Random Ramblings of the Village Idiot

Great Game Guide from Defective Yeti

2009-11-15T14:25:00.003-06:00

I read this guy's blog regularly and thought I would link to his game suggestions. He has some great ideas and has reviewed some of our favorites as well as some I'd like to check out.

THE DEFECTIVE YETI'S GOOD GATEWAY GAMES GUIDE

Let's Make a Deal.... (Or at least GET one!)

2009-11-14T19:46:00.007-06:00

While games are a good investment as far as I am concerned, some of them can be rather expensive. While we have a closet and a bookshelf crammed full of games, allow me to say that we RARELY pay full price for them. There are a lot of options for finding them inexpensively, even if you are after some of the more "specialty" games that typically have to be purchased at game stores. Below I will share some of my favorite places to find games.

YARD SALES/CONSIGNMENT SALES/THRIFT STORES

First and foremost my favorite place to find games (especially family and kid games) is at yard sales. From anywhere around 25cents to a couple of bucks you can find TONS of games. All it takes is a little treasure hunting and some investigating. Last weekend I got Cranium (which is a $25 game) for $2. It doesn't appear to have ever been played. I also picked up Pictureka for $1.00. Most of Coleman's games have been second hand finds. I have found our all time favorite party game, Apples to Apples (which is a $25.00 game) on three seperate occasions for $2, once it was still sealed!

Another favorite place for secondhand games is the Thrift Store. We have several in our area, and I love to go browse through there and see what they have. A lot of people will just donate their stuff to get the tax write off and avoid the hassle of a yard sale, so you can find a lot of good stuff. The games there might be taped shut, but if you ask an employee if you can check the contents they usually don't mind if you open them.

Consignment sales have lots of good kid and family games, and those ususally have all their bits included because that is just a rule of consignment. I usually check the games area of our local consignment sales first so I don't miss something I have been wanting for a while.

The key to buying games at sales? Checking carefully to be sure all the vital parts are there. If you are getting a set of Uno cards, one or two missing from the deck is really no big deal. However, a missing alphabet dice from Scattergories is a deal breaker. Just look on the back of the box or the instructions to see what should be included. Remember that a lot of peices from one game you already own might be able to be used to replace missing bits in one you find cheap. Things such as pawns, regular numbered dice, play money can probably be borrowed from something you already have. I actually have a little ziplock bag of these things that are extra, so a missing part is usually no big deal. Sometimes I have been known to manufacture (using my computer and scanner) a missing cardboard tile or two as well. Also, most games instructions are available online, so if the instruction sheet is missing, it is no big deal at all. Go to the manufacturer's website or Boardgamegeek for the rules.

Most of the games you will run across at sales will be the type you will find at Wal-Mart, Target, ToysRUs.

THE INTERNET

There's lots of great retailers for specialty games on the internet. We particularly like to shop at Time Well Spent because they are Christians and have great customer service. They also have pretty competitive pricing, which is the most important factor in my book. Another great site is Funagain Games. It is also possible to find more of the specialty games (as well as pretty much all of the traditional games) at sites like Amazon.com and Target.com.

If you want to find games cheaper than retail, eBay is a great option, and so is Board Game Geek. The BGG Bazaar always has games listed for sale, trade or auction. You can browse by game name, or search for a game you are looking for.

SANTA CLAUS, EASTER BUNNY & THE BIRTHDAY FAIRY

These guys all bring games to our house. Why not put a few on your list and let them bring them your way too? As for us, we are getting a few games for Christmas. Coleman is getting Connect 4x4 and Pictureka (both of which I got as great deals), and I am asking for Banangrams and maybe something else as well.

DEALS FOR BUYING AT REGULAR RETAIL OUTLETS

So, you are giving a game as a gift and think it would be most appropriate if it were new? Well, then you are obviously not giving it to me, cause I would rather get 2 gently used games than one brand spanking new one, BUT I do realize some people do consider it in bad taste to give gifts that have been pre-owned. I don't have as many tips for saving money at your regular retailer, but here's a few. These tips apply to items other than games as well.

1. It is not commonly known (or practiced by the average consumer) that Target and Walmart will both match any advertised price of a competitor. Simply bring in the sale ad with the cheaper price and they will match it at the register. You must bring in the actual ad, and bring the whole thing so they can verify it is the real deal if necessary.

2. Check online for coupons before heading to the store. Simply google "Connect 4 coupon", click a few times and THIS might appear magically on your screen. Print them out and take them to your retailer. You can combine #1 with #2 for the best deals. Many retailers are more hesitant to accept internet coupons, but I know for a fact that Target, WalMart and Toys R Us will all accept them, especially if they have a bar code on the coupon. Most of these coupons can only be printed 2 times, so hang on to them and be sure to pay attention to the expiration date.

3. Target has coupons online and in their holiday toy book. Many people do not know that Target will accept 1 manufacturer's coupon AND their own store coupon, allowing you to use BOTH coupons on the same item. For example, Connect 4x4 (which is new for this Christmas season) is on sale this week for $16.99. Use the Hasbro coupon from #2 and the Target coupon HERE to bring your price down to $6.99.

4. Combine Price match from #1 (WalMart has Connect 4 for $15 this week), manufacturer's coupon from #2 and Target coupon from #3 and your total becomes $5. Granted, this may or may not work for you depending on the cashier and manager at your local store, but it does work more often than not and it never hurts to ask. If the cashier says no, take your receipt up to customer service and ask to speak to a manager and see if they are willing to do it. Always be nice! That old saying about flies, honey and vinegar? Totally true.

Hope I have helped someone find a few deals this holiday season, and through the next years as well!

Games to Play with Your (Younger) Kids that WON'T Make You Pull Your Hair Out!

2009-11-12T13:57:00.133-06:00

Many of us have been there before. You know, you've just played Candyland for the 20th time and are thinking that Princess Frostine and Lolly might have an unfortunate accident if you have to play for the 21st time. How to avoid the untimely death sugared up cartoon characters? Have lots of fun game options that your kids will love, and most importantly, you will too!

This group of games will include some that you will only play with your kids and some that you might actually pull out to play for a quick, fun game with another adult. None of these require any real reading to speak of, so most are appropriate for even kids as young as 4 years old. Some might require you to team your younger kid up with an older player, at least at first. Click on the name of the game to open another window and be directed to boardgamegeek.com where you can see more photos of the games, as well as detailed ratings and directions etc.

Games You Will Probably Only Play With Your Kids

Guess Who Extra

This is a new take on the original deductive reasoning game for two players. The basic premise of the game is that players ask each other yes/no questions to try and guess "who" their opponent is. The difference between this version and others is that this one has 6 different cards to choose from, so you can play many different variations. It also folds up into a nice neat hard laptop looking holder. This game might be best played with an adult or older child on a younger child's team since the reasoning involved can be difficult at first.

PROS: teaches deductive reasoning, very fun for kids and not too bad for adults. Compact storage, well made, lots of options, available at mass retailers (WalMart, Target, ToysRUs)

CONS: lights and sounds are annoying (just don't turn them on), can be expensive.

I am going to try and make a superhero card to fit in the frame of this one. We will see how that works out!

Rat A Tat Cat

Despite the fact it had been on my wishlist for a couple of years, this is a recent addition to our collection of kid's games. I am glad we waited on it (found it for $2 at a sale) because Coleman only had to play on someone's "team" one hand and from then on he had it down pat. This is great for 2-6 players and plays pretty well with all group sizes. Each player is dealt 4 cards which are placed face down in front of them. They are allowed to peek one time at the two on the outside, but the ones in the middle are a mystery. Through drawing and discarding the goal is to swap out your high cards (rats) for lower ones (cats). When a player feels they have the fewest points in front of them they knock on the table and say "Rat a tat cat!" and everyone shows their cards. It is nice because this is a game that moves quickly and you can set the number you will play to ahead of time- such as 3 rounds, or we will play until someone gets to 100 points.

PROS: easy to learn the rules, cards are cute, good for memory skills, moves pretty quickly. Since the goal is to have lower numbers, younger kids can benefit from adding up their own score.

CONS: younger children might need to play on a team with an older player, at least for the first few hands. It can be difficult to remember not to peek at your cards other than the first allowed time. Harder to find than some games (try Target or online)

If you did not read my post from 2007 about other great kid's games, click HERE for more great recommendations.

Games You Might Pull Out to Play Without Your Kids

Uno Attack

This is one of a couple of variations of the traditional UNO game. There are a few new specialized cards, but since we picked up our version at a yard sale, I am pretty sure all the cards were not there. This was one of the occasions where that did not particularly matter since I just added the cards in with the uno cards we already had floating around our house. Instead of drawing a card when you are unable to play, we simply hit the button and take whatever is given to us. The game is still simple enough for very young gamers and the kids LOVE to hit that button and see the cards fly out.

PROS: promotes matching skills, no real reading required, available at mass retailers, simple rules, everyone likes uno, can play with just about any number of players- just add another deck if needed. Kids love to push the button and see the cards fly out. Can be found at most retailers.

CONS: the card shooter can be tempermental, replacement cards (attack specific) would have to be ordered from the company, needs batteries, takes up more space than traditional Uno. Kids love to push the button and see the cards fly out :)

Sorry Sliders

THIS is a fun little game. For serious gamers who can't stand the thought of spending an arm and a leg on a crokinole board there is FINALLY a reasonable alternative. The rules are simple but the game design allows for some variations to keep it from getting boring. 2-4 players sit around the table and roll their pieces (basically pawns with ball bearings in them) toward the center, either trying to hit or avoid certain spots on the board. Knocking your opponents pawns off the board adds to the competition. There are 4 different center board variations that change things up a bit. Lots of fun and very fast.

PROS: no reading required, great for all ages, plays fast, good for various skill levels, moderately priced, available at most retailers, lots of variety, easy rules

CONS: none I can think of.

Blokus

While Blokus is not really marketed to kids, we have found it to be a fun addition to our family game collection. It has a number of varities available,so if you find it to your liking you can really get a few different ones to keep the fun going. Basically this is a game of spatial awareness (sort of like Tetris, but not really) that moves pretty fast and is simple to learn. For 2-4 players (or teams too I guess). Each person has a set of geometric pieces that they must place on the board during their turn. The goal is to fit all them on the board, but the twist is that each of your pieces must touch only at the corner. No reading or math is required.

PROS: no reading or math required to play, moves quickly, fun for all ages, very simple to learn, available at most retailers
CONS: expensive, rules for 2 or 3 people require that each player play pieces of additional colors which can be confusing.

There ya go. Hope I have helped save someone's sanity as well as helped them find a few new treasures to share with their family. Stay tuned for the next post which will discuss WHERE to find the best deals on games.

Games Games Games! Back by (semi) Popular Demand!

2009-11-12T12:18:00.024-06:00

A couple of years when I was updating this blog fairly regularly, I did a series of posts about games we loved. Apparently someone actually read that post, and I got a note today requesting I do some more posts regarding games. Seems she took some of our suggestions, bought them and really enjoyed the games! Since the fat man in the red suit is making his list right about now, I figured it was a great time to blow the dust off the site and comply with her wish. As you can see from the photos, we have one or two games that might work for just about anyone.

We have been game players for years. Our friends Bert and Meg are partly to blame for our addiction, but since my degree was in Therapeutic Recreation, I guess playing games for a living also set me up for a lifetime of gaming with friends.

There has never been a better time to get started playing games if you have not in the past! With the economy being the way it is now, for the price of movie tickets and dinner for a family of 3 or 4, you can invest in some really great games that will provide you YEARS of family fun for all members of your family. A night playing games with friends and family around the table is far more personal than sitting in the dark in a theater- and think of all the money you will save in the long run! Studies have shown that families that eat together, pray together and play together tend to stay together- so a small monetary investment in some board games now may lead to a much bigger pay-off further down the road.

This year I will focus on a variety of games, including a few that are internet based, great games for homeschoolers, fun games (that won't make you tear your hair out) with kids, as well as some that are geared more toward teens/adults. There will also be a post about finding great deals on games and how to get a collection started without breaking the bank, as well as a special post about games that you can find at most any store. I might even have a special guest or two to provide their input from time to time.

Also, go to the sidebar and click on the link for my previous posts about games. That will be a good refresher about what remains some of our favorite games, as well as a great website to buy the harder to find games- www.timewellspent.org.

So, feel free to pass this link along to anyone you might think will be interested! I will post something every day or two for the next couple of weeks.

Jesus Loves Me- Jennifer Knapp

2008-10-27T21:07:00.003-06:00

This was posted on the Facebook notes by super-talented Beki Hemingway. If you are not familiar with her, be sure to stop by myspace page and listen. After you are done rockin to her stuff, play this little game...... Hilarity will ensue, as well as potential embarassment due to your musical collection.

(Any music posted below should not affect your desire to check out Beki's music- we just have 20436 MP3s (not including several new cds that need to be ripped), many of them from WAY BACK in the time of cheesy CCM. I went with our entire database, not my favorites.)

Bored? This will kill at least 5 minutes:

1.Put your iTunes/Ruckus/Napster/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Create in me a Clean Heart o God- acappella (If you have to say that afterward, my guess is that would be a no.)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
The Economy of Mercy- switchfoot (this is too true- mercy is not high on my list of personality traits.)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I will Celebrate- maranatha (it's important he be jovial)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Made of Gold- Jonatha Brooke and the story (heavy, shiny, cold- that pretty much covers it.)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
The bridal chorus (apparently Shane should be worrying about right now. he must not be celebrating enough.)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Remember the mountain bend- billy bragg and wilco (sorta like my personal alamo- that mountain bend!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
medicine man- marc cohn (at least it's not "the witchdoctor")

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
like the mighty joe louis- brad layher (rarely did it come to fisticuffs.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
already home- marc coh (not often enough.)

WHAT IS 2+2?
hot hot hot- buster poindexter (that's just kinky.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
what's your name- adam again (hmmm... and you would be?)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
camptown races (I got nothin I can type here...)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
everyday anew- echelon (accurate, unless you are having a bill murray moment.)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Live from Matt Malloy's pub- the chieftans (beats being dead in Matt Malloy's Pub)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
thorns- the thorns (foreshadowing?)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
do you feel their pain- steve camp (probably not, I'll be dead. i guess I didn't get out of that pub afterall)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
valley of the jig- string cheese incident (ah, the jig. me favorite dance. explains the pub anyway.)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
all- clash of symbols (everything. now I have to kill you.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
did i ever become- the khrusty brothers (you're all krusty.)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
dark as a dungeon- chieftans with vince gill (being trapped in a dark dungeon with vince gill would rank up there in the top 10 as the worst things...)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
man after your own heart- gary chapman (great, now I have to worry about jack the ripper AND gary chapman)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
sweet seasons- carole king (I guess those sour seasons were better.)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
blindfold- delerious (I am delerious....)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
crumbs from your table- u2 (only crumbs? really? hope they were brownies)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
another time another place- u2 (um... it was both.)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
notes- phantom of the opera soundtrack (some of the notes from the phantom of the opera were a little frightening.)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
college hornpipe- yoyo ma, edgar mayer, mark o'connor (not if this is playing- but I like it.)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
give a man a fish- arrested development (i'd definitely teach him to fish.)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
you were in his hand- veggietales (apparently he doesn't know his own strength.)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Jesus Loves Me- Jennifer Knapp (thankfully. amen.)

The Big Read

2008-10-03T08:33:00.005-05:00

For my first post in a LONG time, I didn't even bother to come up with any original material. I totally stole it from my friend Chris who stole it from someone else's blog. But, since I vowed to read 100 books this year- it was a fitting post and an interesting exercise!

"The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six."

Here’s what you are supposed to do:
*Look at the list and + or bold those you have read.
*# or Italicize those you intend to read.
*Star the books we LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien**
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling** (I read this twice through. LOVE IT! Even convinced Shane to read them and he also liked them.)
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (we have an autographed copy)
6. The Bible** (We have an autographed copy. Okay, so we don't- sounds good though!)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller #(this book nearly did me in this spring- I never got past the first 1/4 of it.)14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien**
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger** (A MUST READ. This is in my Top 10 books for the year!)
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell **
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams #
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame #
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis **
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis **
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini **
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving ** (read this years ago because Rich Mullins said it was so good.it is a good read with a VERY odd story. The movie "Simon Burch" was loosely based on this book.)
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding #
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon** (this was pretty good)
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez # (I tried to read this one recently as well. not my cup of tea)
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (I will love him and hug him and call him George.)
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy (And I wasn't even required to read this one! Liked it well enough.)
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson** (Bryson is one of my favorite authors. He writes mostly non-fiction and they are usually travel diaries of sorts. THis one is particularly good.)
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell # (I had this one on my shelf for a while until it had to go back to the library. Maybe I will get to it!)
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker #
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad # (I've started this one many times)
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So, that's my results- 33 of 100. Not bad and certainly far from "average". Tell me what your results were (in the comments).

Also, the quest to read 100 books this year? I'm already on numbers 91 and 92. About 10 of those are considered "Juvenile Fiction" as I have discovered a great series called "Dear America" but I think the fact I will probably hit closer to 120 books read by Jan 1, 2009 will more than make up for it.

What's $124.24 cents look like?

2008-04-03T09:22:00.006-06:00

Near the top of the list of THINGS I LOVE is the twice yearly
KidsTown Consignment Sale at the Agricenter in Memphis. They have everything from Pregnancy books to Juniors Clothing- and I do mean EVERYTHING. Potty seats, playhouses, pajamas, pictures, socks,swimsuits, DVDs,dolls, dance gear, books, bedding, bikes,the list goes on forever.

I usually volunteer to work so I get to shop a little ahead of the public. This year I had the wonderful opportunity to be among the first 20 people to shop! The main benefit to that is that you have access to the big items that usually go so fast, as well as the best prices. This year I did not need any big items (like playhouses, powerwheels, bikes, etc) but it was great to get first crack at all the clothes!

The photo above contains the following items- all purchased for $124.

16 pairs of shorts:
3 Arizona
2 Old Navy
2 Gap
2 Sonoma
3 Gymboree
1 Circo
2 misc. brands
1 Levi's

14 Tee Shirts:
1 Arizona (monster truck)
1 Old Navy
3 Gap
4 Gymboree
1 John Deer- new with tags!
1 Hot Wheels
1 Class Club (monster truck)
1 Nike (soccer)
1 Carter's (soccer)

7 Polo Shirts:
2 Gap
1 Carter's
1 misc. brand
1 Gymboree-new with tags!
1 Duckhead
1 Talbot's Kids

2 Button-Up Shirts
1 Gymboree
1 Gap

3 Pairs of Shoes
1 pair brown suede converse-looking hightops with baby blue trim (for winter)
1 pair black Airwalk (crocs knockoffs)
1 pair black athletic sandals for playtime

5 Pairs of Pajamas
1 pair Carter's (soccer)
1 pair Osh Kosh (submarines)
1 pair Gymboree (sharks)
1 pair misc (space shuttle)
1 pair Star Wars with Darth Vader cape!

1 FireMan's Rain Hat- to match his raincoat.

3 Games
Hi Ho Cherrio
Clue Jr.
Buckaroo

Wooden Xylophone

10 Books
6 books about values- self-control, acceptance, manners etc.
2 science books about God creating weather/ocean
1 Usborne book of science experiments
1 Kindergarten book of Bible Lessons

About 5 of the shirts are strictly for playing in, as well as 4 pairs of the shorts- but the rest are all in excellent shape and suitable to wear to town, parties, church or wherever.

Tonight is my night to volunteer for 5 hours, and I am sure I will be EXHAUSTED by the time it is over, but it was totally worth it to get Coleman's wardrobe on the cheap and all over with at once!

And the REAL STEAL of the night? I found it for my friend Dena. A Leapster (retail on Ebay $45) and 6 cartridges (store retail 19.99 EACH) for a grand total of $20. Yes, that's right- $20. After just buying the same stuff for Coleman's birthday for FAR more than that I could have kicked myself, but I am glad she got a great deal.

2008-03-17T20:16:00.011-06:00

"May those who love us, love us. And may those that don't love us, Lord- turn their hearts. And if you can't turn their hearts, Lord- then at least turn their ankles so we will know them by their limping." -- Irish Prayer

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We started the day off in the Blake household with plenty of green food coloring. Coleman had raisin toast shamrocks with green butter, while I had french toast with green shamrocks.

Hmmm, green dye.... this should be interesting later.

Mid-morning we read some books about St. Patricks Day and listened to some Irish Music. Then we watched a little bit of the New York St. Pat's day parade on tv. Coleman was unimpressed, so he changed it back to some robot cartoon. I guess I should be glad he prefers robots to green beer at this age.

For school work we did a holiday theme, with maze, craft, sequencing work and practicing the letters L (for leprechaun) and S (for shamrock). I think Coleman grasps the basics of the holiday (st. Patrick went to Ireland, built churches and told people about God, supposedly drove snakes out of the country) as well as the fictional stuff with leprechauns and rainbows.

This afternoon I wanted to do something fun with him, so we did a leprechaun hunt. Basically I walked around the house and took photos of 9 places to hide a leprechaun or pot of gold. I printed out bits of paper that had a leprechaun on one side and the photo of a location on the reverse. I colored a paper bag and folded it to look like a pot and filled it with hershey's kisses with almonds (in gold wrappers). After hiding 8 leprechauns and the "pot of gold" I handed him the first leprechaun and he followed the trail from one to the next until he found the gold. It was a lot of fun and he immediately took the candy outside to share with his friends. Below is the video of the hunt- the house is a shambles and the video quality stinks, so don't look too closely.

Winter Wonderland

2008-03-11T09:22:00.013-06:00

This is the snow Friday evening, in the middle of our precipitation. We did not get a photo of the house Saturday morning with it was the deepest.

We ended up with 4 3/4 inches of snow, which is just the right amount for fun! We got up earlier than usual for a Saturday morning and had homemade cinnamon rolls (recipe) with sausage. The rolls were really good, I just should have let them rise a little more after coming out of the fridge overnight, so they were a little flat and tougher than they should have been. I will definitely make them again though. (Maybe when I can pop them right in the oven after the last rise.) After breakfast we got all bundled up and headed outdoors because the snow was melting FAST. It was amazing how much run-off was going through the streets already, so we knew it would not last the afternoon, despite the fact the high was only going to be 37 degrees.

The snow was great for snowballs, but for some reason would not stick well enough to roll for snowmen. Coleman had a great time having "snowfights" with Mom and Dad, and after a while we went across the street to play with a friend. He was glad to have a new target for his snowballs. She is wearing a scarf I made her for Christmas and Coleman is wearing a hat and gloves she gave him for his birthday.
After he had gotten thoroughly soaking wet playing in the melting snow and water in the street, tossed a million snowballs at his friend's dad (who was right in there with it), and found out it was Soccer sign up day- we headed back toward our house. To play in our yard and try to make a snowman.
We made a family of snow angels in the front yard and another friend came outside to play. She was not too happy with the cold and wet, but did tough it out for a little while. She and Coleman built a small snowman on his picnic table, and we used a wilted carrot for his nose, grapes for his eyes and a green onion for his mouth. His arms are part of a coat hanger.

After the photo op with the snowman, Coleman destroyed him with a plastic rake, so it is a good thing we snapped these photos. Coleman had a great time petting my hat and saying "Oh, sweet kitty." I guess it is time to invest in a more traditional snow hat! This one was a Christmas gift from Shane's mom the winter I went to Scotland and it sure is warm- but probably a little formal for wearing out in the yard!
It was a good thing we spent the 2 1/2 hours outside in the early morning (we were in the house and dry by 11) because at noon all the snow was melting very quickly. We ran a couple of errands and by the time we were home at 2pm the snow was pretty much gone! It was short-lived but we are glad we got it. Now- on with Spring!

Bent Objects....

2008-03-10T13:50:00.005-06:00

Irony in Pill Form

Prepare for hilarity! Terry over at Bent Objects is incredibly talented with a little wire and a whole lot of everyday objects. Pay close attention to any words on the products, as they are usually key to "getting" the joke.

Every few days he posts a picture of a common household object seen from a different perspective. Right now he is doing a whole series of "Tragedies at the Circus" using those little candy circus peanuts as the stars. You have to see these!

Be ye warned, some of his sculptures can be a bit off color, but the majority of them are family friendly.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

2008-03-07T19:13:00.005-06:00

Today has been a big day at the Blake household.

1) Our brand spankin' new WALMART opened about 1/2 mile from our house.

and

2) It is SNOWING! So far we have about 3 inches, with up to 6 expected. The way it is blowing around out there, I thing we will hit close to 6 easily. It is a really nice wet snow too, so it should be perfect for snowballs and snowmen in the morning. Coleman is VERY excited. He has been out to play in it a few times as the afternoon has gone on, and I think he will really enjoy himself tomorrow.

Since it was colder than heck today and I had a lot of stuff to do around the house, I made cinnamon rolls from scratch, and they are waiting in the fridge to go in the oven first thing in the morning. The recipe was really interesting, (it has vanilla pudding in the yeast dough) and if they are as good as they look I will post it tomorrow. They are a little time consuming, but were fun to make.

So, on the agenda tomorrow: breakfast of warm cinnamony goodness, playing in the snow and lots of family fun. Watch for more photos!

Killing me slowly (or what has happened to my brain?)

2008-03-07T08:17:00.005-06:00

(Order the above print "brainrot")

So, I have always considered myself above average when it comes to my choices for reading material- more literary than the average bear if you must. In high school, I was the one reading Jude the Obscure and enjoying it, not because it was on the reading list, but because it had the word "obscure" in the title and looked interesting. Same with "The Picture of Dorian Gray", "Wuthering Heights" and many other classics that were never required reading. Sure I read Steven King novels in there too, but I enjoyed the great works of fiction just as much if not more.

Off to college- the same pattern continued, but with less Steven King and more fantasy/science fiction material since by then Shane had already influenced my reading preferences. Still lots of classics that I thoroughly enjoyed. After college I went into the workforce and didnt have much time to read, but did enjoy reading some biographies of presidents and other somewhat educational books aloud to my residents.

Then I discovered mysteries. And forensic crime novels. And travel memoirs. And memoirs in general. Out with the classics, in with the junk (in many cases.)

This year I am on track to read 100 books- I am at 27 at this point. However, some of the books I have tried to read that have been deemed "Classics" have done NOTHING for me. Very rarely in my life have I started a book and not finished it. Something about the principal of the thing and refusing to be beaten. "Wise Blood" by Flannery O Connor- I couldn't get past the 5th chapter. Shane read it and assured me it was just like a Cohen Brothers movie without the funny, but I was not getting it. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, while not yet a classic, I hated it as of chapter 4. Now I am doing my best to avoid "Catch-22" despite the fact I am on page 50 something and have been assured by numerous book reviews that it is one of the funniest books in the history of the world. My friend Kristen (who also recommended "Wise Blood") thoroughly enjoyed "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" which is also doing me in. That lovely volume is 900 pages- I am on 75 and dreading the next 800 plus.

I am not sure if my brain has re-wired itself to prefer the junk fiction of the day, or if I prefer to read things that travel at a quick clip so I can be on to the next book, but it has been a rude awakening for me.

So, there will be much rejoicing if I can finish the two most recent attempts. Just to break the monotony I am also reading "I Am America {and You Can Too!)" by Steven Correll. A blatant little humor may be the spoonful of sugar to make the medecine go down.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2008-03-03T16:22:00.008-06:00

Today I watched Coleman's best friend Amelia for a couple of hours while her mom went to the dentist. In honor of what would have been Theodore Geisel's 104th birthday, we read "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back". Then the kids made their very own "Cat in the Hat" bowties and hats and had Goldfish crackers. It was a lot of fun!

What's for dinner? Maybe some green eggs and ham.

New Soul by Yael Naim

2008-03-03T11:58:00.002-06:00

If you've seen the commercial for the new Mac laptop "Air" you have heard the beginning of this catchy little ditty. I thought it was fun and quirky, so I googled the commercial and found the artist and the video. She reminds me a little of Victoria Williams, which to me is a good thing, not so much to most others.

Enjoy!

Food and Family

2008-02-27T21:01:00.004-06:00

Kraft Foods has a great website where you can type in a few ingredients you have on hand and it will give you recipe suggestions. It has been a real help for dinner a number of nights. It also has a ton of great free recipes, how to videos and even coupons for their products. Best of all, you can sign up on their mailing list and you will get a weekly email with recipes, kitchen tips, and more coupons. You can also sign up to get a quarterly magazine sent to your home that has even more wonderful, easy recipes and photos of each of them. It actually is one of my favorite cooking magazines, and I subscribe to a number of the most popular ones.

Tonight we made molten chocolate surprises. In my case the surprise was that they were not molten... but they were good nonetheless.

Go to their site and sign up- you'll thank me for it.

Great New Music from David Wilcox...

2008-02-26T13:50:00.008-06:00

One of our all time favorite musicians is the American folkster David Wilcox. (I have to specify the American DW because there is a Canadian DW who is vastly different and defintely NOT among our favorites.)

We were introduced to David's music back in Mobile by our very talented friends John Wallace and Andy Cloninger . That was over 11 years ago, and David's music has just gotten better with age. He has a velvet voice, and an insane laugh. The two don't even fit together, but whatever he has going works! Most of his songs are slower and mellow, but he has a few that are quite upbeat and a lot of fun.

David's earlier albums had some "questionable" songs (from a Christian perspective), though he has always claimed to be a beleiver. In recent years his music and things he says live have really matured and you can easily see his faith in his writings and songs. He has also started doing more shows with other artists who are Christians, even performing in the Andrew Peterson "Behold The Lamb of God" concert last year at the Ryman. He is by no means a part of the "Christian Music" movement, but the best artists are most often those that go about their lives living out their faith, not stamping it all over their album covers.

We've seen DW in concert a number of times, and each time just gets better and better. He is an incredible storyteller- very funny and strangely profound. Plus, he has written a song about the waffle house, which makes him a hit in my husband's book anyday. If I had to recommend any particular album it would be his "Live Songs and Stories" because it has the best of both worlds, but "How Did You Find Me Here" and "What You Whispered" are both really good. Heck- get them all (and listen too) here at Amazon.com. He is also available on Emusic, (some of those are the Canadian DW) and that way you can download the songs you want. List of recommended songs available upon request :)

David has a new CD out called "Airstream" and a new DVD set called "Live at the Workplay Theater". I ordered mine yesterday from his website. {By the way honey... I ordered David's new CD yesterday!} He and his family spent a year traveling the country in an airstream trailer, so these songs are born from that trip and time together. I'm really looking forward to hearing it.

Below are a few videos from YouTube.

Excerpt from new Live video. Please ignore the grimace.

Little bit of a concert and interview- also has that crazy laugh of his, but toned down some.

This is one of my favorite songs of his. It's an older song, and this is from an older concert, but is still great.

He is coming to Nashville near my birthday in May, and if we can swing somewhere to stay that night we may make the trip there for the show.

** ADDENDUM** Got my new CD a few days ago and have been listening to it a lot. There are a couple of songs with some pretty bad (Christian) theology- if that is an issue for you in regards to your music. There is also a very anti-Bush song. Just thought I would give you a heads up in case anyone cared about knowing.

(Not Quite) Even Better Than the Real Thing... But Close!

2008-02-23T01:05:00.007-06:00

The short of it? If you have ever been a fan of U2, GO SEE
THIS movie when it comes to your town!

Shane and I have been U2 fans for over 18 years now, and even managed to catch them live in 1993 on the Zoo TV tour when they came to Birmingham Alabama. They were touring with Public Enemy (thanks Keith- it was NOT 2LiveCrew as I posted originally) at the time, and during the opening act- Flava Flav hung, in effigy, a white sheeted/hooded KKK mannequin. In Birmingham. Alabama. Apparently the Klan are not huge U2 fans, so the evening progressed without a hitch (or additional lynch as it was) but I was a little nervous for a few minutes.

U2 has had a lot of new material in the last 15 years, and Shane and I have been eagerly anticipating the new 3Dimensional Digital concert/movie from U2 for a few months now. It is only playing in IMax locations and theaters that have a digital projector, and only for one night in each town. Tonight was our night here in Memphis, so we were glad to grab our 3D glasses at the door and take our seats at the Paradisio Theater. It has been a long time Since I have seen anything in 3D, and allow me to say- this ain't those little blue and red cellophane lenses. I new I was in for a treat from the preview alone!

The movie started and it was incredible how real everything on the screen looked. (Dare I say 3 dimensional?) The text looked like it was jumping out at you- it seemed you could reach out and move the microphone stand out of your way when it blocked your view. There were a couple of times water was thrown in the air in the crowd and you would swear it was going to land in your lap. At one point the guy next to us said he almost told someone to move out of the way, then he realized they were on the screen! Digital quality sound, excellent camera work and angles, incredible music- made for a GREAT experience. As their shows always are, there was lots of entertainment value and I would pay to see it again if I got the chance.

Here is a longer (2D) clip from YouTube from the movie, and below is the trailer (also in 2D). Neither do the experience justice. [If they are a little jerky, just hit pause when they start to load, let them load a little, then un-pause.]

{{In an unrelated note, the Rolling Stones have a documentary/concert movie coming out soon as well. I have decided that Keith Richards died 3 years ago and an animatronic skeleton is propelling him around the stage since. For a truly frightening experience, watch THIS trailer for their movie, thankfully NOT in 3D.

That's Just My Bag Baby...

2008-02-19T00:14:00.003-06:00

Those of you that know me, know that I am not really a purse kind of gal. Try fitting a digital camera, an I-Pod, a book, wallet, cell phone, gum, sunglasses and keys in your standard cute, girly purse. Add various things needed by a preschool boy, and it was obvious I had to come up with a better plan.

Christmas 2007 I was looking for a new bag. My grandparents gave me money and said, "Here, go buy yourself something from us and put it under the tree." I ran across these AWESOME messenger bags from Timbuk2 somewhere online, and knew right off that I had to have one. They are waterproof, come in a bajillion different sizes, shapes and colors, and look so much cooler than a backpack. Plus, they are designed to be slung over one shoulder, which is how I prefer to carry things anyway.

I went to our local specialty sports and outdoors store just to get my hands on one and try them out for size. I decided on the Classic Small Messenger because it had lots of little pockets to store things like cell phones, MP3 players, sunglasses and suckers, while still having one large central pocket for books, a jacket or my digital SLR camera. I especially like the way the flap closes with the clips and the rubber lined ballistic nylon which makes the entire thing very durable and water-resistant. The little key fob is nice as is the adjustable shoulder strap- even though I usually leave it fully extended. You can also order optional accessories such as strap pads, cell phone holders and the like to clip to the strap.

I found a marvelous deal on a "build your own bag" of sorts online, and ordered the mocha/baby blue/mocha one with silver interior and baby blue logo. When it came it was really difficult to wrap it up and put it under the tree, but I did. I could not WAIT to open it. That was over a year ago, and I am still using this thing every day. I have washed it once (in the washing machine) and it still looks as good as new. When the time comes I will not hesitate to order another. I only wish I had thought to get one of these when Coleman was a little baby instead of lugging a diaper bag around all those years!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T19:55:00.003-06:00

Coleman and I made these Rice Krispy Treat "Heartcicles" as Valentine's for his friends. We just tinted the marshmallow/butter mixture red or pink, patted them out extra thick on a cutting board. After they were set we cut them out with a sharp metal cookie cutter and then drizzled them with white chocolate and Coleman liberally applied sprinkles. After the chocolate set we stuck them on popcicle sticks and wrapped them with saran wrap and ribbon. They turned out pretty cute!

Hope your Valentine's Day is full of the people you love, whether they live under your roof or far away!

Pray for Union University...

2008-02-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

All the tornadoes that tore through the midsouth last week hit the small town of Jackson TN the hardest. Union University sustained a direct hit from an F4 tornado, amazingly with no loss of life.

Our former pastor from Mobile, Ed Litton (see my first post) had just moved his youngest son, Tyler, into the dorms at Union the week prior to the tornadoes. If you have heard the story about Pastor Ed from us or other sources, you will remember he lost his dear wife Tammy in the fall. I can only imagine his fear watching the news and seeing the devastation on that small campus and worrying about his son.

I ran across this video on youtube relating to God's protection of those young men and women on campus. This particular video is safe for all ages, but I won't say the same for other videos you may find on that site if you go poking around. (if the below embedded video does not work try this link to see it on youtube.)

Also, one of our good friend's parents home was destroyed in the same tornado. It was our friend's childhood home and her parents had hoped to live there the rest of their retirement. Please pray for them as they begin the process of rebuilding their lives and memories.

Quick and Easy Ribbon Bulletin Board Craft Project...

2008-02-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

I have had a few friends ask for directions on how to make the ribbon bulletin boards I have in the kitchen and Coleman's room. I thought I would put the instructions here in case anyone else wants to try one. Unfortunately I did not take photos as the project went along, so you will have to make do with instructions and finished product.

This project can be done pretty cheaply if you already happen to have some of the materials on hand, such as the wood, batting, staples and staple gun like I did. If you have to purchase all of it you will be looking at a more pricey little project.

What you need:

* 1/4 inch plywood or MDF in whatever size you want-I used scrap we had in the garage
*Fabric- enough to cover wood plus wrap over sides about 1-2 inches. Don't use anything really thin or stretchy. I used quilt material or drapery material. Use pinking shears (those zig-zag scissors) around the edges if you want it to not unravel.
* Quilt batting- (not fiberfill)- thick enough to smooth out the wood but we're not making a pillow here! Needs to be enough to wrap over sides as well about 1-2 inches
*Ribbon coordinating with your fabric pattern. I used about 15 yards for each of mine, but if you put your squares farther apart or your board is a different size that makes a difference too.
* Upholstery tacks- get them in the hardware section of your fabric store- they come in different designs. Get about 50-75 of them. Err on too many instead of too few because you will end up bending a ton of them.
* A light duty staple gun and tons of staples
* Scissors
* hammer
* ruler
* sawback hangers so you can hang your finished product

Instructions:

1. Cut your wood to size. Lay your fabric and quilt batting out and cut it out just about 1" too much on all sides of your board. Pay attention to be sure the pattern on you fabric is going the way you'd like.

2. Iron your fabric. Trust me, you will kick yourself if you don't.

3. Lay your fabric face down with the batting on top (closest to the wood). Lay your board on top and center it.

4. Bring your batting around the back of the plywood and staple down about 1 inch from the edge. Do all the batting, Then follow with the fabric, pulling snugly as you go. You want it to look upholstered, but not like it has had bad plastic surgery.

5. Take care at the edges to fold them so that they lay flat. Too many staples are better than too few in this project. Trim your edges so they are neat and not too bulky, but leave a little away from the staples in case the fabric pulls a little.

6. When the upholstering is done, take your ribbon and stretch it diagonally from one corner to other. Leave about 3 inches overhang on each end, snip. While you are at it go ahead and cut two of this size. Staple one end on the back and bring it over that corner and down to the opposite- then staple it on the back, You will want the ribbon to lie snug and flat to the fabric, but not pucker the edges. I always staple 3 times on each end- 2 times with the ribbon's direction and once across. This is probably overkill, but I don't want to be repairing the thing later.

7. Repeat with opposite corners.- Be sure if your ribbon has a difference in grain or sheen from front side to back you take that into consideration and use the same side or opposite if you want a pattern.

8. Now you have a giant X. Measure however many inches from your ribbon to put the next one- I do 4" but 5" or more would work too. Cut the ribbon to length, remember to cut 2 to save time. Staple the ribbon on the back at the proper distance, then pull it across and measure at the bottom before stapling the loose end. Continue with all the ribbon until it is all latticed. You may weave the ribbon as well as you go along.

9. When you have the cross hatch all done, lay your board face up on a firm surface such as a cement floor or another piece of plywood- your tacks will probably go through the back a little, so do not use a dining table, the hard wood floor or something else like that. Take a tack, put it at the intersection of each ribbon and hammer down. These little suckers tend to bend all to heck, so practice makes perfect- good luck. You may want to have needle nose pliers handy to remove wayward tacks.

10. Turn your board over and nail down any protruding spikes. Add hangers to back and hang your project on the wall.

11. Slide your memorabilia, photos, appointment cards etc. under the ribbons and enjoy!

Be sure to email me any photos if you do this yourself. I'd love to see how someone else's turn out.

This is in Coleman's Room. It's great for holding photos, all those little craft projects as well as things he picks up along the way- such as cotton, cards and more!

This hangs in our kitchen. We keep all of our appointment cards, doctor's phone numbers, neat photos, and photos of friends and people we want reminders to pray for such as our kids in Ecuador and missionary friends around the world.

Thanks Ya'll!

2008-02-11T00:10:00.001-06:00

It was a long week at the hospital with my grandmom, but I was glad I was able to be there for her and my grandpa. She is recouperating at home now and hopefully will get stronger every passing day.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone as well as to give credit where it is due.

* Thanks be to our Great Physician for His healing and comfort when things looked their worst.

* Thanks to my grandmom's doctors and nurses- though some of you were better than others, you all did your jobs well. Thanks especially to those of you who went about your duties with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. You really were an encouragement to me when I needed it.

* Thanks to the staff of the ICU waiting room. This was by far the nicest waiting room I have ever been in, and I appreciate the fact that there are strict rules to keep it that way. Thanks especially to Dorsett and Jessica who were always laughing, smiling and helping families who were wandering through days of anxiety, grief and sleep deprivation. Jessica, thanks for having the sensitivity to realize the gravity behind waking a family member up in the wee hours of the morning to tell them they are needed upstairs.

* Thanks so much for everyone that prayed, whether I know you personally or not. I felt the comfort of so many people praying for me and my grandmom, words can not describe.

* Thanks to all of you who called and offered help and just a friendly ear to listen. Whether you called from Thailand, Athens, Memphis, California or North Carolina, it was GREAT to hear your voices when I needed them most. For those of you I had not spoken to in say- 15 years- thanks for being a better friend than I have been.

* Thanks to Brandy for stopping by the hospital with goodies and a hug. It was so good to see you.

* Thanks to my wonderful Mother in Law for keeping Coleman and holding down the fort in Memphis so I could be away.

* Thanks to Amanda for watching Coleman on short notice when we needed it on Friday afternoon. I hope he was not too much trouble- please let us know when we can reciprocate. I wanna get my hands on that cute baby!

* Thanks to all of you who emailed words of encouragement. It was great to spend time reading and replying to all of you during those long hours between visiting times.

* Finally, thanks to that ex-boyfriend who either did not recognize me in WalMart today or had the kindness not to speak up after not having any contact with me for 15 years. (I suspect the latter.) I'd not had a shower this morning, conditioned my hair in days and basically looked like I'd stepped off the set of "My Name is Earl". I would have been mortified to have a conversation with someone from my past- I was just trying to get home to my hubby and son as quickly as possible.

Add "photographer to the stars" to my resume...

2008-02-10T23:39:00.000-06:00

After they transferred my grandmom to a regular hospital room on Friday I happily ran back to my car to get my suitcase and move in to her new space. As I was coming back through the lobby of the hospital I passed a large group of people gathered around a little lady in a wheelchair. There were probably 20-30 people all trying to get into a photo and deciding amongst themselves who should take the shot. Having been in that position myself, I spoke up- "I know you guys don't know me, but if you trust me with your camera I'd be happy to take your photo for you!" They happily turned the camera over to me, smiled and I snapped a couple of shots for them. They thanked me very kindly and I went on my way.

As I was leaving the lobby, a lady grabbed my arm and asked me if I knew who that was that I just snapped the pictures for. Being clueless as usual, and a little bit sleep and shower deprived I told her no, I didn't. Turns out it was gospel SUPERSTAR Donnie McClurkin.

Funny thing is, back in the day when I sold gospel music for a living- I must have sold HUNDREDS of his debut CD, all with a big photo of him on the front.

A church on every corner....

2008-02-05T15:01:00.000-06:00

I guess while sitting in an ICU waiting room in Alabama worrying about my grandmother while severe storms pummel Memphis causing me to worry also about my husband, child and mother in law is as good a time as any to update a blog that has been inactive a while. Don't expect rainbows and kittens.

Recently we felt that God was calling us to leave our church where we had been very happily involved for a couple of years. As a result we have been visiting churches and praying God will lead us where we need to be. I also just read a book called "Silence" that is a fictional account of Catholic missionaries in Japan in the 16th century. I am under the impression that there is an element of historical fact relating to how the Gospel was brought to Japan.

In our search for a new church home, we have visited a number of churches, and feel that God is leading us to one of 2 churches. Both are doctrinely sound, and both are places where we could put our gifts to use. The real question (other than if God has one chosen for us over the other) will come down to style. One traditional, more formal church- the other is more contemporary and relationship driven. We are planning to get involved both places and see what happens from there.

In "Silence" the Portugese priests face great peril to bring the Gospel of good news to the Japanese. The journey there is long and dangerous, the government is antagonistic and the peasants fall into 2 camps- desperate for Christ or vehemenently against a change in their way of life. Captured priests are tortured (or Christian peasants are the victims) until Christ is renounced by the Fathers.

What a discrepency between our modern faith and what the early Japanese faithful had to endure. For us, the big decision is "guitar or organ? khakis or hose? Wednesday church-wide dinner or small group Bible study in homes?" Their choices were "trod on the face of Christ or be killed." This situation is still the case in many places around the world. Certainly makes what has been a major disruption in our lives fall into perspective.

Oh how fortunate we are. And how much more mindful we should be of those brothers and sisters in the Faith that are not.

IMPORTANT SERVICE MESSAGE!!!

2008-01-04T14:23:00.000-06:00

***We interrupt this blog series on books with an important public announcement!***

Before you forward something about a missing child, deadly computer virus, Marshall Field's cookie recipe or the latest government conspiracy, please for the sake of all recipients, check out SNOPES.COM to see if it has a shred of truth.

I find myself forwarding links to this site to well intentioned, but misinformed, friends, family and casual acquaintences all of the time. Ah, the joys of the internet!

The benefit of being the one to rain on everyone's parade of misinformation with a link to the truth? Eventually you stop getting forwards!

"I've got a map on my wall...

2008-01-01T01:54:00.001-06:00

but that don't make me a world traveller!" (If you catch that reference you are some kind of good!)

Some of my all time favorite genres of books are travel/extreme sports books. I discovered many of these authors/books in my former life working with senior citizens, and have enjoyed them since. Since I have a small child and am a stay at home mom, it's a good thing I like to read or my mind might never get to leave Memphis and travel the globe.

Bill Bryson
Bill is one of my favorite travel authors. Before you run out and pick up one of his books however, be ye warned that some of his books contain some really bad language- especially the hysterical "A Walk in the Woods". (Though if I was stuck hiking through the wilderness with a neurotic guy from my past my language might be less than Godly as well.) All his books are written from first-hand experiences travelling the globe, and my favorites are "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and "Notes from a Small Island." He has also authored a number of other books on subjects sich as grammar, and a short history of nearly everythin.

Tim Cahill
Tim is another travel writer I have really enjoyed, and his works are geared toward more adventurous trips around the world. Often the subject matter of his books is focused on getting out of some situation he shouldn't have gotten into to begin with. Favorites are "Not So Funny When It Happened" and "Pass the Butterworms Please."

John Krakauer
Krakauer's writing is not your typical travel genre. His book "Into the Wild" was just made into a major motion picture, and his "Into Thin Air" is a remarkable tale of survival on Mount Everest. Both are certainly worth the read.

Climbing High
This is another book in the Everest Genre- she was the first Danish woman to climb Mt. Everest, as well as being on the same expedition in 1996 that was chronicled in "Into Thin Air".

One Year Off
True tale of a family who sold everything and took off around the globe. Next time I get annoyed traveling 3 hours with a 4 year old I can think back and be glad I am not in Delhi with a toddler!

What Does Carol Channing Know Anyway?

2007-12-31T22:00:00.000-06:00

Whoever wrote that "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" must have had an awfully shallow gal. In our house, not much makes me happier than a good book. Books help keep your brain from turning to mush (important when you spend all day with a 4 year old), help you unwind (did I mention that 4 year old?) and are the perfect opportunity for a little "me time".

With reading in decline in the USA I made a goal for myself to read 100 books in the year 2008. This may sound like a tall order, but in reality that is only 2 books a week. I am a quick reader, and can easily finish a novel in 3 days, quicker if I am really into it. Since 1998 I have attempted to keep track of all the books I have read. Some years I read like gangbusters, while others I simply did not record many of the books I completed. All in all, I actually wrote down 297 books that I have read in the past 9 years- and that is not counting the ones I read multiple times (Harry Potter Series, Gone with the Wind etc.) In 2006 alone I read 78 books!

I wish I could say that all that reading was spiritually uplifting, brain energizing, or at least literary classics. However, I am a huge fan of junk fiction... and my list is full of popular authors-especially in the Forensic Science and Medical Mystery genres. I don't think there is a book out there by Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs I have not read. That being said, I also have a very eclectic list of authors that I really enjoy that are worth mentioning. Maybe you will get an idea for some reading yourself in 2008.

(I'll be doing a week of authors sort of like I did the musicians and games.)

Happy New Year!

2007-12-30T18:38:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived Christmas and all the joy and chaos that the season entails. I am looking forward to getting our house back in order today and tomorrow and packing away all the trappings of the season for another 11 months. We had a marvelous holiday and Coleman got far too many gifts, thanks to the generosity of family and friends.

Looking toward 2008 I, the world's WORST resolution keeper, have made yet another list of things I am hoping to do. Most of these involve lifestyle changes in big ways, but they sound fun and hopefully I will be able to keep them up long enough to become actual changes instead of just a list on the fridge.

1. Watch less tv. (This may be easier since I think we are dumping cable soon.)
2. Play more games. (See previous posts.) We would like to start a neighborhood game night every other month and play games several times a week as a family.
3. Invite someone to dinner every other week. We have a wonderful neighborhood and would like to know our neighbors a little better. Since I like to cook, this should be a lot of fun.
4. Spend less money!
5. Read 100 books. (I have done this in the past.)This will have to include at least 20 classics and 30 non-fiction books. That leaves me half for "junk reading". Books on tape do count since I do that while driving.
6. Get back on track with Coleman's homeschooling. He has been begging to get started back, so I am determined to get back in the swing of things.
7. Complete Coleman's 2007 scrapbook, Family Christmas Scrapbook, keep current with 2008 and complete a special project I am working on. (In scrapbook land, Coleman is still 4 months old. I am planning to work backwards toward his infancy.)
8. Lose 40 pounds. (Sounds hard, but I managed to lose 10 in 6 weeks without starving myself to death. I am pretty sure they are all back from the Christmas snack-fest.) Losing the weight will make us more likely to have another child as well.
9. Go to the gym at LEAST 3 days a week and walk or do something active on at least 1 other day. (I am paying for the membership, might as well use it!)
10. Read through the Bible. (If I accomplish this I will have the most important book toward my 100 complete!)

So- there's my list! If you are so inclined please pray for me to be successful. We should have a happier and healthier family all around if I can keep it up.

Any New Year's Resolutions you want to share?

Merry Christmas Leith, Tuky and girls!

2007-12-22T03:20:00.000-06:00

So, I have this Aussie friend who will be celebrating Christmas in Thailand this year with his beautiful wife and daughters. He is a little homesick since a Thai Christmas is not the same as a western (or Western Australian) one. So, here's your christmas gift buddy! Hope you enjoy it!*windows media file* (Everyone else is welcome to watch too.)

Merry Christmas from Tennessee to Thailand

Merry Christmas from our home to yours....

2007-12-17T20:15:00.000-06:00

Great Games for Large(r) Groups...

2007-12-14T15:43:00.000-06:00

We rarely get to have larger groups over these days, but lucky for us Shane's family is always willing to play games when we are together. Some of our favorites will go up to 5 people, but often we will have 6 or more that want in on the fun. The following games fit the bill perfectly and always leave us laughing.

Apples to Apples is by far our favorite large group game. It plays well with 4-10 players, the more the merrier! You decide how long the game lasts- ours usually lasts around 20-30 minutes. This game is highly adaptable for different types of groups (youth groups are great) and a number of different versions are available (Bible, Kids, Spanish). It is very easy to play and teach and always different. One thing is consistent though- the laughs! Available at Target- maybe even WalMart.

Category 5 (also known as Take 6, Slide 5, 6 Nimmit!) is a fun little card game for 2-10 people. There are several versions with different names, with Category 5 being hurricane themed. Follow the link for instructions on game play and more photos.

Farkel is a great group game played with just 6 dice and a pad of paper. Roll the dice, keep at least one each roll and press your luck! Lots of fun for groups of any size really. This one gets played a lot by our family and is great because you can play just about anywhere. Just be careful telling people you and your family are "farkling on the bed!" (This really happened to us. Poor guy on the other end of the phone.)

Hope these give you some ideas how to pass the time with family this holiday season!

Games for little guys and gals....

2007-12-13T14:10:00.001-06:00

Coleman is well on his way to being an avid gamer. He has a lot of the typical kiddie games, including Cootie, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders and a few others. He also has a few lesser known games for kids, and it is those that Daddy and I enjoy most.

Feed the Kitty is a fun little game that requires no reading, no game board and is pretty quick to play. Roll the dice, pass the mice and the last player with mice left wins! Lots of fun, teaches turn-taking and counting. There is no strategy involved at all in this game, but the little wooden mice are darling.

Hiss is the game that Shane and I like the most. You have a stack of cardboard tiles, each with the image of ether a snake's head, tail or midsection of varying color combinations. Draw a card, match it to one on the table or start a new snake. The person who completes a snake gets to keep it. Winner is the one with the most tiles at the end. Great for matching, strategy and counting skills.

Leaping Lizards is a little more complex than either of the games above. The game "board" is a string with spaces between colored beads. The little wooden lizard game pieces move varying spaces depending on what tiles are face up when the cup is spilled out. This has very little strategy, but more steps to see how much to move.

Our favorite 2 player games

2007-12-12T13:49:00.000-06:00

Having a youngish child means that we have opportunity to play a lot more 2 player games than those geared toward larger groups. The following is a list of our favorite games either geared specifically for 2 players or other games that play just fine with only 2 players.

Lost Cities was a gift from our friends Bert and Meg, and is a great starter game for 2 players. The game consists of a small board and playing cards. The object is to gain the most points while collecting a stack of cards of particular colors. There is strategy involved, but it is a quick little game. Playing time- 30 minutes.

Balloon Cup is another Rio Grande game that we have really enjoyed. The game consists of 2 squares, playing cards and a number of multi-colored wooden cubes. The object is to collect enough of the little cubes through game play to purchase the trophies of those colors at the end. The game moves quickly, is a lot of fun and easy to learn.

San Juan is the card adaptation of the game Puerto Rico (to be reviewed later in the week). This card game version is for 2-4 players, and is a great alternative to all the set-up and rules involved in the regular game.

Guillotine is a card game we have played for a long time. We originally picked it up as a 2 player game, but it will play up to 5 people. The concept is to collect as many "heads" (cards)as possible, and in doing so collect points. Be careful though, because some heads are worth negative points. This may sound macabre, but trust me, it is a funny game with no gore at all. This game was out of production and impossible to find for a number of years, but from what I understand is available again. Hooray!

Quiddler was our all time favorite game for a while. It is sort of a card game version of Scrabble meets gin rummy. The cards are beautifully done in a style similar to that of the Book of Kells, so they visually great to use. Each card contains a letter or cluster of letters with a point value in the corner. The game is played in 7 rounds, with each round being dealt an additional card up to 10 in the last hand. The goal is to make words using as many of your cards as possible, with extra points awarded for most words and longest word. This game also has a solitaire version and is playable for up to 8 players.

Great "Gateway" Games Geared toward Small Groups of 3-5 players

2007-12-11T12:11:00.000-06:00

Everyone loves games, but some of the more "gamer" oriented games have a lot of instructions, require extensive setup and concentration. The following games are wonderful games to teach new players because they are easy to explain, require little setup and are also a lot of fun! We call them "gateway" games, because people who get hooked on these often go on to play the more strategy intense games that do require more effort.

Our all time favorite game is Ticket to Ride and all its variations. This is a very simple to teach game, loads of fun and guaranteed to keep people coming back for more. There are several differences between each version, enough to keep each game a little different from the next. We personally have the original TTR and Europe versions, but would not mind having them all!

The game's objective is to complete trip tickets by building your train from point A to point B (depending on your ticket destination). Each turn is simple, and the game does not require so much concentration that you can't still have dessert or conversation while playing. Game play takes about 1 hour. This game makes a great gift!

The Settlers of Catan is THE game that got us, and so many other gamers, hooked. (You need to click the link called "Catan Games" on the left to see more info.) Again, there are multiple versions and expansions for Settlers, but the only ones we have direct experience with are the original game as well as the 2 player Catan Card Game.

This game is a little more involved attention-wise than Ticket to Ride since there are trading and pay-outs that affect all players at each turn, but still an easy game to learn and play. It also takes a little longer to set up the game board, but is well worth the extra effort.

The basic premise of this game is to collect the most points by building settlements on tracts of land that produce resources each time their number is rolled with the dice. Wheat, Sheep, Lumber, Ore and Brick are collected and traded on each turn. Players can use their resources to build more settlements, roads or chance cards. Game play takes about 1.5 hours.

The 2 player card game retains a lot of the elements from the original game without losing the fun. A great gift for the Catan player who doesn't get to attend gaming groups often.

Carcassone is another simple to play, simple to set up and teach game that we enjoy a lot. The great thing about this game is that it plays just as well with 2 people as it does with 5. Again, lots of variations are available. This game has the added benefit of being able to pack in a small space for trips because of the nature of the pieces.

The game board is revealed as a player chooses and plays a tile at each turn. The object is to join tiles in a manner to build a city. They then have a choice to place a person on the tile or pass play to the next person. The winner has the most points from cities completed or combinations with where their people are played. Game play takes about 30 minutes.

Wyatt Earp was a gift from my friend Glenna one Christmas. We have really enjoyed it since, and it has become a favorite at family gatherings. The object is to "capture" outlaws and collect the reward money. Again, this game is easy to explain, takes about 30 minutes to play and is very portable.

Time Well Spent...

2007-12-10T11:56:00.000-06:00

Chances are, if you come for a visit or dinner at the Casa del Blake, the evening will end with some game playing. While we will play the occasional game of Spades, we especially love the lesser known and much more entertaining games from companies such as Days of Wonder,and Rio Grande Games.

Why play games instead of watch a movie, play video games or sit around and talk? Games have a particular way of bringing people together. They are great for starting conversations and allow you to interact and get to know people in ways sitting in a dark room watching tv doesn't. Games bring families closer together and add an element of fun and competition.

Why the more unusual games? Scrabble remains one of our favorite games, and we do own many of the classics such as Monopoly (in its various forms), Rummikube, Uno, Skipbo, Parcheesi, and Stratego. However, the particular genre of games we prefer are much more heavily reliant on strategy and truthfully are just more fun.

Why are some of those games SO EXPENSIVE? True, many of the games we play are a little more expensive than your average game of "LIFE" found at your local WalMart. Many of these games are imported from other countries (lots of German games), use high quality materials such as wood pieces and heavy cardboard instead of plastic and thinner stuff, and are not sold in such huge quantites at national retailers. All of those add to the cost of a game, but you can get some great deals if you know where to look. Time Well Spent is our preffered spot to get games. There are numerous places to order these games online, but we typically stick with TWS because their prices are good, their customer service is great and they are a Christian-owned small business, and their values line up with ours pretty nicely. A lot of these games are available at Barnes and Noble, or even local game specialty stores (if you are lucky enough to have one.)

A lot of our friends have played a lot of our games, and this week I want to highlight a few of our favorites in a bunch of different categories. Hopefully you will find something that interests you, give you a great gift idea and maybe even start a new hobby!

I'd like to thank our good friends back in Raleigh, NC- Bert and Meg for getting us hooked on gaming. We miss them a lot and still look to them for game suggestions!

Other helpful links relating to games:
** A great place to check out games of many types is Board Game Geek. If you have a question about a game, want to see photos of the actual parts, or want to pick up replacement pieces, this is the spot to check.

** Defective Yeti is a big gamer with a blog that covers a lot of things, none of which I can be held responsible for. However, his gaming advice is usually really good and I have taken recommendations from him and been quite happy.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree: Our Favorite Christmas Albums

2007-12-09T01:53:00.000-06:00

Ahhh, I LOVE Christmas music. So much so, that some of it gets in the playback year round. The following is a list of my personal favorite albums for this Christmas season. Some of them are brand spanking new- thanks E-Music! (If anyone wants to join emusic, please email me so I can get the referral credits. It's a great deal for indie music lovers!)

1) Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson.
--In the opinion of our household, Andrew Peterson has musically picked up in many ways where Rich Mullins left off. As mentioned in a previous post, this is one of our year round favorite albums. Be sure to check out his other music on his site- not a dud there, as well as his site The Rabbit Room, where you can gain more insight into his life, thoughts and art. (Not to mention that of some other great artists!)

2) Joy by Allen Levi, Ed Cash and Bebo Norman.
-- We have had this Cd for years now, and it is very much in heavy rotation right now. These three guys are all great musicians on their own, but their voices just fit together so well. Be sure to check out their individual web sites- especially Allen's. He has some great funny songs as well as some very insightful ones.

3) Christmas from the Realms of Glory by the aforementioned Bebo Norman.
--This album is brand new for this Christmas season, and I could listen to Bebo's voice all day long. It's like honey.

4) Any of these Cds by the Appalachian Christmas Quartet.
--The ACQ isup of some of the Kid Brothers of St. Frank, headed up by Michael Aukofer. The roster changes from year to year, but has included some of our favorites, such as Brad Layher, and Erik Hauk. The music is primarily instrumental, but using instruments you won't hear on your typical Christmas albums. These Cds are heavy on Hammered Dulcimer, Lap Dulcimer, Violin, ethnic percussion, guitar, mandolin, lute and even such unusual instruments as boomwhackers and the PVCiano. The official 4th member of the quartet is the jackalope.

5) The Darkest Night of the Year by Over the Rhine.
-- As in anything they do, Karin's voice is beautiful. They have a new Christmas Cd out for 2007 called "Snow Angels" but we don't have it yet. It's on our list for next year though!

6)Wishing for This by Leigh Nash.
--Leigh is probably best known as the voice behind Sixpence None the Richer, but has a couple of solo projects out as well. This is yet another artist with a distinctive voice, but so lovely. One of my faves on this CD is Eternal Gifts. This CD is also new for this year.

7) When My Heart Finds Christmas and Harry for the Holidays, both by Harry Connick Jr.
--These are 2 great feel good Christmas Cds that will appeal to most people. They have a lot of fun songs as well as the traditional carols. Harry's voice is so easy on the ears, and these Cds are destined to become Christmas classics.

8) Holiday Songs and Lullabyes by Shawn Colvin.
--Sweet, simple and perfect for this time of year.

9)Noel by Various Artists- Via Records 1995.
-- Shane and I got this CD the week we got married. I remember listening to it driving around Gatlinburg on our honeymoon, and it is still one of our favorites. If you manage to find one laying around in a bargain bin somewhere, be sure to snatch it up! It has some great renditions of classic songs, as well as some really good artists. If I had to compare it to anything currently on the market it would be the "City on a Hill" series.

10) Wintersong by Sara McLachlan.
-- Despite consistently spelling this musician's name incorrectly, I think she is great! Keep in mind, I do not listen to top 40 radio, am not much into "Pop" music, but I love Sarah MCLachlan. This CD came out last Christmas and it is just delightful. Yet another artist with a sweet voice that will appeal to most people.

11) WeatherVane Christmas: The Gift by Various Artists
-- This Cd is apparently out of production and impossible to find. It featured great artists (see previous posts on Real Music by Real People) such as Jason Harrod, Claire Holley and others. Weathervane was a bit of a precursor to Paste Music and a sibling of sorts to Awakening Records- just in case anyone remembers them. Anyway, this Cd has a lot of nice acoustic Christmas favorites and a number of original songs as well.

We also downloaded some great new Christmas Cds from Jars of Clay, Martha's Trouble and Kevin Max (formerly of DC Talk)- all from Emusic. I have not listened to any of those enough to list them as favorites yet, but there is always next year!

Behold the Lamb of God...

2007-12-03T20:34:00.000-06:00

Oh my... it's already that time of year again, and time to pull out our favorite Christmas album of all time. So favorite, in fact, that we listen to it year round. In a culture where Chrismas has become barely a little nod toward the direction of Bethlehem (if even that), it is great to take the time to remember the whole story.

Andrew Peterson has created a wonderful album called "Behold the Lamb of God" that travels through the Old Testament to a dirty stable in Bethlehem. The songs are catchy, moving and beautiful- guaranteed to bring you into the presence of God this holiday season. As an added bonus, you can also impress your friends and family by singing the entire list of begats from the beginning of Matthew! Listen to the CD HERE. My favorites are "Passover Us" "Deliver Us" "Matthew's Begats" and "Behold the Lamb of God", but the entire album is incredible- any time of year. You can order a physical Cd or download a copy HERE

Every year Andrew and a whole host of friends (a.k.a. the GREATS of the CCM/Indie music industry) perform the album at a sold out concert in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium. Shane and I have wanted to go for YEARS, but have not been able to work it out to attend. This year, the travelling tour dates brought them to Memphis, and we were thrilled to attend. This year's tour features the 3 Andy's: Andrew Peterson, Andrew Osenga (the Normals, Caedmon's Call and solo work), Andy Gullahorn, Bebo Norman, Jill Phillips, Sara Groves, Gabe Scott (from all over the place), Ben Shive, Garrett Buell (from Caedmon's Call) and a few other supporting musicians.

Bellevue, which seats THOUSANDS of people was very crowded and we staked out our seats over an hour ahead of the performance. The artists were just incredible and the wait of years was well worth it. If you can catch this tour, run out and get your tickets NOW!

Jean Stockdale and MOMS ministry at Bellevue Baptist Church

2007-12-02T22:49:00.000-06:00

Bellevue Baptist Church is a megachurch (30,000 plus members) here in the Memphis area. Adrian Rogers was the former pastor, and since his retirement and subsequent passing there have been a lot of changes and media attention. Many churches and Christians love to talk badly about Bellevue because of their size, saying that such large congregations are not Biblical, they are too big to truly care for their congregation and other nonsense. I could go on and on about how people get only as involved as they want to in any church, and how tearing down another congregation does not lift yours up, but instead I would like to share the positive experience I have had with Bellevue and more specifically their Women's Ministry.

We have attended exactly 1 worship service at Bellevue, the obligatory visit because we just moved here and Shane's cousin is a deacon there. This was back in the day of Dr. Rogers and the sermon was great, but the service itself was much more formal than what we were accustomed. So, we were happy to worship with family for that Sunday, but we eventually settled ourselves at another church in the area that is the polar opposite in style, Highpoint Memphis.

After we finally realized that we needed to go to church closer to home in order to be plugged in and serving as we should, we ended up at another church in our small town that was again, the other end of the spectrum from both other churches. Since we had moved to our little town and I still didn't have a lot of friends in the area, a friend who is also not a Bellevue member suggested I go to their MOMS ministry, which meets on Thursday mornings. I figured I had nothing to lose, so gave it another try.

What wonderful advice! The MOMS ministry is marvelous. Small groups of about 15-20 women meet from 9:30-10:30 for Bible discussion, and then head to large group from 10:45-11:30. This group is lead by Jean Stockdale, who also writes the Bible Studies for each semester. Jean is incredible. Each semester's study deals with becoming a more Christlike woman and how that applies to our roles as both Mom and Wife. We have studied the books of James, I and II Peter, Proverbs and II Timothy. Next session will be a study of the book of Ezekiel. I am excited to see what God and Jean have in store for us.

Jean is dynamic, expressive, hilarious and full of wonderful insight and wisdom on the word of the Lord and raising a family to grow into Godly adults. She has gone on to publish several of her studies, which are available on Amazon.com, and you can hear her on demand on Bellevue's site HERE. (I warned you- she is very expressive!) You can search through there and see several of her sessions from the study. (Also, check out some of Donna Gaines' sessions. She is the pastor's wife and also a dynamic speaker.)

Would I become a member of Bellevue Baptist Church? Probably not, primarily because of our location compared to theirs, the worship style and sheer size of the congregation. Have I learned a lot and heard from God as a result of their women's ministry? You bet I have! But because of their size they are ableto reach out into the community and open their doors daily to spread the gospel, even to us Mommas who are in a new city and in need of a friend.

Real Music by Real People: Eric Peters

2007-11-30T02:25:00.000-06:00

Okay, Eric Peters is not an artist we know personally, but falls more into the category of artists who remembers our faces, or in this case, the fact that I am an avid Frederick Buechner reader and that we had prairie dogs as pets. (At least we did when he came to our house in North Carolina for dinner with another artist we know Mark Williams.) But, Eric is such a great musician I had to include him in this group. And since this is my blog, I make the rules.

Eric started out in another little known group from Louisiana named Ridgely. They were fairly popular in the college circles in the south. We saw them play a few times, once with the guys in Dog Named David. (Also, Shane and Eric went to the same middle school and were in the same grade. They don't remember each other apparently or just missed each other by a short time.) We have since seen him play a few times around the Southeast. He's a member of the Square Peg Alliance with Andrew Peterson, Randall Goodgame, Derek Webb, Andrew Osenga, and others. He is yet another incredible songwriter and all around great musician. Be sure to check out his tunes here. My personal favorites? "The Storm", and "Metropolis" (Scarce); "Dust to Dust" (Bookmark)"; "Little By Little", "These Three Remain", "The Maginot Line" & "Waterloo" (Miracle of Forgetting); "Spare Change" (Land of the Living).

Real Music by Real People: Jennifer Daniels

2007-11-29T02:03:00.000-06:00

Another WOW! Good music really does come in small packages. Jennifer Daniels' CDs never cease to amaze me with their incredible songwriting and vocal punch. She can weave a story like few other artists can, and deliver them with such passion! You can download her latest Cd "Summer Filled Sky" at, where else? e-music of course! My favorites are "Day to Live", "Tattoo", and "Water Spider".

We've actually seen her in concert with Claire Holley, and the two gals make an incredible duo. Aside from being an incredible singer/songwriter, she's just as nice as the day is long. She tours extensively, so your chances are good to catch her on the road.

Real Music by Real People: Jason Harrod

2007-11-28T01:38:00.000-06:00

If you ever want to get to know someone, hitch a ride with them from Bushnell, Illinois to Raleigh, NC by way of Chicago. That oughta do it. Or you could just loan them your harmonicas.

We first heard Jason Harrod's music on CD when he was part of the Boston duo Harrod and Funck. When we moved to Raleigh, he was living and playing a lot of gigs in that area. We went to see Claire Holley in concert one night, and Jason was opening for her set. I ended up working his merch table show, I think because Claire was familiar with us and told him we wouldn't bolt with his cash. After that we continued to catch his shows and Shane ended up taking that LONG car trip with him from Cornerstone Festival back to Durham.

For some reason we are drawn to artists who have an unusual quality to their voices, and Jason fits that bill, but in a really good way. (Not in the unusual way of one of my favorites, Victoria Williams, whose voice makes some people's flesh melt away with every note.) He won the North Carolina Singer/Songwriter competition at Merlefest a few years ago, and that is nothing to sneeze at. He is an incredible songwriter and musician and we really wish he'd tour through this area once in a while. But, if you are in the northeast or Raleigh area- be sure to catch a show!

His two solo cds are available on e-music, and you should download them immediately. No really, stop reading and get to it! My personal favorites are "When I Fly Away", "Messed Up Everywhere Blues" and "My Mad Girlfriend" (Bright as You) & "When I get Home" and "Carolina" (Living in Skin).

Real Music by Real People: Beki Hemingway

2007-11-27T01:09:00.000-06:00

Wow. Beki Hemingway (yes, THAT Hemingway) will surprise you with her powerful voice and songwriting. She can also tell you some great stories from temp jobs past- including filling in as a character we all loved from childhood. Ask her all about it if you ever catch her at a show.

Beki got her start singing backup for CCM musicians, and joined up with the now-defunct punk group This Train. She left after the first album and started her solo career, and has toured quite a bit over the last few years. She has 5 CDs available, so be sure to listen to some of her clips on her myspace page. Her songs are guaranteed to get stuck in your head and have you wanting more.

She also has a Christmas CD with Jonathan Rundman called "Present" which is a nice change from a lot of the Christmas Music out there- pick up one or three for yourself and friends!

Real Music by Real People: Andy Cloniger and Dog Named David

2007-11-26T00:28:00.000-06:00

Well, since there really is no way to seperate the two, I will just cover them both in one post. Dog Named David was the "original bionic folk duo" consisting of Andy Cloninger and John Wallace. They have since gone their seperate ways- with Andy doing his solo projects and a myriad of other odd things, including writing a couple of books. (Andy has several solo worship projects you really should check out at his site.) John went from Indie Rocker to the priesthood (I kid you not) and is happily raising his family in Florida, which is a big improvement over preceding "Sprinkles the Clown" on the stage at a college fun day.

We met John and Andy while I was living in Mobile and working at the Christian music store, The Amplified Version. (I also went to college with Andy and his lovely wife.) The first Dog Named David Cd "It's Alright" had just come out and we were selling them like crazy. After a lot of concerts, hot donuts and late nites at Shoney's with the guys we became the "original fans". We continued to keep up with the guys even after we moved to Raleigh- driving down to Greenville SC to see them in concert a number of times and even do a photo shoot that they will thank me for not sharing the images with you.

Their musical style has often been compared to that of the Indigo Girls, JackoPierce, or early Vertical Horizon. They put together 3 CDs while together, "It's Alright", "World Traveler", and "Acoustic Canine", and you can download the latter on their bare-bones site just for that purpose. I have also found "World Traveler" at e-music. (Both are certainly worth a download and listen.)

I am eternally in debt to these guys for introducing us to what have since become some of our favorite artists: David Wilcox, Jonetha Brooke, Pierce Pettis and others. We had a lot of laughs in their company, and they are just great all around guys. And best of all? They can also get you a mighty good price for a possum, dontcha know?

Real Music by Real People:Claire Holley

2007-11-25T23:54:00.000-06:00

You would be hard pressed to find a sweeter or more talented person than Claire Holley.

Claire is a southern girl with a big voice, and incredible songwriting talent. If I had to compare her to anyone, the closest I could come would be Patty Griffin or Emmylou Harris, but you should judge for yourself. My favorites among the MP3s offered are "6 Miles to Mckinney" (Dandelion), "Sleep Sleep" (Claire Holley), and "Fly Away Old Bird" and "Come Thou Fount" (Sanctuary).

We met Claire while we were living in Raleigh, and frequented her shows or ran into her at other people's shows for a number of years. Then she up and moved to LA and we have not seen her since. She will be playing a gig in Jackson, MS this month, and I think I am going to head down there and catch the show- especially since Shane's mom and dad just moved there and I will have a sitter! If you are in the area, the more the merrier!

Real Music by Real People

2007-11-24T00:23:00.000-06:00

Over the years we have listened to, and met, a LOT of musicians. Some actually remember our names or faces. A couple of them even mentioned us in the liner notes of their CDs. Some of our favorites are, not surprisingly, people who we have actually spent a little time with either in our home, on VERY long car trips, or just hanging out with after concerts.

For the next few days I plan to post about a different artist or group that fall into the latter category. Some of them we know pretty well, others casually. The thing that fits them all together is that they are all incredbly talented and not nearly widely enough known. If you happen to like any of them and order some of their CDs- be sure to tell them Jennifer (and Shane) sent you.

Rich Quotes of the Day

2007-09-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

*"Faith is walking with God. The biggest problem with life is that it's daily. You can never get so healthy that you don't have to continue to eat right.... Spiritually speaking we're much in the same place. It's not what you did, and not what you say you're going to do, it's what you do today."

*"I had a prof one time... He said, 'Class, you will forget almost everything I will teach you in here, so please remember this: that God spoke to Balaam through his ass, and He has been speaking through asses ever since. So, if God should choose to speak through you, you need not think too highly of yourself. And, if on meeting someone, right away you recognize what they are, listen to them anyway'."

* "Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very life, that it won't also cost you yours."

* "This concert won't be very different from concerts I've given in recent years. If you've liked what I've done in the past, you'll like this. If you haven't, you should go to a movie."

* "If I could change one verse in the Bible it would be: "Give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say 'who is the lord', or i may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God." to "If I'm going to be vain, at least make me good looking. If I can't be good looking, then make me not vain."

Rich Mullins Remembered: Will You Marry Me?

2007-09-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well, actually it was more, "Will you marry us?"

I guess that needs some explaination.

Shane and I were a few months from our wedding date (1995) and travelled from Mobile to Jackson MS to catch Rich on his Brother's Keeper tour. We were particularly excited because not only was he touring with the entire Ragamuffin Band, but Ashley Cleveland and Carolyn Arends were opening for him.

This concert was the first time Shane ever had the opportunity to see Rich live, I think it was my 3rd or something. We got to the venue, which was 4 hours from home, only to discover Shane's glasses were at home, leaving him only his prescription sunglasses to wear the whole time. Gives another meaning to "through a glass darkly."

The concert was at an older theater, and turns out the big rig carrying the tour equipment sprang a deisel fuel leak, and the Ragamuffins et al got a police and hazmat escort to the venue.

The opening acts were great. Ashley Cleveland was just great as always with her bluesy, soulful stuff. Carolyn Arends was a newcomer on the scene, and I had already fallen in love with her songs "Seize the Day" and "What I Wouldn't Do", so was in heaven during her set. (And I ran into her in the ladies room too...)

But, the highlight of the night was still Rich's set. With Jimmy A on guitar, Mark Robertson on bass, Aaron Smith on drums it was incredible. Rich of course filled in guitar, hammered dulcimer and guitar throughout the show. Jimmy A did a couple of solo songs as well.

After the concert we hung around and chatted with all the artists and bought CDs. ("Vector" from Jimmy A; "This Train" from Mark Robertson) Also there was Bernie Sheahan who wrote for CCM (Contemporary Music Magazine) at the time, and our friend Mickey ended up in the magazine with her photo with Bernie. But back to the title of the post...

While chatting with Rich afterwards, this conversation ensued:

Shane: "Our wedding is set for December, but if you'd do it we'd love to have you officiate right now!"

Rich: "Well, I'm not ordained."

Shane: "That's alright."

Rich: "It woudn't be legal."

Shane: "Okay."

Rich: "You'd be living in sin!"

Needless to say we went the more traditional, legal, and ordained by God route a few months later.

Mitch McVicker's New CD- "Love Will Rise"

2007-09-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Mitch is an excellent singer-songwriter on his own, but is probably best known as the co-writer of the Dove Award Winning song, "My Deliverer" with Rich Mullins, as well as Rich's apprentice of sorts who was in the accident with him almost 10 years ago that took Rich's life. Mitch was injured severely in that accident, and after a very long recovery has gone on to release several cds and tour extensively across 49 states.

I remember the first time I heard Mitch in concert. It was October of 1996, and Rich Mullins was giving an open-air concert in Cathedral Square in Mobile, Alabama. We took our blanket and got a great seat on the lawn. Rich had a new friend touring with him, and Mitch joined him on stage for a number of original songs as well as accompanying Rich. We were really impressed with such a young guy who was just out of college with such musical talent. We chatted with Rich and Mitch for a while after that concert and were anticipating Mitch's album coming out soon.

We saw them in July at Cornerstone 1997 where they performed "Canticle of the Plains" which was a play Rich wrote and Mitch starred in with Leigh Nash, Kevin Max and Michael Tate. (Those CDs are hard to come by and Mitch has them for sale as well.) 2 months later Rich and Mitch has just finished Mitch's album and were on the road from Illinois to Kansas when the terrible wreck happened that resulted in Rich's passing and Mitch's injuries. The cd went on to be released a number of months later, and it is still probably our favorite of Mitch's. Rich does some BGVs, plays piano and is basically all over that CD.

We saw Mitch in concert many many times after that, touring with Cobra Joe Curet, Brad Layher and sometimes Erik Hauk. He toured frequently in the Carolinas, and since we were childless at that point we travelled all over the 2 states to see him play. Then we moved to Memphis, which is the black hole for all music that we would like.

So, it has been many moons since we saw Mitch in concert, or heard anything new from him on disc....5 years as a matter of fact. Imagine my surprise on Wednesday the 5th to accidentally discover he would be in Memphis on Friday the 7th for a FREE concert nonetheless! Babysitter confirmed, we were on our way.

The concert was great, and was also the kickoff tour for his new CD called "Love Will Rise". (Clips and more info at his website.) He is touring quite a bit to promote the new disc, so check his website for dates and see if he is headed to your city soon.

(With the upcoming anniversary of Rich's death, expect a week of posts relating to Rich Mullins beginning on the 16th. )

E-Music Download Service

2007-09-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

We are real media people here in the Blake household. Music, movies, books, computers- we love it all, especially music. We have a bookshelf crammed completely full of cds and our Ipods are loaded to the max (30 gig and 60 gigs). We have a radio, CD player or IPod dock in every room of the house, except the bathrooms.

Music being a top priority at our house, we love to discover and download new music. However, we HATE ITunes because of their expense, proprietary file format and general not too user-friendly program. Imagine our excitement when Kristen turned us on to E-Music.

E-Music is a downloadable music service that is reasonably priced and subscription based, but can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions range from $9.99 a month for 30 downloads to $19.99 for 75 downloads a month. The files are regular old MP3s, so they can be burned to disc or played on any type of MP3 player. Also, they save your info on downloads, and if you should need to re-download all your music you do it for free! Best of all- you get a great FREE TRIAL of 50 downloads (email me for the link) which you can cancel immediately if you'd like. (A credit card is required for the free trial, just remember to cancel and you are fine.)

What types of artists will you find at E-Music? No Avril Lavigne or BackStreet Boys there... but you'll be thrilled if you like Independent/Singer songwriters, up and coming alternative artists, americana or alt- country, folk, gospel, kid's music and more. Here is a list of what we have downloaded in the past few months:

Aaron Sprinkle
Dan Zanes (for Coleman)
Jonah Werner
Over the Rhine
Chuck Brodsky
Waterdeep
Farmer Not So John
Jeremy Casella
Ed Cash
Gillian Welch
Stavesacre
Brace Yourself Bridget (Irish Folk-Rock)
Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
John Prine
Katy Bowser
Peter Mulvey
Ray Charles
Sandra McCracken
Sarah McGlaughlin
Sonia Dada
Sufjan Stephens
The Electrics

They also have a lot of old Tom Waits, tons of the indie artists we like so well such as Jason Harrod, Mark Williams, Dog Named David, Claire Holley, Jennifer Daniels, Christopher Williams, Brooks Williams, Beki Hemingway, many of the Awakening Records and Paste Music Artists. For 50 free downloads you can't go wrong.

Leave a comment here if you want a free trial- if you go through me we BOTH get the 50 free and I would love some more great music!

Jean Pendziwol's "Dragon" Safety Books for Kids...

2007-09-12T21:44:00.000-05:00

Coleman was studying Dragons for "D" week today, and these two books were among the ones we got from the library and read. They were both really cute and dealt with safety issues for kids without being scary. It also opened up a great opportunity to talk about safety rules.

Once Upon a Dragon is a great story about stranger safety. A child and her friend the dragon are playing at the park when they find themselves in the dragon's book of fairy tales. As they move through the chapters of the fairy tale book, they are approached by many classic characters, each of them encouraging the dragon and child to do something unsafe. (Going into the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel- never go in a stranger's house!; Taking an apple from the witch in Snow White- never take food from strangers!; Cindarella's carraigeman trying to get them to take a ride to help rescue the 3 little pigs- never take rides from strangers!)The child reminds the dragon the safety rules each time, and they arrive unscathed at the end of the book, where they ask the good witch wearing a blue uniform with a star wand (policelady with star shaped badge) for help. She gets them safely out of the story, and they go home with Mom. There is a cute little poem at the end about safety and a section for parents to read and tips to discuss with kids.

No Dragons For Tea follows along the same lines, but is related to Fire Safety. Same basic premise where the dragon accidentally starts the tablecloth on fire during a tea party and the child gets him out of the building safely teaching him important tips along the way (crawl on the floor, don't hide, meet at the tree, don't go back in the house for anything, go to the neighbor's and call the police.) There are again tips and a poem at the end to reinforce what the kids learn. Discussing this Coleman learned that if our Fire Alarm goes off he is to go to the mailbox and wait there for Mommy and Daddy. (It is also a good reminder to let your kids hear what the fire alarm sounds like and not to be afraid.)

I just noticed there is a 3rd book in the series called A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me dealing with water safety.

Great books that I will end up adding to our library (if I can find 'em cheap) and certainly worth a read from your local library.

Digital Photography Challenge...

2007-09-11T08:31:00.000-05:00

This is a great site for anyone interested in photography as a hobby or just enjoys looking at great photos. Shane (my hubby) occasionally submits a photo to a challenge there. The caliber of the winning photos is always top notch.

Every few days there is a new challenge announced, and entries revolve around that topic. Some past topics have included motivational posters, Beatles song lyrics, wings, urban landscape. You can join the site for a yearly fee and participate in special "Members Only Challenges" but there are plenty of opportunities for people who don't pay to participate. And of course, browsing is always free and encouraged! The community there is also pretty chatty about things photographic and more- so stop by a forum if some topic catches your eye.

Take a peek- you might just get some ideas for yourself!

http://www.dpchallenge.com/

I Did My Chores Board

2007-09-10T14:50:00.000-05:00

I found this product in a Parents magazine a number of months ago, and thought to myself, "I can make one of those for just as cheap!" Turns out, I was wrong... mainly because I wanted to use the durable plastic hanging tags instead of making paper ones with my Sizzix Machine. So, I bit the bullet and ordered it from the manufacturer http://ididitproductions.com/about.php.

The premise of the board is to encourage kids to be self sufficient with their chores, even from an early age. I chose "chores" that are really things Coleman should do already, but the idea is to have the kids do them without constant reminders, so it is helpful even for his age. The kit comes with a light foam-core board that you can personalize with your child's name and 5 sets of hooks with corresponding colored plastic tags. The chore labels come on label sheets and you add them to whatever color you want. There are also a number of blank ones for you to create your own ( I made Quiet Time and Get Dressed.) It also includes little green bingo looking chips to reward for each job completed.

You hang the tags on each hook in the order the things should be done, and as the child consults their hook and completes their chore, they put that tag in the "I Did It" box. At the end of the day, each chore completed without constant reminding gets a green chip (I provided the little bag). We have a reward chart to the left with what certain amounts of chips are worth. Each day's chores in our house equals 15 chips. (Sample chores for Coleman: Get Dressed, Clear your plate from the table, wipe your place at the table (3 times a day), sweeper the floor (loves my swiffer), put shoes in closet, brush teeth, pick up toys, do schoolwork, get ready for bed). As he gets older we will add to those.

So far Coleman likes it. He loves to have me count his chips and see what rewards he is has earned. Since he is in a "Hot Wheels" phase, I think he is saving for those. I just remind him in the morning to check his board, and remind him a few other times a day to follow it's directions. It has made it a little easier around here and he feels much more grown up.

Bloons Game

2007-09-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know I posted a quiz just a few days ago, but this game is a lot of fun. Another time waster, but great for when you just need a few minutes to sit and be quiet and do nothing productive whatsoever.

Coleman likes to play it as well because he can sometimes accidentally beat the level.

Enjoy! And oh- there's also MORE BLOONS if you should get through the first 50 levels.

http://www.notdoppler.com/bloons.php

Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum

2007-09-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

A lot of people have asked me about where the info for Coleman's schoolwork originated. There is a great website called http://www.letteroftheweek.com/ that has the basic format there, I just modified it a bit and there you go.

They have the basics from birth to older kids- but I really like the "theme of the week" which I did a little of with him last year, and the "letter of the week" which we are using now.

For all the great graphics and such, I just use a printshop program or search google images for whatever I am looking for. I just print them out on 5x8 index cards and the full sheet is just regular printer paper. I made the board out of a sheet of foam-core and used vinyl page protectors sealed with my foodsaver machine. Was pretty easy and durable too.

Coleman LOVES his schoolwork. To see what we have done so far you can go to our online school photo scrapbook at http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.s.blake/HomePreschoolLessons . A lot of people have been a little worried that we are pushing him too hard too early, but trust me- he asks to do his work. Some days he begs to learn more if we are learning something he is really interested in. We are far from "hothousing" him to be sure, especially since he does not go to preschool or Mom's day out anywhere. (If you are not familiar with the term "hothousing" in relation to child-rearing, check out this article http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/hothouse.htm)

Since we plan to homeschool our child(ren), this is great practice for both of us in keeping a schedule, paying attention and how to gather resources (for me.) 5 days a week we study a topic relating to the letter of the week. We read 3 or 4 books on the subject, do a craft, activity or game, practice some basic handwriting, discuss our Bible story and verse. That's it! It takes about 30 minutes (unless it is an involved activity like baking) and we are done. We also take a field trip or two relating to our words for the week.

I love it too, the field trips are especially fun for both of us as are the activities. I can really see the difference in his attention span since we started, and we are reinforcing that learning is fun.

Paperback Book Swap/ Swap a CD

2007-09-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

I love to read. A LOT. However, I am cheap in a lot of respects, and would much rather pick up books for a few pennies at yard sales or use my library card. Many of the books I have wanted to read in the last few years are not available at the local library, and I refuse to pay big money for them unless they are a classic or something I want to keep a long time. That is why I love PBS.

The way it works is simple... just type in the ISBNs of books you want to get rid of. Make a wish list of books you'd like, or order them off the site if they are already available. When a book is requested from you, you simply click a couple of places, a page prints out for you to wrap up the book, you take it to the post office and pay the shipping. When the book is received, you get a credit good toward another book for yourself. It's that easy.

There is a sister site called Swap a CD.com that is a similar format but with CDs. The credits can move back and forth between the two sites, so if you are getting rid of a lot of books you can get CDs and vice versa.

So far I have had only good experiences with both sites. You get automated email reminders and it is a great way to get your hands on some things you want for CHEAP.

And that is my middle name.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/

http://www.swapacd.com/

The Impossible Quiz

2007-09-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

Be Forewarned: This is a HUGE time-waster. Don't even attempt it if you want to be productive throughout the next few days.

That being said, it is also a lot of fun! I just discovered they have come out with a second one as well, which I have not attempted yet. I think I got as far as 80 something on the first one.

http://www.notdoppler.com/theimpossiblequiz.php

(I can't remember if there is anything off-color in this thing since it has been a long while since I played it. Play at your own risk if that may be a problem.)

Enjoy! And don't blame me for the block of time that just disappears.

One of us is into cupcakes....

2007-09-05T21:05:00.000-05:00

We made mini cupcakes this afternoon. When I left the room at 5:00 there were only a couple eaten. When I came back in the kitchen at 8:00 this is what I saw.

Lucky for him he is so darn cute.

Team Hoyt

2007-09-05T19:51:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me the link to this video on YouTube a number of months ago. What a wonderful story of sacrifice and love. If Dick loves his son this much, how much deeper is OUR Father's love for us?

For the full story on this incredible pair, go to their website at http://www.teamhoyt.com/

The video below is from the Today show. The second half features the video shown above.

With Love, just about anything is possible.

Dan Heller's Photography

2007-09-04T19:11:00.000-05:00

I want to be this guy when I grow up.

Way back in the 90's when we were shopping for a new lens for our Pentax SLR film camera (remember those... film cameras?), I did an internet search for the particular lens we were looking at purchasing, and this guy's website came up. I took a look around and decided that he was the best stinkin' photographer I had seen outside of my art appreciation classes.

I discovered that he used the lens that we were considering, and I sent him an email asking how he felt about it. Turns out, he really liked it and responded with a good email about its pros and cons. Not only talented, but also seems like a very nice guy. Taking photos is his job, so I trusted his judgement and we bought the lens. And what a job, travelling the world (often on someone else's dime) taking photos and enjoying cultures totally different from your own.

Check out his site: http://www.danheller.com

If I ever come across a boatload of money, I intend to buy a number of his prints to hang in our house, that is, until mine look as good as his.

Susan Enan's Music

2007-09-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

The great thing about the recent trend in TV away from sitcoms to more drama based shows has been the improvement in the music featured. A lot of shows have always used good music, even music that is not commonly heard on the radio, but in the last couple of years they have really stepped it up.

Some of my favorite shows (despite their morbid subject matter) are especially good about choosing great artists, both well known and some totally unknown folks. "Crossing Jordan" is always good for some Patty Griffin or Leonard Cohen; "Smallville" prides itself for picking up and coming artists that especially appeal to the younger crowd. "Cold Case" even chooses great songs to play on its show- including an episode featuring music only from U2.

Last fall, one of my new favorites on Fox, "Bones" played a song that I had never heard before and HAD to have. HAD, with CAPITAL LETTERS. It was THAT great! Of course, they did not show any info in the credits, nor did their website. I remembered a couple of lines from the song, and Googled it- and to my luck it brought me to a website of a friend of the artist, who just randomly mentioned it in a post!

The artist is Susan Enan (http://www.susanenan.com). She actually was selling CDs a while back on Paste Music's site, but they have been sold out for a long time. She has a new CD in the works that should be released soon. You can check her out, and the song "Bring on the Wonder", at her myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/susanenan . The song "Monoplain" is also great. If you like Natalie Merchant or Sarah Mclachlan, you will need to hear Susan.

Long live Indie Music!

Golf Clubs for Wee Ones...

2007-09-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

When Coleman was born, Shane's dad (a.k.a. Pop) immediately picked out a set of golf clubs for him. When he was 14 months old he got him a little plastic set, and they quickly became a favorite toy at our house. Pop took great pleasure in instructing his little pupil, even at an early age. Coleman got pretty good at hitting the ball, even as a tiny tike.

This summer, Pop decided it was time to trade the plastic ones in for the REAL DEAL. We decided he would give them to Coleman in Florida since we would be going down for the week of the 4th of July. When Pop started looking around for the clubs down there, they were all really expensive (the cheapest set was over $100). Shane found them online at http://www.golfsmith.com/ps/products/LXJR105 (Coleman's are dark green, not pink) and a friend gave him a coupon code for 40% off the set.

Golf clubs with discount: $42
Practice balls, tees, play balls: $15
Black washcloth turned golf towel: $2.00
Look on a kid's face when they get their own grown up clubs?: Priceless

Coleman has since played putt-putt with them, gone to the driving range, played real golf about 3 times and has hit with them out in the yard a bunch. Pop still enjoys trying to instruct our little guy in the basics of the game. Do we think we are raising the next Tiger Woods? No. But, we have just found another great way to spend time together as a family.

Ed Litton's Blog...

2007-09-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

Ed Litton is the pastor of First Baptist North Mobile (http://www.northmobile.org), in Saraland Alabama. We were members here from 1994-1999 and hated to leave there for Raleigh, NC. My brother-in-law and his family are still members there, as well as some other family members. It is a HUGE church, very conservative in message and strong in scripture. Despite searching very hard, we have never been able to find another church quite like it.

Pastor Ed is very well educated in the Word of God and very well rounded in other ways as well. (As a matter of fact, he originally intended to become a stand-up comic before feeling the pull toward ministry.) He is very interested in history, current events and a host of other things. His beloved wife, Tammy, was killed in a tragic car accident last month, and as a result I began reading his blog to keep abreast of how their family is doing during this difficult time. I also began reading some of his old posts, and was floored at how effective a communicator he is, even in writing.

So, if you are interested in somewhat random posts, as well as how to cope with an enormous loss in a very positive scriptural way, see what Pastor Ed has been saying. (The most recent posts are relating to the loss of Tammy, previous ones are somewhat random.)

http://www.elitton.blogspot.com/

What is this all about?

2007-09-01T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally bit the bullet and created a blog. Mainly I did it because I was tired of forwarding a bunch of junk to people who may or may not be interested in things that I am. I also decided to do it because there are TONS and TONS of things that we really love or are into these days that some of you may be as well.

So, this blog may very well end up being about what I had for lunch, what i am listening to, the coolest new toys for adults or kids or just some random humor or WOW website I've run across. It may also be terribly boring and put you to sleep. In that case, check it freqently to cure insomnia because I am not sure how frequently I will post, but really intend to do it daily or so.

So, check back if you are interested in a little peek into our (admittedly consumerist, sometimes shallow) life. You might find something that interests you or makes you laugh!