Miscellanous Stuff and Things

:::::::::::::::Enchanting "Enchanted"::::::::


We skipped all of the "Black Friday" frenzy and went to the 11:50am showing of "Enchanted". The story was fun and the little running gags were great. I loved that Giselle would always make her new clothes from the drapes or sheets and she would leave the remnants in place. The animation of the chipmunk, Pip, was hilarious. James Marsden was delightful in his handsome, vacuous way. Patrick Dempsey did a great job as a nice guy and father who is disenchanted with the idea of true love. This is an all-around fun film. I recommend it to all ages!

:::::::::::::::Just Thought This Was Cool::::::

Statue of Liberty created by troops.

To check out some other amazing people pictures check out Carl Hammer's gallery.

:::::::::::::::::Camping:::::::::::

Michael and Aaron went camping right after the movie "Enchanted" was over. They were invited to celebrate our nephew, Gabriel's birthday. Gabriel wanted to celebrate by fishing and hanging out with the guys in the family.


:::::::::::::::::Inherit The Wind

I finished the play "Inherit The Wind" by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The letter that introduces the play by the writers states, "Inherit the Wind is not history.
...Only a handful of phrases have been taken from the actual transcript of the famous Scopes Trial." The play was easy to follow and several interesting lines.

Act 2, Scene 1, The prosecuting and defense attorney, (who are past acquaintances and former friends)discuss the current rift between them as friends:

Brady: "I was always glad for your support. What happened between us? There used to be a mutuality of understanding and admiration. Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?"

Drummond: "All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away-- by standing still.

Act 2, Scene 2

Drummond: "It frightens me to imagine the state of learning in the world if everyone had your driving curiosity."

Act 2, Scene 2

Drummond: "...Gentlemen, progress has never been a bargain. You've got to pay for it. Sometimes I think there's a man behind a counter who says, 'All right, you can have a telephone; but you'll have to give up privacy, the charm of distance. Madam, you may vote; but at a price; you lose the right to retreat behind a powder-puff or a petticoat. Mister, you may conquer the air; but the birds will lose their wonder, and the clouds will smell of gasoline!'..."

Act 3, Scene 1

In an exchange with the reporter, Hornbeck, after the trial Bertram Cates and the death of Brady:

Hornbeck: : "I charge you with contempt of conscience! Self-perjury. Kindness aforethought. Sentimentality in the first degree."

Drummond: "Why? Because I refuse to erase a man's lifetime? I tell you Brady had the same right as Cates: the right to be wrong!"

The entire book deals with the concepts of being able to look at information from all sources so that you can form an opinion. Darwin is vilified by the most of the town viewing his theories as taking God out of the picture. The play ends with the defense lawyer, Drummond, taking the "evidence" in the trail, which was the Bible and a copy of Darwin's book, picking the two up and weighing them up. Then, he shrugs and puts them both together in his briefcase and walks out of the courtroom.

I enjoyed reading the book and realize that many people are very uncomfortable, if not, downright angry when the discussion of Darwin comes up. What ever side you find yourself I think this play is a good food for thought.

:::::::::::::::::::Photos from the Past Week:::::

Aaron reading to Eve's Pre-School Class (He is now on the permanent visiting reader list):


Noah as Villager #8 in "Stone Soup":


Eve as one of the "First People":


::::::::::::Baklava:::::::


I hope your weekend is Enchanted!

Smiles!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig:

We have arrived home...again! We were a bit soggier and a lot sandier, but none the worse for wear. I, however, did break Rachel's glasses on Friday night and she had to go through Saturday and Sunday a bit blurry. Michael is taking her glasses by Sear's Optical today to see if they can be repaired. I took a slew of photos and some video at one point had filled up my 1 gig card and my batteries had run out. I borrowed my sister-in-law, Laura's, Nikon D40 and played around for a hundred, or so photos. My sister-in-law, Lettitia, had a bunch of fun crafts for the kids to do: puppets, design your own frisbee, bracelet making, and foam photo frames. The children put on a puppet show with their creations on Saturday. My brother-in-law, Reuben, helped the everyone tye dye shirts (onesies for the baby boys). My BIL, Stephen, did a quick tutorial with Reuben on creating spirals, then started helping anyone who wanted that pattern, too.
The weather over the 3 days was mild a sunny. We did have spotty showers, but nothing heavy until time to break camp. Michael and I had our campsite cleared and stowed right after breakfast. Stephen had his family do the same because he had a flight to catch for work. After we were done with our stuff Michael and I helped out by babysitting the cute nieces and nephews. I got to hold the newest addition to the family, baby Elliott. I walked him around in the baby sling, then let him sit in my lap looking at all of the activity until he fell fast asleep for 3 hours. Michael played with Spencer who was absolutely sweet and watching the other kids play in the sand. He never slept and never fussed. Michael, at the same time, held Corinna. She had recieved a bite to the arm by her twin sister, Dakotta, and needed some TLC. Michael held her and she fell asleep for a couple of hours. There was only one tent still set up when the heaviest rains came, so everyone took refuge for about an hour under the tarp in our common family area that was set up on the first day. During a lull the last of the tent was put away. The rain picked up again, but we got the main tarp down and made sure the campsite was clean. On the way out I saw a penny (heads up...good stuff) and at a campsite that wasn't ours, or any one's for that matter, there was a plastic knife on the ground and right next to the knife was a dime. Boy howdy, I was eleven cents richer!

The family reunion was held at Duckett's Mill on a little peninsula jutting out into Lake Lanier. Their was a lot of shore line exposed due to low water levels. The kids spent their time picking up the shells of the fresh water clams and digging in the Georgia red clay. All of the kids loved swimming, even Eve who had to be rescued TWICE! The first time Eve had trouble in the water Michael was on the shore watching the kids. Eve was even wearing a life preserver that had a little bit of bouyancy, but not much. I guess since the shore has a staggered plateau effect she must have stepped down to deep, or a wave hit her. I heard her crying out for daddy. I know the sound of distress in her voice, so I took off running to the shore from our tent. By the time I got to the ridge overlooking the shore Michael was coming up the path with Evey. She had swallowed some water and was scared, but other wise she was okay. Michael was drenched and he was wearing his blackberry phone. I suppose today he will tell work that baptizing his phone was an unfortunate consequence for saving his daughter. Now to the next time.
Eve was brave and excited to return to the water with all of her cousins the next afternoon. My sister-in-law, Shelene, was watching her kids, so I went down to life guard mine. I had been using my SIL's camera at the the time, so I jokingly said, "I better take this off encase I have to go save Eve." I put the camera away and went to a rock on the edge of the shoreline. I think it had been about 15 minutes when Eve gurgled, "Mom" as loudly as she could. I ran in a grabbed her up out of the water. She cried for a bit, and said she was pushed by a girl in a blue swimsuit, but wanted to go back in. My niece, Kyra, grabbed my shoes out of the water. (Did you know that Croc flip flops float?) Eve insisted she would stay in the water right at the shore line and she would be fine. So I perched on the rock and they all played until dinner time.

Rachel and her cousins Afton and Rebecca slept in a tent set up next to ours on Friday night and then Afton said that it was her turn on the air mattress in her parent's tent so she wasn't sleeping over another night. So, on Saturday night Rachel and Rebecca's voices were the last thing I heard as I drifted off to sleep.

I forgot to tell you how I managed to break Rachel's glasses. The shower facilities at Duckett's Mill have much to be desired. There were no benches on the shower that had the best water pressure and was big enough for the girls to shower together. I also made Aaron shower in the other side (much to his dismay...but hey...there were curtains!). Aaron's side had a shower that would hold a host of Lilliputians, but was entirely inadequate for shower supplies and a change of clean clothes. So with no good place to leave the glasses Aaron and Rachel gave me theirs and I put them in my pocket. I bent over slightly to wash Eve's and I felt a bend. I pulled the glasses out and Rachel's created an L shape. I was so mad! I felt really bad, too because I was projecting how I would feel if I had to go around for days having things blurry. Rachel was really sweet about it. She accepted my apology for breaking her glasses and had a great, yet blurry time.

I will finish uploading photos to the family website when Michael gets home from work. I have a few hundred and I can only upload 4 at a time. I think I've uploaded about 30, so far. FUN!

:::::::::::::::::Book Review:::::::

On Saturday night we finished reading Escape From The Carnivale. The kids and I enjoyed the story. Noah was, especially, eager to read each new chapter. The imagery in the book is written so vividly that it helps you visualize the scenes very well. The book has a mixture of magical creatures, a far away island setting and pirates, so it is great for all ages and genders. The theme of a little girl and her friends getting into trouble because they have delibrately disobeyed is one that everyone can identify with at some point in their lives. How they get out of a terrible fix is a great story. There is also a fun twist in the chapter right before the end of the book. This story is an enjoyable read. If you get the opportunity check it out!

::::::::::::::::New Family Reading Book:::::::


The Sisters Grimm: Once Upon a Crime. We have already plunged into the first chapter and the story line is moving at its normally quick pace. The kids all groaned when I stopped reading. This one looks to be another great installment!

:::::::::::::::::::Salute to the States:::::::::



_{Background: Alexander by Janel Kretschman,
Journaling Bits and Music Doodles: Kate Hadfield,
Font: DB Michael, Jane Austen,
Painted Alpha: Rachel Young,
Vintage Frame and Cluster Frame: Nancy Comelab,
Alpha: Christina Renee}

Tomorrow is Another Day:

Vacation update:

We have had wonderful weather, so far. I give the Shenondoahs National Park high marks for beauty of scenery, knowledgeable Forest Rangers, excellent campsites, clean bathing facilities, polite camp hostess at the bathing center. Michael enjoyed the camping trip, too. The kids were extremely complimentary of everything and asked a few times when we would be returning.
Ranger Laurie gave an excellent talk about the effects of light pollution on the feeding habits of animals and appealed for all of us to turn off superflous lights. We also learned some of the eye colors to look for at night to recognize specific creatures at night. Pink shining spots are spider eyes...this one stuck out in my mind. Before her talk she showed Rachel the beetle that hangs out on the Milkweed and a large species of earwig that like to hide inside the flower of the Milkweed. The scent from these flowers are simply lovely.
We saw a few bucks and we had a couple of sets of does run in front of the truck as we were driving down the road. This breed of deer is larger than ones we see in Georgia.

On Monday we got to Colonial Williamsburg. We checked in to our hotel, dropped our belongings in the room and went and immediately checked in our vouchers. The vouchers were exchanged for badges that would allow us into all of the exhibits. We grabbed a shuttle and were able to spend a couple of hours walking around until the open exhibits closed at 5:00pm.
The kids really enjoyed watching the blacksmith work on a rolling pin. It was a requested item by the Governor's kitchen because they wanted to experiment with making cocoa from cocoa beans.
We all liked our stop by the wigmakers where the girls were told their "wigs" were not very attractive. When we mentioned that Rachel wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love the wigmaker informed her that hair from white girls or black in the colonies would be used to stuff the wigs, but only hair imported from European women was considered the proper quality for wigs. Men and women would have their heads shaved in preparation for their wigs. Michael even checked out the 18th century version of a rat tail.
Rachel, especially, liked the public gaol. The kids got to see the type of house used by the jailer and the types of manacles used in the time period.
The junior fife and drum corp were fabulous and fun to march behind.

Tuesday: Day began with a stop by the kids' costume rental place. The girls chose white muslin dresses with sashes and laced trimmed bonnets. Rachel chose a muted spring sash and Eve chose a soft yellow. Noah and Aaron chose white muslin shirts, haversacks, wooden muskets and black felt hats. They were all supplied a letter of introduction that would allow them to perform tasks in the community. While, the kids were being fitted I picked up tickets for a stage coach ride for 10:00am.

We grabbed the shuttle for this day, too. We were able to check out the Governor's kitchen. Then the kids saw some games being played on the palace green. Noah really got into the game, which had a wooden mechanism that when hit with the wooden bat launched a leather ball in the air, which was then supposed to be hit into the field. Whomever caught the ball got the next turn. If you didn't catch the ball, but you were able to grab it as it rolled, you could try to roll it and try to hit the wooden mechanism. Aaron got in a few great hits, too. The girls and Michael played with the stick and hoop. While we were playing these games a video crew from the Colonial Williamsburn hotels was there filming us and another family. We had to sign model releases. From what the guy said if we were to come next year we would be able to see the footage on their hotel channel as encouragement for the fun times families can have here.

The stage coach ride fabulous. Ours happens to be the longest of the available rides, but the same price as the more expensive looking carriages. Our driver, Dan, was very knowledgable, personable and funny. The kids, especially, Eve, loved the horses, "Lightfoot" and "Paul". Paul was constantly forgetting to do his job, but Lightfoot was a consummate professional and would remind Paul what to do.

After the stage coach the kids began there tasks. They learned how to get water from the well and water the plants in the garden. They liked using the thumb jars. They did some watercolors and stopped by the Geddy house to learn "Courtesies". They went by the Colonial garden and had to get more water from the well because the garderner was running low in his large garden bucket.

The kids went to the Printing Office to pick up a letter to be printed in the local paper. The boys drilled with the Sargeant at Arms for the Virginia Militia. It was a riot watching them turn the wrong way. We stayed at the Magazine for a demonstration on the use of the Fife and Drum. The young men that did this demonstration were very talented. The young man who played the fife would get a bit flustered, but he was really great.

The kids loved the stop at the Brickyard. They took off their shoes and got to step in the tan clay to their hearts content, or until Aaron was done and he told the others they had to get out. When Eve found out I didn't mind if they played longer she was really angry at Aaron. I got in and squished in the clay for a bit, too. The young man in charge of the brickyard was really knowledgeable and answered all of my questions.

At the Cabinet Makers shop Aaron got to play on the harpsichord. We also stopped by the Cooper's, the Apothecary's and the Bakery.

We marched behind the Military Review. The Fife and Drum Corp played superbly. Their was musket and canon fire, which the kids thought was pretty cool.

We walked back via the path that lead across the footbridge.

We took a lot of photos, but by accident, Michael deleted them. After much apologizing and crying (on Michael's part) we went to dinner. Nothing could be done, but we did get the video footage saved of a few of the things like Eve playing with the hoop and the boys playing the Cricket like game, and the boys learning about drilling with the militia. Michael has ironed the costumes for use tomorrow and we hope for some good photos.

Tomorrow is another day!

Smiles!

They're Back!

_{Created using the Einstein generator http://www.hetemeel.com/einsteinform.php}

Michael and Aaron came home around 2 pm., yesterday. The original plan had been for Michael to come home late Thursday night and Aaron on Saturday morning. However, Aaron ended up getting dehydrated and ill because he was extremely reluctant to use the foul smelling facilities. Michael had taken him into town to hang out in some air conditioning that had clean bathrooms, while sipping on a beverage. Aaron picked some red Gatorade (atleast, I think that is what Michael said). I talked to them both while they were at the store and Noah and Eve got to tell Aaron they loved him, too. When I got the phone back Aaron said, "Here's dad. I've got to go!" Michael said he would call me later with an update. Instead, two hours later they walked through the door. Aaron was wearing one of Michael's work shirts over his own shorts and he was bare foot. He immediately went up stairs and got in the tub. Michael came in to inform me that Aaron had thrown up the moment he got in the truck. He was able to cover himself, Michael and the dashboard. JOY!
I went up to double check on Aaron who lay miserably floating in the tub of tepid water. Then, I went out to see what I could do to help clean up. Michael gave me the trash bag full of fouled clothing which I put in a hot water and detergent soak. Unfortunately, I have a pair of really nice suede sneakers that I don't know how to remove vomit from the surface. I suppose I'll look up Hints from Heloise? Michael said he would tackle the truck clean up on his own and with the help of Febreeze after the disinfecting was completed.
Aaron immediately laid down after getting washed and dressed. He napped for hours while Michael relaxed in front of the last few episodes of "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. Aaron ended up coming upstairs around 10:15pm. and listened to the last chapters of the family book reading.
This morning around 4 am. I heard, "MOM!" and Aaron was in the bathroom. This occured two more times. At 7:30 am Aaron plopped himself beside me in my room and pronounced himself well again. I said, "Good deal!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::Michael::::::::::

The guys at Michael's office are having fun with this game Aaron showed Michael that allows you to create your own super heros. The joke in the office is that Michael is a tree hugger, so Michael's friend, Ed, created a super hero called Sargeant Nature using Hero Machine:
:


I thought it was hilarious, so I decided to play along with some of my digital supplies and this is what I came up with:
Rachel came up with her own moniker!

_{Mo Jackson's Pixie Coutour One and Two, Man outline by Robyn England, Font: DB Michael}

:::::::::::::::::::::::::The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects



As Daphne repeats a few time in the book, "That's so punk rock!" The book was a fast paced fight to the finish to stop the evil Rumpelstiltskein and his minions. The underlying theme of this, second, installment of the Sisters Grimm was the horrible toll prejudice and hate can take on the person who is letting those emotions fester. I thought the deeper meaning was excellent and put forth very creatively. The books, again, are not for the young, or who tend to have nightmares. Scary things happen in this series and folks don't always come out alive. The characters aren't one note characters, which always helps a plot. Snow White adds a little bit of Feminism and action hero bits to liven up the story line. She is definitely no "Woe is me!" shrinking violet type. She holds her own against several of Ferryport Landings ne'er do well Everafters. This book leaves with a very interesting psychological cliff hanger. Off to put in a request for book 3.

Smiles!

Saturday Movies:

Aaron, Rachel, Michael and I went to see this movie:


The Last Mimzy

This is from imdb.com:
The future is trying to tell us something.
Plot Outline:Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys. Soon the kids, their parents, and even their teacher are drawn into a strange and sometimes terrifying world.


We love SciFi stuff and this was right up our alley. The plot was really cool and the flow of the story went well. The actors were likeable. I especially liked the father, played by Timothy Hutton, who though busy, was quick to take time off for his family. The children did a great job with showing wonder and just being a regular pair of siblings. Joely Richardson, as their mom, was a woman who was genuinely worried about her kids and didn't no what to do. The addition of Nepalese mysticism was fun. This is a great movie for all ages.


My mother took Noah and Evey to see this:


My mother said that Noah and Eve laughed a lot, especially at some scene where one of the turtles skateboards. I was told that there was a kissing scene at the end, but luckily Noah and Eve had their eyes covered!

::::::::::::::::::Camping::::::::::
Michael, Aaron and the Scouts went camping at Mount Yonah in North Georgia. They had a great time and I hope to post pictures tomorrow.

ARGH!

Bullying is a specific type of aggression in which 1) the behaviour is intended to harm or disturb, 2) the behaviour occurs repeatedly over time, and 3) there is an imbalance of power, with a more powerful person or group attacking a less powerful one (Mayo Clinic, 2001).

Delwyn Tattum and Eva Tattum (1992) proposed the following definition: "Bullying" is the willful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him/her under stress."

Wikipedia Definition
Aaron is being bullied by a boy in the neighborhood. The boy is Aaron's age and visits his father who lives in the same neighborhood with his ex-wife. This boy has gotten in Aaron's face and said, "Wanna fight?!" while Aaron tried to shy away and get into the house. I caught this boy doing it as I was coming down my driveway about 6 months ago. This boy is friends with the boy right next door and they pal around together. A couple of months ago they threw rocks at Aaron as he rode his bike home. Michael told the boys that hitting Aaron with rocks constituted assault and that police would be called next time. Soooooo, just yesterday Aaron was came in the house and said that another boy, who he didn't know, was walking with the neighbor boys shoved him and called him the "F*** word and they would kick his a**!" I immediately went outside and saw the main bullies dad standing on the porch. There is only one house separating us, so I called over asking if there was a friend over with his son and he said yes. I told him what happened. In a cocky tone he said that the boys said Aaron had shoved one of them and tried to pick a fight. (Keep in mind Aaron is skinny as a rail with no muscle tone!!! AND there were three boys walking in a pack together!!!) I told the boys father that in fact several months ago it was his son that I witnessed with my own eyes and ears try to pick a fight with Aaron while Aaron was just trying to walk home. This "man's" response was inane! He said, "Well, I heard about stuff your son did in Elementary school!" WHAT????????!!!!!! As soon as, he saw Michael drive up from work he scurried into his house for a few minutes only to come out and talk to a neighbor across the street. It is interesting that this "man" has no problem with his son bullying my son, nor talking trash to me, but the moment my husband arrives he shows his true stripes. I suppose I will spend a lot of the summer in the yard monitoring the goings on. Unfortunately, this bully's mother lives at the other end of our large subdivision, so it offers quite a large territory for Aaron to have to deal with as he goes back and forth to other friend's homes and the library.

On a side note: Aaron has to deal with a young man at Church who has anger management problems and tried to pick a fight with him all through Sunday School. I got a phone call from the teacher who praised Aaron for the way he handled the constant needling. Aaron let it roll off his back and kept participating with the class.

Aaron has his faults, as we all do, and he drives me crazy with some of the things he does, but he doesn't deserve the junk he has to deal with from this neighbor boy, his equally childish father and the rude kids that follow suit.

::::::::::::::Camping:::::::
Michael and Aaron went camping shortly after the bullying incident and I received an e-mail that they got to the camp safely. I talked to both of them this morning and Michael said Aaron's back was sore from the hike and we should look into getting him an internal frame pack because Michael's old external frame pack was just inadequate for comfortable hiking.

::::::::::::TMNT::::::::::
This stands for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles are right up there with Ben 10 on Noah's scale of way cool heros. They both often sport Noah's favorite color, green. BONUS! Eve often thinks whatever Noah likes is cool, so she will probably go to the new TMNT today with Noah and Granny Sue.

:::::::::::::Another Zoo Atlanta layout::::::



_{Background papers by Jen Wilson (Meaningful Bonus papers),
Fonts: Jayne Print/ DB Michael,
Stitched Blooms by Natalie Braxton,
A Day at the Zoo Monogram (modified) by Shabby Princess,
Staples from Softly Softly by KSharonK,
Bent frames by Nancy Comelab,
Giraffe doodle by Kate Hadfield,
Cardboard flip by Linda Gil Bildal
Scalloped ribbon from Simply Irresistable by Gina Cabrera}

Cold Hands...

Warm Hearts:



Rachel & Rebecca had a great time playing with the small amount of snow thafell during our camping trip to Cloudland Canyon in Georgia. The girls would take off their gloves so they could scoop the sno off of the tops of the tents. They would come over with beaming faces and bright red hands to show off their creations. Then they would stand by the campfire to warm up their cold hands. I love to see the cousins having fun together, no matter the weather!
I wonder how many of those minute snowflakes it took to make a single snowball???


Journaling Bits by Catrine
Arrow from Point It Out By Natalie Braxton
Heart Doodle by Kate Hadfield
Asterick from Doodle Alpha by Kate Hadfield
Doodle frame by Holly McCaig from her blog
Get Reel Frame by Manda Bean
Background paper from Jackie Eckles Monochramatic Challenge
Snowflake from Sweet Evangeline by Michelle Coleman
Cardboard Overlay by Linda Gil Bildal
Yuki Furu brush by Omni
Fonts: Susie's Hand, Trashed, Texas Hero, Pea XOXO Karen/Pea Lacy Chunky



::::::::::::Beautiful Weather Means:::::::::

off to the park! Aaron rode to the park on his scooter and met us at the pond (detention pond...but who's quibbling?!). We took several pieces of bread to feed the ducks and geese, which the kids really enjoyed doing. Then, they went and played on the playground equipment.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake:

_{frame by Nancy Comelab, paper from Crimson Christmas by Susan Long, Cardboard tears by Linda GilBildal, Date stamp by Katie Pertiet, Font: Pea Stacy Doodle script, hubumhub}

:::::::::::::::Primer:::::::::::
I spent some of the day putting primer on the wood for the front porch railing and cleaning the wicker furniture for a new coat of Satin White.

::::::::::::::Sangrias:::::::::
My mom and Jim took us all out for Mexican food for Michael's birthday. Fun AND tasty!

Happy Born Day:

_{Birthday Boy kit and Doodle Arrows by Kate Hadfield, background paper by ClikChic Design Team, blue birds by Holly McCaig and Karla's Doodles}


::::::::::::::::Girls' Night Out::::::::::::
Michael freed me from the children for the evening, so I called up my mother and she agreed to accompany me to a dinner and a movie. We did a quick stop at Moe's, a psuedo Mexican fast food place, and grabbed some dinner. Then, we went to see Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. I love to be in the theatre in time to watch the previews for up coming movies and this is one I am really looking forward to seeing: Amazing Grace's movie site. The movie is about the British slave trade and the background to the song Amazing Grace. The cast and film look amazing! I plan to take Aaron and Rachel to see the film, too. Another intriguing preview was for the movie Fracture with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. Back to Music and Lyrics...


from the start of the film my mother and I were laughing. There is a wonderful and absurd 80's pop style video with Hugh Grant and 4 other guys as the band "POP". The clothes were hilarious and the acting was, appropriately, cheesy! Hugh Grant's quick quips and one liners just flow throughout the film. So, here are a few criteria you may want to use if you wonder about plunking down money for this flick:

1. Did you love MTV when they actually played Music Videos? (that would be in the late 80's)
2. You enjoy quick humor, a.k.a. one-liners
3. You love it when Drew Barrymore combines flaky character traits with brillance and sincerity
4. Ultimate death of plants by drowning doesn't turn you off.
5. You have a protective streak for musical instruments.
6. You need to laugh.

::::::::::::::::Surgery Day:::::::::::::

Spencer, my sweet nephew, is having his first surgery to repair is cleft lip, today. He will have an overnight stay at the hospital. I hope all goes well! It is nerve racking to have the surgery team come get your child. I remember it vividly from when Noah had to have surgery to repair his hydrocele.


::::::::::::::Empathy::::::::::
Noun: 1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.

This morning as I was frantically getting Noah ready for school because he wanted to make sure the bathroom was clean (he had cleaned it very nicely before going to bed)and I broke my thumb nail. His shoes are a pain to wiggle on to his heal and the thumb nail sheered at a funky angle. I said, "Ouch! I broke my nail!" Noah replied, "I know how it is to break a nail. I have broken a nail before." It sounded so mature and I felt, momentarily, like I was in the presence of some self-help guru.


:::::::::::::::Camping Trip:::::::::::::::
Michael has the photos on his laptop, so as soon as he puts them on my computer I will show some photos of our frigid camping experience. Luckily, Michael made some awesome Dutch oven meals. He made chicken chili, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and Silver turtles, which had hamburger, onions, potatoes and carrots.

Let a Sleeping Dog Lie?

Naaa! I was playing around with some photos of the kids that I have already used in layouts. Here are a few:






_{Kits and elements used were from Janel Kretshman, Kate Hadfield, Jackie Eckles, Steph Krush, Nancy Comelab, Sande Krieger, Michelle Coleman, Christine Smith and Jen Wilson}


:::::::::::::Camping for Michael's Birthday:::::::

We will be off camping to celebrate with my dear hubby. The kids want to eat ramen noodles and more ramen noodles. Hey, cheap and easy...but in a good way!

Noah should be happy because I'm getting s'more fixins! It may get a bit of snow where we are going, so I'm washing the kids clothes and jackets up tonight.

Have a lovely day!

Over The Weekend

Michael, Aaron and the scouts from their troop went camping overnight at Stone Mountain. The boys enjoyed a venison roast. In the morning Bro. Heaton drove over and made the boys pancakes, which Aaron claimed to eat 5.

The next event of Saturday morning was Noah's first Pinewood Derby. He was hilarious when on one heat he joyously yelled, "I GOT SECOND PLACE! WOO HOO!" We were laughing because he was so excited about just finishing. The results were taking so long that we left before finding out Noah's placement in the race. I will upload the photos later today.

Our neighbor Karen loaned us this movie:



Michael and I really enjoyed the film. We both cried and laughed. I have enjoyed Jim Garner's performances since The Rockford Files and occasionally I get to see his older show Maverick, which is great, too. He was wonderful in Victor/Victoria. He has a great mixture of charisma, wisecracking and intelligence. He has always been easy on the eyes, too. In the film The Notebook his interaction with Gena Rowlands on all levels is amazing. I also liked Ryan Gosling's scene in the movie when he argues with Rachel McAdam's character, Ali, about why they belong together and how much he loves her. It has so much energy and honesty about how hard relationships can be and, at the same time, how much all the effort is worth.
We also borrowed Lady in the Water by M. Night Shamaylan. Michael liked it a bit better than I did. The concept I got out of it was that it was important to find out what is important about you and develop it. That everyone has something important to offer, but it isn't easy to figure out.

Time to start school for the day. See ya later!

We're Not Team Players...

because it can get too rough. My husband and I aren't great athletes by any stretch of the imagination. Michael likes mountain biking, camping and rock climbing. I like researching dead people (and live ones, too), gardening and walking. All of these can be achieved with little or no assistance. I played basketball, but if you have ever played church basketball you know it a vicious and rowdy sport (taken all too seriously). I believe you can learn good skills working with a team. We signed Aaron up for soccer for a couple of years and Rachel signed on for one, but the rude parents and the negativity from my own kids made me angry. My motto is "Cheer for your own team and say nothing negative about anyone else".
Our children have grown up not watching sports, but an occasional baseball game. I actually like watching volleyball (collegiate is my favorite), but I don't like when folks start talking nasty about the other team. This layout is one from 2003 when Aaron was trying to get involved with his uncles and cousins in a family game of touch football. His Uncle Reuben was trying to give him the basic lessons of how to play. The sad thing is Aaron never fits in to these games. For one thing he is shady on the rules and strategy, and another thing is he has a very slim build and doesn't like people hitting him. (Bad thing if you plan to play football!) So, inevitably he gets trounced by a bigger kid, or adult and comes over crying and hurt. Michael's response is "that is the point of football and that's why I don't play." I feel really bad for him because he desparately wants to fit into a world that doesn't value his presence and is quite happy to have him not participate. This carries over into his relationship with them in general...he doesn't play rough...he must be a wimp...mentality.
It's kind of funny that I right all of this because I actually thought this layout was fun to make and a cute photo of Aaron trying something different. Atleast, he tries to fit in and make friends. It's just unfortunate that others don't reciprocate.


_{Sketch by Jen Caputo
Papers, alpha and brushes by Tia Bennett (Free Pea Football Kit)
Font: Century Gothic}

Text: Uncle Reuben teaches Aaron some football basics.

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Rachel has already had a glasses malfunction. The screw came out of her nose piece and she doesn't know when it occurred, so tomorrow after the funeral I have to drive over to the optical department to see if they can do a quick and solid fix.

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Noah's teacher sent a note home requesting that he work with playdough or clay to help strengthen his fingers for writing. When I told my mother tonight she said, "And who is going to pay to get it out of my carpet!" She is the one that goes to the dollar store and replenishes the dried out and color combined globs of dough every couple of months. She's a trooper with my kids. She, in true granny fashion, ensures the kids have as many paints, crayons, paper and playdough they request...(beg, plead, whine).

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Only one chapter left of Peter and The Shadow Thieves, but the kids are at my parents' house for Friday sleepover. We will all have to wait until Saturday night for the finale. It has been an amazing book, thus far!

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I have been in a reading groove lately. I finished The Wine Dark Sea
and the library has sent me a notice that The Commodore
is waiting. Michael keeps telling me, "Victoria, you know they're not real!" I got upset that Capt. Jack Aubrey had a very brief kava induced dalliance with a nicely "scented" Polynesian woman. Patrick O'Brian weaves such a wonder tapestry of words, places and ideas that I feel like the characters just stop in place waiting for me to open the book to start their action again. Totally absorbing reads!


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I saw this on Janna's blog so I decided to check out my color:

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded. You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?