G is for . . .

Good Grief  am I behind ~  Life has Gotten in the way of  bloGGinG. ForGive me for not stopping by and commentinG. I will fill you in soon on all the happeninGs. . .

In the mean time: G is for little Girls and Good Friends and an afternoon filled with bakinG, playinG and happy, happy Grins

ABC Wednesday

the Artist

On this Fabulous Friday we are redefining the finer things in life while we embrace every moment in the Studio of our Lives. . .

As my brother Bill , master carpenter, cabinet maker, general contractor,

Artist

examines 

measures 

guides 

and molds every piece of wood 

that he hand selected for the fine cabinetry that may have only been part of a dream turned into reality for the homes he builds and the lives he touches as only an artist can. 

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Playing along with: 

Fabulous Friday

 finer things in life

 In the Studio

F ~ is for . . .

 Friendship, guidance, and holding on tight.


ABC Wednesday

the Economist in my house

Okay, It's time you knew. I have kept this secret long enough.  I have to come clean on this one.  You are my friends right? You won't judge me to harshly.  

Will you???

I mean you put up with my bad spelling, my poor grammar and my rambling thoughts. So I thought I should just tell you.  

I have this son that's, well. . . a little strange.  

He likes. . . lectures A LOT! He likes economics as much as he likes lectures. Strangely enough, he likes lectures and economics together. . . at the same time. 

Okay, yeah, there is more. 

He like lectures and economics enough to  win a scholarship to study economics in a lecture setting for. . . 12 hour days. . . for a week. 

I know! 


A  whole week. 7 days . . . 12 hours a day.

I have tried with this kid, I really have. But, he thrives on lectures and economics. . .at the same time.  He tells me, "because I have home schooled him he knows how to think. . .for himself." 

 "Wait a minute!" "I did that?" Huuu???

So here we are, I have an economist in the house. Not just any economist, we have an Austrian Economist.  Most particularly, I am talking a Ludwig von Mises Institute school of economics economist. AND that's a mouth full! 


I am telling you, Matthew studies and studies and studies this thing. He reads books that are bigger then. . .I don't know. . .a dictionary about this stuff.  He really finds it all very interesting. 



He fills me up with the things he has learned. I listen and think. . .could he be right? Does he really know what he's talking about? and then I hear the things he says on the news about: the way things are going in this great country of ours and what needs to be done and why our government won't do them.  

It's quite overwhelming. 

And I think. . . well, maybe an Economist in the house is not so bad. There are days I get to call him "my son sunshine" because of the gloominess of his tone. "My Son Sunshine" tells me all about why the FED is bad and what really needs to be done in our government. . .to make things work again for all of us and why our government won't do them. 

And, sometimes I just have to say to him. . .

"STOP!" 

"I can't take it anymore!" I know! Doom and Gloom. The FED is bad. . . Our government is corrupt, Congress violates the Constitution with nearly every new bill they enact.   We all get it! " 

" Ron Paul rules! "

and then I'll lovingly say: 

"Matthew tell me this?  

Why did you have to learn so much about the constitution?" 

"Why didn't you just pretend to read it like the other kids do?" 

So,  my oldest son, Matthew, the son I home schooled for nine years, won a scholarship to the  Ludwig von Mises Institute at Auburn University with an essay that he wrote. The scholarship paid for everything from his food, to his room and board,  to the lecture classes that was all about economics. All Matthew had to do was get to Atlanta Georgia the very same weekend Mark got out of the hospital. 

His bag were packed and Matthew and I  drove the 176 miles to the Atlanta Airport. 

We talked about how very nerves he was about going to a place where he didn't know a soul. We talked about how proud his father and I are of him for doing this all on his own.  We talked about how excited he was to meet his idols and learn more about this subject that he loved. . . and maybe, just maybe Ron Paul would be there. 

Matthew went to Auburn and the school of economics with the hopes and dreams that only a 19 year old could. He learned, and he studied , and he studied and he learned. He called  me three times a day to share the things he had learned and to tell me how excited he was to be there. He told me who he had met and how brilliant the "average" person was  at the institute that week. Matthew talked about what was said and what he already knew to be true. He talked about his hopes for the future. . .if only the government of today would listen.  .  . and stop thinking about. . .well, themselves and who's pockets they are in. 

 

When Matthew came home, he was not only a week older and wiser,  he was "intoxicated" from the all the knowledge that was swimming around in his head. He was tired from the long week of lectures and note taking. He was full from his week of listening to arguments and debates from the people he had only read about and admired from afar.   For weeks now, Matthew has been filling us up with von Mises  ideas for the world and the things he wants to become. He told me how he wants to fight for what is right. . .and how he can't wait to go back to "the Institute" next year and learn and study and listen for a week  and those 12 hour days   of more studying, learning and growing. AND just maybe just maybe Ron Paul will be there. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." 


Benjamin Franklin 

Playing along with: 

Unknown Mami

 Ni Hao Yall

Fresh Mommy 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My 3 Boybarians

Communal Global

New Beginnings

On this Fabulous Friday we are redefining the finer things in life while we embrace every moment in the Studio of our Lives. . .

As Karen celebrates her new beginning and she redefines her life. . .

 

as the new girl on the block. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Playing along with: 

Fabulous Friday

 finer things in life

every moment

 In the Studio

Getting Old

The other day she said, 

"I'm old mommy."  "You see, I'm five now. That's very old." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life.  "Why," I answered without a thought, "now."  ~David Grayson

Playing along with: 

Unknown Mami

 Ni Hao Yall

Fresh Mommy 

Tomorrow

On this Fabulous Friday we are redefining the finer things in life while we embrace every moment in the Studio of our Lives. . .

Things are moving almost faster then I can keep up. The children are growing by leaps and bounds. Life is moving. . .  School is starting again soon and then I'll really be busy. 

I have so much to tell you. . .Tomorrow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Playing along with: 

In the Studio 

 finer things in life

Fabulous Friday

Maybe It's just me

I have read that sometimes you can see a person's soul in a black and white photo. 

I don't know, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm looking to hard. . .  Maybe I just know him that well. 

But you know what? I think I can see his soul here.  

I see a young man that works hard and puts everything he has into most things he does. I see beauty and kindness and just a little bit of his wild side.  .  . All in this photo.

Maybe it's just me. But, that's what I see. 

ABC Wednesday

Black and White Wednesday

A Lesson in Friendship

It seems strange to me I'm just getting around to posting again after letting another two weeks go by.  Things are settling down around here but, I guess sometimes things like these just take a while. 

So the short story today is: I heart faces is holding another photo contest. The theme for this contest is Friendship.  As we all know, friendship comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. You just never know where you'll find it. 

 When I think of friendship, I can't help but think of Tommy. He's the hippy on the right. The man with the bandanna around his head, holding the red cup.  Tommy is my brother George's friend.  He has been around for. . . well. . .I guess, forever. The other guy in this photo, holding the yellow cup, is my brother George's son. . .Little, Bigger George, as I loving call him. 

 The  one thing I always think of when I see Tommy is how genuine he is. What you see is what you get: a true, loyal friend. 

 I will never forget the action Tommy took when our father died. He cut his hair, shaved, bought himself a suit, arrived at the mortuary early, before any of us got there and waited outside for his friend George.  

Tommy told me that night. . . when I saw him standing there waiting: "I don't want anyone of you walking in there alone tonight. Your father was better to me then my own father and I will always be grateful for that."  In his kindness, Tommy offered to walk in with me because, Mark had gone to be with my mother. I told Tommy I would be okay, I had my kids with me and then I remember Tommy saying; "I'm just going to wait right here for George. . . so I don't miss him and he doesn't have to walk in alone. " and my heart filled with love that night. . . and I'll never forget the lesson in friendship a man named Tommy taught me without even trying the night of October 2, 2009.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

52 weeks of happiness

My 3 Boybarians

Communal Global