Flashback Friday

Somewhere pigs must be flying, because I'm finally posting another Flashback Friday!

As always, I had something much more elaborate in mind. Something that required scanning LOTS of pictures. And just thinking about it made my head hurt.

So I settled on something a little less elaborate but I think you will enjoy it.

Back when I was a wee lass of just 5 years old (I may have even started when I was 4) I was a member of a children's singing/performing group called The Rainbow Connection.



Wasn't I adorable?

The group picture is fun as well.



Yes, I still am THAT short.

AAAAAAND, for extra credit, only available to those who aren't actually related to me, can you pick out my older brother in the picture? (answer at the end)

It was a grand time, really. I once even had a solo. I got to sing the first line of Tomorrow, from Annie. "The sun'll come out, tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun" Yes, that was my 3 seconds of fame, with no fortune. Plus I'm pretty sure I only got the solo because I had red hair.

My brother also had a solo-"Eyes that look like heaven, lips like sherry wine. Elvira!" Or something like that. I'm sure he could tell you.

I also remember wearing a single white glove and singing Beat It

We have many miles of old home movies, on 8mm, of The Rainbow Connection performing. Which is ironic, since it's a SINGING group, and 8mm is silent. Nevertheless, judging from all the reels of Rainbow Connection my parents have my dad recorded every single performance ever. I'm not sure this would've been the case had it not been silent film. Because, let's face it, you didn't have to audition to be in the group and we were, after all, just kids.

And, for those of you still playing at home, THIS one is my older brother.

just keep swimming, just keep swimming.....

I like to think of myself as an "on the ball" type of person.

I am on time. (most of the time)

I do what I promise to do. (When my kids don't cause me to do otherwise)

I return my library books on time (except for the 2 that were due today)

But all, in all I can be depended upon. Or at least I like to believe that I can be.

But the past couple of weeks life has just gotten totally away from me, and I'm not entirely sure how it got loose, or where it went!

I feel like I'm trying to move through molasses while everybody and everything around me is set on fast forward. I keep trying to catch up but only get further and further behind.

And I keep having that recurring nightmare of mine where I'm back in school and behind in all my classes. But the teacher won't accept any of my new homework until I've turned in all the old homework.

Sometimes I set my standards intentionally low so that I can live up to them. For example-I have only two days that I try to blog FOR SURE. Mondays, and Fridays. Any other day I blog is just extra credit.

And I can't even keep up with twice a week lately!

But as far behind as I feel, I am making baby steps.

If you recall, my husband's grandfather passed away a few weeks ago. I took lots of pictures at the funeral and had many family members ask if they could get copies, too.

Of course I told them yes, and then promised to have them up for view in a timely manner.

Well, I'm not sure you can exactly call it timely but I finally have a set on flickr of photos from the funeral ready to share.









And now a favor for family who may be reading this. My laptop took with it to it's grave many of my email addresses. And so while I will do my best to get the word out to family please help me spread the word.

Which means that Kaylene-you can tell everybody on your facebook page where to go to see pictures. Tell them they are welcome to download pictures directly from flickr. Tell them also that I am happy to send CD's or prints as well if they will contact me. And no, it doesn't mean I'll join facebook any sooner.

Still waiting

Remember when I said that I was going to do a Saturday edition of Flashback Friday? Well, yea. About that. Well. I didn't so much do that. Perhaps you noticed.

Instead I left Adam home with Mike to work out a construction project together (details and pictures to follow....someday....hopefully) and I took Zoey and Harrison to Ikea to get bedding. See, we assembled bunk beds in the boy's room and moved Zoey out of the toddler bed and so everbody needed new sheets and comforters and such.

And well-that was great and all.

Until bedtime.

See, I spent literally 30 minutes making Adam's bed-the top bunk. Making the top bed is the WORST part of bunk beds. And we had decided to let Adam keep the nice (translation: expensive) mattress he's been sleeping on because, as I said to Mike, "He hasn't peed the bed for a really long time."

Which of course means I am awakened in the dark hours of the night to Adam crying out to me that he peed the bed.

Not sure if he was just afraid to climb down from the top bunk in the dark, or if he was tucked in a little too tight....either way I spent half the morning unmaking his bed, washing the sheets, and remaking the top bunk.

To make matters worse he peed on his teddy bear and in his drunken/sleepy/peed on self state he was furious at me for not letting him sleep with his teddy bear the remainder of the night. I kept offering him other stuffed animals, which he kept throwing back at me.

Oh so much fun.

And just because I KNOW you all want to be kept up-to-date on all the pee at our house Zoey did great all day....until just before bed time. Then it was a river all over the floor in front of her bed.

Seriously-if somebody knows how to make the hurting stop please do share.

And as for that Saturday Flashback Friday....it may have to wait until next Saturday. But I promise it will be worth the wait.

Intentions

I began the day with such high hopes. Here was what I intended to do with my day

-Blog a humorous Flashback Friday post
-Comb my hair
-Apply makeup
-Brush teeth
-Get needed items to start an small herb garden on my deck
-Play with kids
-Clean my kitchen
-Read my book
-Cut out my quilt blocks
-Curl up with my honey and watch a movie once the kids were in bed

This is what I instead did

-Clean up pee-pee mess of 3 year old from carpet
-Scold 3 year old
-Get milk sippies
-Clean up pee-pee mess of 5 year old
-Scold 5 year old
-Change baby's diaper
-Load dishwasher
-Wash pee-pee clothes
-Clean up poop mess of 3 year old
-Scold 3 year old and send her to her room
-Make lunch for kids, which nobody eats
-Wash more dishes
-Mop bathroom floor where 3 year old has, yet again, peed her pants
-Send 3 year old to her room, again
-Wash more potty accident clothes and rugs
-Change baby's diaper
-Regret decision to put baby in toddler bed when he won't stay there during naptime
-Feel guilty for scolding children and call pediatrician to see if there may be a medical reason they keep peeing their pants
-Decide to go to Happy Hour at Sonic
-Discover that they are all out of Diet Dr. Pepper
-Order a Mango limeade instead
-Carhop brings a watermelon limeade to my car and informs me they were out of Mango, too
-Take one sip of watermelon limeade and decide it stinks
-Pour watermelon limeade down sink
-Get home and find that 3 year old has peed her pants AGAIN and Uncle Ryan had to clean it up
-Tell my children that we are SO NEVER EVER GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!
-Send her to her room again
-Start another load of laundy
-Call my SIL so she could talk me out of beating my children



Well, you get the picture. It was one of THOSE days.

In other words-you have to wait until tomorrow for Flashback Friday. I know, I know, then it won't be FRIDAY. But it's my blog and if I want a Saturday edition of Flashback Friday then, by golly, that's what I'll do!

That is, of course, assuming tomorrow goes better than today.

Perhaps I'll just put them all in swimsuits and lock them in the backyard. Then they can pee all they want! Right?

And just in case you were wondering...I still haven't brushed my teeth! I'll go do that right now.

Name that Movie Monday

Did you think I was lost? Did you think I had forgotten about all of you, my faithful followers? Never!

In case you missed the memo I was gone to Nevada for a funeral. And as long as we were driving that far we turned it into an impromptu family vacation.

I originally had intended to lug my laptop along and blog about what we were doing, including the beautiful pictures of Lake Tahoe taken from the deck of the home we were staying in.

But the day before we left my laptop up and died and I had to go on a computer fast for more than a week.

I will admit that I twittered via my phone. But I didn't blog. I didn't check email. (Well, I sort of checked email, via my phone, but it was hard to respond to any.) And you know what....I actually survived!

Oh it was hard the first few days. I was having some serious withdrawl. I didn't know what ya'll were up to. I missed your witt and charm. But I spent quality time with my family. And of course I watched a few movies. And played on the beach at Lake Tahoe. And took about a million pictures with my new camera.

And inasmuch as I am now tied to the desktop my computer time will still probably be limited. And I'm okay with that. It's summer. Time to be outside. Time to pull some weeds. Time to visit the park and the pool. Oh sure, I'll check in now and then.

Like on Mondays. So---are you ready for a new movie quote? Because I am SO ready to give it you!

Hey, who you calln' scruffy lookn'?

And now for the bad news. Redbox is discontinuing free movie Mondays. They will only be arriving the first Monday of each month through the end of summer and then they are Gone Like the Wind! (and no, that's not the answer to today's movie quote)

So-no code today. So go out and do some yard work instead!

Name that Movie Monday

Laundry day is in full swing. We're heading out of town on Friday to attend my husband's grandfather's funeral. So are you ready for today's movie quote?

No. Spiteful, vindictive, very large, but never crazy.

And as a hint....my kids are watching this movie right now.

And of course it wouldn't be a Monday without a free Redbox movie code: BT73H9

Word to the wise-don't rent Doubt or The Caller. Neither were very good. Well, Doubt was okay. Just not great. But Amy Adams was in it, whom I LOVE. So-rent at your own risk.

Good luck!

Flashback Friday

My wonderful Sister-in-law Karen has graciously consented to writing today's Flashback Friday. Her grandfather Edgar Carlson passed away this week and I thought it only fitting to pay him a small tribute today. (my husband's grandfather, too, in case your family tree skills are a little off)

I was only privileged to be in his presence a handful of times. So I thought it was fitting to have somebody who knew him well write today's post.

I think most little girls love their grandparents. I was no different. Some of my earliest memories with them are spending the night at their home at South Lake Tahoe. Grandpa's house had that sweet grandparently smell and when I close my eyes I can still sometimes bring those smells to my recollection. I know that I must have been a pretty cool or very bratty little kid because when I spent the night at their home I was allowed to sleep between them in their bed.

My grandpa was a large man, not just physically. Even his towering 6' frame seemed too small to contain his large heart and spirit. He was a man of substance, of character. I remember overhearing him talk to my brother and brother-in-law once about what he thought of goatees. He didn't mince words. He told it like he thought it.

As a little girl, I associated how much someone loved me with how tightly they squeezed when hugging me. I can assure you, I was certain that my grandpa loved me more than anyone else. Sometimes I wished he had loved me just a little less.

My sweet Grandpa passed away this week. I know him better now than I did most of my life. Funny how all our lives our grandparents are just our grandparents and that is all they are in our worlds. This week I learned my Grandpa was a man. A man with hopes, dreams, achievements, disappointments and plans. He was a son, a brother, a father. He was a husband, a friend, a business man. He was the son of two Swedish immigrants. All that said, the most important person he was to me was Grandpa. I feel blessed and grateful to have known him and to be a part of his family.