the Sea

Hemingway's Santiago viewed the sea like a woman. I liked this quote when I read through the book recently and decided to keep it for myself...

"But the old man always thought of her (the sea) as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought."

(so it follows that should i do wild or wicked things, it is simply because I cannot help them)

thimble

We were spending the day on River Street, walking around a gift shop, when I said "Look Logan", handing her a souvenir thimble, unsure she had ever seen a real one before.
I wasn't remembering, but she was...
" A KISS!" she exclaimed and then fumed when I laughed at her remark...she doesn't like to be laughed at, even if she's been terribly funny (guess she gets it honest, eh?).
We didn't buy the kiss, or the thimble either, but what I found remarkable is that, having never been told anything different, and having never seen one in use, Logan, being told by Peter Pan that a thimble is a kiss believed it to be a kiss.
I wonder if I believe in anything like that- with the best intentions, but still in error.
Unless of course, you believe a thimble IS a kiss ... or could ever be one.
?

* photo courtesy of Kelly Burgess

santiago

Remember back when I told you I dreamed about Key West? Now we are scheduled to go at the end of month - or is it July? Either way, I'll bring you back a marlin.

EdVenture * Columbia, SC

Took the kids to EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia on our way home . . . camera battery died early on thanks to certain eager young photographers stealing my camera throughout the previous weekend. In case you may want to go yourself, here's a bit of a sneak peek:

my Marilyn

as seen at Wunderfool...

(my Marilyn looks sorta . . . masculine)

New Look

Over the weekend, spent with family in Greenville, I noticed that, in order for my youngest brother to read my blog, he literally had to squint one eye and put the other on the computer screen... seemed like a change was in order... I've tried to make things a bit easier to read... let me know if it works for you...

Oh, and By The Way-- Welcome To Blogger, Ben Ben!

The Great Big Carpet Rebellion

Don't ask me what possessed the child to do it, I've given up trying to understand, resorting instead to take life one mess at a time and let their future therapists sort out the details later.


The fact is, for whatever reason, null or void, Chan decided to partake in the spirit of graffiti, leaving giant green "tags" on our newly replaced and not so cheap carpet in the living room, with a permanent marker . . . yep.


Chandler is 7 and often claims to be "more like 9"; he's way past the "should know better stage." Chandler has also been having some anger and growing up issues and I'm sure like most things, we'll work through them and all learn heart warming, Brady bunch reminiscent lessons before moving on to the next episode. Until then there is a simpler lesson at the ready and that is "Little Brothers Love To Rat You Out"


As I confiscated my camera from Fisher, who was recording Chan's attempts at cleaning the mess up before his dad came home, the little spy reported to me " He can't get away with it"

"Shh, I'm Spying"

"Exhibit A- a rag to wipe stuff up with"

The mess in question

Soap & Water- it works for hands, why not carpet?

Scrubbing like Cinderella

Vacuumed too- to no avail

A portrait of the guilty, hard at work

Being Jesus

Actual Quote: "LOOK MOMMA! We're JESUS!"

Guest Review II

A blog,within a blog, within a blog...

My review for Mr. Wunderfool,as hosted on my(other)blog, now hosted on his(other)blog and furthermore hosted on this(here) blog...but coming nowhere near THIS blog (for the obvious reasons)

BARBARA JEAN's GUEST REVIEW

Hotel Burnout

you know you've been away from home too long when, upon finally returning, you refer to your living room as The Lobby.

spanish moss

spanish moss swings in Savannah's spring breeze

5.23.07

Jefferson Bible

I had never heard of the Jefferson Bible until a catalogue of "enlightening" gifts arrived in the mail... I plan to order it at the library- anyone else read it? While digging about I came across some info and i took a fancy to this quote by Percival Everett:

"Jefferson's recasting of the four Gospels of the New
Testament…was an interesting (or not) bit of play intellectualism. Many claim
his "translation" amounts to little more than a paraphrasing of the parts of the
Bible with which he agreed. In fact, a glance at [several earlier translations
of the Bible] might lead one to agree with this assertion. Still, he took it
upon himself to do it, whatever it was he did. He decided that the rules of the
club to which he wished to belong were not the rules he wanted to play by. So
instead of changing clubs, he changed the rule book by literally cutting and
pasting together only the sections that he found relevant to his
interpretation."

I am always intrigued to find that the things we do today have been being done did for quite some time now... nothing new under the sun as one fella used to say.

Bob The Builder(S)

more building fun in the Brewer household:

Four Square City

As I was growing up I heard:

"..looking for a city, where we'll never die. . ."

and

"I'll meet you in the morning . . . in that city built four square..."

eureka, folks.

a four square city, in my very own living room,

complete with a 24 hr Kroger-- it's gotta be Heaven:



but wait, no-

turns out it's really Washington, D.C.

(notice no credit is given to the associate carpenters)

* Uncle Ben, they said you will know as soon as you see that this is Washington.

They said " Ben will see this tall thing here and know where it is."

Uncle Ben, you've been given the cliffs notes, now act like you knew all along.

Yes. THAT Uncle Ben.

giraffePool

FINALLY !

When Fried Eggs Fly

Ever see that movie " School of Rock" with Jack Black? Well, this is sorta the real deal. Caught this during prime insomnia time on Comcast OnDemand under Starz network (i think) but it looks to be widespread enough that you may catch it on VH1 or something a little more mainstream. . . don't stumble upon the "environmental" bone that runs through the thing- rather feast on watching real kids learn how to make real music-- bonus fun: spot future members of garage bands.

Landslide

came across yet another internet buzz a day late and a dollar short and i haven't quite made up my mind about the big questions but got this song stuck in my head ever since "stumbling upon" her :

(yes i know other people sing it)

for more discussion and gossip about "Mary Anne" see:

DIGG ARTICLE: Just Another LonelyGirl15?

YOU TUBE YSABELLABRAVE
Personal Web Site
2006 Miss Horror Fest

CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS ( livejournal)

Pirate Gold

To a little boy who was holding his Pirate's House 'dubloons' Chandler said:

"Give me back my pirate's butt"

I think he meant Pirate's Booty

I corrected him, and chided him but I didn't fully scold him.

They aren't allowed to say B-U-T-T

as they refer to it,

but it SEEMED to be an honest mistake

(then again, he's a clever boy)

Martians Eat Pie

The daily tidbit of trivia read :
" Some Russians celebrate their birthdays with pie instead of cake."

Later, Lo asked me:
" Momma, what did it say those Martians eat for their birthdays?"

Red Rock Electric Company

- coming soon-

Red Rock Electric Company

logo elements thus far :

Anyone out there who likes to

draw, dabble or design

please feel free to take a stab...

(at the logo, not me)

Ads Of The World

Got a little free time? Need some inspiration? Just want to laugh?
Click over to Ads Of The World to see the familiar and new, the peculiar and funny.
Just be warned, it's advertising and some of it is European- scantily clad people and brazen ideas may occur occasionally

AuntieK

I'm going to be an auntie again!

Happy Baby Ben & Ashely!

Boats

Behind Walgreens/Publix, Wilmington Island, GA 5.18.07

Plants

They continue to grow despite me (as Grandma likes to say):

(anyone know what kind of bug this is?)

Me, the Hottie

(see earlier Hottie Post)

Make Your Own Hottie

Hotties on the Wall

First off, before you begin to critique my parenting style, I didn't necessarily condone "hotties on the wall" but I DO have to shower sometime and it was during my absence that the children-namely the boys- were "inspired" by The Emperor's New School that hotties belong on one's bedroom wall.


*Note- while the hotties are still on the wall(because I think it is kinda funny), the Emperor has been banished, as has the term 'Hottie', from the house until further notice.
Chandler's side
Fisher's Side

To make your very own hottie===>Hottie Maker

More Popcorn

I recently posted a thumbs up for the folks at Popcorn, Indiana. I also left a comment on their site that I had enjoyed the product. I did this with no motive- I simply believe that small companies and/or new companies probably appreciate feedback more so than corporate giants ever would.
I posted a one word comment: yum.
I received a letter back (gasp!) asking for my address and thanking me for the feedback. I sent my address with a longer explanation of how I had found them on the shelves.

Today, UPS brings me this:

and inside, not one but TWO bags

(not snack size mind you)

as if that weren't enough, they also included a key chain

(it LIGHTS UP!)

Popcorn, Indiana people- I love you.

FortuneCookie

The time was 6:30 and I had appx 15 minutes before I had to set up for the Todd-Crooks wedding. I ordered cold sesame noodles and two vegetarian egg rolls from Hunan and spent appx ten of my minutes waiting and chatting about the care of koi with the hostess.


(Interesting fish, koi are-- Another day, another post, to be sure)


Once home, I use the remaining five minutes to scarf down the noodles which are my breakfast, lunch and dinner, play my turn in email Scrabble and load frozen pineapple shells ,fruit and chocolate into my car. With only seconds to go and frazzled before the real event even began, I cracked open the fortune cookie- internally joking that I'd take the cookie's advice as gospel truth for guidance through the rest of my day ( what? you don't internally joke? well- don't look at me like that- I do! I happen to like me pretty well and we get along quite swimmingly, myself and i, most of the time anyway)



And this was what my cookie had to say:

( i kid you not)

WeddingWeekend

Never freeze pineapple shells if you plan to turn them into palm trees. I learned this and all sorts of other fun and interesting lessons while coordinating Jennifer Todd-Crooks wedding this past weekend. Lessons like :

• You can build instant muscle definition by hauling folding chairs over steep sand dunes in only a matter of hours.
• Muscle cramps set in within the first 3 minutes.
• You should NOT undertake muscle defining exercise while wearing flip flops.
• If you wear flip flops, you WILL step into an ant bed
• Parking in a DO NOT costs $15 on Tybee Island.
• A parking citation makes a dandy parking permit for the rest of the day.
• Raccoons come out in the daytime too.
• Raccoons will not help carry chairs over sand dunes.
• Bugs come out whenever they want and they do not care if you are having a party- or even a wedding reception.
• And most interesting of all, lighting oil lanterns can be a dangerous yet exhilarating adventure.

But Jennifer and Sean have sealed their fate... er, I mean, they've entered their blessed union and so it was all worthwhile. . . right?

(doing something mean always makes me feel better and nothing could be meaner than to allow- nay, encourage- two innocent souls to jump into the pit of despair known as matrimony)

((just teasing, darling))

Here now are some highlights from the weekend:

So where do the frozen pineapple shells come in? The reception, of course! Most brides like to opt for the palm tree centerpiece that yours truly has learned to put together. This occasion was no exception.

THIS is what the display is supposed to look like:

or even THIS on a bad day:

I should explain, I suppose, that it gets hot here this time of year and things melt, wilt and otherwise fade due to the sun and its heat--freezing the pineapple all day SEEMED like an ideal way to address this problem. It wasn't. Things that are frozen, especially fruit it turns out, get soggy as they thaw and that is why the display, within minutes of the Bride's arrival, looked like THIS:

We improvised by removing the droopy display and adding a tray of marshmallows and cake squares, which wouldn't fit earlier. No one seemed to notice, as they happily dipped everything on the table into the vats of chocolate before and after the main course, still, it was my handiwork and I knew it didn't come out right. . . I hate when things aren't perfect.
(I hear that is a syndrome) At least I'll know better next time.

On To The Next Event!

(currently a secret)