaking of Tuesday...

The kids and I decided to mail ourselves postcards on Leap Day so that we would get the date cancellation to save. The clerk at our post office told the kids to watch for the cards to arrive on Saturday. It made sense. We mailed them from our post office so they wouldn't even leave the facility. Saturday, nope. Monday, nope. Tuesday...our cards finally arrived. Good thing we didn't send them Express mail.

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• a weekend away
• pennywhistle music
• grandma’s piecrust
• stuffed animals
• a pint of green beer

* * *

In 1987, the year my oldest sister got married, she and her new hubby went to Williamsburg, Virginia, for their honeymoon.

Sweetly, they brought home presents for all of us.

My present was a shiny pennywhistle.

Being a flute player for a while by then, the pennywhistle made for a great new instrument to learn.

I played all the songs that came with the whistle and even picked out a few new ones by ear. It was a lot of fun.

The only problem I ran into was anytime I played it when our cat was in my room.

Somehow, the piercing tones weren't music to her ears.

I discovered this one day while I was sitting on the floor, leaning on my bed, and I felt teeth and claws sinking into my scalp every time I tooted a new note.

When I stopped, the claws and teeth disappeared and purring started.

When I began again, they reappeared and the purring ceased.

In the end, I put away the whistle and decided to read instead.

Sheesh! Everyone's a critic.

Sweet Sunday

Another good song we sang in church this morning: "Better Is One Day."

Enjoy!

Friday Funnies

I thought this was hilarious! Enjoy it, and have a fun Friday!!

Fantastic Computer-Generated Music Machine!

Enjoy! And don't forget to pause the sidebar video player.

Wordless Wednesday

The "Stork" Truth

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...

Oops...I guess that's the title of a musical.

Maybe it should be: A funny thing happened on the way to the doctor's office last Tuesday?

I'll come back to that.

* * *

We have two wonderful kids, ages 10 and 7.

For a long while we'd hoped for a third. You know, to have another visit from the stork somewhere around Edward's 3rd birthday or thereabouts.

It didn't happen.

Time has a funny way of getting past us. We age faster than we realize...or maybe we realize it but try to ignore it?

And, as I am now 37, last December we decided it was time to stop "trying" for that third. (We had given ourselves until 38, but it seemed pointless to keep going. We felt so blessed already. We have two great kids at fantastically-portable ages. We can pick up and leave at any time. And, as a family, we are symmetrical.)

It was time to move on.

* * *

Back to last Tuesday...

* * *

But first...

Somewhere back in January, I spent a half-hour on the phone with Stuart, crying and blubbering about PMS and hormones and everything else under the sun that was bothering me. He's such a good egg, and I know he was thanking God for his manhood.

I had one last pregnancy test in the house and thought as we were "moving on" I should use it and get rid of it. So I did. Only I forgot about it in my rantings and left the bathroom to do the dishes.

Fast-forward 10 minutes and I suddenly remembered it and the fact that it wasn't something I wanted the kids to find.

A minute later, I stopped breathing.

* * *

Now, about last Tuesday....

This is who we met at the doctor's office:

Estimated date to debut? September 12th...the day after Stuart's birthday.

With one child born on my birthday and another born on Valentine's Day...what are this child's chances of having its own birthdate?

We'll have to wait and see.

Marching into Monday Musings

Happy Happy Happy First Monday in March!

Finally!

Not that I'm a big fan of racing through the new year...but plodding through February was hard work this year.

It was a warm and sunny day today. Something everyone needed, I think.

The kids raced through their schoolwork so that they could go outside to play this afternoon before Emily's dance class. The muddy footprints throughout the kitchen prove that they made it.

Heard out of the clear blue from Emily this weekend: "Am I supposed to like sweat?" Hmm... We weren't sure how to answer that. I would love to be able to get inside of her head sometime.

Edward and I had a "date" yesterday. I'd promised him a chocolate milkshake since he'd missed out a few weeks due to being sick. I realized how long it had been since we'd actually spent time together when he got into the car and said, "It's been such a long time since we did this, huh, Mommy?"

Moments like that remind me that kids grow up so quickly...we need to treasure the time we have with them...it will pass all too soon.

Being Monday reminds me of wings...and wings remind me of television...and television reminds me of my favorite Monday night show, 24. Hmm... I think I'll start my monthly countdown again. Let's see...only 10 1/2 months until Season 7...we hope.

Anyways...moving right along.

* * *

5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
• Guernsey cows
• Nova Scotia’s seacoast
• having your caricature drawn
• dancing with your moon-shadow
• a personal note

* * *

Way back in the mid-1990s, Stuart and I took a trip around Europe.

One of the places we visited was Florence, Italy, the birthplace of one of my great-grandfathers. It was a beautiful city, filled with the charms of Italian life and "olde worlde" architecture.

While we were passing through an open market square, looking for something leather to buy (one of the things Florence is famous for), we heard some say, "Hey, psst! Hey, Rambo! Hey, Sexy!"

Knowing this person couldn't possibly be talking about us, we continued on slowly, still curious about who said such a thing.

Then an artist popped up in front of us. "Rambo, Sexy. I draw you?" he asked. He pointed to some of his works, all caricatures and all pretty good.

We agreed and stood dutifully while he drew us.

The end result was hilarious and brought us smiles and laughter for many days afterwards. Stuart paid the 30,000 or so lire, and we continue our wander through the marketplace.

We reminisced about the event long after our trip and each time it brought back a smile and a laugh.

A fun moment in time in a country far from home.

* * *

An aside...

Italy has since joined the EU and exchanged its lire for euros.

But back in the mid-90s when we visited, the country still used lire and everything cost 1,000s. (I think the exchange rate at that time was 1,000 lire = 1 dollar.)

So it was odd to be able to take a quarter-million lire out of an ATM, knowing it was only $250.

Made you feel rich for a moment.

Sweet Sunday

We sang this song, "In Christ Alone," in church today, and I have to say it's another of my favorites, not just for the tune, but the words are phenomenal.

Enjoy it and have a very sweet and blessed Sunday...and don't forget to pause the sidebar video player.