Well-Mannered Frivolity

Starsky and Hutch, Brokeback Mountain style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-v7EqQ-A34

Wendy

I'm celebrating the birth of Jesus

Last week the Nativity scene at Charleston Fire Station 12 was removed after receiving a complaint from the Wisconsin based Freedom From Religion Foundation. Well, Station 12 restored their Nativity on Tuesday and "enhanced" it with other holiday decorations. They added a Santa, some elves and reindeer, a menorah, and a Kwanzaa kinara. Freedom From Religion Foundation's staff attorney, Rebecca S Kratz, said "the modified display is probably OK. In terms of the Nativity if you muddy it up with secular decorations, federal courts have deemed it permissible."

Muddy up the Nativity?!? I am the only one who has a problem with this statement? If you are so offended by having to look at a plastic rendition of the Holy Family as you drive by at 55 mph that you drop a brick in your Depends every time you drive by it, then I have something to say to you--GROW A SET! Is your faith in your lack of faith that weak?

I was not born yesterday. I know your rational arguments. In fact, I used to make them myself a few years back. I know that studies of the flora and fauna as described in the book of Luke make it unlikely that Jesus was born in the winter. I also know that the date December 25 has pagan significance. I know that when the early church fathers were trying to convert the pagans they turned pagan holidays into Christian holidays. I get that. I really don't care if Jesus was born on December 25, June 25 or April Fool's Day for that matter. I like celebrating it.

Jesus could have chosen to come to earth as a mighty ruler in an opulent castle. He could have chosen to come as a mighty warrior. But no, He chose to come as a defenseless baby born in a lowly stable. He was born to die on the cross and save us from our sins. He is my, no, scratch that, he is Our Lord and Savior. Whether you choose to accept that is up to you.

So go ahead, believe that I am a fool. That's your right. I am proud to live in a country that allows us to worship (or not worship) any way we see fit. I don't care if you are a pagan, a Buddhist, an atheist, Jewish, Sikh, a Jain, a Zoroastrian, a Rastafarian, or if you worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It doesn't bother of offend me. Just please, give me this one day to worship my Lord and Savior.

And to the men and women of Fire Station 12 I say, "Rock on!"

Wendy

Disaster house

Our gingerbread house started to fall apart while we were decorating it. The diabolical teenager decided to turn it into a disaster house--

Wendy

Everything you wanted to know about how we celebrate Christmas

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Eggnog

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa's presents are unwrapped

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored all the way. The tackier the better.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the week after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mama's dressing

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? All my life my daddy has given my a Hess truck for Christmas. I still get one and would be very disappointed if it wasn't under the tree. I think it's a race car this year!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't really remember.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was little I always got to open on present on Christmas

Eve. Now we open presents with the grandparents on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My main tree has tons of colored lights and lots of ornaments. My aluminum tree has red, purple, silver, and green disco ball ornaments, an Elvis tree skirt, and a color wheel.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? What is this snow you speak of?

12. Can you ice skate? I'm very clumsy

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My bestest Christmas present ever was Katherine. She was born 3 days after Christmas in 1995.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family. Jesus.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Eggnog Ice Cream

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve at my parent's house

17. What tops your tree? A crocheted angel that my Aunt Wilma made

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I love to give. I get so excited over buying presents that I can't wait for the recipient to have them.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Yum!!!

20 Favorite Christmas Show? Christmas Vacation!

21. Saddest Christmas Song? That stupid Christmas Shoes song. I hate to admit it, but it makes me cry every time I hear it.

22. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night by Charlotte Church

Wendy

Boy howdy!

Mary Jane had been listening to country music lately. This has been brought about by an intense love of all things Taylor Swift. Today, on the way to the library, she asked if we could listen to the WEZL, our local country station. In an act of unconditional love I acquiesced. I actually found myself kind of enjoying it. What's not to like about men singing about love of God, country and women? I will admit that some of the women were a little screechy, though.

This country music effected me in a profound way. I found myself slipping into accent hell. Mary Jane asked me when the Festival of Lights at James Island County Park started. I told her that it was already "goin' own". Lila asked if we were going. When I told here we were she said she hoped we didn't go on the weekend when it would be to crowded. I replied, "We cain't go this weekend, darlin'. Daddy's got to work."

One Reba McIntyre song and I'm suddenly a good ol' girl.

Wendy

I'm going to buy stock in Cetaphil

This is the greatest article I have ever read. http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/method_explained.htm

No more nit picking again. Ever.

Praise be to God!

Wendy

HT: Here in the Bonny Glen

My library loot for the month

My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare by Jess Winfield    I read the back cover of this one while wandering through the aisles of Barnes and Noble waiting for Glenn Beck to sign Arguing With Idiots. It looked quirky, and I am all about the quirk. I jotted the name and author down on the back of my checkbook cover so I could get it at the library.  My purse is full of notes about books I want to read. My husband seems to think our money is better spent on the mortgage and the grocery store than at Amazon.com, so it's the library for me. Thankfully, Charleston County has an excellent library system.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage (Eminent Lives)by Bill Bryson  No, I am not on a Shakespeare kick. I just happened to notice that a Bill Bryson book existed that I had never read. I had to remedy that situation immediately.

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile  I checked this one out last year, but I had to return it before it was due. I hope to finish it this time. I think it's a movie, but I don't like to see the movie until I've read the book. If I haven't read the book first then I couldn't drive my husband insane by constantly complaining how much Hollywood ruined the book. That's half the fun!

The Family Man by Elinor Lipman   I will admit that I picked this one up off the new books shelf because I liked the cover. Yes, I am that shallow.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J Dubner  I think I am the only person on the planet that hasn't read Freakonomics.

All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque  I think I read the Cliff's Notes on this one in college. I read a lot, and I mean a lot, of Cliff's Notes in high school and college. Nothing makes me not want to read a book like being told that I have to read it. This is one of the main reasons I unschool my children, so they can be free to follow their own pursuits.

Jack Kerouac: Angel-Headed Hipster by Steve Turner  This is the book that I am most excited about. I can clearly remember purchasing On the Road when I was a teenager. My family and I were on a road trip up the eastern seaboard. I bought it during a stop over in Atlantic City. I was probably about 14 or 15. I bet I read One the Road and Dharma Bums 10 times each. I wanted to be a beatnik so badly I even wore a beret (that I bought on vacation in San Francisco no less!) occasionally. I say occasionally because it cut off the circulation to my scalp. I wore lots of black and wrote bad poetry (really, really bad). I tried reading On The Road again a few years ago and wondered what I ever saw in it. Wasn't it Truman Capote who said, "That's not writing, that's typing" in reference to Jack Kerouac? Sadly, I found that to be true. It's funny how things look so differently at 35 than they do at 15. I still have a soft spot for Jack, though.

I also checked out several embroidery books--my craft du jour.

Do you think I am being a tad ambitious? 7 books, a newish craft and Christmas all in one month? Plus there's those five children and that husband who seem to think "meals" and "clean laundry" are necessary. To heck with them, I say!

Wendy

PS What I really want to read is Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King, but at 1000+ pages I don't think even I could finish it in the 2 week new book time frame. I think I am going to give it to a loved one for Christmas and hope that that loved on will loan it to me.

Quagmire puts Brian in his place

This is one of the best rants I have ever heard. Of course, the best ever rants belong to Clark Griswold. "We're gonna have some much f@#ing fun we'll be whistling zippedeedooda out of our assholes!" Who could top that I implore you? Fox yanked the video so it is just a still of Quagmire. In the clip Quagmire is ranting at sensitive, liberal, talking dog Brian. If you are reading this on Facebook the video won't show so here is the link  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HAqvljGsKA

Enjoy

Wendy

Tuesday Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if
  
• they like your teasers!

Howard Carter would no longer be satisfied with simply locating tombs. Now he wanted tombs of significance, untouched throughout history, and he especially wanted the great treasures buried with every Pharaoh.

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller by James Patterson and Martin Dugard.

Wendy

I did it!

Somebody give me a cyber-high five! I survived National Blog Posting Month. 30 straight days of pure, unadulterated drivel. I'm going to celebrate by taking the whole month of December off. Just kidding. I'd hate to let down my 10 loyal readers ( hi mom!).

Totally unrelated story- Will has two imaginary friends--Jeff and Peacock. The other day he was playing basketball with them in the driveway. I asked him what they looked like. He replied, "It's like this, Mama, Jeff is a regular guy, and Peacock is an actual peacock." 

As I was typing that James informed me that when he grows up he is going to have 2 wives because, "you never know when you will need an extra wife." Good advice indeed.

I highly recommend life with 6 year old twin boys.

Wendy