Music Therapy Thursday: Happy Birthday, Peter Gabriel!

Today is Peter Gabriel's birthday and I couldn't help posting my favorite P.G. song. As a teenager in the 80's, I fell in love with the movie "Say Anything" and with Jon Cusack's character holding his boom box over his head while this song blared outside the window of his beloved. Ahhh, memories...

Peter and his videos have always been a little, well, unusual, and this one is no exception. I still love it, though. It must be the "artist" in me! LOL! Enjoy today's Music Therapy and take yourself back in time a bit...

Top Ten Names I Considered Naming My Blog

10. Seizing The Day... Already taken. :( Wanted to play on the words since Anna has epilepsy and to chronicle our life living with the condition. But I'm so much more than an "epilepsy" mom so...



9. Prescription Hugs... Okay, I'm a hugger. If you know me, I have squeezed you to death at least once. Maybe twice. But would this title say anything about me other than the obvious?



8. Pearsons On Plantation Drive... I liked the alliteration (I was an English major, after all!) and the title did include all four of us... but I wasn't sold.



7. Sand Mountain Momma... again, a play on where we live, AND alliteration ( I lurve alliteration!) but I felt it sounded a little back-woods. Momma is no hillbilly!!!



6. Seized For His Glory... I wanted to give a nod to my faith (and tie it in to Anna's epilepsy), but I think this is the title of a Christian book written by a woman with a seizure disorder. I knew it sounded like a winner! LOL! But I'm no plagiarist...



5. Sugarplum and Pumpkin Pie... my daughters' nicknames. :) SWEET, no?



4. Craftin' Like Crazy!... I still like this one, but my blog isn't just about crafts, it's about ALL of my life so...



3. Moxie In The Mayhem... I've got moxie, baby. And let's face it, it's ALL mayhem around these parts. This one is still a fave...



2. Life According to Lindsey... I still think I should have named my blog this. So much so, that I've considered shutting this one down and starting a new one. But that's an awful lot of trouble for my whole. seven. followers. I like to keep it simple for the fans. LOL!



1. Squeezing The Day... This one won out because it plays on the the epilepsy, it shows that I'm a lovva (that's a lover for all of you needing a southern-to-English translation!) and a hugga! And it implies that we are getting the very most out of our days around here as we're learning, helping, crafting, serving, etc. Thanks to Lori Boatfield for the suggestion!



So that's the meaning behind the name of my blog. What about you? Leave a message and tell me why you named your blog what you did. I've been wondering about some of yours that aren't so obvious! This ought to be fun! :D

I Guess I Just Have A Knack For It!

Well, I've done it again. I've pee-peed in some people's Wheaties. :) When will I ever learn to keep my mouth SHUT? I have this sickness of not being able to leave well enough alone. This applies to going to the n-th degree embellishing a craft, and not being able to hold my tongue on something that I feel strongly about.

I know we aren't supposed to discuss religion and politics in mixed company without an all-out war of words following suite. Well, apparently you can add football to the list if you live in the great state of Alabama, or anywhere else an intense rivalry exists. :D I am a strong, intellectual, independent woman, and I have an opinion on just about everything. You don't even have to ask me for it... Most times I'll give it willingly, without warrant! I also thought I had a sense of humor, but have been set straight on that matter too! Thank God for all the thin-skinned people of the world who can say what THEY want, but get their knickers in a knot if someone disagrees (in a somewhat derogatory manner...blush...) and is set straight and schooled on freedom of speech. What would we DO without their insight? Yep. I can add "not taking the high road" to my list of faults too, I guess. I'm only human after all...

I realized this morning, however, that this is not my first offense. In recent years, I've debated my stance on politics, religion, and my beef with the DMV and doctors giving every Tom, Dick, and Harry a handicapped parking permit. I try to not name-call or speak derrogatively, but yesterday got the better of me. Funny thing is, I was trying to make a point of being "intolerant of intolerance" as I have been known to joke about among my friends. Obviously, I failed big time. And obviously just because a person is a "friend" on your Facebook "friends list" does not make them so. Ouch. Life lessons all over the place! LOL!

I am reminded of my senior year in high school when I was one of the editors on the school paper. I wrote an editorial (tongue-in-cheek, Dave Barry style) about Thanksgiving dinner at our house. My English teacher (and newspaper supervisor) LOVED it. Hundreds of students did not. That's right. I said hundreds. You would have thought I had shot the Pope or something the way they felt I had bad-mouthed such a beloved holiday. On one hand I was flattered that that many people actually read the paper, and on the other hand, I was appalled that people couldn't laugh at my family the way I could. One things for sure, the written word is POWERFUL, people. And apparently I have a knack for stirring things up with it.

If you know me, I mean really know me, you know that I would rather hurt myself than to hurt someone else. You also know that I'm a sucker for the under-dog and will always stand up for injustice when I see it. You also know that I'm gonna tell you EXACTLY how I feel, no matter the outcome. I tell the truth and I tell things as I see it. I will try not to ask certain football fans geographical questions (like if they can find their team's campus without a map or a GPS) and I will always use humor wherever I can. Because if we can't laugh at ourselves, we've got problems, people. I'm also always up for a good debate. I find intellectual banter stimulating, so don't be afraid to chew the fat with me. No subject is off limits here, folks. Be sure to bring an umbrella, though, when the crap decides to hit the fan. I'm willing to stick it out if y'all are!

The Christmas Spirit Is Still Alive

An amazing thing happened to us at Cracker Barrel a week or so ago...

As the hostess seated us at out table, I noticed a young man/ teenager at the table in front of us finishing up his dinner. I also noticed that he was looking a little longer at Anna than I thought was polite. As this happens more frequently than I would like to admit, I went back to my usual "let's not make eye-contact with anyone, lest I'll get my feelings hurt while they try to decipher what's wrong with my handicapped child" stance. The waitress came, took our order, brought our drinks, and our dinner continued as normal until...

The young man finished his dinner, and before he left, stopped by our table, knelt down and began to talk to my husband in a low, soft tone. He explained that Anna reminded him of someone that he had grown up with as a little boy, and though he didn't have much cash on him (only two dollars, actually), he asked us if we would take it and buy something she would like for Christmas with it. I jumped up from my chair and proceeded to embrace him in a death-hug (a signature move of mine). The only words I could utter were "Thank you! God bless you!" as I unsuccessfully choked back my tears.

I "happy cried," as Jamie Ruth calls it, through most of dinner and thanked God for the kindness, the mercy, the gentleness, and the compassion that was shown in this young man's actions. It was the best Christmas present I have ever received and I will never forget him for as long as I live. Thank you, young fellow in the navy pea coat. It's obvious that Santa, angels, and even Jesus can take on the appearance of hungry patrons this time of year!

Music Therapy Thursday... O Holy Night

I had the privilege of seeing David Phelps in concert several years ago. He has one of THE BEST voices on the planet and this video is one of my favorites of his. I said last week that "Ave Maria" had become my new favorite Christmas song, but depending on the day, this one keeps sneaking back into first place! David does this song like no one else I've heard. Enjoy today's music therapy as we prepare to celebrate the most divine of all nights...

Homemade Teacher Gifts

I'm a little late posting these, but I wanted to show you what I made for teacher gifts this year. I am horrified because I have just now realized that I misspelled a word on the tag that I gave to three TEACHERS and a NURSE! Oh well, that's what happens when you stay up past midnight for two nights in a row trying to finish Christmas gifts at the last minute! You put "We 'wisk' You a Merry Christmas" instead of "We 'whisk' You a Merry Christmas!" MORTIFIED, people!

Anywhoo... at least the towels are cute and there isn't anything permanently misspelled with embroidery or anything. Mental note: explain to the teachers and the nurse that even English majors with a college degree (AND Spelling Bee Champions of their 5th grade class!) succumb to the occasional whoopsies. Maybe there's a Hallmark card for that. I'm holding out hope! LOL! Murrrie Christmass frum hour howse two yorz!

Dr. 35950

I'm a sucker for shows about plastic and reconstructive surgeries. I blame this, in part, on my secret desire to work in the medical field. And I guess I like a good "before and after" photo. Anyways, I used to watch a lot of "Dr. 90210" and follow Dr. Robert Ray and his crazy antics, but I don't think the show comes on anymore. So when an old friend of mine was in desperate need of a rhinoplasty, I thought, "Hey, I can do that. How hard can it be?"





Meet Frosty. (Did I have you going? For just a second, even? Nah, I didn't think so.) Sometime last year this poor guy lost his nose. Apparently, my husband was unaware (I, of course, had his nose safely tucked away in the kitchen junk drawer) because he was a little freaked out when he couldn't find the missing part in the attic. This snowman has sentimental value to both of us because it was the first Christmas decoration we bought when we got married. If memory serves me correctly, Frosty rode home from K-Mart strapped to the top of our clown car, I mean, our tiny Honda Civic. We proudly displayed him on our front porch in all his tacky, plastic glory. Ahh, memories....

So I HAD to help a fella out. I mean, he's like family. Dr. Pearson to the rescue! I prepped him for surgery by cleaning the affected area with alcohol and then scuffing it up a little with a sanding block (per the instructions on the bottle of E 6000. Don'tcha just LOVE E 6000? It and duct tape are my faves. Oh, yeah, and super glue. But I digress...).

Look at the poor fellow. Frosty without his carrot nose... a travesty, I tell you. A complete travesty.
After I waited the appropriate amount of time to let the glue get sticky, I reattached his nose. But then problems arose in the operating room. Because the nose was so tall, it began to lean.... Look, Frosty can't be greeting my guests with a crooked nose. I've got an image to uphold. So in comes the blue tape (I love blue tape. It should have been included with the aforementioned list. Again I digress...) and viola! Straight as an arrow! Sporting the blue tape, he looks like a real plastic (no pun intended) surgery victim, I mean patient.

Frosty recovered, lying down of course, for the recommended 24 hours like the E 6000 instructions dictated. And now, he's as good as new! He's still taking it easy, though. I've not yet put him outside, but I think he's enjoying hanging out with the inside decorations this year. I can't be sure, but I think his little nose-job has boosted his self-esteem. I thought I overheard him tell our wooden, stand-up Grinch figurine that he's thinking of asking for a little lipo next year...