You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

If you have an open Thursday or Saturday evening this week, you might consider tuning in to our high school's production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Jeff and I saw the dress rehearsal on Monday and it is just the funnest show! We loved the music, dialogue, and especially that cute Linus Van Pelt played by our Soren. ;) (Sadie was an understudy for Sally Brown and she is on the stage crew.) The small six-person cast is comprised of all Seniors and they are Soren's best friends. It's been a great experience for them.

Here's a fun preview...

And here's all the info if you plan to watch. (Tickets may not be available within 30 minutes of each night's opening so buy them early!) Also, the 7:30pm start time is Central time zone. 

Bat Number Three

A few nights ago, Jeff and I went to bed a little later than usual and were just drifting off to sleep when our phone started ringing. We knew from the ring that it was one of the kids using the intercom feature. Jeff answered to hear a frantic Sadie informing him that there was a bat in her room!

We rushed downstairs as quickly as we could. Sure enough, there was a rather large bat flying back and forth as it tried to find a way out. Sadie had been reading in bed when she first spotted it so she climbed all the way in and threw the covers over her head. She was safe, but peeked out now and then only to scream when the bat flew over her head. Jeff had a large container, hoping the bat would stop long enough for him to capture it. I ventured in just long enough to see the excitement and take a picture when the bat finally landed. In the retelling, this all sounds pretty tame, but the whole thing was terrifying! Sadie wasn't the only one screaming.  

It took a little while, but finally the bat rested upside down for a bit from Sadie's curtains. Jeff placed the container over him and somehow - after a traumatic near miss - managed to get him under the container on the floor. I slid a stiff piece of foam board under the container and Jeff was able to carry the contraption outside to free the bat. Whew! Needless to say, it took a little while to fall asleep after that.

That's bat #3. We had in-house bat adventures back in 2012 and 2015. I'm hoping this is The End!

The Addams Family - You're Invited!

If you'd been a fly on the wall at our house these past couple of  months, you would have heard a lot of funny music and plenty of laughter as Sadie and Soren prepped for their high school production of The Addams Family. It's a special quarantine edition which accommodates social distancing so they are actually allowed to have a production this year. The script even has a couple of one-liners about quarantine. :)

The show will be streamed online on March 5th & 6th at 7:00 pm Central time. Yes, you still need to purchase tickets. Our poor performing arts program was drained last year when Mary Poppins came to a screeching halt after they'd already built the set and purchased costumes, etc. We're hopeful that The Addams Family will be a smashing success to replenish the budget and allow them to put on more shows. (You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is ready to start rehearsals as soon as The Addams Family is through!)

You can find all the information about tickets on the flyer above. If you're not familiar with Charleston High School, they have a long history of amazing stage productions. There must be something in the water here because the talent pool in our small town is unreal. Jeff and I were lucky enough to be part of a very small audience tonight to view the dress rehearsal and we were blown away! Sadie is amazing in her role as Mrs. Beineke. Soren did great as one of the ancestors and on Saturday we got to see him perform as the understudy for Lucas Beineke. 

I hope you'll join us, wherever you are, for this fun show! You won't regret it. :)

The Wonky Donkey

I've been a wee bit homesick for Scotland. 

I served in Scotland as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1992 and 1993 and, sadly, I've never been back. The plan was that I, along with 2 friends, would go back last September. I renewed my passport and was more than ready to return to my bonnie Scotland. But then - you know what I'm going to say - Covid hit and never went away and our plans were foiled. 

Someday I'll get there and I can't wait! But in the meantime, I'll remember all the little things I miss, like the accent. Nothing stops me in my tracks like hearing the Scottish accent. It always brings a smile to my face. So enjoy this adorable video of "the Scottish Granny" reading to her wee grandson. I dare you not to laugh...

Overheard

Sterling: Alexa, definition of P-H-A-T.

Alexa: As a noun, 'phat' is usually defined as: fat. As an adjective, 'phat' is usually defined as: great; wonderful; terrific.

Sterling: I have the phattest mom in the whole world!

(See what I put up with around here?) ;)

The Laddie Wha Lived

We all like Harry Potter so I was excited when my friend told me about a Scots language edition of the first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stane."

It's a riot to read out loud, and somehow that seems to be the only way we can read it around here. It makes me miss my bonnie Scotland more than usual. The best part is when my kids attempt the accent. Sometimes they sound Indian or Irish. Sometimes they get it just right. Sadie is hooked and is getting pretty good at it.

We were hooked from the start. Page one had us all laughing, especially the paragraph describing the Dursleys:

The whole book is like that! It's pretty great and a fun investment.

Cheerio!

A Shrimp Bug Contraption

You've probably never heard of a shrimp bug. That's because we made up the name. Years ago at certain times of the year, we would find these large bugs in our basement that sort of looked like a cricket, but they were brown with super long antennae and really long legs that could jump like 3 feet or more. They were terrifying. Their bodies sort of resembled a shrimp so we named them shrimp bugs and we all hated them. 

We later learned that they are actually called Camel Crickets, but we still call them shrimp bugs. We still get them. We still hate them. Unfortunately, we've had more than usual this year.

Sadie found one on the stairs last week after everyone had gone to bed. It was pretty late, but she was determined to make sure it wouldn't crawl (or jump!) into her room during the night. Here's the contraption she came up with:

You can see a few purple and pink ponytail holders on the stair behind the black folder. Sadie initially fired those at the bug to see if she could just annihilate it outright. It never moved so she thought maybe it was dead. See the markers and highlighters under the tub against the wall? She tried those next, throwing them at the shrimp bug which annoyed it enough that it crawled up the wall. She trapped it against the wall with the plastic tub, but then she was stuck. She couldn't let go or the tub would fall. She reached as far as she could and was barely able to grab Sterling's music folder which she propped against the bucket while she ran for tape. Once she secured the bucket to the wall, she kept the folder there for extra support then put her trash can next to that for added peace of mind. 

When I went downstairs the next morning, this note was on top of the bucket:

"Caution Massive Shrimp Bug!!! (caught by me so give me a medal of bravery)... or a blizzard  -Sadie Stowell

What a funny girl. :)

Fortunately for us all, camel crickets aren't invasive. They don't bite or get into food or otherwise cause trouble. They are just really big and ugly and terrifying. Sadie is the only one who sleeps in the basement and that's the only place we've found them, but I'm not worried about her. She's obviously got it under control.

Too Many Ducks

I know, I know. It's been forever. Life is good, it really is. I just haven't taken time to document the good stuff. But tonight I realized that there have been several things lately that have made me laugh or smile and I need to share! This one is definitely good for a laugh. I've watched it four times so far and I crack up every time!

Gotta love it! :)

Great Aunt

I'm a great aunt. Yep. My niece on Jeff's side of the family had a baby last week and, just like that, I became a great aunt.

Doesn't that sound so old? Seriously. There's your grandma and then there's your ancient and grumpy great aunt. It reminds me of a scene from one of our favorite and most quotable movies, The Emperor's New Groove. Watch from 1:27 through 1:48.

I've had that scene running through my head all week. It cracks me up, especially when my kids imitate it. Yzma is only pretending to be the great aunt in this scene, but it works so much better than if she had pretended to be their grandma. She is the picture of old.

We're super happy for Briana and her new little guy, Liam, so I will try to dismiss my perceptions of the term "great aunt" and wear it as a badge of honor instead. :)

Makeover

Sadie is a funny girl. I know this picture isn't great, but can you see her "sunburn?" I put that in quotes because she's not sunburned. It's makeup. She was just playing around with her collected stash of makeup and gave herself a pretty convincing sunburn. For the record, it was almost 70º today - which is crazy for February, by the way - and she spent a good chunk of time outside so she could have convinced us the sunburn was real.

It immediately reminded me of another picture of my Sadie after she gave herself a little makeover several years ago. It's not so different from the first with a little red makeup smeared on the bridge of her nose. :) Of course, this one looks less like a sunburn and more like attack of the killer lipstick.

We've come a long way. :)

Friday Funny

SCENE: A teenage daughter and her dad in the car.

Lauren: Dad, do you know what the most commonly used letter in a girl's name is?

Me: Hmm, is it a consonant or a vowel? (Silence.) Please tell me you know what consonants and vowels are.

Lauren: You're no fun, Dad. Forget it.

Me: What is a vowel?

Lauren: OK, OK. A vowel is ... ahh ... eh ... well, oh ... uh ...

Me: Close enough.

--by Robert Alvarez, author of Blonde Moments: Life with a Blonde Teenage Daughter.

Found in the Reader's Digest.

Monday

It's been that kind of a Monday. Somehow, this cute saying in fun lettering makes it laughable.

I stumbled upon the blog radandhappy.com a couple days ago and I'm in love. Her lettering and her style are inspiring.

Monday is all but over for me. Tomorrow will be better! :)

Cheer Up

I was hoping for an early spring, but if the groundhog's prediction proves correct, we're in for a long winter. (I hope he's wrong. We're just coming off of an unseasonably warm January and my tulips think it's time to wake up...)

If you need a little cheering up, this might help. It's a great sketch that brought lots of laughs from my crowd. Enjoy!



(Happy Groundhog Day!)

Mom Trophy

Motherhood isn't always a thankless job. Sometimes the validation comes in strange ways, but I'll take what I can get. :)

Pen Perfection

I will admit it, I am a pen snob. I have had favorites over the years, but I have never loved a pen as much as I love the Pilot G-2 with the 0.38 tip (ultra fine point). My handwriting is better when I use this pen. I love to doodle and practice various fonts and lettering techniques with this pen. I have placed them in strategic locations around the house, in my car, in my purse, so I can avoid using inferior instruments whenever possible. 

As I was shopping online this morning to replenish my supply, I came across a rather convincing review on Amazon. I was laughing through tears as I read the following to Jeff:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was written with a G-2 pen. The only thing Thor’s hammer cannot crush? This pen! Harry Potter was only able to defeat He Who Shall Not Be Named because his wand contains a single Phoenix feather and also a G-2 Pen. When Navy Seals perform emergency tracheotomies in the heat of battle – they only use the shaft of the G-2. And no matter how intense the fight becomes – No G-2 is left behind! When Rambo writes love letters to his knife – what does he use? The G-2. Yo momma’s like a Pilot G-2. …Everybody wants to get their hands on her. Kevin Costner didn’t have gills in Waterworld. He was just snorkeling with a G-2 pen. Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to a G-2 pen! And with the G-2, no more chicken scratch – just beautiful calligraphy. Why won’t Donald Trump change his hair style? Because that is where he hides his golden G-2! Where have all the cowboys gone? They’re in Office Depot doodling on tiny paper scraps with sample G-2s. What is truly in Area 51? The Ark of the Covenant filled with G-2 pens. That's why you die if you touch the Ark. NOBODY steals God's G-2s! Captain Hook's favorite hand replacement? His G-2 attachment. How did Stevie Wonder go blind? He looked directly at the shimmering glory of the G-2 pen. How did Houdini pull off the impossible so many times? The answer was always a G-2. Little Known Fact: When Ghandi died he had only 10 possessions. 9 of them were Pilot G-2s and the 10th was a tracking number for ink refills from Amazon. Stephen Hawking can actually talk. He's just speechless after experiencing the unmatched brilliance of the G-2. What was the secret behind Mother Theresa's kindness, enlightenment, and peaceful tranquility? She owned a Pilot G-2. Why isn't Tony Stark content with his billions of dollars? Because he has not been able to invent the G3. The G-2 is virtual perfection!

Thank you, R. Fuqua, whoever you are. You made my day. :) 

And yes, my new box of G-2's should be here next week. Hooray!!

For the record, this is not a paid endorsement. I don't get paid to promote anything on this blog. I don't get money or brownie points if you click on a link or if you buy something. I just wanted to share something that made me laugh (the review) and something that makes me happy (the pen). That's all. :)

It Must Be Fall

I love it when people have a sense of humor. Happy Fall!

Standing Guard

A source of great entertainment for the past couple of weeks has been our mostly-dead Japanese maple tree. For whatever reason, it has less than 1/3 of its leaves. This, however, has turned out to be a good thing. With the branches exposed, it provides perfect viewing of our hummingbirds. Make that hummingbird, singular.

We have one very territorial hummingbird who thinks he owns the feeder. He (she?) stands guard in the branches just above and swoops down to attack any other hummingbird who wants to eat. He won't let another hummingbird even sit in "his" tree. The other day, I saw him scare off a finch who tried to land in the branches.

Don't worry, we have another feeder just a few yards away and Mr. Bossy doesn't seem to care about that one so at least the other hummingbirds - there are at least three of them - can eat.

I guess I can't really be sure these are all the same bird, but if not, there are several who think they own the place.

Do hummingbirds have eyelashes? It looks like it in this photo!

Either he's dancing or shaking off the rain. ;) (I'm not sure why the funky coloring on this one.)

He looks pretty regal, don't you think?

Beautiful Inside and Out

Savannah is celebrating her nineteenth birthday today and what a great nineteen years it's been! She has had one big adventure after another, living life to the fullest. Each day is either her best day ever or her worst.

This past year has had oh-so-many bests, but I'm pretty sure she has had her lowest lows this year as well. With each one she's learned valuable lessons. She's more resilient than anyone I know. Never one to hold a grudge, Savannah picks herself up and keeps moving forward no matter the trial or setback.

I'm anxious to see what this next year holds for her. She's working toward some big goals and opportunities. It's exciting to see her embrace each challenge and work toward her dreams.

Happy birthday, Savannah! I hope 19 is your best year so far!

Love,
mom
xo

And just to keep it real...

Redneck

We've got some hummingbird regulars in our yard. It's become quite entertaining to watch them through our big dining room picture window as they fight for the feeder and hang out in our tree. The other day, one of them flew right up to the window and just hovered, looking in and scoping us out.

We were sitting at dinner the other day when Jeff looked out the window and said, "Oh look, there's a redneck hummingbird." I chuckled to myself at his description, picturing a little backwoods hummingbird who was married to his cousin. I pointed out that it was called a ruby-throated hummingbird, not a redneck.

(It still makes me laugh.)

Imagesource

A Father's Day Birthday

Today is Jeff's birthday and Father's Day! This doesn't happen very often, but it's fun when it does. (Soren sometimes has a Father's Day birthday, too. In fact, Soren was born on Father's Day.) 

In the past, Jeff and I have gotten into a bad habit in the weeks leading up to his birthday. He'll find something he needs, buy it "for his birthday," and then use it right away. When his birthday finally rolls around, we have nothing to give him. While I did let him have one inexpensive gift a few days before his birthday this year, we still managed a couple of surprises.

One of them was discovered when Soren was putting together a personal first-aid kit for one of his Boy Scout requirements. Jeff got a good laugh out of his gift:

The kids were all in on it and thought this was pretty funny, too. They thought I was a genius for finding an actual iPad box to put it in. In the end, the joke was on them because after we all had our laugh over the "eye pad," Jeff received the new iPad he'd picked out a few days before. :) 

Happy Birthday, Jeff. I hope this is your best year so far!

(I got the best one. Wahoo!)