How To Wear A Monocle

Important (and also urgent) announcement!

I am exceedingly sorry to have to tell you that it appears as though the paint fumes have gone to the head of the Really Renowned Remodeler of the Smith Family Master Bath.

Last night I wandered innocently into said bathroom to snap a few shots of the progress being made and before I knew it? Insanity had set in.

And I really did nothing to encourage it. Honest!

Steve already had a paint mask sitting on top of his head when I arrived, which is where he keeps it when it’s not actually being used as a mask. And all I did was set my lens cap on the counter. That’s it.

He took it from there.

But I must say that after he and I looked at the pictures I took last night, we had a Very Long Hysterical Laughing Moment. Watch this video and see if the pictures don't affect you the same way.

(I apologize in advance that the photos are not of sterling quality. In my defense I was: 1) standing on a ladder 2) laughing my head off 3) dealing with horrible lighting from a single work light that was perched on the countertop.

But hey, I don’t pretend to be a pro! If I were a pro, I would most likely not be spending my Monday evening in a bathroom with an insane guy!)

NOTE: To watch this full screen, click on the rectangle in the right hand corner of the screen.

Snowy's still not eating.

To cheer myself up, I watched this video. Snowy could have been such a star in this song. (Since he does a lot of singing and talking already.) :-)

Kitchen Harmony

This morning before church, my sister and her husband, along with Steve and I, posed in front of all the many recordings we've done together through the years. It was fun to reminisce about all of our experiences back in the day.

Last night, we did even more than plain reminiscing; we actually did a little singing! After a wonderful pancake dinner that Debbie (and my nephew, Caleb) made, we decided to launch into a little bit of sibling-ish/husband-ish singing.

Although this song is by no means note perfect (ever tried to sing after a really long day and a really big pancake dinner?) it was still fun to create some kitchen harmony. We also performed the song this morning in church, along with a couple other ones.

Now we're all getting ready to settle in with popcorn and watch one of our favorite movies, The Princess Bride.

Sweet times.

Twenty-One.

Today, my (formerly) little boy turns twenty-one.

It's almost impossible for me to grasp that any child of mine could be that old. But he is! He's a real live adult! He's grown! Up!

A couple days before Steve flew out to Florida to be with him, I got the idea of making a retrospective Nathan DVD to send along for Nathan. I wish I'd had the idea a little earlier because I've got a few "holes" in the time line (age wise) and there are a few different photos I would like to have added.

But it's still a line up of pictures that makes me laugh and cry. And be proud.

Note: The presentation is about nine minutes long so you're probably only going to want to watch it if 1) you're a family member OR 2) if you've been hanging around the Smith family's blogs a long time and watched Nathan grow up OR 3) if you just sort of fast forward through it to get the gist of it.

A little later on, I'll post a few memories as well as some still shots of him so even if you don't watch the whole DVD you can still "watch" the oldest Smith Kid grow up.

Depending on your connection speed, you may need to hit "play" and then "pause" and then wait a couple minutes for the whole video to load before watching it.

And one more thing. I love the second song especially (Life Is A Highway), because Nathan has been to 35 states (including Hawaii) and has also been to Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, and Israel. It just seems sorta appropriate for his life!

Meagan Doing Redeemer (re-posted)

A request was made in the Comments section earlier this week asking if I would re-post the video of Meagan (Nathan's girlfriend) performing "Redeemer." The video I posted originally didn't have real great sound quality; I'm hoping that this version (performed at our church in Manteo) does a little better.

There's a little "jump" in the middle of the video since I have a video camera that isn't able to zoom in unless you stop taping for a minute. So I apologize for that bit of "unsmoothness" midway through. (And yes, unsmoothness is a word. I just created it!)

Steve is sitting on the platform behind Meagan as she performs and occasionally, you will see him raise his hands. Just in case you're wondering what that is all about, there's a 60-second theology lesson posted after the video. (And there WILL be a test!)

The lyrics are posted below the video. Enjoy!

REDEEMER

1. Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean, "You can only come this far?"
And who showed the moon where to hide till evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Chorus:
Well, I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives


2. The very same God Who spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory

Chorus:

Now I know, my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know
My Redeemer

Bridge:

He lives
To take away my shame
And He lives
Forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sins
Was the precious life He gave
And now He's alive and
There's an empty grave

And I know
My Redeemer lives, He lives
I know, My Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer lives

THEOLOGY LESSON

The book of Psalms refers many times to raising hands in worship and so many churches make that a part of their worship experience.

And to make the concept a bit more understandable, think about what football fans do when their teams scores a touch down. Hands in the air. Think about the audience's response at a big concert. Hands in the air. Think about your reaction if a criminal sticks his gun in your ribs. Hands in the air.

And so briefly, hands in the air represent worship, exultation, surrender. Simple as that!

Unscrambled Synapses And Friends

Today is The Day. Today is Moving Day. In four hours, one large truck and three large (and strong) guys will pull up in front of our house and start loading mattresses, macaroni and memories.

Are we all done packing? Ha. I think not. I know not. I am quite sure not.

So why am I sitting here at the computer instead of packing a box? Well, it's simply because the packing side of my brain is empty and the writing side of my brain is full. If I pack a box instead of write a post, my brain will tip over to one side and its contents will be redistributed into a morass of muddlement and befuddlement and my snapses will become scrambled which would thereby cause me to never again be capable of writing another post or packing another box.

(Did you get all that? Good.)

The moving company estimates it will take five to six hours to load everything so we'll be getting into Manteo near bedtime. Thankfully, we don't have to sleep in the new house tonight; another dose of chaos is not what my soul currently needs. (We'll spend the night in the cottage we've stayed at over the past two months.)

In the morning, the moving guys will return to unload everything into the new house and THEN real chaos will hit! But at least it will be fun chaos, because we'll be putting things away instead of packing them up. Which is a whole lot more enjoyable.

If I have any unscrambled synapses remaining by that time.

___________________________

Last week, Meagan's family traveled from Florida to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with their extended family who happen to live just twenty miles from our house.

Since we don't get to see the Hawleys as often as we'd like, we invited them over for lunch (homemade soup and rolls), even though we were in the throes of chaotic mayhem of the packing variety.

Usually I have a lovely table set for people coming to eat at our home. However, on Friday, this is what the Hawley family got.


Oh well! While the surroundings weren't lovely, the company sure was.

From left to right:

Meagan, Sarah, Kristen (Meagan's older sister) Frank (Meagan's Dad) Steve, Becky, Sheri (Meagan's Mom) Amanda (a Hawley friend and staff member at their church) and Nathan.





After lunch, Sheri and I sat in the dining room and talked, the younger folks went upstairs and the men repaired to the living room to engage in an important and life-enhancing activity.


Now don't be fooled by the placidity of the pictures you have just seen. Believe me when I tell you that the Hawleys are NOT a placid family. They are full of the zippiest vim and the most energetic vigor you have ever seen.

A case in point would be Nathan's 20th birthday party which we had in September at the Hawley's house in Florida. The following video highlights various versions of the birthday song we performed for the guest of honor. (In addition to the people in the earlier picture, you'll also see Meagan's sister Joy and Joy's husband, John.)

There now. Wasn't that fun?

While I'm still on the subject of the Hawleys, let me just say a word or two about my dear friend, Sheri. She is an incredibly gifted public speaker, writer, and ordained minister; she also co-pastors a church with Frank in Winter Haven, FL.

If you happen to be searching for a far-above-average speaker for a ladies' event, revival meeting, church service or conference, Sheri is the one to call. I have heard her speak in a variety of settings (including our former church in Smithfield) and have never known her to do anything less than stellar job. Sheri is a spiritually sensitive, accomplished and funny speaker who always has something worthwhile to say. (E-mail me at smithellaneous@yahoo.com for contact info.)

To give you a glimpse of her gift with words, click on the link below to read an article she wrote. Is it any wonder Meagan is so wonderful with a mom like Sheri?
Embrace the Grace

Fully Displaying the Rotating Foot ( A Video)

As you know, we had our family Thanksgiving meal on Monday night so that we could launch into Major Packing Mode first thing Tuesday morning.

I've put together a little video of excerpts from the evening but before you watch it, a few explanations are in order.

Usually, we are a moderately polite and relatively refined family and are not prone to putting our feet on the table during any meal, let alone Thanksgiving.

However. The video will reveal to you a momentary lapse into unseemliness and we have only the lovely Miss Meagan to blame for it. She told us that if you stick your foot out and rotate it clockwise and then try to draw a "six" in the air (or on the table), your foot will immediately change its direction and go the other way.

Steve was trying the experiment under the table but no one could see it so, being the helpful sort of fellow that he is, he thought that he would enhance the demonstration by propping his leg on the table so as to more fully display the rotating foot. As the hostess of a meal which included crystal goblets and cloth napkins, I turned a blind eye toward the rotating of the foot and instead concentrated on the laughter of the dinner guests.

Laughter always trumps rotating feet, in my book.

You will also see our tradition of preparing a little Thanksgiving plate for Snowy containing a bit of ham, turkey and sweet potato. In the video, Steve puts the plate on the floor and tells Snowy to "sit" and then "come." You will notice that our highly obedient dog moves a fraction of a second before Steve says to come. Ham always trumps obedience, in Snowy's book.

After the video, you will find a few more Thanksgiving pictures and a question/answer session. Enjoy!

For awhile I had been thinking that I would have to cook our Thanksgiving meal just a couple days before moving and wouldn't have my regular stuff to cook with; however, the way it worked out was great because all of my dishes were still in place, since we had the meal so early.

We did, however, have a few "collisions" of packing and Thanksgiving-ing. On the right side are the dishes for the meal. On the left side are the dishes to be packed and the big ol' roll of packing tape.

Getting the goblets ready for the table.

Nathan and Meagan did the wishbone.

Our wish for you is a Thanksgiving filled with, well, thanksgiving!

__________________________

Note on Nathan: He is due to return his heart monitor to the doctor later this afternoon. They'll send a report to him once they study the results.

________________________

The (very logical) question was asked: Why did Meagan need a sound check when she was doing a song with sign language?

The answer has two parts:

1. Meagan wanted to see how the music on the soundtrack sounded on the platform coming through the stage monitors. Was it going to blast her out? Be too soft? Also, the sound man needed to hear what level to set it at for it so that it would sound good to the congregation.

2. In addition, she just wanted to go through a few lines of the song and do some of her signs just to get comfortable in the "space" up there and not have to walk up there cold.

Great question!

_________________________

The question was also asked recently what the inspiration was for the name Smithelleneous. Actually, when I was desperately looking for a name for this blog, our friend Pam suggested Smithellany. I loved the idea, switched it to Smithellaneous and voila! The blog was named.

_______________________

I mentioned last week that my computer was having some issues and was on its last leg. (It's a 7-year old computer and I understand that lap tops usually have a lifespan of 3-5 years.) So I thought old age was settling in. But for whatever reason, the problems seem to have worked themselves out and the computer is working a bit better this week. Yay! And hooray!

______________________

I wrote a week or two ago that someone had viewed the house and seemed very interested in in it. We heard from our realtor this week who said that couple is vacillating between which of two cities to move to; if they move to Smithfield, our house is definitely high on their list. So we wait!

_____________________

And now it's on to home school and pack. And pack. And pack some more. I think I'd be packing in my sleep if I weren't so tired.

Home Is Not A House, But A Feeling (A Video!)

Today.

Today is the day that starts the beginning of the end of our chapter here in Smithfield.

Today, I will cook our last Thanksgiving dinner in this house. (We're having it a few days early because family is in town.) I will unpack from yet another trip to Manteo. Today I will do home school with Sarah. I will start (seriously) packing boxes. Today, I will start to dismantle and unravel the pieces of our life in this house.

I will pack up memories and box up five years of yesterdays. I will spend way too much time wandering in circles, wondering what I should do next, wondering what I should be doing that I'm not and wondering what I should be remembering that I'm forgetting.

Today, I will laugh a lot (having family in town tends to do that) and may even shed a nostalgic (or overwhelmed) tear or two.

I will eat too much Thanksgiving dinner and I will be thankful for Thanksgiving dinner to eat too much of.

Today I will count my blessings and divide my sorrows and try to figure out how to fit five oven dishes in a "four oven dish" oven. I will hug my son and be happy he's home. I will step on my underfoot dog a few thousand times while cooking. (But I still won't ban him from the kitchen.)

Today, I will be glad for home. Because as the video says, "Home is not a house, but a feeling."


Enjoy watching five years of memories.

A Video Reprised

I ran across this video that I posted about a year and a half ago on Sarah's Site. I changed it around a little but it still makes me smile whenever I watch it.

A Video! And Addendums to a Recipe!

I finally got the technical details of Sarah's and my video worked out and have posted it below. Let me introduce it by saying that Sarah did the graphics and also came up with its title which is, "Be-Coating the Dog." That title is a perfect example of her quirky thought process. It's sure nice to have my own personal video assistant in the house.

The day before we shot this video, Snowy was all shivery and had very happily submitted to having his little coat put on. Well, on the day of the video, he was also shivery but he decided he would have a little fun with us and outsmart us in the "Be-Coating the Dog" exercise. As you will see at the end--he won. But all three of us had a lot of fun in the process.

Steve was "on call" last night and only had to get up one time, at 3 am, to do Dog Duty. After Snowy had gone outside, he went into a "I Need to Lick and Scratch" frenzy, which of course, he couldn't do because of Ye Olde Cone.

The poor guy. I'm sure his stitches are itching terribly and in addition to that, he can't even scratch his ear in good doggy fashion. We'll find out tomorrow or Friday if his stitches can come out; as soon as they do, the cone will be gone. Oh happiest of happy days!

Also, let me just mention that there were a couple variations sent to me concerning the recipe I posted yesterday. I'm going to add those changes to that actual post so all of that info stays together.

And one more thing--Lisa from Georgia asked how she could find the video of Sarah that was posted last year so she could show it her 7th grade Science Class.

Lisa, you can go to YouTube and search for "Sarah Smith"+cancer. You'll find the video but the music no longer plays. You may just want to put a CD on to play during the presentation. Thanks for sharing Sarah's story!

Okay, now it's time to get home school started and to take my turn snuggling with Snowy. It's a rough life but someone's gotta do it!

Enjoy the video. Enjoy your day!

Momentary, Temporary, Transitory Fit of Goofiness

Since yesterday's post was all serious and somber, I thought I'd do a complete change of pace and post a video! Of Nathan! Making funny noises! And acting goofy!

Is that "change of pace" enough for ya?

When I asked for his permission to post the video he said, "But Mom, the people who watch it will think that's how I am all the time. They'll think I'm some sort of a goofball."

So I am hereby here to tell you that Nathan is not a goofball all of the time--just most of the time!

Actually, he really doesn't act goofy all that much, which is why it was especially fun to capture his momentary, temporary, transitory fit of goofiness on video.

A Family Video: Reprised

A Sarah and Snowy Video

Thanks for watching my non Speilberg-esque efforts as I figure out the mysteries of video. Even though the video is about a whole lot of nothin,' I had great fun doing it.