The Weekend is Hopping!

:::::::::::::::::Busy Friday:::::::::

Decorating sugar cookies was a big hit for Eve's preschool class. The kids were so polite. Rachel helped me cut out flower, bunny, and egg shapes for the cookies. I bought some whipped vanilla frosting and I already had a variety of Spring themed sprinkles. Aaron read a really cool book about the Easter Bunny who is an "Artiste"


This is Eve showing me how to swing. "You kick out your feet, mommy!"

"Then, you pull them back!"


In the afternoon I went to help in Noah's class. I got to lead Noah's group on a scavenger hunt for goodies through the school. Then, I poured Sprite for the kids while they made dirt cups.
Noah's painted pail for the scavenger hunt.




In the evening the Girl Scout meeting went pretty well. I remembered the snacks and we talked about In-gathering. I plan to go as a chaperone.

:::::::::::::::::This Girl Has Skillz!

This is a layout of my SIL, Lettitia, helping the twins make a bracelet.



_{coming soon at sophia sarducci.com
http://sophiasarducci.com/warehouse/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=16&zenid=0246c82678e3f99bd71a76b5bed284e1
Sketch It alpha by Luisa Leandro
Also: Debut kit by Luisa Leandro at Sophia Sarducci
By Dawn Inskip: A Little Sunshine, Guest C.T. mini kit
http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=58&zenid=6f749e8e3eef36755bd930bff3df535c
TTS
http://digistore.treasurestoscrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=20
SSS
http://shop.scrapscandistyle.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=43
Font: DJB My Dear Marsha, and DJB LENA by by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17789&cat=273&page=2
Meredith Fenwick: Arrow from Caution brush set.
Scarletheels Media: Doodle Teeny Alpha
Rhonna Farrer: Snapshot Frames}

::::::::::::::::::::::A Crooked Kind of Perfect::::


by Linda Urban was such an enjoyable read. Her short chapter styles keep the book fresh and fast paced. The main character, Zoe Elias, is 10 years-old (almost 11) at the beginning of the book. Zoe has grand dreams to play piano at Carnegie Hall and be the next Vladmir Horowitz. Her dream takes a detour in reality as her father, who has issues with people and flashing lights, buys Zoe a Perfectone D60 organ, instead of a grand piano. Zoe learns to play the organ and enjoy the campy feel of being able to replicate such standard hits as the theme song to Green Acres.
Zoe's father is such an interesting agoraphobic. He buys into every diploma at home you can think up. He finally finds his niche in baking and surprisingly becomes a mentor to Wheeler, a class mate of Zoe's.
The title's meaning comes out, to me, in every facet of the book. Zoe wants to play a grand piano at Carnegie Hall. She gets to play a Perfectone D60 in a hotel conference room with metal folding chairs. Zoe's dad wants to support his daughter and family, but his agoraphobia limits how long he feels he can stay out in public. He compensates by finding a job baking in the morning away from the crowds. Zoe takes toe socks to a party that is filled with girls who like "Brats" apparel and knows that "nobody wears socks!" Zoe learns that with practice you can burp upside down due to her, unlikely, good friend Wheeler. The characters have the great quality of believeability, like "I know that person" type quality.
One of the great messages comes on page p165, "Perfecton itself is imperfection. I attributed to Vladimir Horowitz who went on to explain,...Each note can only be right in one way. A B-flat is a B-flat. A robot can get a B-flat right. But getting the heart right is something only a person can do. And the ways to do it are as many and as different as there are people in the world."

Zoe meets a girl at her Perfectone competition who makes this humorous observation: "Wouldn't that be funny if everybody wore shirts with true stuff on them?..."Like 'No Mind of Myh Own' or 'I Hope This Shirt Makes Me Look Cool."

I recommend this book for all ages. It is a fun refreshing book that is a bit off center...just like I like things!

btw, Thanks, again, Kim! :)

:::::::::::::::Recommendation Friday (on Saturday)::::::::

Dual purpose items that I find really cool are SKORTS and SPORKS. Folks, this REALLY is the best of two worlds colliding for a single great purpose in their respective spheres. (I haven't had much sleep lately...could you tell?)

Evey loves skorts and I love them, too! You get to have a girly fashion thing going on without worrying who in the world can glimpse you underwear. Active miniature fashionistas can be so happy.

Then, there is the spork. I was first introduced to the spork at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Though, I haven't supped from that fine fast food establishment in years I still have fond memories of the spork. Since Aaron needed a new cook kit and utensils Michael went to R.E.I. and picked Aaron up a really nice new cook kit and a spork. Aaron was really happy for both items. So handy and only one utensil to clean. Yippee!

:::::::::::::::::::Bead Socks::::::::::::
Here are the socks I make for the little girls in our family:





Happy Easter, y'all! :)

Odd(s) and Ends

I love movie and tv quotes. Eve has been running around lately asking the questions that the bridge keeper posed in the movie "The Holy Grail". She also loves to say, "It's just a flesh wound!" She is such a nut!

Here are my responses to Jim's blog prompts:

Name a favorite movie...The African Queen

Name a favorite old TV show... The Carol Burnett Show

Give one line (or quote) from any film or TV show and see if we can all remember it. The line does not have to be from the movie or TV show you chose in Parts 1 and 2...

Elwood: "It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?"

::::::::::::::::::Flower Layout:::::::::



_{Midnight Diamonds - coming soon (have your eyes wide open maybe on thursday)
by Dawn Inskip at NDISB
http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=58&zenid=6f749e8e3eef36755bd930bff3df535c
TTS
http://digistore.treasurestoscrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=20
SSS
http://shop.scrapscandistyle.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=43
Font: DJB My Dear Marsha
by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17789&cat=273&page=2
Misc. Font: CK Cursive}

:::::::::::::::::::::::Still Crocheting::::

I've crocheted beads to 6 pairs of sock. Only 6 more to go! :)

Smiles, until later!

Day Dream Believer...

and the homecoming queen Ordinary Princess.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::Day Dreams:::::::::::::::


Journaling:


"Noah's face looked so serene as the warm Summer sun cast its warm light on his face. Our destination was Shenandoah National Park. You were cuddled with your best pal, "Oinkey" and his side kick "Danny" the stuffed dog. I wonder if they came along with you on your imaginary journey during the afternoon series of ..."

<sub>Credits:
Midnight Diamonds - coming soon (have your eyes wide open maybe on thursday)


by Dawn Inskip at NDISB


Also by Dawn Inskip the “Oh Boy” kit doodles:
http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=58&zenid=6f749e8e3eef36755bd930bff3df535c
TTS
http://digistore.treasurestoscrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=20
SSS
http://shop.scrapscandistyle.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=43


Font: DJB ANOTHER MANDY by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17789&cat=273&page=2</sub>


:::::::::::::The Ordinary Princess


My friend, Kim, has come through with her record of great book suggestions intact. I, thoroughly, enjoyed the story of Princess Amy, The Ordinary Princess. Amy was given a gift by those, often meddlesome and flustering, fairies from around the kingdom. Having the fairies come was against the king's wishes, but the queen and councillors insisted on inviting all of them. All was going well, in the king and queen's estimation, until the arrival of the elderly fairy, Crustacea. She bestowed upon the radiantly beautiful baby the gift of being "ordinary". From that moment Princess Amy was a girl with a turned up nose, freckles and mousy brown hair that was a bit unruly. She grew up to enjoy being in the forest and disdaining the stuffiness of castle life. The funniest parts, to me, were the ways her parents contrived to have their 7th daughter married off...lowered lighting, having the plainest attendants in the room with her. Those wishing to possibly marry Princess Amy never stayed long after seeing her. The last straw was the scheme to hire a dragon to lay waste to a portion of the kingdom to inspire a valiant prince to kill the dragon and then feel compelled to marry her after having gone to all the effort to save her. She ditches castle life for a home in the forest, but a tattered dress makes her find a job. The story continues and is simply a fun story about enjoying the life with out the stuffiness and pretensions of class.

:::::::::::::::::::::Tornado:::::::::::

Some kind folks have inquired if there is any storm damage at our house from the tornado. There was only a lot of rain, but no damage for us.


:::::::::::::::::::::Crocheted Socks:::::::::

I'm off to crochet some beads onto bobby socks for my future niece and another niece turning 2. Eve will probably help, which means beads all over creation. :)


Later, gators.

Accountability

***Warning...serious post:::

Today I finished reading The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo. My library book has so many little torn pieces of paper as individual bookmarks that it looks like its molting. The book was a difficult read from the stand point of learning about the extreme levels of depravity we humans can reach. He presents his initial Stanford Prison Experiment and its benign beginning that quickly became malignant due to dehumanization and deindividuation of the students who were randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. This book has had quite an impact on me. I have cried reading the accounts of the treatment of the student "prisoners" by the student "guards" and been cheered when Christine Maslach (Zimbardo) was able to convince Zimbardo that the experiment had gone over the line and needed to be shut down immediately. I am also disheartened by our governments behavior in the war in Iraq. Our initial stated goal being liberation has spiralled quickly into abuse and paranoia of the people we were told we were to liberate from their own horrific regime. I worry that we send our troops in with noble goals and leave them in a quagmire of ineffective leadership and corruption were they become helpless and ineffectual. We should hold ourselves and our leaders to higher standards and that is how we can be a beacon to the world.

I approached this book with a huge ethos bias. I saw things with the perspective that was largely dispostionally situated where all blame or praise came from the individual's actions. During the process of reading this book Zimbardo was able to persuade me to see a more situational viewpoint. At no time does he suggest that individuals are not accountable for their actions, but what he does is explain the situational dynamics that create toxic or healthy actions.
It has always been a fascination to me that those who "blow the whistle" on wrong doing are seen as an annoyance rather than a needed brake on folks taking the fast train to hell. Instead of shame those discovered in their wrong doing feel rage and the desire to lash out.

Zimbardo doesn't just leave us in the heart of darkness, but guides us into a brighter place with ideas on how we can be in a better position to model the behaviors of a society that does more than espouse goodness. The first suggestion he gives is to be able to recognize that we have made a mistake and apologize for it. Another is to take responsibility for our actions. If in any situation we find ourselves we recognize that we are accountable for all of our actions we will always have our moral compass aligned. Zimbardo stated that if we start by asking people to do small acts of kindness and service then they will be more likely to perform larger acts of service later. Modeling this behavior is always the best way to get this acts of goodness to stick. My husband is an example to those around him with his standing appointments with The Red Cross to give platelets. This act of sacrifice and charity hopefully inspire others to offer some form of kindness in whatever way they are able.
This book will make you think, feel and evaluate yourself and the world around you. I find it one of the best books I've been fortunate enough to read. The book is thoroughly footnoted, which I also recommend reading as you read the book.

:::::::::::::::Additional Thoughts::::::

I love the message in this commercial:


:::::::::::::::What I've Done::::::

This is a song by Linkin Park that Aaron showed me on You Tube and I thought it was relevant to the book review:


LINKIN PARK LYRICS

"What I've Done"

In this farewell
There?s no blood
There?s no alibi
?Cause I?ve drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies

[Pre-Chorus:]
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I?ve done

[Chorus:]
I'll face myself
To cross out what i?ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what i?ve done

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty

[Pre-Chorus]

[Chorus]

For what I?ve done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I?m forgiving what I?ve done!!!

[Chorus]

What I?ve done
Forgiving what I?ve done


[Thanks to Josh Schall (fishy6081@hotmail.com) for these lyrics]
[Thanks to Trish, Joe Gilbertson for correcting these lyrics]

[ www.azlyrics.com ]


:::::::::::::::::::::Next Book:::::::::

Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life by Paul Ekman

:::::::::::::::::::::Personal Observation:::::::::

Today Michael called me on his way out of town to go spelunking with Aaron and the Scouts. He mentioned that one of the other leaders let him know that when he drives he sets his cruise control to the speed limit and just steers. This was an obvious warning to not to leave him behind and that he wouldn't break the speed laws to keep up. After I hung up I started to think about how I drive and my opinion of cruise control. Well, I don't use it...ever. I, in fact, dislike it strongly. Michael, on the other, hand loves to use it on long trips so he can relax his legs and get more comfortable. Looking at it practically and physically I don't use cruise control because it makes me numb to driving. I get sleepy and a bit bored, which are two feelings I don't support for any driver. I like to remain in control...and here is where we cross the line into psychology...I want to be responsible for how fast I'm driving from my brain to my feet. I was reminded just how much I like to be in control of my vehicle and how I drive when I swapped cars with my stepdad on Thursday. He needed to pick up friends from the airport and his Jeep was just too small to fit everyone and their things. I had a blast driving his 5 speed manual transmission. I miss being able to choose when to shift and it's just fun to shift the gears. My first car was a Ford Fiasco Fiesta 1974. My other manual transmission cars were a 1989 Toyota 4x4 Pickup truck and a 1994 Geo Prism. I get grouchy when I think about not being able to find a 7 seat vehicle with a stick shift. If anyone drives past me I won't be using cruise control and, unfortunately, I won't be shifting gears manually.


:::::::::::::::::::::Noah's Questions, Today:::

What do you think is at the edge of space?

Don't you think it would be cool of "The Fabric of Space" was really fabric and you could cut it with scissors?

Do you ever wonder how time began?

By the way, Noah was watching "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" last night. Luckily, he knows that the answer to the quesion of the meaning of life!

Smiles to my fellow earthlings!