Dear Mr. Jake Coyle,

Dear Mr. Jake Coyle,
Do you even KNOW what the word imagination means?  Did you read the Narnia books as an early elementary child? Are you even aware that are many people who ENJOY books and find movies based on them that deeply delve away from the original plot line horrific? It must not have ever crossed your mind that many CSLewis fans were very concerned to discover Disney was making the first movie. After all, Disney is known for its political correctness, not its accuracy to original sources. And I actually complement you for noting that the news of Prince Caspian deviating from its original plot line actually decreased its following instead of enhancing it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the toadstool people, the dragon/Eustace, the magic book and Lucy's bitter lesson, not to mention the mermaid.  Are the creation of those characters not imaginative enough for you? Or is this yet another movie that has deviated from the plot line so much that it dims the action of the film?
Maybe I'm over-reacting to a critique of a movie I've yet to even see, but I get SO tired of reading disparaging reviews of clean, decent movies based on good books. Perhaps one of the reasons why it bothers me, is that Book One/Six "The Magician's Nephew" and "A Silver Chair" are two of my favorites from the series and could be most dramatically and imaginatively adapted to a movie.  With every movie release that fans love but critics trash, the odds of another one being made decrease significantly. And with all the director/studio changes this last movie has endured, I can't help but wonder if the problem doesn't exist with creativity, but the willingness of its creators to challenge their creative genius by staying within the frame of the text. And that would be a true test of creativity and genius.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/10/851723/no-roaring-success.html

halfway there!

the outdoor nativity scene :)

After picking this thing up and repositioning it (and I STILL haven't found what I did with the flood light and holder!), I simply pulled the thing apart and placed it flat on the ground.  Maybe I'll figure out a way to make it stay upright. I really do like this set and its simplicity, but I would like it even more if it would remain face up!

And my indoor nativity set is up. I don't remember if it was the third or fourth year we were married, but this gift shop was going out of business and had everything 60-75% off.  I fell in love with the set, and Bobby surprised me by letting me purchase quite a few pieces.  We've added to it every year.  And since I have it in a different location (meaning a different size table), I can do the layout different almost every year. We've had a year when I didn't put up a tree (and I've half-way jokingly stated that once I become a widow I might not ever put up another tree), but my nativity set ALWAYS goes up.

the wisemen en route

shepherds & sheep

I thought I had more sheep than this, but I guess not. Guess that'll be on our list for the next year or two.

angels

And I seem to remember having five angels (but you know how your memory works once you get old!) One day I might have a real host of angels!

Bethlehem..you are small among the nations, but the promise of salvation is born in you tonight...
sorry that's the first line of one of my favorite songs in our Christmas cantata

the stable

the whole set

Maybe one day I'll put a small (as in 3' and under) Christmas tree up in every room. One will be decorated in red & gold & nativity stuff; one a white tree with Alabama ornaments; one will be pearl & purple; one will be wildlife decorations; one will be a farm tree (that's a different post); and a childhood tree. It's nice to dream, isn't it? The reality is, I do good to put our monster tree up every year.  I love it once it's up, but the thought of the going up process is horrid.  But I now have the stand in place and bottom row of branches (while waiting on these pics to load) so I MIGHT actually get this done before Bobby gets home from work! I mean, I may have to stop and do some ironing! (HA!)

hurry up & wait

We hurried off to our 8:30am appointment this morning only to wait for things to be finalized.  We made it back to Garner around noon, stopped by the doctor's office for even MORE paperwork, then on to home...IN OUR NEW VAN!!! By the time we finished lunch it was around 1pm.
As crazy as it sounds, all this "newness" spawned a small cleaning session.  The extra driver's seat for me must be stored somewhere, which meant cleaning out a corner of the laundry room to make room for it. That actually took up most of my afternoon. (I mean, if you have to drag everything out of the room anyway, shouldn't you go ahead and scrub the baseboards while you're at it?).  And the little pile of things from the old van that has found refuge in the garage entryway has almost totally been dispersed to new locations. A few items are still pondering where their new address will be.
Like most changes, this van will take some adjusting to.  We've already discovered a few things we really like, a few we're just "hmmm" about, and quite a few things we're still trying to figure out how to work.
It's two months overdue, but we're thankful for the way God has provided yet again. And I'm thankful for Van Products and its staff who are always pleasant and helpful.  They might not move on our timetables, but they have never failed to do a good job. Maybe tomorrow there will be time for pictures. :)

christmas decorating gone awry

I had about an hour of "spare time" Saturday, where I was determined to put up the outdoor nativity scene.
It's out. It's "up" (as in upside down on the ground) thanks to the wind.  It's also lightless, seeing as I borrowed the ground fixture for a makeshift heat lamp when we had biddies this summer. So seeing as I set the thing upright Saturday, pulled it up again yesterday evening and by the time we left for church it was face-down AGAIN, I am now debating whether to just take the thing down or re-configure it's set-up.

Meanwhile, if you drive by the house and see a white triangle-shaped thing in the yard, just know it's the nativity scene.  You know, the fence is the point, Mary, Joseph & the babe are the mid-section, and the stable with the star on top...the base of course!!! Gotta love Christmas decorations!

December goals

Less than 30 days.
That's it.
And then my "to do" project list for the year will be refurbished. (but that's a different post)

So today as I start this marvelous December 3rd, realizing that all my calendars are still on the month of November, I get to focus on priorities.  Like changing my calendars. For real.
Otherwise, these next two weeks are devoted to housework and church.  For starters, the children's play is SUNDAY! And then I'll spend Monday morning putting costumes into bags and away for another year or two. And the rest of next week?  Well, it's safe to say I've been very negligent in focusing on cantata music, so I foresee a lot of time quilting with the CD player going or in front of the piano between now and December 12th. 
Oh, and sometime this weekend I hope to put up the nativity set, and maybe next week the Christmas tree.

After that, I have three sewing projects I'd like to finish, and some photos that are demanding space in some albums.
If those things happen this year, I'll have a clean space in my work room (note: I"ll have a clean "space" not a clean work room). 

And those are my objectives the next 20+ days. Along with ironing, cleaning windows, and possibly raking leaves, and...did someone say lunch?

IronBowl 2010

For non-Alabama natives, the IronBowl is THE game of the year. It is the day which the other 364 days revolve around. It is one of the two days no one in their right mind would attempt to get married on (the other being first day of deer season), and the day everything somewhat stops, including Black Friday shopping.  If you thought the after 3pm sales were created for everyone, you're wrong.  It was to give people something to do to release pent up energy after the game that Friday. 
In the state of Alabama, you must choose one of two teams: Alabama or Auburn.  Anyone who doesn't shows they are either a poorly watered transplant or simply an alien. And a mixed marriage in Alabama has nothing to do with race; it means an Auburn fan married and Alabama fan.
My husband likes the t-shirt that says "Alabama - we don't play football.  We LIVE it!" And sadly, it's true.
And then there's me. Football is an interesting thing.  But I don't live it.
I helped feed the frenzy with cookie cutters in elephant and tiger paw shapes, along with football helmets and the state of Alabama.  My nephew and niece got creative by creating scoreboards, even going so far as to etch in their predicted scores.  And I enjoyed all the football food. :)
And then came gametime.  And I horrified certain family members (but not my Mom, who heartily approved) by QUILTING during the game. It's a wonder they didn't send me to the mental hospital! If that weren't bad enough, I then proceeded to be "rational" about a few things (such as questionable ref calls, etc), which prompted a few people to question my Alabama "fan" status.  And posting the following picture of my cousin's shirt (which I thought was cute) will probably forever seal my status as a counterfeit fan (and could even start false charges of "traitor"), but so be it.

I think the tiger looks like Hobbes from Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, and I really like the polka dots. It actually gives a football shirt a fun look (fun meaning something other than football here, which yes, I realize is an absurd statement).
I would have loved for Bama to win, but quite honestly, they played like they spent the day before eating turkey all day long.  And now that Auburn won, I hope they keep their undefeated status and make it all the way to winners of the championship team.  Heresy, I know, but in my mind they're just as much from Alabama as I am, and I liked the way their coach gave God the credit for things. I'm even more thankful that Auburn's quarterback has been cleared of corruption charges, and think all the $Cam Newton Alabama shirts ought to be burned.  How tasteless can we be?
Meanwhile, there's always next year.
Roll Tide Roll.

puzzles

I grew up in a family of puzzle lovers. Some people think I'm crazy, but my favorite puzzles are the detailed ones.  I find them interesting and a little easier (there's more to match up) than just one single color of sky with a straight wisp of sky. Some of my family thinks I'm insane on this point. (But if you notice more people help out when I buy the puzzle! :)
I got my puzzle catalog in the mail yesterday.  www.bitsandpieces.com
 They have the coolest puzzles around (kind of like Hallmark's old puzzles).  The only problem is that they cost a little more. Sometimes I can find comparable puzzles at Michael's (and they have 40% off coupons!). This year we worked a 1,000 piece I Spy puzzle from Michael's.  Well, that was the first puzzle we worked.  We actually did two more and NONE on Thanksgiving Day! 

I'm seriously contemplating getting two for next year...and one of them without borders! :)  Now if I can just convince the in-laws to let me choose the puzzle!