Today please join me in wishing my mom (and the trio's Grammie) a very happy birthday.
For some reason, the trio have caught on to the idea of birthday pranks, and they are eager to give Grammie a prank for her birthday. We will be celebrating Friday night, and we shall see what they come up with.
Have a wonderful birthday, mom, and may this year be full of many delights!
Happy Monday, friends. Sometime during this school year the girls finally started dreading Mondays, and they were quite vocal about it. There was a time when Lauren used to bounce up/down in the car seat excitedly on the way to school, but now she sometimes dreads Sunday nights. Accordingly, I dubbed the start of our week as Marvelous Monday, and thus it has been known. Last fall Lauren even greeted the school principal with "have a marvelous Monday, " and Principal M quoted her during the morning announcements. We are embracing the start of each new week.
William George has signed up for his first year of rag ball, and he had his first practices last Thursday night and again Saturday morning. To kick it off, there was a spontaneous downpour at Thursday's practice, causing parents/kids to flee the field quickly. One way to frighten a group of 4/5 year old boys is to have all of their dad's shout to them to run to the car. Lots of tears from the group. It was one of those rains of Biblical proportions... the kind where it looks like you have showered with your clothes on. Overall, it was a nice "welcome to rag ball" type of practice. By comparison, Saturday was pretty tame. Sure, the field was still muddy, but what's a little mud?
Of course, we stayed inside Saturday at home because the rain returned and because our city is apparently trying to inch up the rainiest cities lists. We cleaned up and watched some movies, although some brave friends of theirs spent the rainy afternoon riding bikes/scooters in the neighborhood. I was tempted to have the trio join them but 1) we were clean, 2) we were dry and 3) we were warm. Had they caught us pre-clean up, we would have been game.
We had lunch Sunday at Macaroni Grill, where the trio decimated their spaghetti and pizza orders, as well as two loaves of bread. After lunch we did some shopping because the girls were in dire need of some Mr. Sketcher markers, and George was in desperate need of a new car for his collection. Because of the delicious amount of daylight yesterday (a point for spring), the trio played and had a good time.
William George and I have had our usual "fun Friday," although George has had one of those days where nothing could go right. He had been looking forward to wearing his Snoopy costume. However, he kept taking it on/off, and the inner lining ripped. I found him crumpled in the floor, crying and holding the costume. He was quite distraught until I reminded him he could wear the Woodstock costume instead. (Grammie indulged him at Halloween and purchased both.) Well... the Woodstock must have been a snug fit because he resorted to various pretzel contortions to get it on, and then became stuck in the costume. He was inconsolable until I reminded him that his new soccer uniform-like outfit (thanks, Gran!) was in the dryer, but then everything broke down again when only the shirt had made it through the laundry. The shorts are temporarily missing.
Fun Friday was quickly devolving, and the only thing that would help is a new series of Little Einsteins. So while the theme song plays in the background, here is where we are:
1) Unthought Known: We have had this song on constant rotation this week, and George has given it some of his highest praise, i.e., "That's a good one, momma." The girls were resistant until I pointed out the piano portion, and then they were able to appreciate it. I have no idea what the song is about, and the video proffers no explanation.
2) Bad Titles: My only quibble with the above song is the title. The title doesn't seem connected to the song at all, and I am not a fan of gimmicks. Plus, the part of me that occasionally reads things backward, gets a headache when the title pops up on my device. I literally can feel my eyes cross... can you? Ugh.
3) House of Cards: The only way we managed to recover from he conclusion of Downton Abbey is by watching season four of House of Cards. This season is much better than last, unless you happen to be Lucas Goodwin. Yikes, he's not doing well.
Are you watching?
4) Sworkit: Have you heard of Sworkit? Skip has been utilizing this app for a couple of weeks, and I am about to try it as well. I have been focused on the treadmill lately, and need to incorporate strength training and stretching. I'm trying to stay nimble in my older age.
Also, I am reading about the benefits of the rebounder everywhere. We have one in the attic, and I am considering getting it out for use. Do you remember rebounders? I used one on the daily during my teenage years.
5) Spring: It seems that spring is in full swing, and listen, everyone likes spring. Spring is baby chicks and lambs, and who wouldn't like those things? It's not that I don't like spring... I just happen to like winter and holly and snow and scarves and sweaters and mittens. While I don't begrudge anyone their spring, I am bitter about the lack of winter. I do like spring... except I cannot wear pastels, and spring tends to immediately push us into 90 degree weather, where scarves and sweaters cannot be worn. My only concession/acknowledgement is a transition to spring nail color.
Since we eat at home almost exclusively, we try to have a varied menu. We have tried Thai and Chinese options many times and always conclude 1) they are labor intensive, 2) the timing - how quickly it all comes together - is rushed and 3) they require numerous ingredients, many of them obscure enough to challenge the best stocked pantries.
Our neighborhood is also in a Thai/Chinese desert. Forget having delivery, we would be happy with a restaurant within a ten mile radius! There is exactly one Chinese restaurant in our little town, and it leaves a lot to be desired. So... what to do when you don't want to have a thirty minute drive for Chinese?
As predicted, the cessation of the Crawley family escapades had me really down on Monday. I had declared the entire weekend "Downton Weekend," which consisted mainly of just that declaration since the male members of our household do not own white tie... or black tie, for that matter. After the proclamation, we engaged in Downton-speak on Sunday and were baffled when Anna and Bates did not appear to see to our every need.
Although let's face it, we would be downstairs in any aristocratic scenarios.
(Caution: SPOILER ALERT.)
I must confess a couple of spoilers had managed to get through so I knew about Edith's nuptials, as well as Isobel's. Rapprochement was expected, though, in both of those cases. What I found absolutely shocking was the convenient incapacitation and retirement of Carson. They dressed it up by giving him the title of elder statesman, but more information is needed if we are to avoid having an image of him sitting at the dining table in the cottage, waiting for Mrs. Hughes to arrive home and prepare dinner under prescriptive direction and various edicts. No, what we need is clarification of the logistics. We all saw Barrow's organic ascension, and we could easily envision a George/Barrow relationship similar to that of Mary/Carson. However, surely Carson would be an imperative to Mary's ongoing handling of the estate. I needed more warning to imagine the Abbey without Carson, and if there was foreshadowing prior to this last episode, I missed it. Any rate, I had to get the Carson mishandling off my chest first.
Otherwise, here is a quick run down of the remaining denouements, and I'll start downstairs first:
1) Mrs. Patmore/Mr. Mason: Her shining moment was during the previous episode when she weathered the "house of ill repute" storm. However, we have been waiting all season for a Mason-Patmore romance. Mr. Mason's straight-forward style is endearing, and we all saw this development coming. Good for Mrs. Patmore.
Fun fact: During the first episode of each new season, Skip turns to me and says, "Is it Patmore or Packmore?" And every year I clarify that it's Patmore. Every year. We have become that couple.
2) Mosely/Baxter: While I understand Mosely's pragmatism, didn't we all want to see him go skipping out of the basement to his new digs?
3) The Bateses: Although we love team Bates, I'm glad their storyline was somewhat diminished this season because they are a little overexposed. They are probably why the show is ending because what else could happen to them? Although we could have waited to see how long before unnamed Baby Bates is charged with a crime he didn't commit (or did he?), maybe it's best to wrap it up now.
4) Daisy: Total honesty time... I'm really tired of Daisy. While the development of her character has been interesting and true to the period, she is unsympathetic and unlikeable. Compare/contrast the character of Daisy to that of Barrow. He is horrible, yet elicits sympathy. While her personal growth is admirable, she is mouthy, pushy and ungrateful, and she remains a petulant child.
5) Barrow: As stated above, how can someone so evil compel us to care about his wellbeing? Aside from the glaringly obvious fact that Barrow should have been on track to assume Carson's duties as the normal course of things, even without Carson's spontaneous (too spontaneous, if you ask me) health issues in the finale, we all saw that Barrow would be Master George's trusted butler well into his retirement.
"Goodbye, Mistew Bawwow," from young Master George was an obvious solicitation for tears from viewers, but adorable nonetheless. Leave it to a precocious young boy to make saying goodbye to the evil Barrow an emotional event.
6) Team Carson: See above. Officially, the storyline should be lodged as a complaint. To watch the silliness of the staff changes - oppositional to what is needed - is tedious for viewers.
As for upstairs, here's how it shakes out:
7) Lord and Lady Grantham: Two of the funniest lines of the night are from Cora to Robert after Edith's late night phone call.
"Is she pregnant again?"
"Has she been arrested for treason?"
Funny, yet believable, given Edith's string of bad luck.
I loved their storyline. From the conflict about Cora's new career to their wide-eyed wonder at Brancaster Castle to Robert's continued, "Golly!" exclamations, they were believable in their relief about a long-awaited happy ending.
8) Mary/Henry: Although every other episode of the series focused almost singularly on the exploits of Mary Crawley Talbot, her role was somewhat tame in the finale. Some admirable moments include coordinating Edith and Bertie's reconciliation and being supportive of the Talbot/Branson used car business.
Her best line of the night, spoken to the Dowager Countess, was: "Don't be spiky, Granny."
9) Branson: Since his role in the finale was diminished, let's look at his ongoing evolution throughout season six, culminating into entrepreneurship in the finale. A dealership is the perfect solution for Branson, as is the allusion to a relationship with Edith's editor.
10) Isobel/Lord Merton: Good for Isobel and Violet for kidnapping Lord Merton into marriage.
11) Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess: She shines brilliantly even when her storyline is small, and she managed to get in a couple of final memorable lines.
12) Edith/Bertie: Part of me wanted to see Edith sell her London paper, emigrate to America (specifically, NYC) and become enormously successful in publishing. As Robert intimated earlier in the season, Edith has the potential to become one of the interesting figures of her day.
However, fans wanted a romantic happy ending for Edith, and Julian Fellowes delivered for the audience. Normally, the Edith, Bertie and Mrs. Pelham drama would have been dragged out for an entire season or two, but in the interest of time, Mrs. Pelham got past the whole illegitimate child/damaged goods unpleasantness in the course of a single day.
13) Rose/Atticus/Shrimpie: Leave it to Rose to facilitate Robert's realization that Cora is brilliant in her new position as President of the hospital board.
I just realized I left out Spratt (one of our favorites) and Denker. The ongoing squabbling was funny, and we were glad, although not surprised, that Spratt came out on top.
Let's have one last look at the fashionable cast of Downton Abbey:
I'm going to miss seeing the clothes from the 1920's!
Did you watch? Were you happy with the conclusion?
As for the rest of the weekend, we had another visit with Grammie. We were behind on our visits due to the trio's illnesses in January/February, and the trio have been eager to catch up. George, mom and I ran some errands Friday. After we picked up the girls, we went for ice cream and then had a good afternoon of play. We had more fun Saturday morning before taking mom home at lunch, and the trio had an afternoon date with Skip's parents. While they played with Gran and Poppa, Skip and I had an afternoon date, with lunch, followed by some shopping.
After church, we had lunch, and then everyone got on their bikes for a ride. We played with neighbors down the street, and then later rode home for some play time with our next door neighbor.
We are ready for a relaxing weekend to be topped off by the series finale of Downton Abbey. To demonstrate how sad I am to see the season end, I have refrained from purchasing season six on iTunes, which would have allowed me to watch the conclusion weeks ago. Allegedly there are already talks of a reunion movie, but those things 1) are rarely accurate and 2) never translate appropriately to the big screen.
2) Related: Did you happen to catch Dame Maggie Smith on Fresh Air? Her acting career began in 1952! I cannot imagine watching this series without her significant contributions. The plot lines involving Violet and Isobel are usually the most substantive, whereas the ongoing sibling rivalry and the many trials/tribulations of Mr./Mrs. Bates have become predictable and formulaic (and, IMHO, are attributable to the falling off of ratings).
3) Oscars: I have been meaning to mention the Oscars all week, and admittedly, only watched to see Leonardo DiCaprio finally win. Also, how adorable is the 20 year friendship he has with Kate Winslet, dating back to Titanic?
4) Make time to read: I could just say, "Make time for more focused activity." Do you wonder why multi-tasking is so taxing? Perhaps you've thought about why you're tired after an hour (where did the time go?!) of social media and/or other informational searching? The Harvard Business Review explains why surfing the web is more tiring than reading.
5) The vote: We are about halfway through the nomination process. How are your nerves holding up? Are you ready for the the conventions and then the big push for the final vote? Here is the track schedule for the remaining activity. Every vote counts so do your homework, pick carefully and be sure to vote.
Have a wonderful weekend. When we meet back up on Monday, I'll be despondent about the finale of Downton and will need cheering up.
Yesterday was super Tuesday. William George and I picked the girls up from school, took them to dance and then went to the polls to vote. The girls wanted to go with us, but we had back-to-back activities, leaving no time for them to stand in line with us. George and I voted, and we had several talks about the nominees, strengths/weaknesses of each, and the importance of casting a vote.
This site will remain a politics-free zone... but wow. Trump? I feel like Trump's campaign and this entire nomination process is being orchestrated by Lorne Michaels, because surely it's all a comedic skit.
George and I picked the girls up from dance, and they did a quick change in the car so that we could get to their school for Fine Arts Night, which is a fundraiser where students sell artwork to replenish classroom supplies. We caught up with friends, looked at everyone's art work and purchased the girls' art. While wrapping up, the tornado siren sounded, and we all assumed the tornado position for about ten minutes. Afterward, we were ready to make our exit and make our way home for dinner.
During Fine Arts Night, Skip was attending a league meeting about George's upcoming baseball season. George is getting super excited.
Today the trio are celebrating our beloved Dr. Seuss by wearing mismatched clothes.
We have had The Lorax on constant rotation in the car over the last few weeks. Although the movie is a few years old, it holds up well, send a positive message about the importance of being a good steward.
The only thing better than a three-day weekend is a weekend that is kicked off with a field trip on Friday. Lauren and Grace had a field trip last Friday to a neighboring high school for a production of Annie. They were excited about the field trip, and they were ecstatic about Annie (a favorite), but they have been firm about preferring to watch others perform. In fact, before the show there was an announcement about a two week summer camp at the end of July, and before I could say anything they both looked and me and simultaneously said, "NO."
Backing up, I have been floating the idea of theater for a while. Their school has a wonderful drama program, and they were eligible to join this year, although neither Lauren nor Grace were interested. Their high school cousins are very active in their school's program, but the duo have remained indifferent. So my interest (for them) was definitely piqued when the hosting school announced a summer camp because I was hoping it would be significantly more cost effective than the Children's Theatre programs (at $300/week/child), but they shot that idea down.
Never underestimate the power of Annie. Having a really nice theater in which to perform certainly helped them feel like they were at an off-Broadway production. The final little selling point was when I pointed out an adorable little cast member and told them she was the daughter of a friend of mine (we used to work together).
"Isn't she doing a fantastic job?" I asked. "Oh, how exciting that must be!"
Lauren became a little curious.
"Is she a real actress?"
Bingo. That must be what it feels like to catch a fish. I almost have them convinced, but as every parent knows, it has to be their idea. The production was wonderful, and they enjoyed it immensely.
After school, Grammie came over for a visit and spent the night, and Saturday morning she helped us run an important errand. A few weeks ago, Lauren came home with a flyer for a beauty pageant. Now, I'm not really a pageant person (huge understatement; I don't think I have ever watched a televised pageant), and Skip's family are notoriously anti-pageant (long story). However, Lauren asked very sincerely if she could participate, and my stated position on pageants for them has always been that I would never initiate pageant activity but that I would not reflexively say "no," if they asked. Therefore, when she was very interested, we agreed. Gracie, on the other hand, was the opposite of interested, but promised to cheer for Lauren. So... our first shopping trip to look for a dress was Saturday morning, and we found a dress at our first stop. Actually, it was the second dress she tried on, and we decided it was a keeper. Lauren was completely captivated by all the satin, taffeta, sequins and beading, and she was definitely in her happy place. After we finished up at the shop, we were discussing lunch options when Lauren said, "I think I'd like to go to Ruth's Chris." We had to bring her back down to earth, and our choice of O'Charley's did exactly that.
(Not the official dress)
Some friends of ours had invited us over for a bonfire by their pond Saturday night. Their son had a friend over, and they were paddling around on the pond when we arrived, looking very Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer. We sat around the fire talking and watching all the kids play, and doing so made for a very relaxing evening.
After church Sunday, the trio and Skip got out the bicycles, and the trio rode all afternoon. Personally, we are definitely ready for spring break and for a lot more leisure time.
