Ronald McDonald House Date

Good Thursday morning!

You'll be glad to know I've condensed the Top 20 Mountain Pictures down to 15. Truth be told, I have to wait for Austin to come home to retrieve the last five photos I need to completely tell the story. (Code for YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT MOUNTAIN PICTURES NEXT WEEK, TOO. SORRY!)

We have a lot to talk about today, so let's get busy!

Monday Mayhem on Thursday - This mountain tale is not a tall tale... but it is a short one.

After dinner Sunday night, the six cousins went downstairs to the Game Room. There was a ping pong table, air hockey, a pool table and a TV in the large basement room. It was nice. We couldn't hear them. It was quiet. And then...

"Uh... Uncle Tommy? Could you come downstairs for a minute?" The request was coming from Josh.

"Sure. I'll be down in a minute." Uncle Tommy replied. A few seconds passed.

"Dad. We need you downstairs for a minute, please." Roxie was standing at the door.

It didn't take a genius to figure out something was broken, and the kids being sent upstairs did NOT break "it." Also, being parents extraordinaire, we knew they were asking the adults least likely to "lose it" to come assess the damage.

Stand aside, Sherlock Holmes. It gets better. We also deduced since two Faulkner children had come upstairs first, BUT had asked for a Martin parent, the kid who had broken something was not a Martin. Brad, Katie and Zac were in the clear. Since two Faulkner kids had come up and asked for a Martin parent AND a Faulkner parent (both males), we figured out Austin was the "Dead Man Walking" in this particular instance.

It also stood to reason the damage was significant enough none of the women present were deemed able to "handle" the situation.

"It's the TV," Grandmother said flatly. "They've broken the TV."

"They may have sat on the ping pong table. It could be the ping pong table."

"No. It's bigger than the ping pong table." And so the discussion continued.

Mike and Tommy reappeared shaking their heads. "Well, what is it?" we all asked.

"Austin and Josh were wrestling, and Austin was on Josh's back. Josh backed him into the wall to knock him off and Austin sort of went through the sheet rock," one of the guys explained.

Great! Two Faulkners involved.

"I told them NOT to wrestle in the house," Grandmother said.

"Boys wrestle. Men even wrestle. They know they are not supposed to do it in the house or church or a store or a restaurant, but they do. I've been dealing with this for almost 19 years!" I replied.

The women went downstairs to see the hole, and honestly, I was totally surprised at how large it was... TOTALLY!

The rental people were not in the least bit surprised when Grandmother told them, "There's been some damage. There's a large hole in the sheet rock in the Game Room."

In fact, the woman never looked up. "That's what happens when boys get together." We didn't even mention the word "boys." She just knew. I felt an instant connection. If we hadn't damaged her rental house, perhaps we could have one day been kindred spirits.

I'll leave you with just a little poem/song/saying...

Bottom in the wall.
Bottom in the wall.
Looking like a fool with your bottom in the wall.

And that's all I have to say about the matter.

NOTE: Austin and Josh are waiting on the estimate and hoping, hoping, hoping it isn't a $200 or more job!

Blog Linkage - I don't have a lot for you to read today... mainly because I haven't been able to read as much this week. But check out the following two links if you have a chance.

1. Please go immediately to the January 20 post on www.thebigmamablog.com. She has two links to some sites which feature new books which look very interesting. She also talks about two recipes she has tried from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook. Read and learn!

2. I'll remind you one more time. Go to http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom EVERY week. These are just a few things she has listed today:

Birmingham International Modelers Show February 6. See model airplanes and autos plus much more. (This would be a great date for a father/son if they are interested in models or want to start working on models together.)

Build & Grow Clinic at Lowe's this Saturday. Build a Tic Tac Toe Game. (This is yet another fun date for a parent and child.)

Tennessee Aquarium College Days in February. There will be 50% off admission for college students, faculty and their families. (Excuse me! This is a HUGE deal and a great family day trip.)

This is only a small portion of all the things posted on this website. Enjoy!

Ronald McDonald House Date

My friend, Tonya Brown, shared with me last night something her family is doing together, and with her permission, I'd like to share this great family date with you today.

The Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham has home-cooked meals brought in every night by volunteers. Tonya and her family called Chris Ellis at 212-7257 and she scheduled an evening for them to bring a meal to the House.

She told them the meal needed to feed around 30 people, and they were free to stay to visit, serve and clean up, or they could drop off the meal. Whatever is prepared, must be brought in disposable containers.

I have called Ms. Ellis and as soon as she returns my call, I will update with more details.

This would be an EXCELLENT family date, and I'm planning on booking a time in June when the Faulkner Five can participate together in such a wonderful charity.

Thank you, Tonya, for the great idea!

Have a grand Thursday. Tomorrow I'll share our Weekend Happenings with you. As always, feel free to share any of your great ideas, traditions, dates, etc. any time. I'm always interested in new ideas!

(For example, my friend, Jennifer, was vacationing in the mountains this past weekend with her family. They spent part of their time tubing at Ober Gatlinburg. I LOVE that idea. I've already started an envelope to save for that particular activity for next year's trip. They also went to the indoor water park in the mountains a couple of years ago, and they enjoyed it very much. Both of these are great ideas for families with young kids AND teenagers!)

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda