RANDOMNESS #1 - "The best laid schemes (plans) of mice and men often go awry." That's a quote from Robert Burns' poem entitled To a Mouse written in 1786.
I read the poem, and I didn't understand it... at all.
1. Why would a grown man write a poem about turning over a mouse's nest while plowing a field? Did he have nothing better to do?
Mr. Burns' question to me might be, "Why would a grown woman write a blog about her day-to-day goings-on? Doesn't she have laundry to do?"
Touche', Mr. Burns. Touche'.
2. I know the history of the above quote because I Googled it... because it came to my mind several times this past weekend.
In other words, my plans went awry.
Fell through.
Didn't happen.
Fell apart.
But lucky me. The plans happened to fall apart in the nicest way.
3. John Steinbeck took the title of his book Of Mice and Men from this poem.
Obviously he understood it more than I did when he read it.
But enough about Burns and Steinbeck.
Let's get back to ME.
If you recall, I planned a Faulkner Family Movie Night and dinner for anyone available Friday night.
I made an edible dinner, and Josh, Mike and I sat down to enjoy it. Roxie went out with friends, but she wanted to come home for the movie at 8:00. Austin and Melia were on a date.
Four out of five Faulkners ain't bad.
But then, unraveling began. Roxie called to ask if she could come home at 9:00. We agreed. Mike and Josh left to pick out the movie. The general rule of thumb at our house when picking out a movie for Faulkner Family Movie Night revolves around animation, superheros or lighthearted romantic comedies. The movie can be rated G, PG or PG-13 (if we've read the review from Focus on the Family).
Deep, thought-provoking movies aren't really received well at Faulkner Farms (circa 1864).
Also, Oscar-nominated films have never been received well. We tend to find them too depressing, too artsy or just too difficult to understand.
Imagine my surprise, distaste and/or disbelief when the guys came home with Beasts of the Southern Wild. (It was nominated for an Oscar... or two... or three.)
I looked at the movie they put into my hands, and waited for someone to say, "Just kidding. Here's Wreck-It Ralph. Start the popcorn."
No one said anything.
No one put anything ELSE into my hands.
After a minute of silence, Josh said, "I told you she wouldn't like it."
Roxie arrived home and we sat down to watch the highly-acclaimed Oscar-nominated film.
This is what I "got" out of the film.
1. I love the little girl was named Hushpuppy. If I had another baby (which is scientifically impossible, by the way), I think I would name it Hushpuppy.
2. I also think it is good it is scientifically impossible for me to have another baby to name Hushpuppy, because I'm pretty sure he/she wouldn't like me very much once he/she entered Kindergarten and the other kids found out his/her name was not a nickname.
3. Hushpuppy was a precious little girl. I loved her.
Okay. That's it. Ninety-seven minutes I'll NEVER get back.
Also, you may recall I said I had planned a date for Mikie from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Unbeknownst to me, Roxie had planned a study group from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
At our house, study groups beat out Mom/Dad dates 99 times out of 100.
That's okay. I'm a grown-up. I handled it well.
I said Sunday was open to anything, so I quickly moved our DATE to Sunday afternoon... and then I dared anyone to mess up my plans.
And the "dare" thing worked.
I took Mikie to The Birmingham Zoo on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and we had a wonderful time.
Take that, Robert Burns!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Mike hasn't been to The Zoo since they've added some of the new exhibits, so he was pretty impressed.
It was a perfect Spring day and the animals were out and about enjoying the good weather.
Mike let me take as many animal pictures as my little heart desired, and it was one of the nicest afternoons I've had in quite a while.
I hope you don't think I'm bragging, but do I not take the most beautiful bird pictures EVER? I mean, REALLY! If you have a bird and you want it photographed, feel free to contact me.
I promise I will make you proud!
Mike and I walked into the Lorikeet enclosure, but we didn't buy any food.
Obviously, you don't need food.
How do you like my animal print shirt? I specifically wore it to The Zoo so I would blend in with the locals.
And I stuck out like a sore thumb!
I take good big cat pictures, too.
Monkeys are also my friends.
I call Mikie the "Rhino Whisperer." He stood there calling the rhino until it came to pose for a photo.
And giraffes... Well, giraffes are just about the MOST photogenic creatures in the history of the world.
All in all, it was a great day.
RANDOMNESS #3 - The Body Flow (a/k/a Yoga) Story is going to have to wait until Friday. (I'm going to have a picture!)
Blog Linkage - Go to www.kellehampton.com and read her post entitled "Those Hot Pink Jeggings." It's pretty funny... or sad. You decide.
Trisha Yearwood's Sugared Pecans
Mike and I watched Trisha Yearwood's cooking show Saturday morning, and I made the Sugared Pecans featured on the show Saturday night.
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups pecan halves
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Pour the melted butter onto the lined sheet.
4. In a large bowl, mix the egg whites, sugar and cinnamon. Add the pecan halves and toss until they are fully coated.
5. Spread the pecans onto the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the pecans every 10 minutes.
7. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
I followed the recipe exactly, but my pecans only needed baking 25 minutes instead of 30. Some of them were a little "too done."
They are delicious.
BOY Easter Basket Ideas
Easter Basket Ideas for 2nd to 3rd Grade Boys
Ball and glove
Baseball cap
Rubik’s cube (8 years and up)
Card games
Flashlight and batteries
Easter Basket Ideas for 4th to 5th Grade Boys
Swimming trunks
Water and/or boat shoes
Baseball cards
Tickets to a baseball game
Basketball and hoop for back of door
Super size candy bars
Easter Basket Ideas for Middle School Boys
Music (Toby Mac, Relient K, etc.)
Movie tickets
Accessories for his favorite sport (knee pads, elbow pads, shoelaces, eye black)
A new watch
Crocs
Body wash/spray
Cool desk lamp
Earbuds/iPod accessories
Concert T-shirt of favorite band
Cool phone cover
Easter Basket Ideas for 9th to 12th Grade Boys
Driving accessories (fuzzy dice, scented car sprays, steering wheel cover)
Car washing kit (wash, shammy, wax)
USB car charger
Tickets to a concert
Shaving kit/razor
After shave/cologne
Favorite team jersey
All of these ideas came from a list I found on Pinterest. I'll have the Girls' List Friday!
Have a tremendous Monday. I'll be back Friday morning with St. Patrick's Day ideas, Easter ideas and who knows what else. (I certainly don't.)
Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
VERY GOOD animal pictures. I must plan a trip to the Bham Zoo soon. As for the Easter Basket ideas, our onliest (is that a word?) child was obviously deprived as we dropped the Easter Basket routine after about the 3rd grade...oh she still participated in candy (naturally) but other than a few bunnies and some jelly beans we skipped the rest. WAY TOO MUCH TROUBLE. I remember when Easter decor and candy was relegated to one small display in the grocery store, now it has aisles and aisles in the big box stores - with very little attention paid to the REAL reason for the day. Christ the Lord is Risen - he is risen indeed.
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