Lovely Granny's Traveling Pipes

I didn't realize, until today, that I forgot to post these photos of my mom's visit to Eve and Noah's elementary school. She played the chanter and the Uillean pipes. She won over a kid in the kindergarten who did not initially like the sound. She was thanked multiple times for coming and told she was cool. (March 17th, 2011)

What's the DIF?

No fireworks, or potato salad for our 4th of July holiday. I spent my celebration of freedom peeling wallpaper from some stubborn walls at my parent's house. It is a funny thing that I, mostly, enjoyed the experience. I had several opportunities to talk with my mom and step dad, Jim, while we scraped away...well it was really banter. Silly jokes and going over old memories in a confined space isn't so bad when there is free ice cream in the pantry fridge. I would take a break and read my book about the Epidemic Investigative Service, so when I went back to scraping the wallpaper (just 2 layers worth) I created a story that I was releasing some toxic spores from the 70's. Depending on the validity of that story and differing periods of incubation I might be looking for a doctor and attorney in about 5 days to 10 years...


My parents have been taking care of the neighbor's house while her father is in hospice. They have been paying Aaron to cut her grass to earn money for Philmont this month. They also paid Aaron and his friend Alex to paint her shutters, front door and garage door. My mom has to break the news that termites are eating the wood on either side of her garage door. Mom and Jim would fix that too if they could. They are great examples of good neighbors.
:::::::::Noahism:::::::::


While I was stripping the wallpaper Noah ran by to ask my mom for something out of the pantry. So I asked him what he was foraging for (he loves to eat junk)in the pantry. He said: "Rachel wants some Pops."

Me: "What, are her legs broken?"

Noah: "No. Why am I getting them. She threatened to lick me, or she said she would give me a lickin'. There isn't much difference."

Noah is our germaphobe, so Rachel's threat to lick him was tantamount to a beat down.


Now...to help Michael fix some sheetrock at our house.

Books and Movies

This song was mentioned several times in the book, so I thought I would include it with my review:



A glimpse into the life of the "Weird" Watsons from Flint, Michigan. Told from the perspective of the 10 year-old son, Kenny. Kenny tells us his experiences of dealing with his delinquent bullying brother Byron and his rule following, kind-hearted sister Joetta (Joey). Kenny's parents are finally pushed to follow through with the threat to take Byron to stay with his strict grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. The family takes a trip to the South with the families old car, "The Brown Bomber" and momma's notebook laying out their itinerary in detail. Once in Alabama the children are introduced to the sultry nights and oppressive heat of the day... and the oppressive hatred that is punctuated by a bombing at the Sunday School.

The first several chapters describing the family and the actions of Byron and his bullying were off putting. The author doesn't let Byron become a one dimensional character. The incident with the bird shows a sad, but redeeming quality in Bryron. The book hit its stride once the Weird Watson's hit the road. I have traveled enough with road trips with my family and seen that clinched jaw and wild eyed star on my husband to get connected with the family. The part where Byron says, "No cars, no cow, but I counted yo' momma six times already." Then Kenny replies, "That's your momma too, stupid!" makes me think of several conversations among my kids in the car and at the breakfast table. Byron's character at the end is fully redeemed by helping Kenny through the aftermath of the bombing. I like that the characters are all a shade of gray.
The epilogue was a great addition to the book and one of my favorite parts said, "They are the people who believe that as long as one person is being treated unfairly, we all are. These are our heroes, and they still walk among us today."
Definitely give this book a read. This would offer a wonderful springboard to a family discussion on Civil Rights, bullying, road trips, and life in different parts of the country.

:::::::::::Shrek Forever After

I took Eve to see Shrek on Thursday afternoon to keep a promise I made last month. The message of the movie, to appreciate your life, was a great. The alternate reality was hilarious. The interaction between Rumplestiltskin and the witches was a hoot. Donkey and Puss were their crazy, reluctant, side-kick selves. The site gags with Puss sliding down the ropes was too funny. We had a great time singing too.

Here is a great site for finding all of the songs in the movie in order of their appearance.
I have enjoyed all of the soundtracks from the Shrek movies. I have this image in my head that somehow I went to school with the folks selecting the music because I enjoy them all so much. I thought this new song was amazing "Darling I Do" by Landon Pigg and Lucy Schwartz:


I'm one of those folks that sits and reads the credits to films and this song by Maxine Nightingale that I fondly remember from the late 70's was fun to sing along:



::::::::::Robin Hood:::::::


Last week, my mom and I got to use our free movie tickets to see Robin Hood. Michael and Aaron had gone earlier in the day and gave it a positive review. I already like Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, so I was game to go to see the film. This telling of the Robin Hood story was well done. Russell Crowe plays Robin Longstride who makes a promise to Robert Loxley's sword to his father to make amends for taking it and going to battle. Reluctlantly Robin agrees, but has to make a minor stop to return the crown of the dead king first. When Robin gets to Nottingham he is asked by Loxley's father to pretend to his dead son, so that his daughter-in-law, Marian, will not lose the family estate.
Cate Blanchett as Marian is a strong woman (I love strong woman characters)who defends her family and land against the smarmy Sheriff of Nottingham played by Matthew McFadyen (who was made not dreamy like he was as Mr. Darcy for this film), then the forces led by the evil Godfrey. Russell Crowe has the presences in each film that he is given a leadership role to pull it off convincingly. I loved him in Master and Commander and in Gladiator too.
The fight sequences are many, but suprisingly, not gory. The bloodiest part of the film is in the credits and is done in life action with a watercolor overlay. Totally funky effect to have the credits using the watercolor. This is a quintessentially cool date movie. It has action, drama, romance, history and a plot (some movies never get around to the plot part...or good actors...). The scenery is magnificent, as well. Check this one out.

Lordy, Lordy...Yes I'm 40!

A big thank you to my mom and Jim for inviting some awesome friends to partake in some tasty Mexican food, yummy cake and some good natured ribbing. I stole this photo from Jim's blog because I love my friend, Althea's, laugh. Hey, if any of you fly Delta she is one of the best flight attendants around. Another friend, Elizabeth, just moved back to Georgia and is working at Emory so look for great stuff there...but I hope you won't need the services. Suzanne and Jason are great neighbors to my mom and friends. Lani and Guy...thanks for the cool pinwheel (it is in the front yard) and Eve has claimed the balloons. Carol...thanks for the cute card! Charlene...thanks for driving Lani and me places when we were kids. Thank you mom and Jim for the cool presents and always helping with my kiddos. To my dear husband who went shopping with me for my 5th smoothie maker...you are a patient man! It was a truly fun day!


A torrential downpour to start the week. MMMmmm the smell of runoff in the morning!


Need an inexpensive adventure...try the library:




:::::::::::::::
Autonomatonophobia is the fear of ventriloquists' dummies, animatronic creatures or wax statues -- anything that falsely represents a sentient being.

I actually think ventriliquism is pretty cool, but that is as long as the ventriliquist and dummy are on television. I really liked Willie Tyler and Lester in the early 70s so my mom was so cool to get me a Lester doll. Lester stared at me all the time, so I put him in my toy box. I wasn't sure if that was good enough, so I put my bag full of Barbies on top of that. Still I wasn't sure if he might get out and kill me, so I wedged my Barbie airplane and any other firm items on top of the toy box just to be sure. I eventually donated Lester to someone with more sense. Some unknown person mind you, but probably with more sense. I also feared my wicker chair, the space under my bed and leaving my closet open. Rachel finds it amusing that I would hit my bed after a dead run and a leap to make sure nothing could grab me a night. I know I'm not alone in these fears because I saw Poltergeist and who ever wrote the script for that listened to my nightmares, or had the same ones. Clowns are evil, people! Do I realize these are unfounded...yes...do I still get creeped out...yes!
One of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes is with Tele Savalas and Talking Tina:




http://whatafind-antiques-collectibles.blogspot.com/2009/01/eg-goldberger-willie-tyler-lester.html

So long Lester...I hope you are safely resting in a place far, far away!

Life with Noah...The Spring Edition

Noah and the Spelling Homework:

Noah: "I have spelling due Wednesday, will you help me?"

I pulled out the sliding shelf in my desk and said, "Come sit down. Be my friend."

Noah: "You already are my friend...(pause)distantly."

Me: (scribbling down what Noah said).

Noah: "Do you write down everything I say?"


Noah and the Book of Weird Facts


While I was digital scraping photos of Noah's Pinewood Derby he was on the couch reading Rachel's newest Book Fair acquisition Weird But True 300 Outrageous Facts. "Did you..." preceded every entry he read to me. After several entries he said, "Did you know the average yawn last 6 seconds?"

Then, Noah yawned.

Noah asked, "Did you time that?"

Me: "No."

Noah: "Crap!"


Noah and the Harp:

My mom returned my phone call this evening and Noah took the opportunity to speak with her. While they were talking she could hear Eve practicing the piano.
She asked Noah: "Is there any musical instrument you would like to play?"

Noah: (Thinks for a little bit) "The Butt Harp!"

As my mom tells me this story my stepfather, Jim, is listening in the background and adds these clever quips, "I guess you call that a wind instrument." Then, he said: "And he is going to be the one cleaning his own reed!"

I hope to post some layots this week. Later, Peeps!

Gaelic Granny Groupies

My mom went to the elementary school today to play the chanter and shuttle pipe for the kids. The amount of people morphed a bit from a couple of 3rd grade classes to the entire 3rd grade in the cafeteria.







Then she played for 2 Kindergarten teachers. Our intermission was a trip to lunch with our promoter, Crystal Powell, at the Blue Rooster Cafe. Crystal was Eve's pre-k teacher and we have remained friends. She has a child at Camp Creek, as well. Crystal treated us to lunch. The chicken salad sandwich was tasty and the lemon cake divine. While we were at lunch Michael texted me a photo of my brother out with his class at the local mall. The teachers got nervous that a strange man was taking Denny's picture, but Michael explained that Denny is his brother-in-law and Denny vouched for him by standing near him. Small world.
Our second tour consisted of Noah's 4th grade class. They were really complimentary to mom. I was proud of them all. We took an hour break and mom and I helped with some Book Fair invitations for the teachers. Our last stop was Eve's 1st grade class. Mom let Noah and Eve introduce her for their classes. They were both so proud of her. One of the boys was in Noah's class last year, as well, and said he wanted to be in Noah's 5th grade class of my mom was coming back to play next year. One of the 3rd graders from the morning event complimented mom again when he saw her in the library.


I hope y'all have had a great day too!

Happy Birthday, Noah!

We have been in and out of the house today. We celebrated Noah's 9th birthday. We made his favorite breakfast of French toast, then we ate the cookie cake we bought yesterday. He chose the design when I took him shoe shopping and to buy a present. I let him pick out an expensive Lego set in return for not having a party.

Then, we took the kids to Stone Mountain Park to do the Sky Hike. Eve didn't want to try it in October, but today she decided she would try. She was nervous at several spots, but completed all 3 tiers. We are so proud of her. It started to rain as we were finishing up, so we left. We were going to stop at the movie theatre, but the movie on the marquee isn't showing until tomorrow. So, we took the kids to Noah's favorite place to eat, Chick-Fil-A. Aaron had a headache, so afterwards we went home for a nap.


:::::::::::::Juniors to Cadets::::
After the nap we had Rachel's bridging ceremony. She went from being a Junior Girl Scout to a Cadet. The weather held out for occasion. Granny and Grampa Towhey came with hugs and their cameras.














Michael and Aaron had fun cutting up on the bridge, after the ceremony:












They also started a water bottle fight in the parking lot at Bruster's ice cream. Rachel, Noah and Eve got involved too. Everyone was laughing and damp.

::::::::::::::::::5th Grade Promotion::::::

On Tuesday night, Rachel had fun at her promotion ceremony. She received a certificate for Perfect Attendance and one for doing well on the CRCT.

Wednesday was the last day of school and the 5th graders had "Survivor Day". They got to have a water fight, play on inflated equipment, eat snow cones, sing karaoke and dance to music played by a D.J. They also got served pizza that was ordered in. I was at the school all day and got to see Noah and Eve dance and enjoy the last day, too.

::::::Update::::::

Granny Alice is doing well. Grampa Jim goes into the doctor for a follow-up tomorrow, but says he isn't experiencing any pain. So good news on both fronts. Thanks for the kind words and prayers for their behalf.

I'm in desparate need of a shower. Y'all have a good night, or day.

Smiles!

What's Up

My love and hugs go out to my stepmother, Alice, who is in the hospital. I was able to speak with her and they aren't sure why her blood pressure is so low. I'm glad Katherine and Tracy are close by to check on her. Also, to my stepdad, Jim, with his tooth/jaw woes.:::::::Service Project


:::::::::::::More Strawberry Farm layouts::::








I've been reading books on critical thinking...Bologna (Baloney)Detectors, so to speak. I really enjoyed these books on the subject:






I like to think I'm getting a little farther along on the road to discerning the information I come in contact with each day.


::::::::::::::::The Movie Tavern---or Fun with my Mom::::

My mother took me out to the Movie Tavern in Tucker for my birthday. Neither of us had been there before. When you walk in you get in line and tell the cashier the movie and time, then order your meal. You are then given a number on a stand and go to your theatre and find a seat. Mom ordered chicken quesadillas and I got the turkey club wrap with side salad. The theatre was clean and the seats were comfy, but if you wear pantyhose and a skirt you may tend to feel like you are going to slide out onto the floor. At least, that is what my mom tells me. (I think pantyhose are products of Satan and his minions...this may run contrary to that whole critical thinking section preceding this review...but run with it.)
Right before the movie started we got our meal. We shared and agreed that both were delicious. So we give the Tavern's food and cleanliness high marks. The restroom was also clean and had those hand dryers that blow so hard that your skin ripples and dries your hands in 5 seconds. Those are the coolest!
Now to the movie. We chose to see "Wolverine". I'm glad the kids were not with us because it really isn't suitable for kids under 13. The chase scenes and explosions are expected, but some scenes are just too much for kids. Hugh Jackman is seen in his altogether (I would like to applaud Mr. Jackman for sticking to those rigourous workouts)but I don't think that is the best thing for kids to see. (The comparisons alone cover that). Kind folks are killed, so a big no for Rachel to see. She would be depressed the rest of the film. Overall, the film was what I expected. Not as cool as Star Trek, but still a cool action flick for the older crowd.

::::::::::::::::Court of Honor:::

I'm off to take Aaron to Court of Honor. He is going to help mow the grass in preparation for the evenings festivities. Then, we get to eat Mexican food. Michael, who is sick, will stay at home and make grilled cheese for the kids. Michael got sick from the nursery kids he watched for me when I went to In-gathering. He has finally passed it to Aaron and me, but Michael is much sicker. Well...I'm outta here.

Smiles