The Charming Tyrants

The Charming Tyrants

Good Words

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way. - Anon

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy (burp) Thanksgiving

The table was set with fine crystal and silver
 with family and friends all gathered around
 the turkey was roasted all golden and browned
with trimmings galore we sat ourselves down
gave thanks for our blessings with Gods grace to abound
 we carved up that bird then passed it 'round
'til not an empty plate was to be found
we ate and we laughed, sharing stories
and telling of times shared together
with this one or that one, good times all around
 and then we ate more
with belly's now full 
our plates are now empty
and our hearts are so full
we are thankful and happy
 for pants that are stretchy
for no sooner was dinner down in our belly
we all had pie with ice cream, do tell
So with thankful hearts and full bellies
we give thanks to God, for family and friends
and wish you all Happy (burp) Thanksgiving blessings!

The End.

Psalm 145:21
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.


Amen.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Forever Young

Okay maybe not, but wasn't I cute!

One year old me.

Today is my birthday so I am shamelessly going to wish myself Happy Birthday on this here blog and encourage you to do the same.  
Maybe 18 months here.
Wish me a happy birthday that is . . .

5 or 6 and my first pair of glasses.
. . .  so all you lurkers out there who have come and read my blog but have never commented this is the perfect opportunity to say hello.

8 or 9 perhaps, hello toothless grin!
As you can tell my mother wasn't very good about putting dates on pictures so the only one I know for sure is the first one, 'cuz back in the day they used to put the baby's first year birthday picture and announcement in the local newspaper and I know she got my picture took, but whether or not I made it into print, I just don't know.

My softball career didn't last long, but my knees have fond memories.  NOT! 
I seem to have been very adept at avoiding the camera during part of the late 80's and most of the 90's.  I did scan a few more pictures in but blogger seems to think I don't have permission to use my own pictures and it won't upload them.  Stupid blogger.  I tried adding them to my flickr account but blogger didn't like the url and still wouldn't let me add the photos.  Stupid blogger.  If any of you all have any suggestions, please let me know.  And if you must see a current picture of me there's one in the previous blog post.

Anyhoo, I digress.

If you promise not to ask how old I am, I promise not to tell.

Let's just say I'm old enough to know better, m-kay.

Ya know,  they say that aging is a state of mind, but would someone please tell that to my knees or my aching back or the wrinkles or the really blonde hairs that are taking over and the bags under my eyes, we can't forget about them, no matter how much we try to cover them up.  Some days I wonder what in the heck am doing with two little boys.  Supposedly they keep me young, but by the end of the day I am exhausted.  I'm old enough to be their grandmother, their very "young" beautiful grandmother, but none the less, I'm that old.  I worry about having enough energy to keep up with them, when they start school or when they become teenagers or when they graduate from college or get married, will I still be around?  My own parents died relatively young by today's standard so if you average that with how old I am I should be dead in 20 years.

So far this is the oldest I've ever been.

But lets not think about that.  All in all I am very thankful for my life and the people in it and I wouldn't change a thing, now lets get back to you leaving me a comment and wishing me the happiest of birthdays and making my day all warm and fuzzy.

Thanks all.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me, happy birthday to me.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Oh, Snowy Day

We woke up this morning to nearly 10" of snow and they are saying that we are going to get even more this evening into tomorrow and then getting another storm tomorrow night.

HT was very excited to see the snow and insisted on going out this morning before breakfast.  Papa was shoveling the driveway so I let him go.  He wanted to build a snowman but I made him wait until after we got home from church.

How'd we do?

Our poor tree lost several of its branches so we used them for the arms.
 And if anyone can explain the next three pictures to me, 
 especially why my son decided to stick his head in the snow, 
 I would really like to know.



They came inside cold and wet, then snuggled under a blanket and watched cartoons the rest of the afternoon.

I'm thinking we'll have coffee cake and hot cocoa for supper.

Happy Sunday!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Finally, Some Answers!

HT with bobble head Nora, September 2007
Well I shouldn't say finally, 'cuz we have been asking these questions for quite some time and have received several answers along the way.

Let me back up a little.

You remember this post, the one where I tagged you, well since none of you (and YOU know who YOU are) have responded and I have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for someone to put on their writers cap and play along, because it really is kinda fun, I will share with you the answers we have received from Nora Roberts to said questions in said post.

HT, September 2007
I say we because my sister is a huge fan of Nora Roberts and is also one of the administrators for the fan club website Adwoff (A Day With Out French Fries).  Anyway, there is a page on this website where anyone can ask Nora a "Stoopid Question" and Nora has agreed to answer.  My sister has even met Nora and had lunch with her and had the opportunity to ask her in person if the "stoopid questions" drove her nuts.  To which she replied that she enjoyed them as it gave her a challenge and was more entertaining then the usual "stoopid questions".

HT, September 2007
So without further ado here are the questions as posed to Nora and her answers. There is a slight variation in some of the questions posed in my blog post and the way they were posed to Nora, but you get the idea.

1.   How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

"The amount of wood the woodchuck can chuck varies depending on the type of wood to be chucked and the age, weight and experience of the wood chuck.  And, of course, the quality of his dental hygiene.  Not all woodchucks are created equal." - Nora


2.  We know that Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,  but how could he pick a peck of pickled peppers, because don't peppers have to be pickled after they are picked?

"Perhaps the progress of pickling and peppers is a puzzle to you. Proponents proudly produce peck upon peck of previously pickled peppers for the pickled pepper prefering public." - Nora


3.  When Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch that pail of water, why did Jack fall down and break his crown and did Jill really come tumbling after?

"Jack has such an ego he thought he should be wearing a crown. He actually fell down and broke his butt, and Jill laughed hers off." - Nora


4.  I heard when Tweetle Beetles battle in a bottle with their paddles and the bottles on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle and I was wondering, why do they battle and what kind of noodle is the poodle eating?

"Tweetle Beetles are born to battle even though the paddle rabble gets them addled. The poodle gets kudos for eating egg noodles till she can say toodles and go back to her doodles." - Nora


Hm, do Tweetle Beetles Twitter?

Sorry, got distracted for a moment.

Continuing on.

5.  Did the North-Going Zax and the South-Going Zax ever solve their dispute or are they still standing there in their tracks in the prairie of Prax?  Don't the North & South going dudes have to pee yet?

"As neither will accept the facts, Zax North-Going and South stubbornly stand stalemated on the Prairie of Prax.  Like all guys, North and South pee as they go." - Nora


6.  If you could wish to wish a wish, what wish would you wish for?

"If I could wish for a wish I'd wish for everybody to wish for a wish so we have a wish for a wish-a-thon." - Nora


7.  For Christmas would you rather have Merry Christmas Mush to munch or flapjacks flapped by a fat flapjack flapper in a flat flapped-jack cap?

"My mouth says muh to Merry Christmas Mush, but I do flips for flapjacks." - Nora

8.  I thought a thought. But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, which thought would I have thought?

"I'm always thinking I thought I thought but often I only thought I thought and have only begun to think. However, I think if we think we thought then we did indeed think the thought. (It's very Zen.)" - Nora


There you have it, the famous Nora Roberts playing blog tag, and on my blog!

Is that exciting or what!?

Okay maybe not.

As my 4 year old would say . . .  "Mama you're lloosional!"


It probably was delusional to think that someone would play along, so its good to know Nora's got my back.

Thanks Nora.


Friday, November 12, 2010

Family


I'm linking up today with Alicia at More than Words for Friday Photo Flashback.

This picture was taken at Christmas time in 2001.

All my siblings and their families came home for Christmas that year.  It was the first time we had all been together for Christmas, probably since we were all still at home and it was the best Christmas we had ever had, at least I think so.

This was also the last Christmas we had with my dad.  He's the one wearing the cowboy hat.

I'm the only female over the age of 4 who hadn't dyed her hair.

Even some of my nephews had colored their hair.

I'm fourth from the left standing on the back row.

Did you ever see such a motley crew?  I love them all a whole bunch and am ever thankful to be blessed with such.

Click here for more flashback fun.
Friday Photo Flashback

Friday, November 5, 2010

Out of my Box

So today is the last day of the BQF hosted by Amy at Amy's Creative Side and I almost didn't make it.  I have wasted enjoyed many hours browsing through everyone's entries.   Even though the quilt I am showing off today is not the one I originally intended too, it is still one of my favorites.


One of my favorite local quilt shops does a first Saturday block class (basically a block of the month thing) and the year we did this quilt the theme was "Get Out of Your Box" and all the block patterns given to us were of differing sizes, either 6" 9" or 12" with just enough material to make a different combination of each, one month you might do a 12" block and the next you might do one or two 9" blocks and the next three or four 6" blocks, you get the idea.


I enjoyed making my block(s) each month but as the year drew to a close I started to get nervous about how I would set it together to make a complete quilt top and I must confess that my finished blocks sat in their box for more than a year before I settled on a plan.  I really love the way it turned out, but am not anxious to make another one.


After putting a white sashing with cornerstones around each block I filled in the rest using 3" squares and used up a lot of my scrap stash.  If I felt like there were too many 3" squares in one spot I did a 6" block with an appliqued flower in the middle.  I am really pleased with how it all turned out.  It was my intention to give it to one of my nieces or nephews as a wedding present but since they are approaching their thirties and not one of them has any prospects, well, except for one who is now engaged, but he has chosen a different quilt, I decided to use this one and it has graced my bed all summer.  Beside I'll be making more quilts, of that I am sure.

If you would like to see some more fabulous quilts go visit Amy's Creative Side.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Handsome

I took my baby in to get his first haircut yesterday and he was such a little trooper.  It helped that my friend has cut many a boy's hair and was fast and efficient.  He sat in the chair all my his self, wiggled a bit, but was "mostly" cooperative.
He no longer looks like a baby but a little boy.
 Isn't he handsome?!