Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday morning singin’
{extended}Saturday, January 28, 2012
Take a load off
{extended}Monday, January 23, 2012
Year of the Dragon
Today is the Chinese New Year and begins the Year of the Dragon.
So… Xīnnián kuàilè! or 新年快乐! (Chinese for Happy New Year!)
I’ve had Zane repeat this phrase about half a dozen times and I still can’t say it correctly.
{extended}Sunday, January 22, 2012
Once Upon A Time
It’s entirely possible that I could have my “man card” revoked over this. But here goes…
There’s a television show on ABC (Sundays at 8:00 pm) called Once Upon A Time. And I like it. A lot.
It’s about a character from Boston named Emma Swan who gets the surprise of her life when Henry, the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago, shows up on her doorstep. Emma immediately wants to return Henry to his adoptive mother in Storybrooke, Maine. But Henry complicates Emma’s plan when he reveals a stunning theory: everyone in Storybrooke is a fairytale character under a curse, and Emma - the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - is the only one who can save them all. The story unfolds by interweaving scenes of the drama in the sleepy New England town and the inhabitants’ past lives in the world of fairy tales.
Have you seen it?
{extended}Saturday, January 21, 2012
Calligraphy 101
Monday is the Chinese New Year - the Year of the Dragon.
I was a slackard and didn’t plan a get-together for our local group this year.
So today, the family went to a a Chinese New Year festival at the Peaceful Dragon martial arts center.
The center is not a small building. But there were a gazillion people there. Which made the building seem quite small actually.
Along with the ceremonial Lion Dance and Dragon Dance, there were demonstrations of Chinese martial arts and health arts including Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Yoga, and performing arts such as traditional Chinese dance and music.
There were experts on hand to exhibit various Asian arts and practices including feng shui, calligraphy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
And there were noodles.
In the exhibition room, Zane gave Karys a little personal lesson in calligraphy.
{extended}Friday, January 20, 2012
Roadie
The Gospel group I sing with had an opportunity to minister to our church’s Celebrate Recovery ministry last night.
We just left the equipment in the fellowship hall and returned later this afternoon to tear the equipment down.
Karys tried to be a good roadie. But I think the hand trucks alone probably weigh as much as she does.
{extended}Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Egg fail
Eggs don’t microwave well.
Who knew?
{extended}Tuesday, January 17, 2012
My mantra
There are kids’ puzzles tucked conspicuously away in our living room. On a plant stand. Behind my recliner.
We’ve accumulated a generous supply of these puzzles over the years.
Enough, in fact, that the plant stand hasn’t seen an actual plant since well before Karys came home.
So I’ve given Eliana a job.
Her mission, should she choose to accept it, is to pull out puzzles that are no longer wanted and put them together.
If pieces are missing, the puzzle will be tossed. If all the pieces are there, the puzzle will go in a yard sale pile.
Voluntary simplicity is my mantra for the year. And it feels good to start somewhere.
{extended}Monday, January 16, 2012
Vinyl windows
Our old, original, rotting wood windows are gone. Replaced by new, maintenance-free, vinyl windows.
Carmi had the day off and I took a vacation day because the installation guys were scheduled to arrive between 10:00 and 10:30.
My alarm clock went off at 7:21 and I rolled out of bed at 7:30 after I had slapped the snooze button one time.
We expected a couple of lazy hours for moving stuff around and away from the windows to give the guys room to work.
But my cell phone rang at 7:45 and I recognized the number.
The installation guys were calling. They wanted to start at 8:30.
Our poor kids. They probably thought the house was burning down
“C’mon! Get up!” I shrieked, bursting into their rooms. “Gotta move! Get some clothes and get dressed! Let’s go!”
We expected 45 minutes for moving stuff around and away from the windows to give the guys room to work.
But the installation guys knocked on the door at 8:15. And they finished around 12:30.
{extended}Sunday, January 15, 2012
Passing time
Karys and a buddy were passing time while we waited on dinner to arrive.
{extended}Saturday, January 14, 2012
Red tail
Eliana got up close and personal with a red tail boa constrictor at Discovery Place.
{extended}Mummies
Carmi and Eliana took a little mother-daughter trip today to… Egypt?
No. They visited the Mummies of the World exhibition at Discovery Place.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Bonfire
Our church’s youth ministry had a bonfire tonight.
{extended}Little drummer girl
The Gospel group I sing with auditioned a new tenor late this afternoon.
The kiddos had to tag along and Karys just couldn’t resist the drum kit in the church sanctuary.
Most kids can’t. Even, umm, us older kids.
After hitting the pads for only a few minutes, Karys had decided that she wanted to be a teacher AND a drummer when she grows up.
But she might need to lower the stool just a bit.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Best buds
My dad loved working with wood.
Eliana loves working with wood too.
It’s not uncommon, especially after lunch on lazy Sunday afternoons, to find her “treasure hunting” on grandmommy’s back porch or in granddaddy’s shop, seeking out just the right odds and ends for her next creation.
My dad passed away in 2002, a mere 5 months before Carmi and I traveled to bring Eliana home from China.
Every time I see Eliana with a handful of nails, a scrap of timber, a hammer, a saw or a tape measure, I think of dad and smile. He would have enjoyed her so much.
In fact, I’m pretty sure they would have been best buds.
{extended}