Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning!

First, I'd like to start by saying Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m., every phone in the house started ringing. (No exaggeration!) The house phone, Mike's cell, Josh's cell, Austin's cell and my cell all started ringing within seconds of each other. If you want to talk about something that will scare you to death... Five phones ringing at the same time do not usually bring good news. But this time was different. There had a been a mercury spill at the high school in one of the rooms. No one had been hurt, but the clean up wasn't finished so Josh and Austin did NOT have school on Thursday. They were thrilled. Roxie was furious. (When they have their make-up day, Roxie and I are going shopping. It's a date.) I thoroughly enjoyed their day off. We went out to lunch together after they slept in, shopped a little, and Josh and his friend, Clint, played guitar for a couple of hours. It was a good day.

I also want to give my nephew, Jared, a shout-out. He was in a very serious car accident this week, and literally walked away unharmed (except for being sore and stiff). It was a miracle, and I don't mean that in a flippant, "that's just what you say" sort of way. It truly was. We are all thankful he is okay.

I was wondering if Friday was going to arrive this week or not! But it is here, and we have some wonderful things planned for the weekend. Tonight, Josh and friends are going to a movie. I'm not sure about the rest of the Faulkner Five, but "hanging out" sounds good, too. Saturday we're all going to Top of the River in Gadsden for Brad's family birthday party. (Can you say fried dill pickles? Yum. Don't knock them if you haven't tried them. It is just about the only fried food I eat anymore... and I have them an average of once every two or three years. Oh... and fried crab claws. I have those once a year when we go to the beach.) Sunday is church and whatever else might pop up!

Check out tara whitney photography under my Blog List... again. I want my family's picture taken at the Santa Monica pier. This weekend. Heavy sigh. (I love the pictures of the "toothy" kids. Just beautiful.)

April is coming up fast and furious, and we'll be doing at least two weeks' worth of Easter parties, events, traditions, books, recipes, etc. I also have a special post for April Fool's Day, and the story of our own personal F1 tornado that hit our home three years ago on April 8. There will be a lot going on around here next week, so be sure to check in!

TV Review

Amazing Race - There isn't going to be a villain. This is the most civil bunch of people I have ever seen on a reality TV show. They are more civil than the people in my Sunday School class! (Just kidding.) Very, very disappointing. The fact there are no villains doesn't give you any one to root for. Any one of the teams could win, and I'd be satisfied. I do think the challenges are a little harder this time around... and different. They haven't had their "gross food" challenge yet. I have to watch that one with one eye closed. It truly is interesting what people in other countries eat, isn't it? (Of course, they would probably close their eyes if they saw me eating a fried dill pickle, wouldn't they?)

Celebrity Apprentice - Well, the women finally lost, and Claudia was fired. (I think she is a model on Deal or No Deal.) She didn't stand a chance. She put herself up against Melissa Rivers. Melissa Rivers is tough. And her mom was sitting there defending her, and Joan Rivers is tough. It was a no-win situation. Those two women are a force to be reckoned with. I personally think Donald Trump is afraid of them, too. I'm most impressed with Annie, the female poker player. She started off the first three shows being so obnoxious, and she has totally changed how she relates to people. She watches what she says and how she says it. I think she is very smart, and I like someone who is willing and able to change for the better (fake or not). It will be interesting to see how far she goes in the competition now that she has her new and much-improved personality. I feel Melissa or Joan Rivers will ultimately win the Celebrity Apprentice... You know, because of Donald Trump being so scared of them and all.

Jon & Kate - The teaser for the show made me think Jon and Kate's marriage was in trouble... and listening to a few other people who watch the show, I think they were of the same mind. As it turned out, the big cliffhanger was if they would be back for a fifth season. Kate said they would definitely be back, but Jon said he was unhappy and he didn't know. Three guesses who will win that one! I do want to watch them for another year. Those are the cutest kids... but after they start kindergarten, I don't know how much they'll be able to film. Having kids at school all day long and then having homework in the afternoons... I only have three and I know I wouldn't have time for a film crew to come in every day and film our every move (unless they were able to help with homework, dinner, baths, etc.). But that's just me.

24 - Austin and I both agreed this one wasn't one of the biggest cliffhangers they've ever made, but it was good nonetheless. I knew Jack would do the right thing and save the stupid, stupid, stupid security guard's life. I knew Tony wouldn't want him to. And now I have to worry about Tony again, being tied up in the back of the terrorist's car. And I was worried about Jack being exposed to the biochemical weapon until I heard on the news the next day that he had signed up for Season 8. I think he's going to make it! (I am very interested in Jack and the President's daughter getting in a room together so he can take care of her and her very, very bad attitude. Oh, yeah. It will happen. It's just a matter of time!)

Lost - I've gone from being frustrated because I understood nothing to being depressed because now I understand too much. (But even I... a lowly housewife, know you cannot do things when you are in the past that will change the future. Sayid made a big, big mistake getting rid of Ben.) And if they have to start this show all over again because of all the changes that come from Sayid taking Ben out... well, I just can't even wrap my head around that one! Just one more thing... Hoarce needs a haircut!

Survivor - This was just one of the deleted scenes shows. It was pretty good and it gave you a better idea of the personalities involved. Some things never change though... Coach is still nuts; J. T. is still the go-to-guy; Taj still needs to wear more clothes; Tyson needs to act a little more modestly; etc., etc. The biggest surprise... I loved the pretty model starting a fire in ten seconds flat. You go, girl!

Wedding Story - Part 5 - Miscellaneous

None of the following mishaps warrant a whole story. They are just bits and pieces of things that can (and did) go wrong somewhere along the way...

Fainting - I actually played for two different weddings where people fainted. One was the bride, and I was instructed to play softly while they worked on reviving her (which they successfully did). The other was a groomsman who took out the bride, and while the groom got her back on her feet, the groomsman was unceremoniously drug out the side door... no music necessary. Everything was taken care of in a matter of seconds.

Play Something Now - I was playing for a friend's wedding and had the obligatory 22 minutes of prelude music ready to go. For some reason, dozens of people showed up very early for her wedding. She panicked and told me to start playing my 22 minutes of prelude music 20 minutes before it was time. I panicked and told her I would just play through the 22 minutes of music twice. She did NOT want to do that because the people who had come 42 minutes early to the wedding would be listening to the same music over and over again... well, actually just twice. (In the end, we did it my way and it turned out fine. Pulling 20 minutes of new material out of a hat is not what I do best, as you may or may not have guessed!)

Torn Music - I was playing for a soloist, and the music was six or more pages long, so instead of copying it, she said she would sing beside me and turn pages. That's usually fine in a wedding because of all the candles and flowers hiding the piano and soloist. As it turned out, halfway through the song she reached over to turn the page and totally ripped the page out of the book. Startled, she let go and it floated to the ground and underneath the piano. She dove under the piano to look for the missing music, and I played the ending of the song with the music which was left showing. It was the shortest solo EVER!

My Own Wedding Music - After playing every wedding song known to man in the 80s and 90s, I knew exactly what I wanted played for my own wedding when the time came. I just hoped the groom would be agreeable. (He was.) For my prelude music, I wanted old hymns (Amazing Grace, Sweet Hour of Prayer, I Come to the Garden, etc.). Mike even added his favorite old hymns to the batch. For the solos it was again an easy choice... Surely the Presence and Holy Ground. We even had Holy Ground performed at Austin's baby dedication a few years later sung by Mike's best friend (who also sang at our wedding). Of course, I stuck with the traditional Processional and Recessional... and I made sure I made it to the altar at the exact moment the Processional ended. My pianist did not have to worry about "fast walkers." I savored every single step.

Book

The Book for today is a wonderful book for families. It is called Affordable Family Fun by Susan L. Lingo. The back of the book explains it pretty well... "You'll find easy ideas for family field trips. For do-it-yourself family festivals. And for good, old-fashioned, homespun fun around the house and neighborhood! Each activity includes a Bible concept you want your family to understand... and each activity costs $5 or less, from start to finish!" This book is geared for families with children in the age range of 4 to 12. I'm going to give you one of the shorter activities to let you see how it works.

Catch a Wondrous Web

Families will discover the importance of trusting in God's strength to make them strong.

Bible Concept: Our trust in God is strongest when we love him most.

Scripture Basis: Job 8:13-15

Supplies: You'll need one can of hair spray and black or dark blue construction paper.

Preparation: Choose a place outdoors where you've observed spider's webs. Webs can generally be found along low bushes and shrubs, tall grass and weeds, or trailing from houses and other buildings.

This unusual family activity works best on a dewy summer morning.

Hand each family member several sheets of black or dark blue construction paper. Explain that you'll be going on a "spider's web safari" to collect webs on your papers. Take a walk around the area you've chosen to explore. When someone spots a spider's web, carefully hold the construction paper against the back of the web. Then spray the entire spider's web with hair spray. The stick mist should transfer the web to the paper. Use a new sheet of paper each time you discover a new spider's web.

When you've collected all the webs you can find, examine the fine threads of the web. Then have family members discuss the following questions. Ask:

1. What does the spider's web remind you of?

2. Does the web seem strong or fragile? Explain.

3. What do you think happens to a spider's web in a strong wind or when something brushes against it?

4. The Bible tells us that people who don't love God are fragile. Why do you think this is true?

5. How do you think we can develop a stronger trust in God?

Say: Because a spider's web is thin and fragile, it breaks apart very easily. We need more than the strength of a spider's web, so it is important to trust God in all we do. Trust is made strong by love, so when we love and follow God, our trust in him grows even stronger. Let's hang our spider web "pictures" on the wall so we can remember that only love for God can make our trust in him strong and unbreakable.

Terrific Tip: Older children might enjoy re-spraying their webs with hair spray or other spray adhesive, then carefully sprinkling the webs with shimmery glitter. Hang the wondrous webs in a place for everyone to enjoy.

There are 42 inexpensive ways for your family to have fun and learn about God in the process. This book is available on Amazon.com and is very "affordable." Even if you didn't do everything in the book exactly as it says, you would still be able to get some great ideas for things to do as a family.

Have a fun weekend with your family. Plan a date or an outing or a family movie night... the possibilities are limitless!

I'll talk to you on Monday.