I Need a Good Laugh

Saturday evening my wife and I went to see Mark Lowry in concert at our church. Mark is a very funny comedian and has a great singing voice as well. At any rate, Saturday had been a busy and, at times, a bit difficult day. So, I needed a good laugh. I just thought I'd share a piece from one of his earlier routines. Maybe you could use a little humor in your day. Enjoy.

Lunch With "The Big Guy"

My wife called me about 11:30 and asked me what I was doing for lunch. Our daughter was sick and had a doctor appointment, so Nana went by and picked up the grandson this morning. I was being invited to lunch with "The Big Guy." Where does he want to dine? He answers, "Red Robin." This is his middle sister's favorite place to eat. I told you I raised my daughter not to like McDonald's and she is passing the training along. It's just that Red Robin is a semi-gourmet burger place, so lunch is going to be a little pricey for Nana and I. The kids menu is affordable enough.

As you can see, I brought a camera along just in case there was a photo op. Nana took our picture. When I got home, I decided to try out a few of the new tricks I had learned in my recently completed PhotoShop Elements class. I realize some of these tricks are very elementary to many of you who work in PhotoShop all of the time, but I am enjoying learning the tricks of the trade, so here is the before and after.

Before

After

You'll notice several things about the "After" picture. The picture has been cropped and the colors have been enhanced. You will also notice that the red straw is gone! I could not crop enough of the photo to eliminate the straw, so, I had to use a little "magic" tool called the clone stamp. It is a wonderful thing. With a little more work, I can probably blur the background a little similar to changing the depth of field in a photo. I'll work on that later, but for now I am just happy to be able to make the photo this much improved.

And now, I close this post with my inspirational song of the week. This week I am posting a hymn that speaks to anyone who is going through a difficult time. One of my fellow bloggers, Orney's Wife, lost a close friend this week. I have a friend that is fast losing the battle with ALS. He will not be with us much longer and I already miss him. But I know that no matter what happens, as long as I have Christ, "It Is Well With My Soul." Enjoy.

Snow Day Part Deaux

Here is the snowman the two older grand daughers built while I was at work. He was nearly gone by the time I got home. Nana took this picture right after the girls finished Frosty.

Thursday Thirteen No. 19

My Thirteen Favorite American Idol Contestants

Yes, I like American Idol. I know more about it than my wife. I read five or six blogs dedicated to the show every week. Over the years I have had some favorite contestants. Some of them won it all, some finished second, and a few finished further down the list. So here are my favorite American Idol contestants.

1. Carrie Underwood - No further comment needed, but how about reliving an AI moment.

2. Taylor Hicks - I like his Joe Cocker, John Fogerty, Delbert McClinton style vocals.
3. Katharine McPhee - Big brown eyes and a great adult contemporary voice.
4. Kelly Clarkson - Loved her early on. Not so much now.
5. Chris Daughtry - He brought a new dimension to the show.
6. Clay Aiken - The first really good male vocalist on the show.
7. Jordin Sparks - There is a joy in her youth that radiates from her face.
8. Mandisa - Big voice, gospel singin' diva. I've seen her is concert and she can rock the house.
9. Kellie Pickler - Like her much better now. She has a good time wherever she is and it goes contagious.
10. Jennifer Hudson - Sixth place finisher wins academy award. Not all of the talent finishes at the top of the voting.
11. Bucky Covington - He's gotten much better since the show. This country boy has found a home.
12. Diana DeGarmo - Great voice from a very young singer.
13. Elliot Yamin - Very nice voice, seems like a very nice person.

Well, there you have it. Not terribly original but there is some food for thought. I'm sure I've offended somebody by leaving off their favorite.

Snow Day

Yesterday the weather forecast called for four to eight inches of snow in the area. Since that is about the average large snowfall for us, it was assumed that school would probably be closed today. The snow didn't actually start until around midnight and we got much closer to the four inches than we did the eight inches. The center of the storm was south and east of us, and it dumped as much as fourteen inches on some people. It is a very rare occurrence for Arkansas to get fourteen inches of snow in one storm anytime! Well, like I said, we got our four inches, school was closed today and we prepared by inviting two of the grand daughters to come out last night and spend the night. We got the two oldest.
By six o'clock this morning, the announcement had been made that school was closed, so the girls got to sleep in. Once they got up for the day we had breakfast. Breakfast at Nana's house is a must for the grand kids. It includes bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, and a choice of apricot or blackberry jelly. The oldest grand daughter will be 12 in a couple of weeks and Nana has been fixing her "kids coffee" for several years now. She thinks it is something special! But, that's what Nana's house is all about. I remember my grandmother preparing coffee for me when I was no more than seven or eight years of age. I know it was about 75% milk and 25% coffee, but that didn't matter. I thought I was something special, having morning coffee with grandma and grandpa.
I came to work a little late, giving the sun time to melt most of the snow off of the roads, since the county road department is not the best nor the most experienced snow removal crew in the world. When I left the house Nana and the girls were ready to dress the snowman that they had made in the front yard. If Frosty is still alive when I get home, I'll post a picture.

The Whole Crew

The Grandkids

Actually, they clean up pretty good for a group picture. The oldest on the left will be 12 in a couple of weeks. The next, on top will be 8 in April. The youngest girl (the only one with her daddy's blue eyes) is 6 and "The Big Guy" is 4. I just love 'em.

Sour Skittles

This is what happens when you eat an entire package of Sour Skittles. This is "The Big Guy", the only grand son...he has three older sisters. I just might change my yahoo ID photo to this.