How Was It You Ask?

Pull up a chair ~ 'cuz it was FANTASTIC!!! I've got video footage to prove it . . .and a coupla SUPER pics to add to the mix.



Here are a couple of candids of the concerting crew:

Angi and Denise

Bethany and Tiffany

Singing "You"

"My Wish For You"

The encore: "Life Is A Highway"

Yeah. The GilGuy did a great job blessing me ~ He makes me Melt. ")

Yep. He Loves Me.

Rascal Flatts, here I come!!

Yeah. My Life Is A Highway

I'll be posting sporadically over the next few days ~ life has just sped up a tad bit more. I'm ignoring all posted speed limit signs. ")

Please pop in, you'll never know what kind of suprises you might find . . .and that's all I'm gonna say about that! ") Also, coming up, March 1, the ChoiceCentral giveaway! Don't miss it . . .

Share with me, in my little season of yeehaw!

The *All New* Romper Room Episodes

Quite unlike any episode before . . .

Episode 1: The KBoyz Invite Gram To The Playground:


Episode 2: Gram BECOMES The Playground:




Episode 3: Keller Pleads For A Return To Normallacy:

MommyLove

. . .thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall
rejoice. Proverbs 23:25

Fifteen

Figuring out

How she fits in

To a world called 'adult'

'Being a grown up'

'Mature' and 'Responsible'

Being All Things To All People

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Romans 12:14-16

At any given moment, we can be surrounded by the paradox of our brothers' and sisters' lives being at odds with one another. One friend rejoices; the other, in the midst of a difficult trial, weeps.

Have you developed the skill of meeting both in their place of need?

The Ears Have It

I've encountered several questions regarding Keller's ears of late. The cutiepatutie's adorable little face is accentuated by an equally adorable set of ears, that seem to have come out of nowhere.

Well, today is the day I set all familial naysayers at bay.

Today I grant you evidence in kind that indeed, this child is his father's child, through and through!

Ears in question [photo circa November 2007, Keller with a friend, Chris]:


Note the Ear Protuberance Level [aka EPL]: heightened.

Now I submit incriminating evidence circa 1960, via Gil's third grade school portrait:


Ah. There. Now ~ you see?

EPL: heightened. Note also the broader forehead, the adorable little nose, and the unique chin which also coincide with parental dna.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the defense rests.

")

Project Planning: A Comparison

While I whipped up a newfangled dining room ensemble with nary a pattern, nor prepared methodology, my GilGuy sets about to his tasks in quite different fashion.

Days of measuring, research, graphic design, and clearly thought out presentation mark his handiwork on every project. I submit Evidence A:

The finished product of planting a hedge about our deck will grace our home with beauty and practical purpose.

Humored by our opposing preparation form today.

As long as the job gets done, eh? ")

Tickets: Check.

I am certain that my friend Jules was speaking of a plane ticket to her place as I shared that decisions were on the table the other day . . .and, while I would love that her hunch was correct, alas, I am sorry to say, she is not. (Sorry, Jules.) ")

She was, however, in very close proximity intuition-wise on our forward motion meditations. It is now official.

Dvd's have been received and reviewed.

They'll be leaving on a jet plane. Soon. My GilGuy and the IsraeliBoy.

Ah. The next chapter in the adventure begins.

Blogger Craft Club: Project #3

As mentioned previously, the project I am showcasing today comes directly from the seed of the idea planted in me by BCC's founder, Hadias! How refreshing to have such a simple task put before me. I even added a matching item or two . . .take a look:
I decided these chairs were in dire need of a refurb ~ a new look!


So, I set about removing the chair base from each one to cover in fabric, and a clear vinyl, to extend the life of said such fabric. ")

I did not do any fancy measuring. Just an eyeball cut, fold, and staple. As you can see, the DellDog was very interested in what I was doing!



The first base took me an hour to complete, not all my tools were in one place, and Mr. KellerMan was quite verbal about my newfound interest! LOL Each subsequent base (four in all) took approximately 15-20 minutes each. What a breeze! Why hadn't I thought of this before?!? Thanks, Hadias! :)

I had excess fabric left over, so I set about making good use of it. A simple valance to grace the window . . .

and four chairback covers, to bring it all together! Both 'extra's' were without any technicality more than an eyeball measure and a thought out process. (As noted by my slightly off-kilter hem on the valence, and the very snug fit of the chaircover! LOL)

Our dining room has taken on new life! It looks elegant and special, like a place reserved for kings. One of whom is more than welcome!

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of
hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. Psalm 24: 7-8

Thanks, Hadias, for the great idea!

Well . . .what do you all think? ")

Classic Beauty

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Saturday Sign Up

Today is the day we decide on numerous things.

{drumming our fingers over coffee . . .}

Praying the Lord's wisdom in all ~

For The Rest Of My Cyber-Friends

Most of my homeschool e-maginary friends have already been put in the loop. I just couldn't pass the rest of the blogosphere by . . .the moment was too priceless - too shocking - too fun! (After all, it WAS a holiday . . .! LOL)

Yesterday's headline news:

Mayhem and anarchy have broken out in my living room! Egads!! We're reading an extracurricular biographical book on Ivan the Terrible for our Russia section . . .A normally quiet morning took an unexpected, crazy turn, and now I'm desparate to regain control of the classroom! Yikes! See for yourself:We had just finished reading this page of Ivan the Terrible, and the caption to this photo, which shows an Orthodox priest circa 1540:

Keller woke up. I paused to go get him, and bring him in the LR with us . . .When I returned, Israel was no where to be found. I called to him to come back . . .and, dramatically from around the corner, steps THIS:

He claims he's an Orthodox priest . . . I think more along the lines of a SWAMP CREATURE! LOLOLBut that's not all! Soon, everyone was in on the act:

Meet anarchist Dell:

and anarchist Keller:

In the midst of the chaos, I had almost decided that the day was shot . . .when my husband phoned with instructions to check my email.

Yup. The GilGuy saved the day. My heart was instantaneously waxed soft and mushy, and nothing else mattered . . .

*sigh*

")

~Angi, enhancing your blogospheric experience by revealing what REALLY goes on in those 'homeschool environments'! LOLOL
__________________

And Then Gil Said . . .

You Are Sew Special

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Moment On Memory Lane

Newfangle Angle

His idea pool seems to have no bottom.



Yet, the 'waters' reflection is quite bright.

Sunshyne On My Shoulder

I felt a tad bit confused, loooking up into her smiling face as she walked in the door. After a hearty hug, I bent down and lifted up the hem of her jeans, looking for the platform shoes she most certainly must be wearing.

They didn't exist.

How on earth did she become taller than me? And what about that lean trim, fit marathon bod she was now sporting? Could my eyes possibly be decieving me?

Nope. It was Sunshyne. Piped in straight from heaven like oil from the depths of the earth.

Confirmation of the fact that I am short washed over me; however, my heart sang! Here she was, the woman (an introvert herself!) who had few years' earlier, gently lifted me out of a semi-isolated homeschooling funk.

She really wasn't interested in me, though. She had eyes for only one little guy in particular. That's ok. It gave me a refreshing glimpse, once again, like warm apple crisp on a cold day, of that perky little nose that has been absent from our home for so long . . .

While she has just begun her celebrity status in her new hometown, she'll always be a star with us. A cup of coffee, a cozy couch and some Sunshyne.

Nothing like it on God's earth.

Love you, girl! ")

Blogger Craft Club: Project 2, Complete

They're finished! The set of curtains for the family room are simply delightful to me!

Deviating from the use of a pattern after all, this task was a bit clumsy in preparation. I chucked the more formal idea of swags and jabots for simple lined panels and a basic valence. The end result? A warm, casual compliment to an already cozy room!

What do you think? Love 'em? Think they're bleahse'? Talk to me! ")

Then, head over to Hadias' place, and see the latest BCC entries!

Keeton Krawls . . .?!?

This boy is amazing . . . 5.5 months:

Gram loves you, KeetBeet!

")

More Bang for Your Buck, Here At ChoiceCentral!

Have you been keeping up? Did YOU read the halarious set of comments that are flying back and forth regarding my cau-cajun te` bebe?

If not, you are missing some of the finest entertainment this side of the ethernet cable! Just for you, here is the latest:

Doug said...
"Get that baby a Saints shirt and put on some Zydeco and make a big Gumbo!!"

Karen said...
"Loved your explanation of your marriage - "Cajun snags Beauty...." Laughed out loud and almost choked on my water! Yup, that's Angi's talk..... Loved it all - But, being from New England and all, just what ARE Crawdads?????(Do I really want to know????)"

Sodini's said...
"So Cau-cajun baby,Would you ask your uncle Doug over there if we might have some jumbalaya with that gumbo, please?"

Doug said...
"To Karen from New England:Before the Cajuns made an Exodus out of Nova Scotia the lobster was a big part of Cajun life. Cajuns loved lobsters. Likewise, the lobsters loved the cajuns. The lobsters loved the Cajuns so much that they followed the Cajuns as they migrated to s.Louisiana. The trip took its toll on the lobsters however and by the time they made it to Louisiana the once 5 to 12 lb lobsters had shrunk down to a miniature version of their former selves and today we call them crawdads today. And so the mutual love of the Cajun and the lobster/crawdad remains.......So everytime you eat a lobster up there in New England....remember the Cajun/Crawdad love story."

Hm. I can't help but wonder . . .maybe it's time Doug got himself a blog? ")

Vote now, in the comments section!

Getting To The Root Of The Matter

In order to give you a sense of appreciation for what I'm about to share, it will be important for you to have at least a bare minimum history lesson concerning the history of the Cajun people.

For the record, I am NOT a cajun. But I married one. I was warned that if I stay in Mississippi long enough it would happen. At the time, I tossed my head and laughed. After all, I knew better than to marry a man who lived in the swamp and ate crawdads:

But, fooled by his distinguished appearance and his lack of thick cajun brouge, I fell head first into a lasting love that has proven to be the best relationship of my life. [Thank you, Lord!]

Let me continue, on topic. The Cajun people are really Acadian people: French individuals who bailed during the reign of some monarch [Gee, Gil will love my recollection on that tidbit!] and ended up in Nova Scotia.

Whilst in Nova Scotia, they were driven out by yet another land and power hungry group. Hopping on boats, this exiled bunch made it down the eastern seaboard, around into the Gulf of Mexico, wherein they found and settled the nether regions of the swamplands of Louisiana.

The Acadians then set about adapting themselves to the countryside. And adapt they did. With thier brouge dialect, and shellfish eating ways, their swamp houses and alligator companions, most folk wanted nothing to do with them. So, a unique and separated people they became, finally free from oppression. Minus, of course, the oppression of excessive heat and humidity and a few mosquitos so large that they have their own zip code.

Yes, these people were now counted as people of the United States of America. And every ten year census that rolled by marked them, not as Acadians, or Cajun's, as the heavy tounge would land the word upon a foriegn ear, but Caucasians. A white settler that had joined the melting pot ~ lost to their ethnicity except in lifestyle.

Rewind this tale back to the marriage of Gil and Angi: Cajun snags Beauty. Together they determine to carry on the historical lineage of the family. They have a baby. Gil discovers his heartsong. He sings? He sings. Egads. Who knew?

And so it was that last night, as I puttered about a task that Gil played with the baby, and created a new song. Spurred on by his Cousin Wanda's recent reminder that language is the most important learning endeavor for a baby, he began expanding his circle of words. This came out in such phrases as: "The baby is wearing a shirt with a tiger on it! The shirt is blue, with three buttons!" and so on. Finally, the finale`: "Keller, you are a caucasian baby! A caucasian baby! Caucasian!"

A long pause.

"Keller, you are a Cau-Cajun baby!"

A Cau-Cajun baby, indeed.

")

Konversation Korner - Volume 2

"Hey, Keller! See the doggie over there? Come on, let's take 'im! We can do it!" said Keeton.

"Really, Keeton? You think we can? Are you sure? He seems awfully big and furry . . ." responded Keller.

"Hey! Why ya cryin' Keller?!? Whassa matter? You afraid, or sumthin'?" Keeton queried.

"Oh, don't cry, Keller. Everything will be allright . . .honest. We'll take the doggie another day. Ok?" consoled Keeton, caringly wiping away Keller's tears.