Based on actual commands given in recent weeks:
1. Do not put CDs into the printer.
2. Do not put a nail up your nose.
3. Do not throw a pig.
4. Do not stand on Daddy's Bible during church.
5. No, Stuart does not have to obey Addie.
6. Do not put a brownie in your ear.
-- SJ
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
The Monday After Christmas
(Note: Don't try to sing this at home. The meter could cause injury.)
On the Monday after Christmas, my husband said to me,
"You need to get up -- it's seven-thirty."
On the Monday after Christmas, my daughter said to me,
"Can I watch a video?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my son said to me,
"FRUIT BAR! SPRITE! NOOO! MINE! WAHHHHH!!!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my house said to me,
"Vacuum all my carpets!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my body said to me,
"Why get out of bed?"
On the Monday after Christmas, the stores all said to me,
"You're missing our great sales!"
On the Monday after Christmas, the desserts said to me,
"Throw us out or you'll eat us!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my new books said to me,
"Why don't you ever read us?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my pantry said to me,
"There's nothing in here worth cooking."
On the Monday after Christmas, my son said to me,
"WANT GOLDFISH! NO NAP!! NOOO!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my daughter said to me,
"Can I watch another video?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my husband said to me,
"I'm home now. You go lie down."
-- SJ
On the Monday after Christmas, my husband said to me,
"You need to get up -- it's seven-thirty."
On the Monday after Christmas, my daughter said to me,
"Can I watch a video?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my son said to me,
"FRUIT BAR! SPRITE! NOOO! MINE! WAHHHHH!!!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my house said to me,
"Vacuum all my carpets!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my body said to me,
"Why get out of bed?"
On the Monday after Christmas, the stores all said to me,
"You're missing our great sales!"
On the Monday after Christmas, the desserts said to me,
"Throw us out or you'll eat us!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my new books said to me,
"Why don't you ever read us?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my pantry said to me,
"There's nothing in here worth cooking."
On the Monday after Christmas, my son said to me,
"WANT GOLDFISH! NO NAP!! NOOO!"
On the Monday after Christmas, my daughter said to me,
"Can I watch another video?"
On the Monday after Christmas, my husband said to me,
"I'm home now. You go lie down."
-- SJ
An Update to the Blog List
I've been meaning to update my blog list (below left) for a while, and now that Christmas vacation is here, I finally have some time.
Mark Shea is off to write a book and thus has no time to blog anymore. Too bad; I liked him.
Church of the Masses is Barb Nicolosi's site. She runs Act One, which tries to get Christians into Hollywood. I like what she has to say, usually, and I like even more what she's trying to do: promote excellence, so that the secular world will have no choice but to accept that Christians can do Art. Which we should be able to; after all, if God Himself is a master poet and sculptor, shouldn't we ascribe to such a height?
The View from the Foothills is a blog by Will Duquette, who apparently reads books like some people drink water. As one who's always in the market for new books to read, I like that.
--DJ
Mark Shea is off to write a book and thus has no time to blog anymore. Too bad; I liked him.
Church of the Masses is Barb Nicolosi's site. She runs Act One, which tries to get Christians into Hollywood. I like what she has to say, usually, and I like even more what she's trying to do: promote excellence, so that the secular world will have no choice but to accept that Christians can do Art. Which we should be able to; after all, if God Himself is a master poet and sculptor, shouldn't we ascribe to such a height?
The View from the Foothills is a blog by Will Duquette, who apparently reads books like some people drink water. As one who's always in the market for new books to read, I like that.
--DJ
An Apologetic for Harry Potter
In response to Kendra’s comment below, here is an apologetic for the Harry Potter books. I don't have a well-thought out answer (to say nothing of a “logical and godly” one) on this one, I'm afraid. But I'll try.
First of all, many Christians oppose the Harry Potter books simply because they are fantasy. To many Christians, any use of magic in a book is automatically bad, because we as Christians are forbidden from using magic. I don’t agree with this principleIt seems to me to be that such a principle taken to its logical conclusion would restrict all writing to non-fiction. After all, Christians are forbidden from lying; thus, all fiction would be off-limits. Honestly, if this is the reason that a Christian opposes Harry Potter, I won’t even take the time to argue with him or her. I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
Magic can be presented in fiction several different methods. Method 1: Magic can be based on the calling up of other beings. Such books come uncomfortably close to real magic, i.e., magic that could actually work in our world, and I don’t generally read or recommend books like this.
Method 2: Magic can be a manipulation of natural forces by mental/psychical strength, usually (but not always) inborn. The benefit to the writer here is that he or she can show struggle, progress, and personal growth in the main characters, but in a different way from an author who is writing in a non-fantasy genre.
Method 3: Magic can be simply mechanistic, i.e., Magic equals Technology. The magic in Potter is like learning to use a computer – enter the correct words with the correct motions and magic stuff happens; use the wrong words or the wrong motions, and either nothing happens or it messes up (such as a feather exploding instead of floating). In my opinion, magic of this kind is not morally harmful in fiction, as long as the reader keeps in mind that this is fiction.
The second reason that many Christians don’t like the Potter books is directly related to the mechanistic magic, however. In Method 2, magic is often a moral force (see, e.g., Star Wars, where the Force has both a light side and a dark side). Those who use magic must choose to use either white or black magic. In the Harry Potter universe, it is solely the intention of the user that determines whether it is good or bad magic.
To me, this is actually a logical and moral outgrowth of Rowling’s choice of Method 3. If Magic = Technology, then magic is morally neutral, just as technology in our world is generally morally neutral. For example, I can use a pen and paper to write a letter of encouragement, or I can use the same pen and paper to write a hurtful and slanderous note. It is not the pen and paper that is good or evil; it is my decision. Again, though, I think this is simply a logical outgrowth of Method 3, and I see nothing immoral with promoting the idea of free will (which is one major reason I’m not a Calvinist).
The third reason many Christians oppose the Harry Potter books is Harry’s marked tendency to ignore authority and play very fast and loose with the truth. To me, this is probably the best argument against the series. Harry definitely is not a good role model in these areas, although his loyalty to his friends is an excellent example. When our kids start reading them, this will definitely be an area of discussion. Thankfully, in the last book, Harry finally started realizing the very negative consequences of his actions, a sign of maturity.
I think in general the controversy about the Potter books can often be boiled down to a difference in viewing Christianity vs. the world. I will here indulge in a huge over-simplification: Some Christians view themselves as under siege by the world, so they live their lives building protective walls. Other Christians view the world as good, so they look for redeeming elements in everything. I think you will find more Potter-opposers in the first group. I am in the second. That is my major reason for enjoying the books and recommending them.
Here’s a question: If you heard about a set of books written by a Christian that is flooded with Christian symbols, that taught core values of loyalty to friends, the importance of free will in making morally good choices, and the vital necessity of fighting hideous evil with everything in you, would you at least try it?
For more information, I’ve posted links below that may be helpful to you. I’ve tried to include both sides.
http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/2003/06/18/
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel062003.asp
http://www.christianfantasy.net/harrypotter.html
http://www.johnankerberg.org/hp-articles/hp-articles.htm
Note: If you want to get me started on a real rant against a set of children’s books, just mention Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Now that is truly scary, anti-Christian propaganda – and what’s worse, it’s actually well-written.
--DJ
First of all, many Christians oppose the Harry Potter books simply because they are fantasy. To many Christians, any use of magic in a book is automatically bad, because we as Christians are forbidden from using magic. I don’t agree with this principleIt seems to me to be that such a principle taken to its logical conclusion would restrict all writing to non-fiction. After all, Christians are forbidden from lying; thus, all fiction would be off-limits. Honestly, if this is the reason that a Christian opposes Harry Potter, I won’t even take the time to argue with him or her. I don’t think it’s worth the effort.
Magic can be presented in fiction several different methods. Method 1: Magic can be based on the calling up of other beings. Such books come uncomfortably close to real magic, i.e., magic that could actually work in our world, and I don’t generally read or recommend books like this.
Method 2: Magic can be a manipulation of natural forces by mental/psychical strength, usually (but not always) inborn. The benefit to the writer here is that he or she can show struggle, progress, and personal growth in the main characters, but in a different way from an author who is writing in a non-fantasy genre.
Method 3: Magic can be simply mechanistic, i.e., Magic equals Technology. The magic in Potter is like learning to use a computer – enter the correct words with the correct motions and magic stuff happens; use the wrong words or the wrong motions, and either nothing happens or it messes up (such as a feather exploding instead of floating). In my opinion, magic of this kind is not morally harmful in fiction, as long as the reader keeps in mind that this is fiction.
The second reason that many Christians don’t like the Potter books is directly related to the mechanistic magic, however. In Method 2, magic is often a moral force (see, e.g., Star Wars, where the Force has both a light side and a dark side). Those who use magic must choose to use either white or black magic. In the Harry Potter universe, it is solely the intention of the user that determines whether it is good or bad magic.
To me, this is actually a logical and moral outgrowth of Rowling’s choice of Method 3. If Magic = Technology, then magic is morally neutral, just as technology in our world is generally morally neutral. For example, I can use a pen and paper to write a letter of encouragement, or I can use the same pen and paper to write a hurtful and slanderous note. It is not the pen and paper that is good or evil; it is my decision. Again, though, I think this is simply a logical outgrowth of Method 3, and I see nothing immoral with promoting the idea of free will (which is one major reason I’m not a Calvinist).
The third reason many Christians oppose the Harry Potter books is Harry’s marked tendency to ignore authority and play very fast and loose with the truth. To me, this is probably the best argument against the series. Harry definitely is not a good role model in these areas, although his loyalty to his friends is an excellent example. When our kids start reading them, this will definitely be an area of discussion. Thankfully, in the last book, Harry finally started realizing the very negative consequences of his actions, a sign of maturity.
I think in general the controversy about the Potter books can often be boiled down to a difference in viewing Christianity vs. the world. I will here indulge in a huge over-simplification: Some Christians view themselves as under siege by the world, so they live their lives building protective walls. Other Christians view the world as good, so they look for redeeming elements in everything. I think you will find more Potter-opposers in the first group. I am in the second. That is my major reason for enjoying the books and recommending them.
Here’s a question: If you heard about a set of books written by a Christian that is flooded with Christian symbols, that taught core values of loyalty to friends, the importance of free will in making morally good choices, and the vital necessity of fighting hideous evil with everything in you, would you at least try it?
For more information, I’ve posted links below that may be helpful to you. I’ve tried to include both sides.
http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/2003/06/18/
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel062003.asp
http://www.christianfantasy.net/harrypotter.html
http://www.johnankerberg.org/hp-articles/hp-articles.htm
Note: If you want to get me started on a real rant against a set of children’s books, just mention Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Now that is truly scary, anti-Christian propaganda – and what’s worse, it’s actually well-written.
--DJ
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
The Countdown Begins!
Book 6 is to be released on July 16.
Note to self: Remembering the length of Book 5, request July 16-19 off from work.
--DJ
Note to self: Remembering the length of Book 5, request July 16-19 off from work.
--DJ
A Saviour has been born to us this day!
A great quote: "We, beloved children in the Lord, believe and know well that salvation is to be found nowhere else, but in Christ, and that there is no other name by which we may be saved other than the name of Jesus Christ. Our certainty is not shaken by the fact that the Saviour of the world appeared on Earth as a humble man, a weak infant, a lamb carrying the sin of the world, and accepting the cross and death. We are not alarmed by the fact that most of the people do not accept the message of love and humility, which, as He taught us, we must accept in order to be saved."
A wonderful gospel message from the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. Read the whole proclamation; it's worth it.
--DJ
Thanks to Bill Cork of Ut Unum Sint for the link.
A wonderful gospel message from the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. Read the whole proclamation; it's worth it.
--DJ
Thanks to Bill Cork of Ut Unum Sint for the link.
A fun personality quiz
I always love quizzes, and personality ones are fun. And I love fantasy, and Harry Potter in particular, so I liked this one. Unlike some personality quizzes, I actually agree with this result. Long live the bookworms of the world!
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
--DJ
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
--DJ
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Do You Really Mean That?
In a fundraising letter from a Volunteer Fire Dept.:
"Come to the station, look around, and visualize our equipment."
Seen on a bumper sticker:
"Drinking, Driving, and Drugs. They Kill. Don't do it."
-- SJ
"Come to the station, look around, and visualize our equipment."
Seen on a bumper sticker:
"Drinking, Driving, and Drugs. They Kill. Don't do it."
-- SJ
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Warning: Invisible Roadblocks Ahead
Darren mentioned this week that while I've managed to trim the kids' video-watching to a limited time every day, his goal is to cut out videos except for once or twice a week.
"Oh," I said. "I wasn't aiming for that."
"Oh. When I was growing up, videos were special. And I got only an hour of T.V. a week."
"Oh. I watched videos whenever I wanted to." We didn't watch as much T.V., mostly because our set picked up only two channels, and they were both fuzzy.
"Oh. I thought we were working toward cutting them out completely."
"Oh. I thought we were just trying to keep it down to a reasonable time."
"Oh."
I don't feel so bad, though. My sister Rosemary says that she and her husband have had to learn how to leave to go somewhere: Get ready and wait in the car? Get ready and wait in the living room?
I don't recall any marriage manuals addressing these danger areas. Long live communication. -- SJ
"Oh," I said. "I wasn't aiming for that."
"Oh. When I was growing up, videos were special. And I got only an hour of T.V. a week."
"Oh. I watched videos whenever I wanted to." We didn't watch as much T.V., mostly because our set picked up only two channels, and they were both fuzzy.
"Oh. I thought we were working toward cutting them out completely."
"Oh. I thought we were just trying to keep it down to a reasonable time."
"Oh."
I don't feel so bad, though. My sister Rosemary says that she and her husband have had to learn how to leave to go somewhere: Get ready and wait in the car? Get ready and wait in the living room?
I don't recall any marriage manuals addressing these danger areas. Long live communication. -- SJ
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Anne Geddes Is Evil
An interesting interview that raises questions about what we as Christian parents should think about when we think "family."
"Look at the Ann Geddes pictures, an image of a child as pumpkin, or a child as flower: the baby as the commodity you get to consume or pluck and put in your vase versus the kind of images you have with Norman Rockwell. Almost all of his images of children are children with skinned knees, are of the chaos of kids..."
It's an interesting point, I think. Can a view that sees children as commodities or accessories really Christian? I don't necessarily agree with her arguments, but she raises some good issues for meditating on.
And now, having riled people up, I will once again retreat to the shadows and go do battle with the Evil Attorney on the Other Side.
--DJ
(The female half of the Joneses -- who, due to various technological circumstances, is the one actually posting this from home -- thinks that branding Ann Geddes as bad because of her interesting, if often nauseatingly precious, baby pictures is serious hypervigilance. -- SJ)
"Look at the Ann Geddes pictures, an image of a child as pumpkin, or a child as flower: the baby as the commodity you get to consume or pluck and put in your vase versus the kind of images you have with Norman Rockwell. Almost all of his images of children are children with skinned knees, are of the chaos of kids..."
It's an interesting point, I think. Can a view that sees children as commodities or accessories really Christian? I don't necessarily agree with her arguments, but she raises some good issues for meditating on.
And now, having riled people up, I will once again retreat to the shadows and go do battle with the Evil Attorney on the Other Side.
--DJ
(The female half of the Joneses -- who, due to various technological circumstances, is the one actually posting this from home -- thinks that branding Ann Geddes as bad because of her interesting, if often nauseatingly precious, baby pictures is serious hypervigilance. -- SJ)
Saturday, December 11, 2004
The Christmas Party
As reminisced by Rachelle: The HSLDA Christmas Party was last night.
It's the one time of the year that most of us deck out in formal dress, so part of the fun is seeing what everyone is wearing. (Being translated: I got to show off my cool evening trousers to lots of ladies.) The traditional entertainment at these events is always in-house: singing, playing, and skits. It's such a small, close-knit office that everyone knows the in-jokes that litter the skits, so we're always roaring over seemingly inane, toss-away lines (how funny can the phrase "insurance company" be, anyway?)
I even got to see Dana, who is officially PHC, not HSLDA, but was providing background music. But I didn't talk to her long -- as she pointed out, I was an invited guest, but she was merely hired help.
The danger of recounting the Christmas party, especially the entertainment, is that it doesn't translate well into print. "There was a slide show about how the Operations department goes on vacation, and these different photographs of what life at the office would be like -- you know, Rhonda using a typewriter and Jonathan shredding paper by hand, and... well, anyway, it was really funny." So I'll spare the readership. Suffice to say that a good time was had by all.
But there were a lot of important people missing this year -- many of those mentioned in Rachelle's post aren't here anymore. I for one felt the loss. But, on the bright side, just think of the cool parties we're going to have in Heaven! -- SJ
P.S. Kevin, I'm aware that we don't know Heavenly policies on parties, so I'm not asking you to R.S.V.P yet.
It's the one time of the year that most of us deck out in formal dress, so part of the fun is seeing what everyone is wearing. (Being translated: I got to show off my cool evening trousers to lots of ladies.) The traditional entertainment at these events is always in-house: singing, playing, and skits. It's such a small, close-knit office that everyone knows the in-jokes that litter the skits, so we're always roaring over seemingly inane, toss-away lines (how funny can the phrase "insurance company" be, anyway?)
I even got to see Dana, who is officially PHC, not HSLDA, but was providing background music. But I didn't talk to her long -- as she pointed out, I was an invited guest, but she was merely hired help.
The danger of recounting the Christmas party, especially the entertainment, is that it doesn't translate well into print. "There was a slide show about how the Operations department goes on vacation, and these different photographs of what life at the office would be like -- you know, Rhonda using a typewriter and Jonathan shredding paper by hand, and... well, anyway, it was really funny." So I'll spare the readership. Suffice to say that a good time was had by all.
But there were a lot of important people missing this year -- many of those mentioned in Rachelle's post aren't here anymore. I for one felt the loss. But, on the bright side, just think of the cool parties we're going to have in Heaven! -- SJ
P.S. Kevin, I'm aware that we don't know Heavenly policies on parties, so I'm not asking you to R.S.V.P yet.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
A Minor Drawback of A Large Family
I've just finished decorating Addie's wall with rub-on stencils, which are wonderful inventions and don't get nearly enough media attention, in my opinion.
Being the person I am, I didn't buy pretty pictures for Addie's enjoyment. I bought sheets of alphabet letters. Yeah, there's a sun and some stars and a few bugs... Addie loves bugs... but mostly there are names. Surprise.
I laboriously rubbed, one letter at a time, each name of each cousin on both sides of the family. That's three for the Jones side and seven for the Roberts-McAdory side, plus my own two. It's not that any of my own siblings have a lot of kids, really; it's just that there are a lot of siblings having kids.
(Note: I am well aware that many don't regard a family of six as that remarkable. Those people have never memorialized the family's offspring with rub-on stencils.)
When you're engaged in a task like this, you notice certain things that otherwise would go, um, unnoticed. Eight of the nine Roberts-McAdory cousins have A's in their names (Katie, Garrett, Maegan, Emma, Addie, Stuart, Camie, and Claire). The NH Jones kids, on the other hand, have hardly any repeating letters among the three of them (Jed, Chloe, and Tucker). There are a lot of C's in the cousin lineup (Courtney, Chloe, Camie, and Claire). And all children should come with short nicknames for stencilling purposes. ("This is your cousin Court and your cousin Tuck.")
To finish off the project, I stencilled "Jones" and "Roberts McAdory" in the middle of the great cloud of cousin names. The finished product, a reminder of the many blessings my kids have on both sides, is quite satisfying. -- SJ
Being the person I am, I didn't buy pretty pictures for Addie's enjoyment. I bought sheets of alphabet letters. Yeah, there's a sun and some stars and a few bugs... Addie loves bugs... but mostly there are names. Surprise.
I laboriously rubbed, one letter at a time, each name of each cousin on both sides of the family. That's three for the Jones side and seven for the Roberts-McAdory side, plus my own two. It's not that any of my own siblings have a lot of kids, really; it's just that there are a lot of siblings having kids.
(Note: I am well aware that many don't regard a family of six as that remarkable. Those people have never memorialized the family's offspring with rub-on stencils.)
When you're engaged in a task like this, you notice certain things that otherwise would go, um, unnoticed. Eight of the nine Roberts-McAdory cousins have A's in their names (Katie, Garrett, Maegan, Emma, Addie, Stuart, Camie, and Claire). The NH Jones kids, on the other hand, have hardly any repeating letters among the three of them (Jed, Chloe, and Tucker). There are a lot of C's in the cousin lineup (Courtney, Chloe, Camie, and Claire). And all children should come with short nicknames for stencilling purposes. ("This is your cousin Court and your cousin Tuck.")
To finish off the project, I stencilled "Jones" and "Roberts McAdory" in the middle of the great cloud of cousin names. The finished product, a reminder of the many blessings my kids have on both sides, is quite satisfying. -- SJ
Monday, December 06, 2004
It's a Rainy Day -- Smile!
Today is rainy, grey, and cold. And it makes me happy every time I look out the window.
It makes me happy because today is what yesterday wasn't. Yesterday we held a "Stroll-By" party for the neighborhood, with hot chocolate, cider, and cookies out on our front lawn. We both prayed very hard for good weather. Nothing would ruin a yard party like a rainy day with the signature Virginia Winter Wind (which can be fierce). Yesterday dawned... and remained... clear, calm, and somewhere in the mid-50s. I told Darren, "This answer to prayer is in overdrive."
We had about sixteen people come by, and a fun time was had by all. The party was my idea, but Darren did all the planning and behind-the-scenes work. It's really not fair to him that I, as the female, get all the credit for our parties. Anyway, looking out at what yesterday could have been, I'm a very happy person.
***
Speaking of being a happy person, I awarded Darren several Husband Points last week. He saw that I was running on low by the middle of the week, and suggested that I take an evening to go shopping for my outfit for the upcoming HSLDA Christmas party. I did. After three stores and three hours, I found... well, if not the perfect outfit, at least one of the more interesting ones. The pants (couldn't find a skirt or dress I liked; a limited budget means limited selection) have a free-hanging panel on each leg, front and back, so the effect is a combination of flowing and brisk. The top, of course, is black with sparkles. I always end up with sparkles; it's one of the consistencies of my character. Anyway, I got an evening out and a new outfit, not to mention a great party and good weather, so I guess the average score for this week ends up pretty good. -- SJ
It makes me happy because today is what yesterday wasn't. Yesterday we held a "Stroll-By" party for the neighborhood, with hot chocolate, cider, and cookies out on our front lawn. We both prayed very hard for good weather. Nothing would ruin a yard party like a rainy day with the signature Virginia Winter Wind (which can be fierce). Yesterday dawned... and remained... clear, calm, and somewhere in the mid-50s. I told Darren, "This answer to prayer is in overdrive."
We had about sixteen people come by, and a fun time was had by all. The party was my idea, but Darren did all the planning and behind-the-scenes work. It's really not fair to him that I, as the female, get all the credit for our parties. Anyway, looking out at what yesterday could have been, I'm a very happy person.
***
Speaking of being a happy person, I awarded Darren several Husband Points last week. He saw that I was running on low by the middle of the week, and suggested that I take an evening to go shopping for my outfit for the upcoming HSLDA Christmas party. I did. After three stores and three hours, I found... well, if not the perfect outfit, at least one of the more interesting ones. The pants (couldn't find a skirt or dress I liked; a limited budget means limited selection) have a free-hanging panel on each leg, front and back, so the effect is a combination of flowing and brisk. The top, of course, is black with sparkles. I always end up with sparkles; it's one of the consistencies of my character. Anyway, I got an evening out and a new outfit, not to mention a great party and good weather, so I guess the average score for this week ends up pretty good. -- SJ
Sunday, December 05, 2004
A Side Benefit of A Large Family...
...is that the media is fascinated by the sight of more than four children.
One of our favorite families made it into print. You'll agree that life with them is "a blast" if you've ever spent any time at the Hall House... wherever that happens to be at the moment. -- SJ
One of our favorite families made it into print. You'll agree that life with them is "a blast" if you've ever spent any time at the Hall House... wherever that happens to be at the moment. -- SJ
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Kreative Kristmas Trees
While we're talking about Christmas trees, I couldn't help thinking of my mom's contribution to the controversy. All my growing-up years we had live trees... really, really big live trees.. if they'd been any bigger or more alive they could have auditioned for a horror movie. But once we kids trickled out of the house, Mom revealed that she had, well, a different Christmas tree orientation than we thought.
Away went the conifer trees. In came magnolias, wax myrtles, and even shapely bare branches, all draped with white lights and a few ornaments. We said, "That's interesting, Mom." Mom just sat and gazed at her trees, and smiled. Six months later she'd ask if we'd gotten all the needles up out of our carpets yet. -- SJ
Away went the conifer trees. In came magnolias, wax myrtles, and even shapely bare branches, all draped with white lights and a few ornaments. We said, "That's interesting, Mom." Mom just sat and gazed at her trees, and smiled. Six months later she'd ask if we'd gotten all the needles up out of our carpets yet. -- SJ
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