Decisions, Decisions

Tonight at dinner, Robby mentioned that I hadn't posted anything since February....  so I guess it's time to finish this post that I started 5 weeks ago.  After posting about music you've enjoyed recently, I wanted to share some music I like.  But it's been so hard to choose !

So, be it "eclectic" or "weird" or just plain boring, here's my collection.......



I love choral music, and found this lovely and (as always with a boys' choir) slightly haunting church performance of a beautiful hymn by John Rutter.


About a year ago, Steve and I met Aunt Julie and Mark in New York City to see "Wicked".  I am fascinated and enthralled with musicals, and can't get the songs out of my head for days after the show.  This emotional song from "Wicked", about a close friendship between women, has become permanently fixed in my psyche.....  likely connected to the close relationships I've had with women (family members and others) and how much they mean to me.




And this song is just SO sweet, bringing back days of having you boys as very young children.  You can just feel the love in this family.

Christmas Day 2012

OK, so I have been neglecting "Carroll Boys".  It's true, and excuses like getting ready for Christmas and upcoming birthdays, my work schedule, etc. don't cut it.  Certain readers are getting quite annoyed with looking at the Camp Lazlo post....  So, finally here we are......  It's Christmas Day!  Here is an update on what we've been doing for the past few weeks.

Thanksgiving - Sasha, Steve and I spent an overnight with Grammie and Grandad for Thanksgiving.  It was very pleasant, including a long walk through Wyncote and neighboring town(s?)  Kyra and Lucy were glad to see us, and we enjoyed Grandad's grilled turkey and Grammie's apple and chocolate pies.  Yum!  Then on Saturday, we had a second Thanksgiving dinner with Brock.....  Italian-style, with penne a la vodka aka "pink stuff".

Lost and Found - While going through our winter gear to figure out what does/does not fit, there was an incredible "find".  Sasha's fly boxes, lost since last December, were zipped into inner pockets of his winter coat for practically an entire year !!  It was been a long time since such joy has been known on Sharpe Street.  Here are the long-lost items  :-)

Tiger - Actually, there's not really much new with Tiger.  .... unless you consider some occasional crankiness, though he is never as out-of-sorts as "grumpy cat" looks (see picture above).  Tiger is taking "Natural Chicken & Tuna Flavored Joint Supplement" for stiffness in his back legs.  It gets sprinkled onto his food, and does seem to help.  Mostly though, he continues to be very fluffy and interested in frequent petting.    Here's a recent, adorable picture of our boy:

Christmas - I mailed out holiday cards, with a photo collage of you boys (Brock with Tiger, and Sasha at Harvey's Creek).  I really must show you the pics sometime soon....  Our Christmas Eve started with a late afternoon service at Grace Church in Kingston.  Sasha, you got to see Dr. Ferraro who delivered you almost 16 years ago (a formal introduction is in order, since you were a few minutes old and unclothed at your last meeting).  Steve navigated another Episcopal service very successfully.  And I grumbled about hymns being played too slowly.  Brock, you went to Dad's house instead - a good arrangement, especially given the length of the service (over 1 1/2 hours!).  This morning, Steve salvaged bacon before it became over-cooked and made french toast for us.  Tonight we had our traditional Christmas night dinner - wimpies and banana cream pie.  Our tree is pictured below.  Favorite gifts:

• Sasha - A Sage 9 foot, 10 weight fly rod - with which you hope to catch Susquehanna river monsters i.e., musky and pike.  Additional fly tying material also seems popular, as you have been busy making flies as the evening wears on.
• Brock - The PlayStation 3 game Far Cry 3, a "shoot 'em up" and "stab 'em through" game.  Probably not appropriate for a 10-year old.  But on the bright side, you are still not permitted to watch Family Guy at my house.

Most cheerful traveler:  Steve, who made 3 round trips from Scranton over the past 30 hours.  

Best surprise:  My gift of a Schwinn red and white bike from Steve.  It's beautiful!

My wish for you both this Christmas Day:  That you grow up to be happy, productive men.

Merry Christmas!

Shepherding Sunday

The fourth Sunday of Easter is "Shepherding Sunday".  Brock and I went to church yesterday, and laughed at this joke which Pastor Laura worked into her sermon.

A lady with blond hair had gotten very tired of jokes and insults directed at her intelligence. 

So she cut and dyed her hair black, got a make-over and then drove her car out to the country.  She came upon a herd of sheep near the road. She stopped her car and went over to the shepherd who was tending to them. 

"If I can guess the exact number of sheep here, will you let me have one?" she asked.  The shepherd, thinking this was a pretty safe bet, agreed. "You have 182 sheep," said the blond in triumph. 

Surprised, the shepherd told her to pick out a sheep of her choice. She looked around and finally found one that she really liked. She picked it up and was putting it in her car when the shepherd walked over to her and asked, "If I can guess your real hair color, will you give the sheep back?"

The blond thought it was only fair to let him try. The shepherd said, "You're a blond!  Now, can I have my dog ?"

Seems like the best sermons are not politically correct.

Easter 2012

Well, it's Easter evening and I'm enjoying some quiet time after a busy weekend.  Here are highlights of this year's Easter Day:

• Sleeping relatively late for a holiday.  Brock made it to 7:15 !  
• Looking for Easter baskets.  There was mild grumbling that the Bunny did not hide the baskets very well (behind fish tank and inside the clothes dryer).  Maybe he/she will do better next year.
• Going to church.  Good music, and uneventful except for the mouse that Sasha saw scurrying under the pews heading toward the front of the church.  It didn't seem to bother anyone else such as the minister or organist - probably a good thing.
• Tulips!  Steve brought lovely red & yellow tulips, which were the centerpiece for the dinner table.  The colors are similar to the tulips in the photo above, which Steve shot at the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show.
• Turkey dinner, at Brock's request.  It was my first roast turkey with stuffing that turned out REALLY well (!!)  I am quite proud, and happily acknowledge help from Steve - cleaning & chopping vegetables, cooking green beans, doing dishes, and general encouragement.  Sasha gets credit for mashing 3 bananas for the banana bread (1 additional banana was a casualty, as it fell on the floor).  And Brock gets credit for eating both a drumstick and wing, plus 2 green beans.  I am saving the recipes, mostly off the Internet, and hope to repeat in the future - just not too soon.
• Aside.... due to an unfortunate incident just before dinner in which Tiger knocked two of Brock's Lego Ninjago models off a table, Tiger was banished to the laundry room.  Luckily, Brock made repairs quickly.
• Our Easter egg hunt in the back yard (now that the trampoline is gone, there's lots more room).  Sasha packed plastic eggs & hid them, while Brock and Sterling went 'round finding them.  I have to say Sterling is the tallest egg hunter I've seen in many a year!  The yellow egg floating on top of the pool cover was very imaginative, Sasha.
• Watching Disney's Lilo & Stitch, a surprise from the Easter Bunny.  Was very relaxing and enjoyable to get re-acquainted with the characters, story line, and scenes from the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.  And nice to think that Grammie, Grandad, Aunt Julie and Mark are going to Hawaii this week!  

Here's to many more happy holidays.  As a bonus, I know you'll like the wonderful "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" song written by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu.  He performs it with the Kamehameha Schools children's chorus:

An American Spiritual

At church last Sunday, we sang a gospel hymn....  a bit unusual for a Presbyterian service!  Likely you will not be interested to read about the history of religious spirituals, rooted in slavery -->  Spiritual Music

Although I don't remember hearing "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley" before, I've been humming it to myself for a couple days.  Searching on YouTube, I discovered that famous singers have performed it including Elvis Presley, Woody Guthrie and the Carter Family.  Yes, I'm going to share boring choral music with you!!  Here is a (lovely) anthem based on the spiritual - sung by the choir of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Going to Church

When I was young, my family went to church every week.  Well, you may be thinking "Of course, since Grandad is a minister!", but remember in the past almost everyone went to church every week.  Your Dad did too.

On Sunday mornings you probably wonder, "Mom, why do we have to go to church ??"  Well, there are lots of reasons - here are the main ones:

• If you pay attention at church, you'll find it provides a foundation for being a good person and making good decisions.....  and the right decision sometimes means choosing a more difficult path.
• I want you to have a "church family".  In any church congregation, you will get to know a diverse group of people - young and old, richer and poorer, and usually friendly.  In my experience, the adults at church are genuinely interested in children... that means YOU ! 
• We need to do things that benefit others.  It's tempting to focus only on what we want for ourselves.  Church helps us remember how important it is to spend our time, energy, and money supporting other people.
• I want you to be familiar with many stories and teachings from the bible, and hope you come to enjoy church music.  And also hope you'll be comfortable with prayer, since there will be trying times in your life when praying can make you feel better - plus, as an extra bonus, some prayers are answered !!

So, yes we're going to go to church.... as I try to raise up two boys to become thoughtful men.

Take a few minutes and read the NCFE blog entry below - and watch the My Sweet Lord video from "Concert for George".  This 2002 concert was a tribute to George Harrison of the Beatles.  The performers include Billy Preston (singing), Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Star:

      My Sweet Lord