Where we dine

Kelly's Korner is doing a room tour, and the room for today is....... drumroll..... dining rooms. Since I recently put some fall decorations out, I thought I would take a pic or two and join in (not that the decorations are elaborate by any means).

Looking in from the foyer:



This is the only real color we have in our home, and it doesn't photograph particularly well. It is a terra cotta type color. We recently had the ceiling and one of the walls repainted in this room (don't ask). Luckily, the previous homeowners left some paint behind so we were able to match it perfectly.

We actually use this room. We have a small breakfast nook with a table that seats four. Therefore, any time we have more than 2-3 guests, we head for the dining room.

The long view captures one of the best features of the room, that being the French doors. The previous homeowner also invested in a nice chandelier and a rare cornice board that isn't visible, but it makes for a great conversation piece.



Our dining room furniture is a little mis-matched. We have a good, solid table and chairs, and that's a great start. At some point, we will likely add the buffet for storage (for now we store our china on an old baker's rack), and skip the china cabinet altogether. My goal is to keep the room open so that the table can be expanded easily when needed.



Things we need to work on include artwork, such as this lovely wedding gift that should have been framed and hung years ago:



and removal of some toys the girls have outgrown:



And, of course, what dining room would be complete without an easel?



Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

Cupcakes

The birthday celebration continues. This morning I stood outside of Hobby Lobby, waiting for the store to open. I have mixed feelings about Hobby Lobby on a good day, much less when I am standing on the sidewalk at 9:02 a.m., awaiting the 9:00 a.m. opening. (Truthfully, my feelings are not that conflicted. I tend to be opposed to the Hobby Lobby and stores of its ilk.) The clutter in Hobby Lobby makes me nervous, to put it lightly, and I have fantasies of swiping some of the more over-the-top displays to the floor. Hobby Lobby is the reason that storage companies do so well.

Whatever. Bygones.

What I logged on to share is that we made cupcakes yesterday for the girls' class this morning. We have a joint theme this year, consisting of Sleeping Beauty and Barney that Lauren and Gracie, respectively, chose themselves. I'm not sure if Gracie's choice is motivated 1) by a renewed interest/love in/for Barney or 2) by her wish to choose the exact opposite of whatever Lauren wants (which is increasingly becoming her way). She threw us a curve ball, what with the discontinuation of most Barney goods, but we worked out a pink and purple theme that we can live with.

For the cupcakes, we stuck with a simple plan: white icing + a decoration that they applied themselves. Here's how they turned out:




The cakes, on the other hand, will not be so simple, and that's why I had to stand on the sidewalk of Hobby Lobby.

Birthday week

Waiting in line for Costco to open can mean only one thing: it is "birthday week" here at the Lindsey home. Accordingly, I have spent significant time at all the usual places, such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc., and have not spent as much time with the computer.

The expression of someone who does not like to be confined:

It couldn't be helped. We had to sprint through the store to get everything done.

What do you know?

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has revealed America's ignorance with a basic religious survey. The New York Times summarizes the findings here, and the full survey results can be seen here.

Take a sample test here, or see the full survey here.

Weekend

I am not really a techy sort of person. I would prefer to have more aptitude in that area, but it is apparently not meant to be. I spent not an insignificant amount of time Sunday afternoon and evening attempting to upload (I believe the proper term is "rip," but I'm not sure) an audio only clip. But the thing is? No one bothers with audio clips. I had recorded Gracie singing, via the monitor, during a nap, and I have nearly driven myself mad attempting to capture it here. Instead, I am now inundated with spam after trying to use the same source I used previously for a similar task.

Instead, I will share some pics from our viewing of the Alabama-Arkansas game Saturday. Lauren's expression (below) captures our sentiments for the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game:

"Umm, did they seriously just score with the second play of the game?"



"This is gonna be a long one."



At half-time, we had to take a mental break and get some fresh air.







Lauren picked up some new lingo, such as "that's a great run!". Unfortunately, she was unable to apply it to her own team. Gracie honed her cheering skills, as those were sorely needed.

Sunday lunch

Nature

Lauren in the light

Friday's quote

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

Dale Carnegie

The gorilla

We have a Japanese Maple that is outside Gracie & Lauren's bedroom window. It is planted a little too closely to the house, and sometimes the branches brush the house, especially during storms or windy weather.

During the windy spring, they expressed concern about "the gorilla," by asking if there was a gorilla in the house. We assume that the gorilla is their explanation of the limb noise they hear, but we will probably never know for sure. Even now, they still ask if there is a gorilla upstairs when it is time to go to bed. If they go upstairs to retrieve something, they buddy up and go together.

They have peppered us with hundreds of questions about gorillas. We have patiently explained that there is no conceivable way that a gorilla could ever be in our home. They persisted, though, and still wanted to know what we would do if one ever appeared. We stuck to our guns and explained that there is no possible way that a gorilla would appear on our street, gain entry to our home and navigate its way to their room.

"But what if it did?" they asked (x10,000).

Finally, we agreed on what they would say should a gorilla ever appear in their room. It goes like this:

"Mr. Gorilla, this is our home. You can't be here! You're home is in the JUNGLE!"

Straight, simple, and to the point. Most importantly, it worked.

Needless to say, this book is not a candidate for bedtime reading:



And, the cute gorilla at the time is not on any wish lists. (The above gorilla can be found at miYim.com as part of the Jane Goodall collection.)

The sentry

Fall

Am I the only one wildly incensed that it was 98 degrees on the first day of fall?

The unexpected

Last Tuesday I picked the girls up from school, went quickly to McDonald's for lunch and then quickly to a meeting. The already anticipated rush was amplified by the fact that last Tuesday was school portrait day. So they went to school dressed in velour, fall/winter-type dresses, since the portraits will be delivered toward the end of October, and -- let's face facts -- by the time I actually distribute the portraits it will be winter. (Admittedly, I may have given all of that far too much thought.) Anyrate, that fact is relative to the story only because the school did not have time (with 20+ children, it would have taken an entire day) to change them out of their dresses and into the play clothes I sent. Therefore, in between all of that rushing about, I squeezed in the opportunity to change their clothes in the parking lot.

Also, at McDonald's, they received different toys in their happy meals. Gracie received Gretel, and Lauren received Hansel. I could not believe that the normally astute Lauren did not pick up on that since they argue over who gets the "girl" milk at Chick-fil-A, but I needn't worry for long because Gracie started taunting her about it.

"Gracie has the girl, and LuLu has the boy. Gracie has the girl doll, and Lulu has a boy. Lulu, you have the boy? Gracie has the girl. I have the girl doll. Lulu, do you have the boy doll?"

The screaming that ensued was ear-piercing.

We arrived at the meeting frazzled. From there, the girls began to completely dismantle the room. I brought in their backpacks and two new books apiece. I had also loaded an episode of Barney onto my iPhone. None of it mattered. The only thing that might have saved the day would have been an appearance by the actual Barney.

The meeting itself was straightforward. There were three possible outcomes, and I was prepared for two of the three. I had prepared notes and questions. The third possibility, the scenario I had not considered at all, was the ultimate result. (We had deemed it completely improbable.) I had no prepared notes or questions for that scenario.

What I did have, however, was confidence. I have been a subscriber of Our Daily Bread for approximately 10 years. Just an hour and a half before the meeting, while I was in the school pick up line, I had read the e-mail notification (click here to sign up for e-mail subscription) I receive from them. The message? Matthew 10:27-33. How it applies is simple. Even though I was surprised by the turn the meeting took, He was not. Ultimately, He is in control, and He cares so much that even the very hairs of our heads are all numbered.

And, He has a keen sense of humor, based on my children's behaviors... Hansel and Gretel, indeed.

(Click here to receive Our Daily Bread at home.)

Friday's quote

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Jesus Christ
Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)

Vulcan

This past Sunday afternoon was a spectacular day. We grabbed a bite to eat, and then spontaneously went to the Vulcan, where we read, relaxed and looked out over the city.

Because the day was haze- and smog-free (a rarity), we took the elevator to the top and enjoyed the panoramic view.



These pics were taken with my older point and shoot. Therefore, when it came time to zoom in on the helicopter lowering the new Wells Fargo sign in place, I was ill-prepared, and the quality is poor. Nonetheless, I found the below pic interesting. It captures an incoming plane, the helicopter and the "WE" portion of the sign.



For locals, be sure to check out Vulcan Park while the weather is lovely. For everyone else, don't forget about the tourist-y treasures in your own neighborhoods.

Franzen

Funnily enough, after scheduling this post on 09-09-10, I listened to the Fresh Air interview of Franzen that aired on 09-09-10. Although Terry Gross did not ask Franzen why he hates his characters, she did ask him why his latest novel, Freedom, has several characters plagued with depression.

His response:

People who have a depressive cast of mind are usually the funniest people you meet and... What else? Why did I want depressives in here? You know, most interesting people become somewhat depressed at some point in their life. And I'm not writing books for people whose lives are perfectly great. People whose lives are perfectly great probably don't need to read books like the kind I write. Only if you have some regular connection with some kind of darkness or difficulty or conflict does serious fiction begin to matter. And so it's simply realistic to let people, as the stories of their lives build toward dramatic peaks, to enter these dark woods from time to time. And it's really as simple as that.

Counter space

A new exhibit debuts today at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Curator Juliet Kinchin says of the show, "I'm sure that people will think, 'Oh what a stereotypical thing to do, present the kitchen as a woman's space,' but our aspirations are to demonstrate, by implication, how much more radical designs were than many of their male contemporaries, like Le Corbusier or Walter Gropius."

Click here for MOMA's link to Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen.

Weekend in (lots of) pictures

This past weekend we suited up for the Alabama v. Penn State game:



Roll Tide!

But first, we headed to cousin Hope's birthday party where she shared her sand box and new swing set:



To say the least, they had a great time and enjoyed helping Hope eat her cake.

We also took our energy to the front yard where the girls ran around aimlessly -- sometimes on their own and, at times, when Skip was chasing them:



Sunday morning, when Skip was getting ready for church, Lauren appeared in his closet and instructed him to wear his pink shirt ("Wear your pink shirt, daddy!). She was insistent so he did.





Taking a little break in the grass:



Pausing to perform "If You're Happy and You Know It".





More running:



The below maneuver is a Gracie original. It is a faux fall designed to stop the running pattern:



Finally, more resting:



I hope you all had a good one as well.

Sunday lunch

Friday's quote

"Be silly. Be Honest. Be kind."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Franzen

We either have read/are reading Franzen's new book. I found Zan McQuade's post funny and appropriately timed. I don't agree that Franzen hates his characters, but agree that they never represent the best version of themselves.

The sale

I have received a couple of questions about the sale.

No update has been previously provided because, well, it was uneventful for the most part. As I have come to expect, it was a great sale. The issue is that there were a couple of earlier sales, and I made an absolute spectacle of myself at those. I found myself staring at clothing that could have been worn by Suri Cruise or one of Heidi Klum's children. Fantastic, unbelievable clothes! And, I crumbled. I bought stacks and stacks (for pennies on the dollar, mind you) for Gracie to wear this year and for future inventory. Plus, I nabbed tons of pink clothing for Lauren. It literally took a week to launder, organize and store everything.

By the time I arrived at the multiples sale, I had already accumulated a closet full of clothing for fall and winter. So I picked up a pair of Christmas dresses, a pair of sweaters, and maybe a few shirts. It was anti-climactic, to say the least, at least for me, personally.

For others, the sale was a huge hit, as evidenced by the long lines and endless merchandise.

The update

A few months ago, Lauren exited the master bathroom and came to the kitchen to find me. I knew Gracie was still in the bathroom, and Lauren indicated for me to follow her back to the room. How I knew to follow her was instinctual... she was mumbling "it's not right" over and over again to herself. I walked into the room and Gracie was holding onto the shower door to prevent it from crashing to the floor. Somehow they had ripped the shower door from the hinge. Ironically, a week later, I managed to allow the door to fall, and it sliced across the louvred doors we have in there. Gracie, though, put her entire strength into holding that door up.

Long story short, we spent our Labor Day trip budget 1) installing a new faucet in the kitchen, 2) installing a new shower door and 3) having various painting projects completed (including, but certainly not limited to, the damaged louvred doors). The upside is that we got to do some things locally, catch up with everyone and have order restored within our home. Oh, and the girls got "fresh canvases" in the form of newly painted walls. Everyone wins.

Skip took a couple of days off -- something he never does. So last Friday we went to a park in the morning, had a nice barbecue lunch and then tried out a park in a new neighborhood. New parks are always a huge deal for the girls. It must be analogous to me getting new shoes. Or purses. Or nail polish.






Later, my aunt was in town, and we visited with her. The girls showered her with hugs and kisses.



They also got to see Lexy, their cousin, and Uncle James and Auntie Melinda. They have been bonding this summer with Uncle James who has introduced them to the tractor. Gracie, especially, is obsessed with all things related to Uncle James and constantly talks about him, his tractor and cutting the grass. It was only natural that they get to enjoy their latest yard/farm vehicle:




Monday, we caught up with Skip's family to have more delicious barbecue. Oddly, I didn't take a single picture that day, but here is one from the archives.



Unfortunately, we did not get to visit with Riley and Will, but hopefully will catch up with them soon.

Throughout the weekend, Skip kept commenting that he was tired. How about you? Were you tired? It seemed as if all of the relaxation and fresh air wiped us out completely.

Autumnal light

On September 1st, I caught a glimpse of the light falling through the windows here at home. The morning light came through in lovely angles, and the afternoon brought more of the same. Gone was the oppressive overhead sun beating down without mercy.

I love fall, and am so glad the heat has broken.

Sunday lunch

Princesses

Happy Labor Day weekend!