1st Make some dough and bake something. We made biscuits (in the craziest little shapes) and gravy and bacon and eggs. Every rainy day should have dough.
2ndly Recruit your small children to be the pictionary master of ceremonies and keeper of the sands of time.
3rdly Divide the teams into boys versus girls. The competition will be fierce.
4thly Pass out bubble gum to all players. Bubble gum= fun. Everytime.
5thly Give the boys a little slack, despite the fact that they frequently use illegal verbal gestures to supplement their very poor drawings.
6thly Help the boys out on the only drawing that seemed straight forward. That’s a sprinkler. I gave the verbal hint that ‘small children like to run through them’.
That didn’t even work instantly. But finally they got it.
7thly Be thankful that when they draw very rough illustrations of North America and Africa, they get their geography right.
8thly Play a few rounds of charades and then prepare the teens for prom by teaching them the basic waltz step. (Perhaps this will give them a better alternative when the rest of the young folks at the dance are exposing their poor taste in dance styles). Remember boys, always start with your outside leg, go up onto your toes when you move forward or backward, and always hold your head up. Be a strong leader and always be a gentleman.
9thly Praise Andrew for teaching Hank to waltz.
10thly Praise Taylor for only stepping on Morgan’s toes thirty two times.
and lastly….finish the day off by watching Sense and Sensibility with the little girls.
Boredom averted. Rainy days welcome.
Archives for March 2009
On your mark, get set, write……
My tomatoes and herbs are growing like weeds too…..I hope it gets warm soon, so these little babies can go outside.
I’ve been teaching my pupils everything from contractions to the story of Romulus and Remus and filling up these bookshelves with a few more C.S. Lewis books. I’ll soon start The Great Divorce. Read it with me and we’ll discuss.
I’ve been baking brownies and eating grapefruits and reading The Autobiography of Ben Franklin.
I’ve been mistreating my windows with some be-yoo-tee-ful linen fabric…..
and continuing my quest to spray paint everything white. Please, if you love me at all, spray paint something white this weekend. Spring will thank you.
And I’ve even been doin’ a little smoochin’…….
and bread bakin’…….
and gazing at this gorgeous set of handmade, hand-turned wooden salt and pepper mills. Thank you Uncle Troy. Surely they will inspire some writing worthy to be read.
and last but not least……. I have TULIPS! I have tulips and books and grass and basil and one smoochy husband and four delightful children. SO WHY DO I STARE BLANKLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN? I do not know. But until my mo-jo or my groove returns, I’m gonna keep painting and baking and reading.
And maybe soon I’ll finish that post on infant baptism…..or that one on strong-willed children….or that update on my new year’s resolutions.
I’m traveling……
The Spring Winds Blow
In my twisted logic, spring equals a can of white spray paint and some comfy flip flops. So while my girls recited “The Wind” by Robert Louis Stevenson, I braved the March wind with a can of spray paint and anything I could find in my house that looked worn and wintry. Enjoy my spring ‘fluffing’ while I share this delightful little poem with you. You should memorize it.
And all around I heard you pass
I saw the different things you did
I felt you push, I heard you call
O you that are so strong and cold
Are you a beast of field and tree?
Music and lyrics and one proud mama……..
1. Jackson by Johnny Cash “We got married in a fever….hotter than a pepper sprout. We’ve been talking ’bout Jackson…..ever since the fire went out. We’re goin’ to Jackson…..”
2. Can’t Touch This by M.C.Hammer “My, my my my music hits me so hard….make me say ‘OhMyLord, thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet’ “
3. Empty by Ray Lamontagne “She lifts her skirt up to her knees, walks through the garden row with her bare feet, laughing”.
4. I’m Not a King by The Verity (who did a most outstanding job last night-they look and sound like pros)
5. Wishlist by Pearl Jam “I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on….The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top”
6. Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry “Yeah they were dancin’ and singing’ and movin’ to the groovin’ And that ‘s when it hit me, somebody turned around and shouted”
this time all I want is you
there is no one else
who can take your place
this time you burned me with your eyes
you see past all the lies
you take it all away
I’ve seen it all and it’s never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you
take me away
take me away
I’ve got nothing left to say
just take me away
I try to make my way to you
but still I feel so lost
I don’t know what else I can do
I’ve seen it all and it’s never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you
take me away
take me away
I’ve got nothing left to say
just take me away
don’t give up on me yet
don’t forget who I am
I know I’m not there yet
but don’t let me stay here alone
this time all I want is you
there is no one else
who can take your place
I’ve seen it all and it’s never enough
it keeps leaving me needing you
take me away
take me away
I’ve got nothing left to say
just take me away
take me away
take me away
I’ve got nothing left to say
just take me away
……and just like that, he was gone.
My time is running out. I feel the pressure of the days swiftly being hurled at me like an oncoming freight train. He graduates in 86 days. And I’m not ready. Not by a long shot. But as I gather the pictures and cards and awards and songs to try and make some memories live for him, I find comfort in his ‘things’…..the things that remind me so vividly of his impact on my life. I’m letting you peak in on my work before I’m done, but I thought I’d share a few things I found and a few things I’m creating.
This picture was taken when Taylor was six so that makes this little ‘letter’ I wrote to him 12 years old. I don’t think I’d change a thing.
Dear Taylor,
The joy you have brought to my life and to this family is immeasurable. I am so blessed to be your mother and to have the privilege to teach and nurture you. You tug at my heartstrings with your smile and your adorable sense of humor. Thank you for being so teachable.
-so eager to learn and eager to please. I love your sensitivity to others and how you place others before yourself.
I pray that as you grow and learn, we will have the wisdom to love you unconditionally, to praise your many wonderful attributes and to carefully help you recognize and correct your shortcomings.
Because I know we are human and will fail, I pray mostly that God in His wisdom, will make up the difference and give you what we, in our frailty, could not.
I love you, Mom.
…..and made a 2 page spread of one of his concerts.
And then I got a few of the Cd’s ready to mail.
and put some of his pictures to music….his own music…..a song he wrote called ‘I’m Not a King’.
And then like a good strong southern mama, I dried my tears and made biscuits and gravy (at Caiti’s request) because we’re making memories here.