Fun Monday Assignment - July 16th, 2007 - UPDATED, Once Again, for YOU, My Loyal Readers

Wow...so I'm the Fun Monday Hostess for the week beginning July 16th! Hold on, let me adjust my tiara...and now, I'm all a-wonder. Could this be the BIGGEST FUN MONDAY EVER?? You guys are blowin' the lid off this thing! HOORAY!

Of course, I managed to forget that Sunday, July 15th, is the day I ship The Offspring off to choir camp - which is three hours away. At least I'll have some time without her hogging the computer Sunday night to get my act together. And they probably won't have flutes there, which puts my mind at ease somewhat.

AND...you're gonna LOVE this...it's been raining for WEEKS here. What did I walk in to first thing this morning? Agents and staff, letting me know that WATER is seeping up thru the carpet in one of the offices. Carpet people come. I'm moving agents around the buildng. Carpet is being ripped up. I'm getting someone to suck up the water. Builder is giving me advice about how to treat the situation. And yes, I went to a dear friend's office for a minute just to break down and CRY, so I could GET IT OUT. A small malady in the grand scheme of things, but still - sigh.

But at any rate, in case you haven't HEARD the Fun Monday gig, I have a simple, fun assignment in voyeurism, should you choose to accept your mission (And I DO hope you accept, b/c I'm REALLY needing some FUN this Monday!):
I wanna see your CAR! It can be your current car, the first car you ever had, maybe your first new car with that new-car smell, a car you wrecked once, or even the dream car you would drive - given all the money in the world! Oh - and if you have a truck, SUV, lawnmower, whatever the local authorities allow you to drive, let's see it!

Leave your name and/or blog address in the comments section, and I'll add you to the list.

Here are the participants so far:
Tiggerlane
Swampwitch
Willowtree
Kila
Melissa
Sayre
Beccy
Amy W
Wolfbaby
MJD
Ms Cellania
Lisa
Karymn R
Debbie
Shauna
Robin
Susan
Raffi
Julie (Abbily Ever After)
Julie (Another Chance Ranch)
Debs
Pamela
theotherbear
Arkansas Songbird
Robinella
daddy d
Min
Jodi
Kaytabug
Rimmer's Adventures
Bichonpawz
my4kids
Fianna
BS - thefirstof six
JoyT
Claudia
Nikki
beckie
Bethany
Christine
JennieBoo
The Artist Formerly Known as Purple Worms
Hannah
Mercy's Maid
Raven Dase
Gawilli
Salled.net

This is SO GREAT - a plethora of bloggers are gonna be showing off their rides! Thanks for your participation - this is an easy Fun Monday for all, and I'm amazed at how BIG this Fun Monday Phenomenon has become - WOOHOO!!! If I've linked you to the wrong blog, please tell me - I AM a Neophyte here, and I'm nervous about messing this up.

If you're getting a little tired of seeing the SAME OLD THING up here - well, I've got a bonus for ya. Check out the painter, and watch the whole thing:


If you want to host NEXT Fun Monday, July 23rd, let me know!

Fun Monday Relaxing

It's FUN MONDAY TIME! And this week's hostess is Debs, and her was request was as such:
Show your favorite place to relax. It can be a chair, corner, ledge, or limb. :) Get out those cameras and take pics or just write how you feel when you are in your "zone".

My favorite place is my BED. I spend most Sunday mornings lounging around in bed with a huge cup of coffee, watching the various politicos hammer it out on the morning talk shows. But sometimes, it's a good spot to relax, b/c The Offspring likes to sneak in and cuddle:In case you are wondering, that is actually MY teddy bear in the photo. And I'm not ashamed. ONE. BIT.

When it's not a million degrees or horribly humid outside, I like to take a few moments to just sit and think in this little spot on our front porch. Amazing how just listening to birds, watching squirrels scamper about, and cursing every moron who runs the stop sign on our corner can relieve stress.In the evenings after work, sometimes I'm so exhausted that I have to take a cat nap on this little corner of the couch - while vaguely watching the nightly news:Like how I stuck that bonus shot of me in the mirror there? That took effort, lemme tell ya. The Offspring also likes to use this spot for putting on makeup - hence the presence of a mirror in my living room.

Want proof that the couch is comfy? Here ya go:Finally, here is the place I hope to be able to relax at soon. Our new deck will be where our truck is in this photo, and I expect to spend a LOT of time out there. The view alone makes me relaxed.So, guess who is hosting next Fun Monday? ME! YES!! The Neophyte who knows very little about HTML is going to try to add all the linkage correctly, not leave anyone out, and be a gracious hostess. Check back TOMORROW about your next assignment, should you agree to tackle it!

Family Fun on the Un-Fourth

Ah...the family tradition, and the holiday I get VERY excited about - the Fourth of July! However, since Roger and I have to get up early to work on the 5th, we decided to have a premature celebration on the night of the 3rd. Who said we were normal, anyway?

On the way to Roger's dad's house - the site of the annual event, we saw the most amazing thing. It's been raining for WEEKS, and yesterday was no exception. However, after the rain stopped, we saw a full rainbow, spreading across the hilly region where we were headed. I was driving the car when we spotted it and couldn't stop to take a photo until we arrived at Paw's. But, I managed to capture half of it. It was the perfect start to our evening - and I just wish I had been able to take a better photo. Mother Nature's little contribution to the festivities.Now, when I say I enjoy this holiday - I mean it. I take it VERY seriously. Roger always rolls his eyes when we do the shopping for fireworks, b/c even though we do buy the traditional items, nothing will stop me from buying at least two large packages of mortars. LARGE packages. We lay the bounty on the hood of his dad's truck, and my job is the unwrapping and untwisting of the fuses.And THIS year, I didn't have much help. Why? Well, The Offspring spent a good deal of time hanging out with A BOY. A BOY. Nothing like teenage-years to make a mother's heart grow faint, but The Offspring really likes this BOY. To be honest, ANY boy would make me nervous. The Offspring is growing up - yet she is still a petite little thing. And THE BOY is two years older than her - but looks like a giant next to my precious baby! He seems to be a nice kid, and he has made an huge effort to be upfront and communicative with Roger and me. He has tried to put our minds at ease about his intentions, and he is very open with us - so far. But, let's be honest, he's still A BOY. Sigh.At least they won't be able to see much of each other. They have this strange affliction that causes their hair to flop over one eye. So they'll only see each other half as much as normal kids.

Another fine family tradition is the "Redneck Launching System." Since Roger's medical background has exposed him to all sorts of trauma, his greatest fear is that someone will lose an eye or a limb during our blasting sessions. Well, what better way to solve any construction dilemma than to use copious amounts of duct tape? Hey, we be country folks. We know how to do this stuff up right.A friend and his two young daughters came with us this year, so to pass the time until it got completely dark, the girls lit the traditional sparklers.Paw is getting up there in years, but doesn't he look proud of all our loot? We're gonna have a bang-up good time. Oh, and the toilet seat? Well, Paw is also a Yellow Dog Democrat, so he was showing us his latest invention. If you lift the lid, the "bowl" has a photo of George W. inside, and the lid portion says, "Flush." Clever Paw.These Arkansas men have set the stage and seem satisfied that the correct trajectory will be achieved. Nothing like a few heavy rocks and a cinder block to ensure stability.Better yet, the launcher must be tested while it is still daylight, lest any additional adjustments need be made to the Redneck Launching System. Wastes a couple of mortars, but when you have over 100 of them - what's a few wasted?Well, now that seems to be just right. Let's see what the launch looks like in the dark.Oh yeah - at this point, my heart is racing with excitement - we're going to be rockin' the hillside like nobody's business! First, we start off with some of the smaller, self-contained fireworks.Okay, okay - I'm about to pee my pants, waiting for the big show - so let's get it GOING! WOOOHOOOO!I've got this fireworks setting on the camera, and I had to try several times to get good photos and time the capture just right.The littlest lady had to take a break under the carport with Paw. Plus, it's tough to carry a two-year old on my hip while taking photos and keeping my eye on The Offspring and THE BOY. It IS dark, now, after all.This is when we go...Ooooooooh....and Aaaaaaaah....and RUN! RUN! RUN!FANTABULOUS!! I'm so excited - but I can't light the mortars fast enough to be able to run away and reposition for photography's sake, so I let the boys handle it, resulting in photos like this:The boys got it down to a science after the first few rounds, figuring out how to tie the fuses together and synchronize their lighters. They managed to get all four mortars to launch within seconds of each other.Makes for a great display. I'm lovin' every minute of it.And what kind of fireworks celebration would it be without a good old-fashioned Roman Candle War?Getting near the end, my photo technique got better.Oh yeah, just like I like it.Putting on this show (mostly for MY benefit) does take its toll, as evidenced by Roger's hands.

Another fantastic holiday with no limbs lost. I can't wait until next year!

The REAL Fun Monday Post

Okay, so I fudged a little with the fireworks photos - but I had to buy some time to find and scan the real photos for Fun Monday. Hopefully some of you came back to see what my summer memories entail.

Actually, I had a hard time with Prairie Air's assignment, which was as thus:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Share one or more of your favorite summertime memories with us. It can be a childhood memory or more recent. The memory can be a vague conglomeration of how you spent summers past (catching fireflies, playing outside till dark, watermelon seed wars) or it can be a detailed memory of a specific event.

Oh...well, now that you mention "vague conglomeration?" I'm cool. Because my favorite summers were the ones where I felt most free - beginning with the summer immediately after my sophomore year at Texas A&M University -please don't take offense, Mr. Big. But that was the first summer I didn't go home to Mom and Dad's. I stayed in College Station, TX, and scheduled my summer classes so that I could spend as much time as possible getting ridiculously tan. Here I am, with the only crab I've ever caught:I was maybe halfway to my fully-tanned summer state. Our group (which was always changing) had a lot of innocent fun - and this was one of my favorite projects, burying people (and yes, the chick in the pink shirt is me):No matter what, I remember summers with my favorite roommate, Julie Barborek. She is the one pictured here in the sunglasses. I completely lost touch with Julie, and hate that. I wonder where she is now.We would always meet interesting folks during our summertime travels. I can't tell you much about these guys, except that the one of the left is named Scott, and took care of me one night when I got horribly sick when I mistakenly mixed tequila and beer. That's when I learned that "beer before liquor - never sicker" phrase. Oh, and that's Julie (Jules) with me.I had to include this photo, because of two things. #1 - Look at the price of gas! This had to be in late 1990 or so. #2 - Can you believe I am standing in the parking lot of a gas station in BARE FEET??? Oh well - considering the circumstances of my abandonment (see the posts labeled "THE STORY" if you need to catch up), maybe I felt more natural.And lastly, I have to share this photo, b/c there was one night that Jules and I went to South Padre Island, but decided to (shock!) PARTY WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Anyone who knew us back then wouldn't have believed it. But an amazing thing happened - we ran into each other in the restroom of one of the most crowded bars on the island - and here is the photo, documenting that moment:I know it's easy to pick college memories as the best - but it was the time when I truly did learn who I was. I met so many people who taught me so many things, and it was the one time in my life that I could be totally irresponsible and feel no guilt.

Fun Monday Summertime

Some say there's no time like the present, right? Well, this weekend was a whirlwind of activity, so the REAL Fun Monday post will be a little late. Mondays at work are always hectic, and the photos I meant to share with you are at the office - along with the scanner.

So, to tide you over, here are some of the photos I took at Saturday night's fireworks extravaganza in Hatfield, AR (home of Arkansas Songbird):

I have a fireworks setting on my camera, which I got to try out for the first time. There is a bit of a delay, so I had to practice a little, but I like how these came out. There are more on my flickr site.

I also shot the finale with the same camera. Not GREAT results, but here's a Happy pre-4th sample:
And for even MORE fun, check this out - Marnie actually obeyed my orders, and completed the no-makeup challenge. I'm still suspicious that she had a chemical peel weeks before and some moisturizer on, b/c her naked face is still mighty pretty. Check out the Canadian beauty here.

Okay, now run on over to Prairie Air to visit the more dedicated Fun Monday participants. I promise I'll post the REAL entry by Tuesday.

I Agree With Al

Sometimes, Tiggerlane just CAN'T keep her mouth shut about politics. I am forced to share this with you, because it shows a woman with a lot of class, going up against a woman who, IMHO, has very little. Ann Coulter makes a lot of money by being abrasive, hateful, and skinny. Whatever you feel about politics, please watch these clips, and let me know your thoughts:
Just another short tidbit, so you might understand more of what was referenced:

Surely you've heard the famous quote from Ann Coulter as such: "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot.'" (You Grey's Anatomy fans will get that reference.)

As for Al Franken, he had a chapter in this book entitled "Ann Coulter; Nutcase," followed by another chapter entitled, "You Know Who I Don't Like? Ann Coulter."

For some reason, this song from the South Park movie is coming to mind, with a few name changes to identify the guilty. (WARNING, don't click if you are easily offended - but then, Coulter is somehow worse than the boys from South Park!)

Fun Monday Bookworms

Another Fun Monday - and this time, I'm running late. Swampy is this week's hostess, and her challenge was "to post pictures of your bookshelves or stacks of books. Hopefully, we will be able to read some of the titles. If you want, while you're at it, post pictures of ANY shelves...shelves with toys, dishes, collections, Aunt Gertrude's ashes in an urn, etc. Also, post pictures of your garage, carport, or places where you store 'stuff.' (No fair cleaning first, but if you must, maybe this will be the motivation to do so.)"

Dang. I forgot the shed. Because of limited space in our home, I store a lot of our books anywhere I can, which includes our shed. So, I've failed already. I have TONS of books - but they are tucked here and there, and my entire collection from my younger years resides in my shed.

I had a very busy weekend, so I can only show you a small selection of shelves, most of which do NOT contain books! I wish I had taken a photo of my picture shelf - but that would be a post unto itself. Maybe another time. Here is the first set of shelves in my living room. Roger actually made these shelves years before we met. You can see a small section of books, which I just recently moved from a side table into this spot near our electronica. Most of these books were actually given to me by Arkansas Songbird:Can you tell I didn't tidy it up at ALL? So maybe I passed that part of the assignment. I can write my name in the dust, I think. Roger stored a bunch of The Offspring's old Disney flicks, but you can still see some of them hanging around on the bottom shelf. She has an entire DVD collection in her room now. This is the other bookcase - and they both flank the television:Notice that there aren't any books? Just tons of CDs and other stuff. What would you expect from a musician? There are many more CDs cluttering the house here and there. I can't wait to move into the new home, so I have the motivation to get ORGANIZED. Here is a tiny shelf of books from the little spot in the dining room:There are several yearbooks of Amber's to the right - and what nurse can be without an inclusive book on anatomy? There's some CRAZY stuff in there. To redeem myself, I decided to share the more lofty offerings of my office bookcase:Makes me seem a little more intelligent, maybe, and not so much of a flake!

Sorry I didn't get all crazy and technical with my post - but it's Monday, and well, you know how business can be. Go check out some awesome shelves!

Too Busy Tiggerlane

I wish I had photos and excitement and all sorts of wonder for you to view here today, but I had to meet with my builder, and well...you'll get details later.

Go on over to Willowtree's page, because he did Tiggerlane righteous. Besides, he made me LOL for REALS, ya'll!

As a peace offering, I present this tale. You may have already read this in a forwarded email, but it is one of my favorites of all time. AND...it relates. I only wish I had written it.

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.

I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

Fun Monday #2,153

MJD at Return of the White Robin is this week's hostess for Fun Monday. I honestly don't know how many Fun Mondays there have been - but I have enjoyed them ALL. Her challenge this week was as such: "I am asking that you show us something that hangs on your wall that is fun, interesting, endearing, sentimental, or otherwise enticing. Select the picture of Uncle Horace, Grandma Galt's needlepoint, or little Susie's first finger painting to show the blogging community." Her advice about how to take photos using the flash was good - and that's why some of these are taken from very low.

Of course, in true Tiggerlane-style, I couldn't pick just ONE favorite - but at least one item per member of our family. It's only fair.

This first item made me cry when I received it. When Amber was about 3 years old, we visited my parents in Laguna Beach, CA, and one of my uncles was selected as an exhibitor in the presitigous Festival of the Arts. A real estate broker by trade, he has always loved photography - and shot some very candid photos of Amber while we were in town. As a surprise, he sent us three portraits of her, complete with mats and frames. I was touched that he took the time and effort to send us this precious gift and that he down-played his talent by claiming it was just a "silly hobby." This is my absolute favorite, though all three hang on our dining room walls:This next photo was taken by a dear photographer friend (who is also now a dear friend of mine) and former roommate of my husband's, back in their wild and crazy days in New Smyrna Beach, FL. I'm not sure if he is dressing or undressing, but there was a nude beach involved. Before my parents met Roger, I wanted so desperately to send them this photo and say, "Hey - this is the dude I'm gonna marry!" It would have sent them into cardiac arrest. The little photo tucked in the corner was taken at a different time, but be assured, Roger IS naked in that one. Don't click it to big it, or report me to the authorities.Now, many people know I received my bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, but they are sometimes puzzled as to why I have a picture of the school mascot on my wall. Well, my mother used to be a fabulous pastel portrait artist, and during one of my summers home from college, she talked me into attending a class with her. I'd always dabbled in art during my younger years but had never tried using pastels as a medium. I couldn't think of anything to draw, so I settled on our school mascot, Reveille IV. If you want an idea of how close I got to the photograph I was working from, check out this link, and scroll down a bit. I'm always proud when people tell me that they think my pastel work is a photograph. If you look closely at the bottom right corner, you can see my signature: "TGrant '87":
Last night, I got the pleasure of having a long visit with Arkansas Songbird after we attended a wedding together. She and I always talk about her job as a choir director and music teacher, and I'm impressed with the amount of love and care she places in her Choir Incentive Awards program. She also makes a special effort to customize the certificates achieved by her students to the particular tastes of each student. We were talking about the various point levels and The Offspring's current standing - just b/c I'm that kind of obsessive compulsive Type-A parent. I remembered that Amber achieved Level I this past year, and here is her certificate, which hangs proudly on our wall, next to the portrait I shared with you earlier:I hesitated to show you all this, since the full name of our dear blogger friend is displayed so prominently - but then, she has it displayed, along with her photograph, on her own public choir web site, so I figured it would be okay with her.

The list for this Fun Monday seems to be the longest EVER! So, it may take me a while to visit all of you - but be assured that I will start first thing in the morning! I can't wait to see what you all have hanging around!