Dear Author

Dear Ms. Ann M. Martin  &  Ms. Laura Godwin,

Please imagine for a moment that you are four years old and your mom has recently finished reading "The Meanest Doll In The World" to you.



One fateful day, you walk into a thrift store with her. There, in the midst of clothes, shoes and well-loved toys is a dollhouse as tall as you are. (Remember, you're 4...)  But it isn't just any dollhouse, no. It is THE dollhouse. You know this because 'KATE' is spelled across the roof in bright red vinyl. (You can't actually read yet, but you're working on it. Your mom tells you what the letters spell but of course, you already KNEW this was Kate's house the moment you spotted it.)



Your mom believes it must be destiny because... I mean, what are the odds? So she texts your dad, because it cost TWENTY-FIVE dollars! (Twenty five dollars that will prove to be only a small down payment in the grand scheme of things... have you ever looked in a minitures catalog? Those folks are serious.)




Here is what she sends him:

 

It totally works.

 (remember this when it's time to get that pony)

You don't realize it as you take the house home, but your mom is about to go somewhere...else. She will spend many nights bent over this house, clipping popsicle sticks for baseboards or 'wallpapering' the small walls. Her neck will hurt- a lot-  and she will need massive amounts of coffee when it's time to 'be the mom', but she will proudly show you her latest work like she wants you to hang it on the fridge or something and you two will scour ebay for dolls and furniture everyday for days and weeks on end. She will smile and tell you stories about her dolls and old dollhouse. 

She will have so much fun, it will almost be like she's four, too! 

BEFORE: 

 At first you tell your mom that you want black shutters and a black roof, but you both agree it looks too haunted that way. You give your mom creative license but remind her kindly to " Do what the dolls want, not just what we want"

Shelf Paper Wood Flooring

STRIPES!

Under Construction

Construction Zone

The house is a work in progress for a while...a pretty long while. Things in the real house are being neglected. Someone should go buy groceries. Seriously.  

Wheels are added to the bottom and a crystal knob that casts rainbows around the room on sunny days is affixed to the door. There's a shiny number four on the front because remember--now we all are four!

We have a friend who builds people houses making a front door and more window ledges. 

 Meanwhile...

...you're making your way through the rest of the Doll People series... falling more in love with Annabelle & Tiffany, Doll-Kind and most importantly... BOOKS.  Books are literally coming to life for you. This makes your mom feel sly; like she served you vegetables instead of Cheetos for once. 

You've found the perfect Annabelle and Tiffany dolls to freshen up from eBay Land.  You routinely check new dolls for bisque faces. It's amazing the ways that learning a new word like bisque or porcelain affect everyday life, like how slowly and carefully you must now go about your errands with Mom whenever Annabelle decides to tag along in your Dora the Explorer backpack. It is almost like bringing along a newborn baby.

You also better appreciate Annabelle's situations in the books.

So Fragile!  

eBay listing "Porcelain Doll from Japan" 

Green, of course.

Thank Goodness for Ailene's Fabric Fusion- Mom doesn't sew all that well.

Sometimes, as we made dresses or curtains,  we could be heard singing "Ailene, Ailene, Ailene, Aiiiileene...please make this fabric stick just because you can!"  (Jolene)

Mom had DollyPops when she was a little girl. And now she has them as a big little girl.

DollyPops get some overdue TLC...and paint.

GNARLY

DollyPop Day @ The Ladies' Room Spa

The pink one is our Tiffany

 Even though there are still things to be done, your mom wants you to be able to enjoy the house before that number four on the front grows digits in the front or the back. So, finally, she moves it and your vast and quickly growing doll population in to your room. 

 

Remote controlled cabinet lights make the house interactive until we can afford those tiny chandeliers in the catalog
... we've kept the attic dark because you've got to stay true to the
book. We are looking forward to Halloween decor coming out in stores
soon so that we can add a few spiders too.

See that pink wardrobe? It's NARNIA.  Tilly Mae is in her crib. Free carpet samples from Lowes make a soft place for dolly toes.

SplishSplash!

Popsicle stick sofa & perfume bottle-top dolls

Picture frame fireplace with popsicle stick mantel Glitter glue flames are safe for dolls and children alike.

Fresh eggs from HennyBlue, Booster the Rooster helps keep the time, gathered round the table with good friends is always a good place to be.Free linoleum sample squares curl just like the full size version 

Contruction projects ensue. 

Stories continue to unfold.

 But it all started with one story... yours. 

Aslan & Pippi too... Cruella DeVille is our stand in Mean MiMi... Bobby & Bailey are having a ball...  that handmade ladder may be the proudest thing I've ever accomplished- not counting real live baby humans... Tiffany & Annabelle- BBFF (Bunk Bed Friends Forever) 

So, if you can imagine all of that Ms. Ann & Ms. Laura, maybe you can also imagine how much we appreciate your having sent us on such a fun voyage. It's an ongoing adventure and you gave us the fare. We wanted to send you a picture postcard of the fun we're having and say thanks. So...

 Thank you.

Thank you very much. 

Riley would like to add (in her own voice): "The books are awesome and pretty and they are also pretty awesome." 

RyeBird tried to recruit her Papa to read The Doll People books too... Reading Rainbow style: 

AGAIN:

Take 2:

loss

I started to write a post about loss (and legacy reels) back when my grandpaw passed away...and then tried again recently when my uncle departed. Days got busy, I'm easily distracted and all of my attempts felt too frilly...too feely.

What I'm really aiming to say has been said in countless ways so, maybe that is why I feel too antsy to pin the words down (pen the words down?). It amounts to "Life is beautiful." though there are plenty of other worthy and valid things to be said about lives well-lived and legacies left behind. Like the following statements:

"The Grand Canyon is large."

"Niagara Falls is wet."

 "There's gold in dem dar hills."

 improvements could be made but the fundamental idea is present and accounted for.

Sometimes that's the best one can do.

So, here I am, sharing the video made in tribute to my uncle as a stand-alone excuse for where I've been lately, a picture-postcard from this other place for which I haven't an adequate vocabulary.

Though I was honored to be asked to help with this project,  I'm not saying "Look what I did." Although I became thoroughly immersed in the project, I'm not sharing a work of art. Truly, it is the handiwork of a novice-at best and I wish it were more...polished.



I share because the process of distilling a life story of 80 plus years down into an 80 proof shot has been transformative for me.



 I learned so many new things about my uncle but also about the world in which I live. Walking through the story of his life was like a history lesson wrapped in one last, strong hug.



In some ways, it helped me say good-bye. In other ways it confirmed that though I know I'm expected to do more and more of it in the years to come, saying goodbye will not get any easier.



The dread of such thoughts is almost enough to steal the joy of today-almost.



But even if it's only for today, the rest of us are still here -together. 

That is no small thing.

 This week, while watching a Disney show with the BigKids, we watched a eulogy scene that called on lines from "Our Town" for fitting words about this business of leaving Earth. I definitely couldn't have said it better myself.  

I know.

 I tried.

"Let's really look at one another!...It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another. I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed... Wait! One more look. Good-bye , Good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover's Corners....Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking....and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths....and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth,you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every,every minute?"

~THORNTON WILDER //  "OUR TOWN"

No, we don't. We can't. But, we should at least try.

I love all of you. 

Take care of yourselves and each other. 

~k 

Manuscripts After Midnight

Now I'd like to paint... maybe after a brief nap...

Drive,Chip Putt Sub-Regional

Chandler's Sub-Regional Qualifier for Drive, Chip & Putt took place in Orlando. He made alternate and won third place overall for putting. There was a lot of close golf that day. And rain. Plus a few frogs.

We're proud of our little man- who, as you may have noticed, isn't so little anymore.

And as Uncle Nick pointed out- there's no need to pray for another player to fall sick, we can simply pray that one or more are called on a missions trips.

 Gotta love pastoral counsel.

Here's an assortment of photos and a video.

We can talk later about the great idea to have this event hosted just around the corner, @ Annika's Academy... with indoor plumbing and a roof... and all those future students milling about on campus all day ...a win/win for both parties...  Yes, we should talk about that some day soon.  :)

A celebratory lunch @ Fudd's was enjoyed afterwards.








Chandler receiving medallion: 

Little Shredder

Are you ready to rock?

Twirling with Leah

Happy Fourth of July!

HAPPY JULY 4th, 2013!

From the archives- circa 2006:

Reagan & Riley

A short clip of Reagan & Riley dancing in the hotel lobby before Grandpaw's funeral. When she watched the clip, Rye said with a smile " There's my cousin!"

In other recent news, Reagan was inviting another cousin to his make-believe party, even though...GASP... she's a girl!

So cool to see these cousins learning about their family connection and develop a friendship around it.

Princess Fan Technique

Riley is a 'Sophia the First' fan. One episode featured a Princess Test. The Princesses-In-Training were practicing proper fan technique in hopes of passing the test. That is where Rye came up with the steps: "First I fan, then I laugh...heeheehee"

Enjoy our own little princess as she practices her fan technique...and excuse the background noise...it's bound to happen in this house :) 

Eating Apples: You're Doing It Wrong

Watched this video on BuzzFeed awhile back. 

Decided to gave it a go. 

In fact, I bought apples just to try it.

It works. 

(and I did eat the seeds too... because someone once told me too...they're kind of 'almond-y')

Logan, On Her Birthday.

Logan's Twelfth Birthday Cake

After watching Wreck It Ralph, Lo asked for a candy covered cake

A Candy Cart

~MAKE A WISH~

~BIRTHDAY LUNCH ~

~ Enjoying The Restaurant Birthday Song ~

Lovey Gets A Bath

Grammy gave "Lovey" to Riley when she was born.

This large, loveable pink pooch has been through various moves and times of storage; as well as plenty of playtime with Rye.
Because of all the living and loving evident in Lovey's fur, we recently took him to the local laundromat for a quick, sudsy spin and a fluffy air dry... Riley cheered Lovey on the whole way, Fisher cheered Rye on.

Riley and Fisher have similar dispositions towards their stuffed friends-simply put, stuffed animals are real... and the cuter the stuffy, the more in tune with its feelings they seem to be... situations like being put in the washing machine are matters of survival, not just hygiene.

It's cute ~until something tragic happens, like a severed limb   (or ear!)   or a spill over of stuffing or something... you would think we'd lost a family member in the trauma unit should something like that occur. (There was a light stuffing leakage on this day and ALL of my kids thought we'd lost Lovey.)

So, imagine our motley Brew Crew hauling Lovey, the Giant Pink Puppy into the Laundromat; moving from station to station as the mob that we are, creating all the necessary chaos to operate the machines, as we fight for the best 'seat' to watch the 'show'(or camera angle to take pictures, ::guilty gulp::) pummeling & elbowing one another from time to time when someone blocks our view...some of us cheering and shouting at the 'screen' like we were watching that Notorious College Football Championship instead of ...a WASHING MACHINE.

I tell you, we fit right in at the Laundromat! And I cannot wait to go back sometime soon, which we are going to have to do, because I still have sixteen dollars on the Wash & Dry card they make you trade your real money in for. Turns out the math they taught me in school did not cover properly estimating time & money in a laundromat that lists prices like a slot machine... blinky little screen things that they are!

I have got to add two little asides before you get your turn at "Watching-A-Washing-Machine" (sounds like a great new trend to start- quick someone, Pin This!)

1.) As we were talking about this adventure later, Rye said "Lovey go in the dishwasher!" (I think that might be worth a try next time ... I've been needing to mop the floor again anyway.)

2.) There is a thrift store that funds a local pet rescue a few doors down from the laundromat. As we waited on the dryer to finish, we moseyed down to see what we could see. When the lady at the door asked us "Are you looking for anything in particular today?" and I explained "No, ma'm~ we're just washing our dog next door, killing a little time as we wait for him to dry." It really WAS the right thing to do to specify that we were referring to a stuffed dog, but it would have been so much funnier to just leave it at "dog" don't ya think?

Puddle Splashing

As Clay was leaving for work, Rye decided to walk him down... we are in the midst of potty training, which should help explain to all who know, why she's just in a tee shirt. For the uninitiated, the less layers, the more success we seem to have.

 I thought, "No worries- it  is early morning, we will just walk him to the truck and be right back in the house" And we were right on schedule too, until she spotted the puddles. The neighbors came out to watch and cheer her on 

(She loves Mr. Jim & Mrs. Peggy and asked them to join her in the splashing fun) 

Eventually, I had to force her to slosh on in to the house... but not before Mr. Jim spoiled her with a bag of M&M's from his 'robot' (automatic candy dispense) 

Shoe Shopping w/Rye

While looking at shoes during our Saturday Evening Outing, Rye found a pair or two that she liked:

Fathers

While looking for something celebratory for my nephew's birthday, I came across  this piece for mothers. In the interest of equality, I share this equally challenging & powerful piece on the calling of fathers.

I am grateful for the good fathers I know.

If you are a dad, I hope you celebrate the gift that God has given you in the form of your children and take to heart the call to disciple them & ready them to be presented back to their Giver someday. 

Mothers

As I was looking for something 'sentimental' of sorts, to mark my nephew's 5th birthday and to celebrate his mom and dad's 5th anniversary as parents 

(Reagan made them parents for the first ~but not last~ time) 

I came across this piece on motherhood. It seems to be an excerpt from a mother's day sermon at a church I've never been too.

It is a really good thought.

 It made me thankful for all the godly mothers I know. It also made me want to encourage those who may not value the calling God has placed on the life of a mother... especially friends and family who are moms but think that it doesn't count as much.

I hope you will be encouraged if you are a mom. I hope you will pass this on if you know any other mothers that need to be reminded... or perhaps told for the very first time.

And...if you happen to be a father? Well... there's something in there for you too 

:) Big Smiles Until We Meet Again 

High Note, Low Note

Until recently, I didn't know much about Disney's Little Einsteins. Now, thanks to the free Disney JR app, we are all on a first name basis. Sometimes, Riley even lets me be June... (other times, I have to be Mary or Joseph and she is Baby Jesus...or we are both puppies... but that is another story for a different day)

For the uninitiated, Little Einsteins set their adventures to classical music and plug in classical works of art along the way. I never thought my two year old would be running around saying "Mozart" "Seattle" or "Paris, France" but she quotes these amongst other high brow tid-bits and phrases.

My concern is that she is going to think there are lyrics to some of the musical pieces... to insist that Beethoven's 5th really does go: 'I Love Balloons, I Love I Love Balloons...' but, I suppose we'll cross the bridge should we arrive at it.

Rye has a musical soul- she loves to listen to music; to dance and sing a long.  Because of this, she naturally adores Little Einsteins. See?

(& here's the original, sung by Annie)

Rye's Christmas Message

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Virtual Christmas Card

If you have already gotten a Christmas card from our family in the mail, you will recognize right away that this is our actual Christmas card's cover. (Unless you already live in Florida, then you got something a little different) Once you click on the links, you will see that the letter is the same as well. If you have not received a card in the mail, it is either delayed due to the antiquity of our local post office or...well, I was running low on stamps, see... and I knew that I planned to send this here virtual one... so... please enjoy this version and know we love you very much!

Even if you did receive a tangible card in your mailbox, there is a slideshow of the children in the virtual card.
Rather than try to get one good shot of the children all looking in the same direction at the same time, I had the realization that I could hit the continuous shot button and improve my odds...2000+ still shots later, I had another realization that a movie would be easier and after a little tweaking, we ended up with a stop motion-ish sort of slide show.

Every time I've played it back, I am moved to thankfulness again for the gift of our kids.
We hope this time of year finds you counting your blessings and enjoying the gifts that we have been given by God. They are innumerable, if only we start to count.

Brewer Family Virtual Christmas Card:
WARM WISHES FROM THE BREW CREW

Beautiful Neighbor

From time to time, Riley will sit on the edge of her bed, place her shoes side by side and begin to sing "Beautiful neighbor.... won't you be mine, won't you be mine... " shuffling her shoes Mr. Rogers style all the while.

 Unfortunately, most of the time she does this routine  fresh from the shower and sans clothing. I have attempted to dress her then coax another round of singing, but often times, when Rye has moved on from something, she has moved on for a long while... so my few attempts to video her singing with shoes has fallen short as her attention has wandered on to new things mid-song.

I was delighted then, when a fully dressed Riley (and perched on the hallway bench for easy filming), started singing her little version of Mr. Rogers' famous intro song... my phone was on the counter, within reach...so, I captured a little bit of her routine before she spotted me filming and decided that she wanted to "take a smile" (picture)

Enjoy the show, Neighbors.