Can You Pick the Unhappy One?

My daughter's friend, Sarah R. Sass, took this photo of my two grandsons, Harrison and Fisher.  Can you tell which one isn't happy?


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The Sofa and the Old Woman

This is the story of the sofa and the old woman. 


It happened like this: I spent several days this past week with daughter Mandy; her husband, Adam; their three-year-old, Harrison; and the almost-four-month-old Fisher a/k/a The Fish.

Early in the week Mandy called to let me know that she and The Fish were sick and she had no energy.  As most reasonable folks know, a mother of an infant and an active three-year-old must have energy.  Mandy said she needed my help, so I drove to Murrells Inlet to help as I could.

And it was during these few days that I learned a new indicator of "old age." 

There's a sofa in the room with the TV, the official "hang-out" room at their house.  And there's one spot on the sofa that I occupy when I'm feeding The Fish, or reading, or checking e-mail - well, you get the picture.  It's just the point to which I gravitate. 

One night the family decided to play a joke on me.  They put a "whoopee cushion" under my usual spot -- the place on the sofa  that I seemed to claim as mine for giving The Fish his bottle or for whatever I'm doing. 

So, I - the innocent victim of the prank - plopped down on that spot on the sofa.  And, yes, there was one of those awful sounds as I crushed the whoopee cushion.

And that's when I learned what old age really is.  They all laughed.  I didn't know there was a whoopee cushion there.  It was just a typical sound for me, one that I seem to make all too often -- without the aid of a cushion.

And, my friend, if you don't understand what I'm saying, just wait.  You will.  When you're this age -- old -- you'll understand -- totally!


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Well, Excu-u-u-u-s-e Me!!!!

How do you figure out when to start teaching children manners, etiquette and good behavior? I guess it’s right from the beginning, huh?


Of course, children certainly must get mixed signals, because sometimes we adults aren’t very good examples, are we?

My daughter Mandy and son-in-law, Adam, have done what I think is an excellent job with Harrison, who is not quite three years old.

They started with the usuals – “thank you,” “you’re welcome” and “please.”




Among the many others they taught him was the one they themselves learned at Chick-fil-A. That’s where Mandy and Adam met as fellow employees. (Both, by the way, continue with Chick-fil-A: he as operator of the Murrells Inlet store and she as a grand opening consultant.)

Anyway, if you’ve ever been a customer at Chick-fil-A, you probably know that if you say “Thank you,” the employee responds with “My pleasure.”

So, Harrison learned to say “My pleasure” as well as “You’re welcome.”

And they taught him other appropriate phrases, such as “I’m sorry” and “Excuse me.”

Like all children, Harrison occasionally had to be prompted. After all, it takes time to learn and to let new things become habit.

One day, Harrison, ahem, “passed gas” rather loudly. His parents asked, “What do you say, Harrison?”

He promptly replied, “My pleasure!”

I’m sure the relief he felt did indeed feel pleasurable.

And isn’t that a feeling that we all know?!?!


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It's a Boy!!!!

By this time tomorrow, I'll probably have my second grandchild.  I am SO excited.  If this little one, Adam Fisher Brantley, is half as wonderful as his older brother, Harrison Cothran Brantley, then we are all blessed many times over.

There is one thing I know about Fisher already: he has fantastic parents.  He did a super job picking them!

I want to share what his mom (my daughter Mandy) posted a few days ago.  It made me cry.

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him over to the Lord. For his whole life will be given over to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:27-28

As we closed out 2010 and are full-steam ahead into 2011, I can't help but reflecting on how absolutely crazy 2010 has been for us. I remember that I begged in my first post on this blog for 2010 that it would be a Year of Peace. Well, I can't say that it has. So, I'm not claiming anything this year.

This year has been marked by pregnancy...ones that have not been viable, and one that is about to become to fruition (see my post when I announced this for more info). Anyway, the other day, I was looking through the pictures on my phone when I came across this photo of a positive pregnancy test. The date on it was 5/4/2010. I wasn't sure as I had a few positive tests and against my husbands protest, I always sent them to Allison as she walked through this struggle every day with me.

But when I came across this test, I was flooded with the emotions that I felt that day. I remember sitting in my bathroom and saying aloud, "you have got to be (kidding) [getting] me. I cannot do this again." And by "this," I was referencing another failed pregnancy. I felt defeated the moment I saw the blue lines and just knew isn't possible for me to actually have this turn into something.

Well, almost eight months to the day after taking the test and quite a few pounds larger, I'd say it has turn(ed) into something. God is good. That collection of thoughts sent me into cries of adoration for my Father in Heaven that I could not seem to control. It was a tender moment, that I will never forget.


And we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this little blessing. I called Adam on Dec 30th and said, "how badly do you want a tax deduction? I'm willing to stomach the Castor oil." In typical Adam form he replied, "Mandy, I can wait until Wednesday. I have a lot I need to do in the next few days before this baby comes." He apparently doesn't know what it feels like to be 100 months pregnant....
 
Welcome to this glorious world, Fisher. You are a blessing and you are blessed.   I love you already! 



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PH: It's Mom

This week's Photo Hunt theme is no surprise; it's Mom or Mother.

I found this photo of 4 generations: Mom, me, daughter Mandy and her son Harrison.

 

Scroll on down for a story about Mom posted earlier this week.  In fact, there are loads of posts about her antics and escapades throughout this blog. 
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Click HERE for other Photo Hunt participants.

WW: Why This Child May Not Get Into the School Preferred by His Parents

There's a good reason this child might not get into the school preferred by his parents.

This is a true story of a young mother I know. I won't tell you her name but suffice it to say that she is the mother of my only grandchild.

It seems that these parents were trying really hard to get their son into a little school at a nearby church; this desirable school has a very long waiting list.

The headmistress/director and this "young mother" were communicating by e-mail. The mother was told that the school will not accept anyone who is not potty-trained and was asked when the child would be 2 years old.

The young mother replied that his birthday is March 19th and that she was hoping he'd be potty-trained by then, but, she wrote, she certainly wished there were a camp to send him to for potty-training because she didn't know how in the world to tackle it.

At least that's what she meant to write. She sent the e-mail, then checked back to be sure she had included the birth date.

Oh, yes, she had, but here is what she had actually written instead of what she intended to say:
"I wish there were a camp to send him to for potty-training because I don't know how to tickle tits."

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Wordless Wednesday participants are here.

Wordful Wednesday participants are here.

WW: The Naked Cowboy!

Well, aren't we glad he had that monkey?

When I gave Harrison boots for Christmas, I figured he would wear more than a hat with them!! 

I "stole" this picture from daughter Mandy's blog.  Her husband, Adam, snapped this but who can imagine what the occasion was? 

The photo that we think is cute is likely to bring him much embarrassment over the years, don't you think?


Harrison loved his boots and wasn't always naked otherwise when wearing them.

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More Wordless Wednesday participants here.

More Wordful Wednesday participants here.

Great Minds Think Alike - Perhaps Unfortunately

When I’ve gone out to Denver to babysit my grandson, I’ve enjoyed driving daughter Mandy’s car because it has one of those great gadgets known as a GPS.

Mandy had hers programmed so that it told me verbally and showed me on a map how to get to the nearest grocery store, to the post office, to the airport and various other places. I felt like a child with a new toy!

I decided that one day I would splurge and get one for myself.

A few weeks ago, there was a one-day “gold box” deal on amazon.com with an almost half-price sale on a particular GPS – while quantities lasted. Ah, this was my day. I clicked and ordered one. After all, who can ever find something like that for half-price, even after Christmas?

Besides the great deal, this one had a wide screen, something my old eyes could actually see!

Bear in mind, though, that, while I like gadgets, I am not technologically inclined. I was able to use the GPS but didn’t know everything about programming it. So, I e-mailed Mandy, told her I gotten one but would need her help when they were in town for Christmas. This was her response:

“Well, I don't want to help you. I want to punch you in the face. We all went in together to get you a nice GPS for Christmas. I hope you like it, because now you are going to have two!”

She later e-mailed again, saying she didn’t really want to punch me in the face, although I knew she did. She and the others (Tiffany, Tree and Adam) were disappointed – and I was heart-broken that I had ruined their wonderful surprise.

I offered to return mine, but she said later they had come up with an alternative.

And that’s how it came to be that this grandma is now the owner of an iPod nano.

What I’ve figured out thus far is fun!

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I Am SO Thankful: For These and So Much More!

    

I am thankful. Not just today but every day.

For three fantastic children who are wonderful adults - Tiffany, Tree and Mandy shown here just after Mandy's marriage to Adam.

For a fabulous mom and for memories of a fabulous dad.

For two sisters (Christy & Lorri) and two brothers (Rod & Shawn) I wouldn’t trade for anything (most days.)

For a great son-in-law, Adam Brantley.

For an adorable grandson, Harrison Cothran Brantley.

For remarkable friends, both old and new.

For a warm and caring church family.






For 60 good years of life.

For God-given talents and abilities.

For health.

For a wonderful extended family.

For a sense of humor.

For our military who serve us.

For law enforcement and firefighters who protect us.

For educators who touch and help shape the future.

For the power of prayer and faith.

For the freedoms we enjoy in our country and for the hope those freedoms will be around for a long time.

For volunteers who give so much of themselves in so many ways.

For the beauty of nature - colorful rainbows, glorious sunshine, majestic mountains, rolling oceans, chirping birds, laughing children, refreshing rain, seasonal changes and so much more.

And, this year in particular, I am thankful for the time I had with Carroll a/k/a “The Dawg.”

As odd as it may sound and as much as I would like for him to still be here with me, I am thankful for the way in which he left us – a peaceful death; opportunities to say good-bye to family and friends; no lingering, on-going suffering. I am thankful I was with him and in his arms as he took his last breath. What a blessing!

May you enjoy counting your blessings today - and every day!
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WW: Football and Musings from the News - Comas and Autism

Just a few days until THE football rivalry in South Carolina.  It's the Carolina-Clemson game, or, as some folks say, the Clemson-Carolina game.

I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina.  So was my dad.  Several other family members are USC grads also. 

Daughter Mandy, however, left the "religion" and married into a die-hard Clemson family.  I believe their blood literally runs orange.  :)

And, now, look at what they've done to my grandson, Harrison. 

How in the world can I be on a different side from this cute little one?   

Based on the season so far, the orange team is likely to prevail.  

And, just for the record, I wouldn't trade my orange-blooded son-in-law, Adam, for any number of USC grads. 


Now, for musings on recent news:

1.  I am totally amazed by the news this week concerning the man who was in a coma for 23 years but now has let people know that he has been alert all along or practically all along!  He could hear what was going on around him and was aware but couldn't let anyone know!!!  Does this make you wonder how many times this has happened with others?

2.  There were two stories about children with autism.  Since I have a nephew with autism, these stories always catch my attention. 

One has to do with the mother who said she helped her son and actually saved his life by baking medical marijuana into his brownies.  She and one of the doctors say that this treatment has made a major difference in the boy's health and behavior.  It has also lessened his need for many of the medications he was taking previously.  Critics say this means the boy is constantly drugged or "stoned."

The other item is about the boy with autism who survived for 11 days on the NYC subway system.  He says he survived on snacks and water. 

Both of these stories are truly "food for thought."  One thing I know is that people with autism cannot be judged the same as others.  Perhaps "judged" is the wrong word.  Regardless, especially for those with more than minor autistic symptoms, their world is different.  And so is the world for -  and daily lives of  - their families.


 Other Wordless Wednesday participants here.                                           Other Wordful Wednesday participants here.

The Leather Pants

Daughter Mandy has always been somewhat of a fashionista, although at an early age it was likely only in her own mind. (Read about that here.)


She often advises me about how to dress and what to wear – usually after the fact, of course.

She keeps telling me to get new shoes. When I asked her why, she said, “Because the ones you wear don’t fit you.”

Don’t fit me? They all feel great. I'm the one wearing them and like the way they fit.  But SHE says they don’t fit me!?!?!

Anyway, I called her recently to ask what kind of shoes to wear with leather pants.

I was really surprised when she answered, “It doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean ‘it doesn’t matter’?” I asked.

Mandy explained, “It doesn’t matter because YOU don’t wear leather pants!”

Wait ‘til she finds out there’s also a leather jacket.

And a leather skirt.

With a slit in the back!

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Round 'Em Up, Cowboy!

Grandson Harrison was a cowboy on Halloween - by default.  He had a chicken costume but the temperature was 85 degrees or so in the early evening.  The chicken costume, even though really cute, was pretty much out of the question. 

And, yes, it's perfectly acceptable to post a comment and say "He's adorable!!!"   :)

WW: Mad Hatters

October 6th is Mad Hatter Day.  That's why I'm sharing photos of hats today.  Why today, since it's now already October 7th?  The answer is below in red.  (All of the information is directly from http://www.cs.cmu.edu/.)

1. What Is It?

MadHatterDay is a holiday in October. It fills the need for a second crazy day in the year, almost exactly half a year from April Fools' Day. The real spirit of MadHatterDay is turnabout: The nonsense we usually have to pretend is sane can be called madness for one day in the year; the superficially crazy things that really make sense can be called sane on MadHatterDay.

MadHatterDay is 10/6. The date was chosen from the illustrations by John Tenniel in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, wherein the Mad Hatter is always seen wearing a hat bearing a slip of paper with the notation "In this style 10/6". We take this as inspiration to behave in the style of the Mad Hatter on 10/6 (which is October 6 here, although in Britain MadHatterDay occurs on June 10....) Some astute observers have noted that the paper in the Mad Hatter's Hat was really an order to make a hat in the style shown, to cost ten shillings sixpence. However, it is well known that Time Is Money, and therefore Money Is Time, and therefore 10/6 may as well be the sixth of October.

MadHatterDay began in Boulder, CO, in 1986, among some computer folk who had nothing better to do. It was immediately recognized as valuable because they caused less damage than if they'd been doing their jobs. It was announced that first year on computer networks. In 1987 it gained minor local recognition. In 1988, it was first recognized as an official holiday by an area business, and also received its first national press coverage by news services (who are always desperate for an unlikely story). It is almost certain that the national election also gave MadHatterDay a good boost in 1988.

Detailed plans for this year's MadHatterDay observance will, of course, be announced on October 7. We have found that plans made after the fact are more accurate and much easier to have fulfilled. Or, as the Red Queen said, "sentence first, then the verdict!"

2. What Goes?

What do people do on MadHatterDay? In general, we celebrate silliness. But what if your work involves something inherently silly -- say marketing, where you put on a three-piece suit (five or six layers of fabric) in the summertime, tie a piece of cloth around your neck to restrict blood flow to the brain, and set about trying to convince people to buy things they don't want and can't afford because this will give the country a Healthy Economy? In this case, doing something absolutely sane will have a more startling effect than you can possibly imagine.

Your world is crazier than you think:

o We travel around by taking the juice from hundred-million-year-old rotten dinosaur food and exploding it in a metal can.

o A "sports fanatic" is not someone who participates in sports, but someone who sits indoors on a beautiful day, drinking beer while yelling at the picture on a little box. (Throw the ultimate football party: Forget the TV; just sit around eating and drinking with friends.)

o As much as we say we like to "get away from it all", the more successful we are, the more we take it all with us when we go. (Take a vacation with all the comforts of home: Just stay home!)

o We're so well-fed that we're getting food with intentionally reduced nutritional content--so we can take the trouble to eat without getting the benefit of doing so. (Enjoy the ultimate in fast-diet-food: Skip lunch.)

o We've saved so much gift-giving for the Christmas season that it has entirely unbalanced the flow of cash and consu mer goods through the year. So merchants decided to start the season early to have something to do the rest of the year. (There's now only one major gift-giving holiday -- but it lasts for five months. Surprise someone with a MadHatterDay present.)

...and it goes. Take a look around you, drop your assumptions about what must be proper and normal, and see how much of it is just silly. Better yet, try to find something that does make sense.

Don't hurt anyone. Save the pranks for April 1. This is "a Kinder, Gentler Fool's Day."  (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/)

Harrison's first birthday hat didn't make him happy.

Apparently he prefers to use a mixing bowl as a hat - perfect for "mad hatters."

These were the hats (caps) we wore for law school graduation.  Most of us thought they were hilarious-looking!

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Wordless Wednesday participants.   Wordful Wednesday participants.

PH: Ripples and More Ripples!

The Photo Hunt theme this week is RIPPLES.

Last weekend, about 25 family members gathered at Hickory Knob State Park (McCormick, SC) to celebrate Mom's 84th birthday. These two skiers - son-in-law Adam and brother Shawn - created lots of ripples in the water.

Shawn was skiing but he's hidden by the water in this photo.






These two photos show Adam creating ripples. Adam is married to Mandy, my youngest daughter.

Brother Shawn is in the next two.

Okay, maybe I stretched it a bit. These may be bigger than mere ripples, but they were ripples by the time they reached the shore -- maybe??? How else was I going to show off my brother and my son-in-law?

More about this "camping" trip can be found here.

Other Photo Hunt ripples are here.

"Camping" and Happy 84th

Most of our family went camping last weekend.

Now, I’m using the word “camping” very lightly and extremely loosely.

So, sorry, all you outdoors-people, but using the word “camping” extremely loosely is the only way I want to use it.

We spent a weekend at Hickory Knob State Park near McCormick to celebrate Mom’s 84th birthday. Since we were all relatively close to our respective homes, it’s what is similar to a stay-cation ‘cause we stayed in South Carolina – all 25 of us, ranging in age from 84 to 16 months.

There was a campground at Hickory Knob, or at least that’s according to the brochures and signs, but our idea of “camping” was to stay in cabins. Electricity, refrigerators, stoves, beds, chairs, air conditioning, showers, indoor plumbing.

And did I mention air conditioning? Yes, I know I did. That was a priority for me.

You get the picture. That’s as close to roughing it as I want to do. The cabins even had televisions with remotes but they were used very little. Better yet, there was free internet access. Now that’s my kind of camping!

Brother Shawn brought his boat and lots of family members skied. Others were content riding in the boat or lounging at the pool. The park has horseshoes, pool tables, checkerboards, a grand piano, skeet shooting, golfing and more.

We had other necessities of life with us: Rod and Dan brought their guitars and we sat around singing while eating Glenn’s cooking. You just can’t beat food and music!

It was a nice weekend, and, on top of all that, what snoring Mom did was hardly noticeable!
Who could ask for anything more?