‘Fro Me to You—I Spy

 

 

Welcome to this weeks rendition of Sincerely Fro Me to You.  Hosted by none other, than the glamorous Marcy.

For the guidelines to join in the Thursday fun, click the linky party button above.

 

This week I bring to you a little photo challenge:

 

I spy something with my eye.

Its got business in the front, and a party in the back.

Count ‘em once and don’t look back.

 

 

 

It looks like Mullet-Fest 1988.  Or wait, this might have been from Mullet-Palooza 1989. 

 

This photo was taken after my friends decided to throw me a surprise birthday party.  And boy was I surprised:

 

 

 

Hey, look, they even got me a nice gift:

 

 

I was clearly in need of a Mullet intervention and they got me a teddy bear?!  Thanks friends.  And just for that, you’re all going under the Mullet Bus with me this week. 

 

 

For more Fro Me to You fun, click HERE.

Wordless Wednesday- Short Stuff

 

 

 

 

 

(my “little” comedian)

American Idol’s Top 5

 

This weeks theme is Rat Pack.  This should involve songs by Dean Martin, Sammy Davis JR, and Frank Sinatra to name a few.  Hopefully, tonight’s songs will sound more like the theme than last week’s Disco bust!

 

We interrupt this blog post for a Paula Abdul wardrobe timeout!  Is that an Origami dress she is wearing?!  And the bling around her neck strongly resembles some sort of sparkly padlock.

 

So who better to help our Top 5 contestants than……Jaime Foxx?????  Is he not the guy who caused a commotion over telling Miley Cyrus to put some crack in her pipe?  Do we have any standards, AI executives??

 

Moving along to the singing and judging, because that IS why we are here:

 

Kris—“The Way You Look Tonight”.  And he’s off to a slow start for me….and the purple hazy lights are putting me into a trance.  I think his vocals were nice and Rat Pack-ish, which is why we are here.  The judges LOVED it and he has set the bar high right off the bat.

 

Allison— our girl power representative will be singing   “Someone to Watch Over Me”.  I must ask, has her hair been the same color twice at any point during this competition??  Anywhoo.  Her voice is amazing and she did a great job.  Simon was the only judge who seems to think she is “in trouble” after her performance.  I disagree.

 

Matt— “My Funny Valentine”.  Is it bad that without even hearing him sing I think he will be gone next week??  He’s got the Ryan from High School Musical look going for him tonight (thanks hubby for pointing that out).  I thought his performance was not memorable.  Paula, thought it was “pure, simple and blessed”.  Simon thought it was “brilliant”.    Randy and Kara disagreed with the other two.

 

Danny—can I get a w00t w00t!!  Ok, I’ll let you hear him sing first.  He’s singing “Come Rain or Come Shine”.  Jamie had to get in his “grill” to inspire him to sing fantastically.  Hey, whatever it takes.  Danny came out strong and he’s certainly got the Rat Pack look down in that suit.   BRAVO!!   The judges used the words,  “album”, “swagger”, and “outstanding”.  Did I mention, I agree with them??

 

**Regaining composure** 

 

Adam— “Feeling Good” is the song he chose and I’m not sure I am familiar with it.  Oh my!  The pink illuminated steps against his silky white suit is just….umm, illuminating?!  No question, dude can sing.  But this week he brings home the drama award.  It was definitely over the top; sorry, he’s just not my style!  OH.MY.WORD.  Paula just said, “watching you is like watching the Olympics and YOU are Michael Phelps".  Is this where I ask what SHE is smoking?!   And it just gets better by Ryan stating, “that was some strut down the stairs”. 

 

Oh that note, I am outta here!

 

Top Three:  Kris, Allison, Danny

Going home:  Matt

Drama Award:  Adam

 

For more American Idol, Top 5 Reviews head on over to BooMama’s hospitable house HERE.

Sunday Sunday

 

It’s been a BIG weekend at our church.  We have been looking for a new pastor for the last 9 months and this weekend God answered our prayers….in a BIG way! 

Today our search ended and our new pastor begins in 3 weeks.  Church was packed today and you could feel and see the excitement. 

 

God has GREAT things in store for our church!

 

Our weekend was topped off tonight by our children’s music program, WHAM ….Worshipping Him through Arts and Music.

 

Just like in her chapel program, the Princess had a singing part.   This time she sang in a trio.  Perhaps this is the new norm for her….my singing sister will be proud!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I bring you the newest sensation at the GRITS household, Dancing Lego Man! 

 

 

 

 

And I’m oh so proud to say, he dances just like his white-to-the-bone Mama. 

 

 

 

 

I am SO proud of him!!  There was a time in his life, not very long ago, that I would have bet against him actually doing this.  I guess this is a sure sign he’s growing up on me.  *sniff*

 

And check out this presentation his group did:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for letting me share this with you all.  I hope everyone else had a good weekend.  I know we did!

 

 

Fro Me to You—Say Cheese

 

Seems as though last week I got a little carried away and created a Fro post…. and there was just one little problem.  There was NO FRO! 

So, if you want to double your Fro Fun, you can click here to check out the fun you all missed last week.  Or not.

This week I bring to a photo that was taken last week on my birthday. And it certainly won’t go in any scrapbook!

In honor of Queen GRITS birthday, several families gathered at a local hamburger joint for food, fun, fellowship and fotos (work with me, people).

 

Which brings me to why we are here…. the photos.

 

Me, the hubby, and Amy:

Me and all the kiddos:

 

And for my favorite photo of the night, me and the boyz:

 

Ummm, yea….thanks to my buddy Scott for the surprise on the count of three.

Notice how NONE of the other guys even have a clue what just happened.  Just like yours truly. 

 

 

For more photos worthy of only Internet blog carnivals, head on over to Marcy’s for more Sincerely Fro Me to You fun.   Click HERE.

I Like the Night Life

I like to boogie…..and I love me some disco music!

Nothing like a little Bee Gee’s or some KC & the Sunshine Band!

We are down to the final seven. Last week the judges used their “save” card for Matt, which means there will be two people leaving this week. No pressure, kids.

Let’s skip all the judges hoop-de-hoo and get to the singing. Because we all know Paula will be wearing something crazy and Simon will have on either a white, grey or black t-shirt.

Lil Rounds is getting us started with “I’m Every Woman”. She’s certainly rocking the TIGHT black outfit and I am mesmerized by the sparkly HUGE hoop earrings. Which means, my attention span was not focused on her singing performance. It was just ok for me….and the judges too.

Kris picked Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money”. Ok, fine, he’s doing his own guitar rendition of this song accompanied by men on bongos. I think he’s got a great voice. I know people are going to LOVE this arrangement. I didn’t, but hey, it’s my blog.

***TIMEOUT here*** What did Paula just say…hang on let’s get a rewind here: “A lot of women are known to shop in the men’s department, but not many men are willing to shop in the women’s.”

Ummm, Paula, what are you taking, honey??? Get some help. Simon is right, we all need a translator when she speaks. Bless her heart.

Danny Gokey chose Earth Wind and Fire “September”. Now here we go folks, DISCO MUSIC at it’s finest. That’s what I’m talking about…70’s music, complete with a back up singer sporting a fine ‘fro! Yes, sir. My boy, Danny! Ahem. The judges liked it, but Simon is looking for “star power".

Allison our local teenager has chosen “Hot Stuff”. Oh.My.Word. The hair, the dress, the very tall tiny heel shoes! Does her hair remind anyone else of a Strawberry Shortcake Oompa Loompa??? She’s branched out with her own rendition of this song. There’s no question her voice is the best. But I’m not liking this arrangement. Simon was the only judge to say the performance was “brilliant”.

Adam is going with the Saturday Night Fever song “If I Can’t Have You”. *YAWN* S-L-O-W songs make me sleepy. And Paula is looking googly eyed at him which makes me nauseous. He’s just not my style but he sings well and the judges loved him! He’ll be in the top two unless he has some major singing malfunction.

Matt who can thank the judges for his return this week, chose to sing the all time disco classic “Stayin' Alive”. Here we go….disco music. Paula’s up moving and grooving. Wow, he’s working his range with this song but nothing really extraordinary. Paula, of course, thought he bowled a strike, while the other 3 judges thought it was just average.

Anoop is singing “Dim All the Lights”. Hmmm, not sure I’ve heard this song. Oh, wow, he’s gone all out this week and kicked up the collegiate look a notch with the facial hair. I didn’t really care for the song. Three judges liked him….Simon thought it was dreadful (and I agree).

Wow, I was so excited about Disco Night….but it was not as fun as I thought I was gonna be. HUGE bummer! I’m packing up my disco ball, Eight Tracks, and my ‘Fro for another day.

Without further adieu:

Top Four: Kris, Danny, Allison, Adam

Bottom Three: Lil Rounds, Matt, Anoop

Two going home: Lil Rounds, Anoop

For more Idol Top 7 reviews, click on over to BooMama's place HERE!

Apple Bottom Jeans

 

Last week I found myself, once again, in search of a new pair of jeans.   I’ve been looking for a new pair of jeans for ev-ah.

I am a picky shopper…and have been all of my life.  My mother, if she could remember her password, would verify this in the comment section.

I feel kind of silly, because it’s just a pair of jeans!  You think I would be able to go out to the local mall and just get a new pair.  Or find some just like the ones I have and love.  But NOOOOooooo.

There are so many choices now:  at the waist, just below the waist, classic rise, mid-rise, low rise, and butt-crack-showing rise.

And here’s the look I am not willing to go back to, the “mom jean.”  You know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t they do:

 

Wouldn’t you hate to find yourself in a magazine photo under the word “Don’t” with a black bar across your eyes??

 

I’ve watched enough of TLC’ What Not to Wear to know what style jean I need to be looking for.  Thank you Stacy and Clinton.  And it ain’t the skinny leg jean that sits WAY below my waist.  That I understand.  I also understand the concept of a “Muffin Top”.

Apparently, someone with my cute, perfectly average size body style, needs a dark wash bootleg cut jean that sits just below the waist. 

Wow, that sounds easy enough, huh?

I can’t tell you how many pairs of jeans I’ve tried on over the last several months.  I have lost count.

And my biggest pet peeve in searching for the perfect pair of jeans is the sizing dilemma!!!

Is it just me or are they cutting those things smaller now???  Meaning, I must buy the next size up to accommodate my cute Mom girlish figure. 

The jeans I do own, I have worn for the last SEVERAL years.  And by that I mean I have still been able to wear them with a +/- 5lb weight fluctuation.  No muffin top, no tightness!

However, when I try the exact same pair of jeans on in the store they are too small?!  Because this girl is NOT happy about entertaining the idea of moving to a new jean size!

I did go ahead and make a purchase at Old Navy last week and went with their “Sweetheart” jeans.  It met all my rules: classic rise, bootleg and dark wash.

I failed to take note of the STRETCH factor.  STRETCH meaning: the jeans fit your perfectly for the first couple of hours, but S-T-R-E-T-C-H as you go through the day.  Meaning by the end of the day, I look like I’m low riding.

So, now I’m back to square one…. in search of a good pair of jeans that don’t cost a small fortune..

Help a sister out!  What kind of jeans do you buy, where and why?

‘Fro Me to You – 1st Birthday

 

Welcome to Marcy’s Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You Carnival.  It’s the best thing going in Blog-land on Thursdays!  To see how you can join in read the guidelines HERE.

 

This week I bring to you a photo that was taken 40 years ago today. 

 

It was my twin sister’s and my 1st Birthday:

 

 

There’s A LOT going on in this picture besides my cute little self being held by my dad.  There’s the whole 1969 thing…the paneling, the glasses, and the clothing.

I love the sweet little homemade banner, the cutely decorated cake and the crystal punch bowl!

There seemed to have been a ribbon-in-the-hair theme going on, and for whatever reason my mom chose orange to match her goldenrod dress?!  (Mom, what was that all about????)

 

First birthdays are such a big event and I’m so glad I have this photo of mine!

 

For more ‘Fro Me to You pictures, click on over the Marcy’s HERE.  And don’t forget YOU can join in the weekly fun!!

Wordless Wednesday—04/15/1968

Happy Birthday to my twin sister! (on left)

Big Screen Singin’

 

This is American Idol and it’s Movie Night for our Top 7.  We are down to two lovely ladies and five young men.

And bringing the *BLING* to the show, we have Paula Abdul in her flashy rhinestone cowboy halter dress something or other.  Oh, and wow, Simon has branched out once again in a WILD and cRaZy smoky gray sweater.

Our contestants are brining us songs from the cinema and the celebrity helper this week is Quentin Tarantino.  Hmph, I had no idea he could help people with music skillz. 

 

Let’s get right to it:

 

ALLISON--“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”.  Oooh, I love Aerosmith.  I think she will rock the house with this one.  Does anyone else notice her hair and pants match?  Kind of a slow start, but she’s bringing the house down on the chorus.  The judges loved her and think she could be in the final 2.

 

ANOOP— “Everything I Do, I Do it for You”.   Oh, people, I just don’t think he’s got this song in him.   This might have been a bit better had he come out with a feather in his hat and green tights on.  I was going to bet money he was going with a “Grease” song based on his wardrobe selection.    It was ok for me, the judges liked it.

 

ADAM—“Born to Be Wild”.  Ya’ think?!  Ahem.  Ok, it’s quite clear that this boy has a set of pipes on him.  And he rocked his version of the song.  The judges will love it and he will move on….possibly to the finals.  And what is Paula babbling about, something about fortune and bravery.  Simon compared it to a Rocky Horror song. 

 

MATTHEW—“Love A Woman”.  Wow, have I missed that he can play the piano?!  His facial expressions are killing me….looks like he’s overdue for his pain medication.  Eeekkk, missed some notes in the middle.  Not looking good for Matthew.  I’m gonna have to throw him in the bottom three.  Judges agree it’s not one of his best performances.

 

DANNY—“Endless Love”.  Ok, I’m shouting from the rooftop that he is my FAVORITE!  And I suspect he will do this song a little more justice than my college buddies did it karaoke style.    He sang it with heart and I liked it.  I don’t think it was his strongest performance, but I’m a dedicated fan.  The judges liked it but thought he could have done more to make it his own. 

 

Kris-“Falling Slowly”.  I’m admitting I have no idea what song this is (I clearly don’t get out much).  *YAWN*  *Snore*  Zzzzzzz……*drool*  I think I need some caffeine.  Randy faulted him for picking and obscure song and Kara loved it.  I’m screaming “NEXT!”

 

TV TIMEOUT.  Can I just interject here: 

Creepy Burger King + Spongebob  +  Sir Mix-A-Lot  =  HUGE Commercial Failure

 

TIME IN.

 

Lil Rounds—“The Rose”.  Girlfriend is bringing some soul to the stage tonight.  WOW!  She is doing great, I think.  Paula loved her and Simon shot sweet Lil down. 

 

 

 

There were a lot of good performances tonight.

 

Top 3:  Allison, Adam and Danny

Bottom 3: Kris, Matthew, Anoop

Going home:  Kris

 

Whatcha’ think, AI peeps?!  For more reviews on the Top 7 head on over to BooMama’s house HERE.

Easter Weekend, GRITS style

 

Phew….raise you hand if your weekend was too short?!

You can’t see me but I am raising my hand WiLdLY!!!

 

My folks got to come down for the weekend and the kids were pretty excited to see Yaya and Papa. 

We did our usual egg dying routine which resulted in the slightly permanent pink staining of the Princess’ fingers.  I don’t really enjoy the mess of the egg dying, but it’s a must do.

The highlight of Saturday night the kids and I made Resurrection Cookies.  I found the recipe HERE on the Internet last year.  It is a wonderful activity to share with children the true meaning of Easter.  Sorry, I didn’t share it with you sooner, but you will want to bookmark it for next year.

 

 

This morning we removed our cookies from our “tomb”.

 

 

And the middle of the cookies are hollow, representing the empty tomb!

 

 

 

Here are a few more photos from our wonderful Easter day:

 

 

Papa helping Lego-Man with is tie.

 

 

The Easter kids.

 

 

 

The kids with Yaya and Papa.

 

 

 

Happy Easter from the GRITS family!

 

 

 

Or, as we Greek folks say on Easter:

 

Christos Anesti – Christ is risen!

Alithos Anesti -  He is risen indeed!

SFMTY—OH YES I DID!

 

Welcome back to another edition of Marcy’s Thursday Blog Carnival.  To join in the fun, click the linky party button above for the guidelines.

 

What I consider the photo opportunity of a lifetime occurred this past weekend at my big college “blast to the past” reunion.

 

This week I present you two photos.  Both taken 20 years apart. 

 

In them, you will find:

1. the same exact person
2. in the same exact same position
3. doing the exact same thing.

 

 

 

I present my dear friend, AC, in 1989 (or there about):

 

 

 

 

May I present to you my dear friend, AC, in 2009:

 

 

 

 

*snicker* *snort* 

Tell me THAT wasn’t fate!  I agreed I would not post these on facebook.  She never said anything about my blog! 

 

For more photos that have never graced the pages of any scrapbook or facebook album, click on over the the Glamorous Marcy’s blog HERE.

News of the Weird

 

You’ve all seen these news reports…. cRaZY stories that make you sit there with your mouth wide open.

 

I saw this story on the Today Show this morning:

 

 

 

 

And if that wasn’t crazy enough…. has anyone else seen this website:

 

 

 

Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is!! 

 

How funny is it the site is sponsored by CHARMIN?!  As a complete bathroom germophobe, I would like to see Purell link up as a sponsor partner!  Thankyouverymuch. 

FYI, in my book ALL bathrooms fit into the SQUAT category.  TMI, I know.  I’m just sayin’.   Just keeping it real.

So, if you are interested in knowing how bathrooms in your area rate, click on the box above.   Or, even better, you can download this as an application on your iPhone or Blackberry….AND you can follow them on twitter (whatever that means).

American Idol Live, Top 8

Welcome back to another week of American Idol live blogging, brought to you by BooMama.

Tonight the Top 8 performers will be singing songs written from the year they were born. Wow, I’m sure I will be feeling my age by the time this is all over with.

We’ve got the cuteness started here with baby photos of the judges and Ryan. Let me just say my Home Dawg, Randy was rockin’ the bow tie back in the day.

Let’s get this party started:

Danny Gokey—the oldest performer tonight…..yea, umm, I was in 7th grade when he was born. He chose to sing “Stand By Me”. It started off a bit slow for me, but he rocked it at the end. Top reviews from the judges. WOO, Danny!!

Kris Allen—How funny that his aspiration was to be a Taxi cab driver. He’s singing “All She Wants to Do Is Dance”. Shriek. Oh my. Stop the madness. He’s killing me! Fortunately it’s probably not too late to become a Taxi cab driver. NEXT! Bottom 3 material, for sure!

Lil Rounds—Well, America we have clarification on her name. Lil is short for Lillian, her grandmother’s name. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” HOLY MOLY at the studded stilettos. The girl can seriously work the skin tight ensemble WITH those shoes. The judges thought she was just ok and her song choice could have been better.

Anoop Desai—You mean to tell me this guy is still here singing?! Woop, represent the year I graduated from High School. Ahem. Singing “Your True Colors”. Zzzzzz. *snore* Oh dear, the judges loved it. Moving on.

Scott MacIntyre—He’s gonna give us a little Survivor with “The Search is Over”. He’s also broken out the guitar tonight. Well, he was just ok for me….and the judges as well. I’m gonna also predict he goes to the bottom three.

Allison Iraheta--Here’s the baby of the group, born in 1992. Ahem, my grad school years. She’s singing Bonnie Rait’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. Is it just me or does anyone else find it awkard to hear a 16 year old sing about turning the lights down, etc?? And what is with the Strawberry Shortcake hair color?! The judges liked her. She’s not my style.

Matt Giraud—Keeping it real in the angel costume, folks. He’s singing “Part Time Lover”. He’s dressed like Ryan from High School Musical. I am not digging his twist on this song. But I probably don’t know what I am talking about. Oops, clearly the judges think he hung the moon. Next!

Adam Lambert--Okey dokey. My daughter is getting a big kick out of his statement “I like to play dress up”. Moving on. His song choice, “Mad World”. The hubby has suddenly taken an interest in the show since this song was sung by Tears for Fears. Well, I guess Simon’s standing ovations speaks volumes. And to top it off, my husband’s facebook status just changed to “thinks weird Adam just KILLED that song!”

And with that I will have to shut this thing down.

Bottom three: Kris, Anoop, Scott

My favorite: Danny (hey, it’s MY blog)

Leaving: Scott (but I’m hoping Anoop)

Head on over to BooMama’s for more Idol recaps HERE.

Blast to the Past

 

I had the privilege of spending this past weekend with a group of people that I have known and loved for a little over 20 years now.

It seems like yesterday all our paths converged on a little Baptist women’s college here in Alabama.

 

 

God chose Judson to bring us all together and our time there sealed our bonds of friendship forever.

This weekend was just like any other get together, we picked up right where we left of last time. The weekend was full of laughter, singing and picture taking!

Did I mention there was singing??? We got our weekend started with a little Karaoke on Friday night. We ROCKED the Bed and Breakfast we rented.

And somehow I got us all started with “Hit me with your best shot” to which those are the only words I know of that song…..oh and “fire away”.

I’d also like it duly noted Teresa and I gave a rousing rendition of “I’ve Got You Babe” as well as “We Didn’t Start the Fire”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent most of Saturday on Judson’s campus reminiscing and visiting other friends from our college days. Again there was a lot of squealing, laughing, and photo taking.

I must say one of the highlight’s of the day was a little project named Operation Flat Tasha, who was the brain child of our friend Peggy. Tasha is one of our dear friends who lives in Oklahoma and was unable to attend, but look how she came to campus:

 

Just like Flat Stanley, if any of you are familiar with that story. We took pictures with Flat Tasha ALL over campus. She was the hit of the day….people we asking us what we were doing and they all loved the idea (props to Pegs).

Here are a few photos from the day:

 

My chemistry professor, Dr. Williams

 

 

I taught Kristin horseback riding lessons when she was ten! She is now a wonderful mother of two.

 

 

Judson’s two infamous bloggers. Me and my blogging mentor, Teresa of Livin’ the Wood Life.

 

 

 

Besides visiting with all my friends, another highlight of the day was this:

This plate of goodness would be called French Silk Pie. It has been a Judson tradition since before my time. And it was just as good as ever.

 

 

 

Ok, this photo is significant because it is riddled with controversy! This handsome young gentleman would be the Biology professor of the college. I spent MANY hours with this man in lectures and lab classes. Did I mention HOURS!!

The beautiful young lady in the photo, once again is my college bff Teresa. She received her B.A. in music from Judson. Oh, and she was crowned Miss Judson in 1988.

During our lovely luncheon, I spotted Dr. Wilson and he waved and he proceeded to come back around to our table for a hug and photo op….. with TERESA! Did I mention the only reason she ever graced the science building during our college years was for movie night on the weekends or to visit yours truly—who spent HOURS in the science building.

(Teresa KNEW I would throw this in)

 

day at Judson ended with a traditional step-sing of Judson songs. It’s always the highlight of our day!

 

 

 

This year we decided to spend Saturday night too, for one more day of visiting. We spent the evening with more friends at their B&B and, again, spent a lot of time talking and laughing. Before leaving, we each shared our story of how we chose Judson those many years ago. Amazingly, many of our stories were very similar….and it was a “God thing”.

 

 

 

 

 

We had a lazy Sunday morning and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at our B&B:

 

 

 

French toast, poached eggs, ham, and fresh fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the time for just one more photo before we all went our separate ways again.

 

 

From the words of one of our Judson songs:

“Time made a place for us, we turned at it was gone.

Now though our days are through, the memory lingers on.”

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends

--“Friends” by Michael W. Smith