American Idol-Top 6

I'm working on finishing the update on the state of our health but tonight is Idol. Totally more important, right?

I love Shania Twain and I think she'll be a great mentor. I'm looking forward to some great music! Her songs are ones that I love to hear in the car by myself-so I can blast it and sing at the top of my lungs.

Lee-You're Still the One- What a great song for Lee. He hasn't really done a ballad and this fits his personality and voice just right. He changed it just right.

Mike-It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing- I really love Mike, and feel that he should be here, but enough already with the ballads? They're just kinda boring to me now. Yes, he feels it, yes, he's connected, I'm just over it.

Casey-Don't- (Odd that the guys are going first...) I thought it was solid. Great look, great voice, great song. Like the country-ish vibe. Honest. Great job.

Crystal-No One Needs To Know- The bluegrass in this is definitely different for Crystal. As much as I like it, I think it was one of her weaker performances. It started out really shaky vocally but ended better. Even mediocre she is still the best on the show.

Aaron-You've Got A Way- Bless his heart. He had a mess of off notes tonight and I'm finding him very hard to believe as a 17 year old. I'm afraid that this may be his last performance. (Ok, I guess I'm in the minority here.)

Siobhan-Any Man Of Mine- Ouch. Way too slow. And a few really bad notes. (Oops! Did you see Shania trying not to grimace?) And the shriek at the end? I believe that just bought her a plane ticket back home.

Tops: Lee and Casey

Bottom: Aaron and Siobhan

What do you think?

Head on over to Sophie's place for more Idol talk....

Catching Up

To re-cap:  Almost a month ago the madness began with HB#1 having bronchitis and HD's shoulder surgery. Then, about a week later, the real fun began.....

On a Sunday, I sent HD to urgent care because he had been coughing a lot and he thought he had a little more than a cold. A z-pack later we thought all was behind us. Oh how wrong we were!

He stayed home from work on Monday and Tuesday thinking that a little bit of rest would help and by Wednesday he was mentally ready to go back to work. Problem was that he wasn't getting any better. I even started to give him #2's asthma medicine because he couldn't stop coughing. He was able to get into a nurse at his doctors' office and she started him on another antibiotic and some cough medicine. Great news, right? Oh, this was also the week that HB#2 got sick and also started on antibiotics. Fun times!

Not so fast. HD started the second antibiotic on Thursday but by Friday night he still wasn't better.. I offered to take him to the ER so we could get a chest x-ray and find out exactly what was going on but he decided to wait until morning so he could talk to the on-call doctor and decide what to do then. When we finally got a call back we were told to go back to the urgent care and get them to take a chest x-ray. Long story and 4 hours later we left but with out the x-ray. Not good.

This whole time, between medicating for the shoulder, the coughing fits, cough syrup, and wandering children I didn't get much sleep. Oh yeah! And it was state testing, too, so I typically get up about an hour early so I can start cooking a good breakfast for the boys.

Hold on, Folks, were only a week in and we're only getting started!

To Be Continued.....

A Let-Down Day

Today is shaping up to be one of those days.

We're coming off of 3 weeks of endless hours of pain, coughing, doctors, medicine, moments of exhausted sleep and earlier-than-should-be-legal wake-up calls, testing, cold weather, stuff. You know: LIFE.

And as I sit here staring into the screen of my laptop I feel weepy. Tired. Tired, like I have to go pee but can't peel myself off of the couch to walk the 20 or so steps to get there, tired.

It's cloudy and freezing today, with the occasional sunburst of "Hello! I'm still here!" Sunshine that gives the promise of spring warmth but doesn't actually deliver. The snow creeping down the mountain this morning is proof of that.

I love the rain. I love that it lets us turn the sprinklers off and save a few pennies. I love that it puts the fires at bay for another day. I love watching the water rush down the 'rain chain' near my front porch.

I have so much to say here in this space but the words won't come. Not just yet.

Here's to hoping that they come soon. That they don't dribble out and dry up before the ground is saturated with them. I want the words in puddles to splash in, not like a drought, to ration the drops, to spread them across the web. To fill this space, to grow the weeds of the mind, then able to pluck what is unneeded, toss it aside, and love the flowers that remain.

American Idol- Top 7

See how we just skipped over the week 8 thing? I think that the voters got it right with Andrew and Katie. Someone's gotta go home, right?

So. On to the Inspirational Songs with Alycia Keys. I'm not a big fan of hers but I will be interested to hear what she has to say about the song choices and their interpretations. (Headless Dad likes her. We seem to be in disagreement over so much this season.)

Casey- Don't Stop- Bluesy, nice twist, but there isn't much you can do with this song. Not great, but I love him, he should be safe. Not very flattering comments from the judges. Ouch.

Lee-(Oops. Missed the song title.)   -I'm not feeling this one. Not Lee's greatest performance or vocal. He is good and I don't think he should go. Hmmmm, the judges don't seem to agree with me. Oh well!

Tim-(Missed it again. Sorry.)  -Oh my. He's such a sweet boy, but this song is boring. He may be the one to go this week.

Aaron-I Believe I Can Fly- Aaron's best of the season, and best of the night so far. Really great. It even got Headless Dad's approval.

Siobhan-There Can Be Miracles- Um, what's up with the butterflies wired to her arm? I didn't dig it. I'm really off the Siobhan bandwagon now. (Was I ever on it to begin with?) Randy and Simon had it right. (Ok, can I just say that just because you love a song and think it 'applies' to what you're going through right now does not mean you should sing it on this show. Ahem.)

Michael-Hero- It was good, and a little different from his usual, but it's just 'okay' for me. He'll be safe, I'm sure.

After all of that I have to say that I was not inspired in the slightest by any of these performances tonight. I'm guessing that it's partially because of the shortened song format. Don't like that at all.

Crystal-People Get Ready- Ok, she brought the inspiration. She looks spectacular tonight, cool mic stand, all around perfect.

Best: Aaron and Crystal

Bottom: Siobhan and Tim

Head on over to BooMama's place for more Idol chatter.

Thanks for the support while Headless Dad has been sick! I'll post a full update later in the week, and oy! what a week it's been.

No Change

I hope that we turn a corner soon. This is quite a story.

*sigh*

I hate these posts, too.

But I gotta do it. Headless Dad has an awful case of bronchitis. He's been to the doctor twice. Both boys have had it.

I'm behind with everything. And I'm exhausteddddddd.

Be back soon.

American Idol-Top 9, Take 2

Oh the drama! Beside the fact that my lovely daughter spilled the beans last week when Mike *almost* went home, I was not really that surprised that one of the Big 5 was in the bottom 3. It happens each year that someone that is a favorite goes home earlier than we all want them to. I think that some viewers get lazy and think that their favorite is safe, then forget to vote. Let that be a lesson! (Uh, maybe to me? I rarely vote before the top 5. Oops!)

This will be hard for me tonight, seeing I'm not such the big Adam fan as you might remember from last season. I dig Elvis, but Adam not so much. Although I will say that Vegas is e.x.a.c.t.l.y. the right place for Adam. Let's see how they do, because we have 2 to send home this week, folks, and I take my job berry seriously.

Crystal-I Am Saved- She's great again. I've heard better vocals from her but at this point it's splitting hairs. She's the best, n'est pas?

Andrew-Hound Dog- Actually I agreed with Adam on his assessment of this song. He needed to give it a lot more punch than he did. I liked the direction, but not necessarily the outcome. Good try, but I'm afraid that he may not be able to recover from this.

Tim- I Can't Help Falling in Love- His best performance of the season. The song is perfectly suited for him: innocent, simple, heart-felt. He really rocked the guitar, too. This is the reason he has made it this far. Well done. (The judges agree! Honest to pete, I wrote all of that before the judges spoke.) Sidenote: Headless Dad thought it was awful and boring. Hmmm.

Lee-A Little Less Conversation- Again, another perfect song choice. HD loves this guy, and so do I. Rockin' performance, great voice. Good job, Lee!

Aaron-One For The Money- Um, okay? This is one that is pretty 'cruise-ship' for me. It was decent and entertaining, but not in the league of the others.

Siobhan-Suspicious Minds- What is this get up that she's wearing? And did you see her panty lines? Whoops! I really, really hated every minute of this. It was too opera-ish and controlled with her voice and then out of control at the end. Didn't mesh. Sorry, Siobhan, but I think that you could be going this week. Interestingly enough, HD adores her and her innocence. Hmmmmm.

Mike-In The Ghetto- I think this is a perfect song choice for Mike. I also think that he sang it great but I'm not sure that it will be enough to save him. I love, love, love him and hope his fans are on the phone en force tonight.

Katie-Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do?- It was weird...there were actually times in the performance that I thought that she was bored on the stage. Everyone there seemed to like it, though. Don't get me wrong, I like Katie, but she's too young and out of her league. I feel like my kids should be watching her on a Nickelodeon kid-comedy.

Casey-Lawdy Miss Clawdy- (He should have stuck with the stool.) Mmmmmm. He's yummy. Another perfect song choice. I disagree with the judges, but he's certainly safe. (But still get out there and vote!)

Bottom 4 and at risk tonight: Andrew, Aaron, Siobhan, Katie.

Top 3: Crystal, Lee, Casey.

OK, as a PS to my earlier comments about Adam. He turned out to be a really good mentor. He had great comments and suggestions for the kids and delivered them in a nice and non-threatening way. I'm impressed. Well done, Adam.

And I'm done, thankyouverymuch. Head on over to Sophie's place to see what everyone else said!

Sunday Baking

Testing starts this week in our neck of the woods. I usually cook breakfast for the kids each day, but it will be a little easier this week after I made these:

Blueberry Banana Muffins, with the Strudel topping from the Apple Strudel muffins that my family already loves. They turned out delish!

The boys will go to school happy this week! (That is if I can keep their father from eating them all this afternoon.)

Do you have a yummy and/or easy recipe that is nutritious and suitable for the week of testing? Link 'em up!

Words

Words are funny, you know?

Some are sweet, or kind, or angry.

Some have one meaning to one person, and another meaning altogether to someone else. Sometimes that is due to your country of origin, or it can be regional. Sometimes it can even be due to your family of birth or own personal experiences that give words their meaning.

For instance: my father has always called me "Little Girl," and always with his particular Mid-South twang. For me, that's my 'daughter' trigger, a comfortable place. It's different, though, when my husband says it to me. That comfortable feeling flies right out the window and someone who is supposed to be my partner and equal becomes someone that is trying to talk down to me and treat me like a child. (In my husband's defense, when I explained this to him he immediately apologized and hasn't called me that again. Our daughter? Yeah, he still calls her Little Girl and that's ok because she is.)

Slang is a funny thing, too. It has evolved and changed since we were kids. Words that were once taboo in all forms seem to be acceptable all over. Take "crap" for instance. When I was a kid, that was a word that, albeit not the worst word in the book, you certainly wouldn't use with your mother or teacher around. Now? I hear it in sermons. I hear children saying it like we might have said 'darn' in our childhood.

Is that ok? How do you feel about that? Is the shock value just gone or have we gotten to a point where we respect one another so little that we can't use more polite language anymore?

The one that really gets me though is the word "friggin'." Do you think that we don't know what you are saying? That we fell off the truck before we got to that definition? I find it completely offensive when children use it, and don't get me started about when they use it in front of not only adults but their own parents! Honestly, I think I would be less offended if people would just use the actual f-word. It is quite precise in meaning, shock value, and when used properly can be quite effective to punctuate a point.

{It's here where I should insert that, yes, I use the f-word. It's not that I don't use it here for fear of offending some readers, although that is part of it. I'm not being 'unauthentic', it's just not how I choose to express myself here, although if it does creep in one shouldn't be shocked. I was taught that yes, there are better ways of expressing yourself than using that kind of language, especially when it is written down.}

I have stumbled across blogs that, because of the author's frequent use of "frigging" I could not take seriously. These authors have also decorated their blogs with bible verses, buttons for Christian websites, etc. Now, if you heard me talk, you might or might not deduce that I'm a Christian. Believe me, there is no sure fire way to tell what is in a person's heart. However, it seemed to be clear that the authors wouldn't use the 'real' f-word, ever, but yet still have it peppered all through their posts.

Really, do you think that just because you didn't use that word, that it wasn't implied? Really? Do you think that when you use 'friggin' you're not actually cussing because it's not the 'real' f-word?

Come on. Do you really think I'm a fool? Or do you just not care?

There are, obviously, bloggers that use the f-word with reckless abandon. Whether it's 'organic' and really how they talk, or their online persona, or something else, it really doesn't bother me. But don't fool yourself into thinking that you're being polite by using a softer, gentler version of the original.

A wolf is a wolf, even if it's in sheep's clothing.

Wordless Wednesday

One of my favorite shots from our road trip. On the grounds of the Mission Santa Inez.

American Idol-Top 9

Thanks for all of the well wishes last week. The surgery went great, he's feeling better and better each day, and now we just have to get him in to his physical therapist. She's awesome and he should be as good as new in no time!

 

Now on to the show. This week we get to hear the Lennon/McCartney catalog by the kids. Last year was interesting when they did this...Certainly mixed reviews. The songs are difficult, and if you're going to 'change' them then it has to be a home run or it will be awful. I'm looking forward to it!

Aaron-The Long and Winding Road-There were good moments in this...but not very many. I've decided that he enunciates too much when he sings- some of that is good, but too much makes it sound really forced. The judges seem to agree that it wasn't great.

Katie-Let it Be- This is the best she's sounded in weeks. I'm glad for her; she's a sweet girl. It certainly has bought her into next week.

Andrew-Can't Buy Me Love- I kinda like the rockabilly/big band influence in this. He certainly made this "his own,"  just like they always want them to. Not my favorite performance ever, but solid.

Michael-Eleanor Rigby- This is what I meant last week. This is different, interesting, and what he should be doing with each theme, rather than sticking with safe ballads. I totally disagree with Simon on this one.

Crystal-Come Together- Seriously? This show should be renamed the Crystal Bowersox Hour and just let her play for the whole time. This was modern, rockin', and totally excellent. Hands down, the best of the night.

Tim-All My Lovin'-Boring. I'm just not impressed with him. I'm actually wondering how he got this far? I'm sure he's a perfectly nice person, but he's way, way, way out of his league. 

Casey-Jealous Guy- I'm not super fond of this song, (have I ever even heard it before?,) but he is doing a great job. Great emotion, and the guitar picking is really cool. He's safe, for sure!

Siobhan-Across the Universe- "That was really pretty," courtesy of Headless Dad. She did a nice job. It sounded soft and pretty, but like Randy, I thought it was a little sleepy. And, like Kara said, it takes some processing since it was such a departure from her norm.

Lee-Hey Jude- Love. It. The. End. (Um, bagpipes? Okay...) It really sounds like he would do that live in his own concert. Not too much departure from the original, but it was great.

Bottom 2: Tim, Aaron. I'm afraid that it will be Tim's week to go home. There was just too many other great performances for him to slide through this week.

Head on over to Sophie's place to catch more Idol opinion!

What do you call it?

About a month or so ago I was tagged for the bag (Purse? Handbag? Whatever.) meme by Kyooty. Happy to oblige.

1) Various receipts and papers of unknown origin.
2) A baby sock change purse and a few loose coins.
3) My bluetooth that I never use because nobody ever calls me.
4) A fabric thing from Anthropologie that I used as a wallet for my license and credit cards.
5) Various Cub Scout insignia deposited here during an event.
6) Cash for out vacation last week.
7) A glass nail file and 2 packets of Sweet and Low. (Why the Sweet and Low are in there I'll never know. I don't use it.)
8) Calendar. Can't live without it and it must be synched with my wall calendar at home about once a month.
9) Various lipsticks and cuticle cream. Also a lollipop. I don't eat those so, wth?
10) The purse is hand made. My mom bought me at a craft fair last fall when she was visiting. It's really cute, with colored buttons all over. The strap is really long so I can wear it across my shoulder/hip. However, the strap broke and I haven't had the time to fix it yet. Last week when I was in Target I got a new purse and wallet that is so cute! I'll have to post that later because seriously! So cute!

Thanks Mary for the incentive to post something other than my "Oh woe is me" crap. Even if it is a month or so late. If any of you feel like tagging yourself for this leave me the link in the comments so I can come visit!

Driving your kids to school....

...is not really getting out of the house.