God Save Our Queen

God save our gracious Queen,
long live our nobel Queen,
God save our Queen.....
Sung by Canadians Everywhere ~ or is it??

We saw an ad for a 3D special on Queen Elizabeth on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) and I begged my husband to go to the post office and get our free 3D glasses ~ which he did reluctantly :)

I say to my son (16), it's going to start, come watch it.

Why he says?  Why would I watch that ~ she's not my Queen.

*GASP*  What??

She's not my Queen Mom, she's England's Queen ~ and we are Canada.

In shock I say Josh she's been Canada's Queen since before I was born ~

Mom, we left England a long time ago ~ and she's the Queen of England ~ not Canada.

Josh, have you heard of the commonwealth?  We're a part of it, and she may not have the authority she once had in Canada but she's still our Queen.

No she's NOT!!

Josh how can you say that?  Do you not sing God Save The Queen??

NO...I haven't even heard of that song...never mind sing it.

My husband and I simultaneously burst into song

God save our gracious Queen
long live our nobel Queen
God save the Queen

He has his hands over his ears begging us to stop

but we keep going :)

send her victorious

happy and glorious

long to reign over us

God save the Queen

not because we like the song ~ but we love to torture our 16 year old ;)

The more we talked about it, the angrier I got...

Josh telling us that the Queen is nothing more than a rich woman who sits on her ass and rakes in more money.

That she is not Queen of Canada....

So I go online and I read from Wikipedia about the Queen's role in Canada ~

Josh says ~ oh yea mom, and everything you read online is true...

Now I'm raising my voice....she IS Queen of Canada and she IS your Queen!
Look at any Canadian coin ~ who's face is on the *heads* side??
Queen Elizabeth...

Who's face is on some dollar bills?? ~ Queen Elizabeth..

Who's gets on live TV every Christmas morning and wishes us a Merry Christmas and tells  us the outlook for the year ahead?? Queen Elizabeth....

Who's portrait is hanging in all government buildings and if he goes into the office at school I'd bet he'd see a picture of her there too??  Queen Elizabeth

Why does Canada have a national holiday on May 24th?? To celebrate Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

After all of this info ~ all this talk ~ you know what Josh says to me??

OK mom, stop ~ I'll ask my socials teacher tomorrow ~ before every class he asks "Does anyone have any questions about Canada?"

WHAT?? My word isn't good enough??

Then he disappeared and Ray and I watched the 3D show...which was quite interesting most of it shot in 1953 when she was coronated to be Queen.

Tracey & Ray in their cool 3D glasses ;)

I know he's young, but I find it all very say sad that he and his generation are missing out on all the excitement of the pomp and circumstance.  I'll never forget staying up all night watching in awe as Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married.


He came home today and the first thing I ask him ~ so what did your socials teacher say??

Well, I didn't ask he says shyly, not looking at me

Why not? I boldly ask ~

He looks me straight in the eye and says with a huge grin on his face ~ because today he didn't ask if anyone had any questions about Canada.....

You're a chip off the ol' block Josh, a chip off the ol' block ;)

Even Winston wanted to see HIS Queen in 3D :)

Skip a Rope

Skip a rope skip a rope listen to the children while they play
Ain't it kinda funny what kids all say skip a rope.....
Sung by: Jimmy Dean




I have a 16 year old ~ For the most part he's a great kid/teen/man.  He has his moments and I find it quite interesting how he can say the smartest thing one minute and the dumbest the next.

For a couple years he was *between* kid and teen and I think he used this state to his full advantage.  One minute he's telling me he is old enough to do this and then the next not old enough to do that..... I'd remind him that just 2 days ago he was telling me one thing, and now he's telling me the other.

We'd hear an off colored story on TV or on the radio and he'd giggle ~ and I'd question him ~ what is funny about that??  I wanted to see if he was laughing because he heard me laugh or if he actually got the humor of it ~ I quickly stopped quizzing him, realizing he was getting the humor.

I'll never forget how we sat and watched Shrek, a movie we'd both watched together numerous times ~ and he turned to me and said ~ HEY, when did they put that in there??  Meaning an innuendo geared for adults, so they can watch these shows with their kids and stay focused and interested in it. I laughed and said Josh it's always been there ~ you were just too young to get it.  And then I watched as he listened to it more closely, making sure he didn't miss more of the adult humor.

Lately I've noticed he's started to pepper his conversations with swear words ~ nothing serious or terribly bad, but swear words all the same ~ damn, ass and pissed off are big ones these days and I let he use them but once and awhile I've had to let him know that's enough ~ he's crossed the line. How much you let him venture out and how much you have to rein him in, sort of like flying a kite.
We're a very open family, he can and does talk to me about anything ~ but from time to time I let him know it's inappropriate to talk like that..

Once and a while we laugh and comment at a story we heard and it gets way off track and goes too far and I stop and wonder ~ should I be talking and laughing like this with my son?? It's that very fine line ~ but don't you eventually have to give up being a parent and become his friend? It's all very weird and sometimes uncomfortable, and I have to Say OK, OK STOP ~ I'm your mom, not your buddy and please don't say anymore.

I remember being 16 and in some ways I was so much older than Josh is at 16 and in some ways I was not as mature as he is at 16 and I was definitely not as smart as he is at 16.  It was a different time and world ~ I didn't grow up with computers in the house, and TV's in every room, never mind being able to rewind, fast forward or even record that TV.  And speaking of TV ~ I can remember like it was yesterday the first time I heard the word *bitch* on a TV show and it wasn't beeped out!! I remember being shocked and wondering if I really heard it ~ now they say much worst than that and no one blinks an eye.

I know he will grow into a good man ~ he will make his mistakes and do stupid things and get into trouble he shouldn't be in ~ but didn't we all? Isn't that life lessons and learning how to play the game?  I know I did and I'll be the first to admit, I'm a SLOW learner ~ the lesson will bang me upside the head time and time again ~ but once I get it, I get it.  I just hope and pray he gets it quicker than I did!

Love you Josh ~
Mom

Talking In Your Sleep

You've been talking in your sleep,
sleeping in your dreams......
Sung by Crystal Gayle




America's Got Talent ~ oh yes it does....


Last night was the finale of America's got talent and we all watched with bated breath.  I was so hoping Michael Grimm would win 

~ he has a fantastic voice and I'll be in line to buy his CD when it's available.  

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Jackie Evancho was wonderful ~ what grace and composure for a 10 year old!! When I was 10 I couldn't tie my own shoe laces!!

I know that song is coming out of her, but I still have a hard time believing it is.... As much as I liked her, I didn't want her to win ~ now hang on a minute before you start screaming!!!  I think putting her on a stage with a Vegas contract would be a mistake for the parents of a 10 year old to do.  She has her whole life ahead of her, let her be a kid ~ there are too many horror stories out there about child prodigies and I'd rather see her older and with some life experience on stage singing opera than a 12 year old crack addict.

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Fighting Gravity, are so talented, and you just know they are inking their names on a Vegas contract as I'm typing this....they are so different, and so in sync they make it look flawless. 

My one question is ~  Can they keep it fresh and interesting enough to keep our interest through a Vegas show?  I'd go and see them ONCE...but then I've seen them and wouldn't go back again and again ~ the way I would with a singer I love to listen to.

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Prince Poppycock ~ what can I say?  I loved him....he is a consummate performer.  I only liked him until the night he did the Queen medley and then I LOVED HIM....he would be a huge hit in Vegas.

People would go and see him again and again and again.  The last night he performed on the show, I felt exactly the same way Piers did ~ he'd taken it all including himself too seriously and should have kept it light and fun....I know, I know Piers apologized the next night, but I'm not ~ I don't want to see him all serious and uptight....



A funny side note about Price Poppycock ~ the night that the show pictured above was shown, I was awaken at 3 in the morning by my husband who has a habit of talking, shouting, arguing, whispering and now singing in his sleep ~ it went something like this....


HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy.....


When you read the HUMMMMM above picture a music teacher humming after blowing her pitch pipe...and then he sang the next line at full bore.


I about lost it ~ I have NEVER laughed so hard in my life.....I had to get up to go to the bathroom, I thought I was going to pee the bed.....


The next morning, I ask him and of course like he always does, he tells me he doesn't remember a thing...
Yea, OK Ray....a likely story babe :) 

I Wanna Talk About Me.....

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you you you you, usually, but occasionally
I wanna talk about meeeeee....

Sung by Toby Keith



Why does everyone decide to grocery shop on late Sunday afternoon when I need to prepare  for the busy week ahead ~ lunches, dinners, etc... ~ dammit I forgot to pick up something way back in aisle 3 and have to go back.....

I have to make sure I have enough to feed us for the week cause if you know me at all (and I know not many of you do;) the ONE thing I HATE is to stop at a grocery store after work!

I live in a city of 300,000 people ~ give or take ~ and I don't buy into today's society with the "it's all about ME and what I'm doing and screw YOU and what you're doing" attitude ~ I really don't, I'm a very giving and caring person, and I'd like to think we can work this out.  I don't even want to have the whole store to myself ~ how boring would that be?  I'd just like to *suggest* that 1/2 of you stay home until I finish ~ just think, if you stayed home while I shopped, I would be done faster, and I'd be home while you shopped. It's a win ~ win situation and we'd both be able to enjoy our shopping experience better.

I'm just saying.... :)

Here We Go Again.....

...I've been there before
And I will try it again
Any fool, any fool knows
That there's no no way to win
Here we go again......

Sung by Ray Charles/Nora Jones

This isn't the first, second or even eighth time I've started to blog and I'm sure you noticed the date on my last post.....oh, I had every good intention when starting each one to faithfully write something everyday, but found it soon became stale, and I struggled to come up with ideas to write about and post and when I had what I thought was a good idea, I struggled to put the words in my head into a post so it made any kind of sense to the reader ~ and just who has the time to live life and then write about it anyway?

Recently, I was home, minding my own business, busy with everyday stuff and had The View on in the background ~ (I cannot putter or do much of anything without noise in the background distracting me, but that's my issue and another topic!) I don't usually watch the View, but the odd occasion when I'm able to I really get a kick out of watching Hot Topics. The rest of the show I can take or leave, depending on who's on ~ not too many hold my interest, and, if I happen to hear something I'd like to see while puttering, I have a PVR and can rewind it, catch what I missed and fast forward through commercials.

Ok back to my point, and I do have one.....that day while puttering, I heard something about a pioneer woman and her website ~ being a country girl at heart, (I was brought up on a farm many, many years ago) ~ I rewind The View enough to catch her website The Pioneer Woman and I never thought much more about it ~ until I sat at my laptop and I first saw the full title of her website, "The Pioneer Woman plowing through life in the country ... one calf nut at a time" I laughed out loud, and knowing immediately this would be a site I would visit time and time again I bookmarked it.

Her story "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels", kept me riveted. I read all 46 chapters quite quickly and when I was done, I thanked the Lord I got it all at once and could read the story at my pace and wasn't tortured like the poor readers who got that story in increments and would wait eagerly for the next chapters to be posted. yes, I know tortured is a very strong word, but read the comments after each chapter....

her cooking pages have recipes that I cannot wait to try ~ ohhhh I love recipes and each step has a photograph so you can follow along, which is perfect for someone like me, who is always wondering if it looks the way it's suppose to.....

she has easy to understand lessons that has taught me to use that expensive camera I bought but continued to use my point and shoot camera because I was too intimated to use the new one with all those buttons and settings and sat in that fancy new black case mocking me.....

lessons and downloads for PhotoShop which I've dabbled with but can't really get it to do what I would like it to....make sure you check out her Butterfly Trick post on the lessons page

her photography is beautiful, her children are gorgeous, and her cowboy husband's backside looks pretty damn good in a pair of chaps ~ is that wrong to say when she posts the photos for me to drool over ~ UMMMM...what I meant to say is photos for me to look at and study the composition ~ UHHHHH....learn about the photoshop action....

her *almost* daily blog is a joy to read, she's a wonderful writer who knows how to tell a story that keeps you interested, and leaves you feeling tortured as you wait eagerly for the next to be posted...

Anyway, having said all of that, what I'm trying to tell you is I'm all for being accountable for your actions, but this time it's all Pioneer Woman's fault I am starting to blog yet again, because on September 8, 2010 she posted "Ten Important Things I Learned About Blogging", and planted a seed in my brain which has grown over the last 3 days ~ so.....here we go again....