Fun Stuff

Friday Funnies

We're signing off with further proof that "Men Can Fix Anything."

Nicole, on behalf of my mom and sisters

Friday Funnies

We have Tony Reinke to thank for these "Men Can Fix Anything" pictures (more to come next week!).

As he rightly observed, words are not needed...

Nicole for the girltalkers

Friday Funnies

Two of my friends--Kimm and Kim--both sent me these funny pictures...

Have a grace-filled weekend!

Carolyn for my daughters

This lady is getting ready to enter a public toilet in Houston...

Now that you've seen the outside view, take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely out of one-way glass! No one can see you from the outside, but when you are inside, it's like sitting in a clear glass box! Now, would you? Could you?

----------------

Next...A Painted Bathroom Floor

Tenth floor of a high-rise building...

Imagine you are at a party...

And then you have to visit the bathroom...

You open the door...

Now remember, the floor is just a painted floor!

Would you be able to walk into this bathroom?

----------------

And finally,

This is a ceiling mural in a smoker's lounge...

Not the Ace of Cakes

It’s birthday weekend here—Caly turns 4 on Saturday and Jack turns 7 on Sunday. (Funny fact: all three of our “oldests” were born in February—Andrew turned 10 just two weeks ago.)
 
Speaking of birthdays, I recently discovered that I’m one of the only moms in America who does not know how to make elaborate, theme cakes for her children’s birthdays.
 
I really thought it was just my super-artsy friends (and Chef Duff on the Food Network) who made Cinderella’s castle with turrets and a drawbridge or a life-sized Washington Redskins football helmet. But apparently, most moms can design, bake, and decorate their child’s cake of choice, no problem.
 
This was news to me! You see, I never had a fancy cake growing up. Mom—God bless her—tried her best. She even took a cake decorating class. But as she laughingly says—“it just didn’t take.”
 
So, like her mother before her, she decorated our cakes with edible candy letters that said “Happy Birthday!” with extra letters for the name, and little stars you could put candles in. We thought it was great. We didn’t know we were missing anything.
 
Being less artistic than my mother, I never even thought about making a fancy cake for my children--until last year when my son overheard that another kid was getting a “Thomas the Train” cake for his birthday (the things they pick up at church!).
 
So, I went to the grocery store bakery and blew half the birthday budget on a cake with an icing track and real trains. It was beautiful. And easy. And expensive.
 
This year I’m actually going to try this Lego cake. That’s because all I have to do is cut some big marshmallows in half, ice them, and stick them on top. I can handle that. I think. (I hope Jack still likes legos when he’s eighteen!)
 
But if the lego thing doesn’t work out, I can always rely on the edible candy letters, like my mother and grandmother before me. Because really, do I harbor deep-seated regret that my mom never made me a Strawberry Shortcake cake for my birthday? Not a bit.

Friday Funnies

Well, the Washington, DC area is recovering from record-breaking snowfall…slowly. But the sun and the snowplows were out today, making everyone smile.

A quick reminder for our guy readers: you only have two more days to finalize your Valentine’s Day plans. Make it good!

And girls, if you need any last-minute Valentine’s ideas, you can check out a contest we ran in ‘06 which generated a number of creative ways to celebrate the holiday (one, two, three, four, five, and six).

Returning to the snow theme, I leave you with one of my dad’s favorite comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes, and Calvin's diabolical snowman. Imagine being that boy's mom!

See you Monday,

Janelle for Mom, Nicole, and Kristin

(HT: JT)

Snow and More…Snow

We had a record snowfall here in the Washington, DC area this weekend. Two feet of snow fell from Friday to Saturday. Just look at my vending machine! They are saying that we haven't had this much since 1922.

The plow didn't make it to our neighborhood until last night so we have been hibernating since Friday. Other than the 12 hours when our power went out, we had tons of fun. Eating was our chief activity. I'm so glad we live in an age where we know the snow is coming beforehand: plenty of time to stockpile good food!

Even when the power was out, we made the best of it--trying to imagine that we were camping (without heat, electricity or running water, that's practically what it was!). We used snow to boil water on the gas grill for coffee and huddled around in blankets laughing and talking. It was a fun memory (especially now that the heat is back on!).

Crazy thing is,  they are calling for more snow tomorrow. I’m just grateful that our street is plowed so that I can get to the grocery store and restock before it hits.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more talk on the new clubs.

Friday Funnies

Happy weekend, y'all! Don't forget that our deadline for the Pick One Spot contest is midnight tonight EST. You still have three hours to finish!

Enjoy this Friday Funny. Labor and delivery through the eyes of a child- a hilarious perspective!

Back here on Monday!
Janelle for the girltalkers

The Middle Wife by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher
 
I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.
 
When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.
 
Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
 
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'
 
'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'
 
She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.
 
'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)
 
'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)
 
'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)
 
'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten.. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'
 
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest... Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Rainy Day Fun

If it is cold and rainy where you are (like here in Fairfax,VA), and if you have small kids who need to let out some energy (like I do), these videos will brighten your day. They are two songs from the Sovereign Grace Music’s children’s album, To Be Like Jesus, which were filmed at Summer Celebration 2009—a kid’s camp at Covenant Life Church.
 
My kids loved watching Mr. B (Uncle Monkey to them) lead a cast of young people in song and dance. And I loved watching my kids enthusiastically sing along and (try) to do the motions.
 
So, moms, here’s a little gift for you: a happy break for you and your kids, no matter what the weather. I might even make watching these videos a part of my daily routine!

To Be Like Jesus from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Jesus, You're My Hope from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

 
(HT: Bob Kauflin)

Friday Funnies

Kristy sent us this adorable picture of her boys and the funny story behind it. Don't forget to pull out your camera for our Pick One Spot Contest!

Nicole for my mom and sisters

Hi Girl Talk Ladies!  I just had to send this because it made me laugh so much.  I was considering entering your contest for "Pick One Spot" so I had my camera up in my room...I was still deciding what spot to tackle.  Today, I allowed my two older boys (3 and 2) to watch a show on my bed while I took a quick shower and the baby napped.  My oldest called to me in the bathroom and asked if they could play with "the paper."  I vaguely remember having some post-it notes on my dresser, so I said sure.  What's a couple post-it notes scattered around?  

Oops.  So much for saving the wrapping paper for next Christmas!

Kristy

Year in Review: Day 5

We conclude our Year-in-Review with a memorable Friday Funny--the grand prize winner of our Funniest Wedding Story contest (see Friday Funnies category for the other nine winners).

Hope you are rejoicing in God's faithfulness in 2009 and eagerly anticipating His goodness in 2010. Happy New Year!

Nicole for the girltalkers

Friday Funnies

June 26 2009 at 10:35 am   |   by Janelle Bradshaw
Filed under Fun Stuff Friday Funnies

Y'all are amazing! We received tons of entries for our funniest wedding story contest. It was a hard job, but we’ve narrowed it down to ten winners, and we’ll post their stories over the next few weeks. As promised, our winners will receive the book of their choice from our books and audio page. So if you see your entry posted, contact us with your address and book choice and we will send you your goods asap. Congrats to our first winner, Katie.

My husband, Greg, is a musician and often plays the organ for weddings. Over the years he has learned to be ready for anything at weddings. His mom and I still chuckle over what happened at Cassandra's wedding.

Cassandra, Greg, and I all grew up together. At one time Greg and Cassandra liked each other. As the years went on, the Lord brought Greg and I together and gave Cassandra a wonderful husband. At Cassandra's wedding, Greg was the organist for the ceremony, and one of the groomsmen was supposed to play a piano postlude while the audience was dismissed. Greg played the recessional, but no one came up to relieve him. Silence would have been terribly awkward, so he decided to play a few hymns "off the cuff." Unfortunately, what he chose to play was "I'd Rather Have Jesus."

Tale of Two Christmas Cookies

Recently, a myth has arisen about Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies. Dad thinks—believes with all his heart, actually—that the cookies with green icing taste better than the cookies with red icing.
 
That’s absurd, since the only difference is the food coloring. But try telling Dad that. You won’t get anywhere. Common sense reason doesn’t penetrate this illusion.
 
After many exasperated explanations as to how it is not by any means possible for the red and green cookies to taste different; even after Grandma (his own mother!) told him the truth to no effect, we changed tactics.
 
He doesn’t believe us? Fine. We’ll prove it to him.
 
Time for a taste test.
 
Last Christmas, we all crowded around the kitchen table, set a plate of Grandma Mahaney’s Christmas cookies in front of Dad, and blindfolded him.
 
We fed him the first cookie.
 
“Red,” he said.
 
He was right. Lucky guess.
 
Next cookie.
 
“Green,” he said.
 
Right again. Oh, this isn’t good.
 
Third cookie.
 
“Red,” he said.
 
“Gotcha!” we cried. The cookie was green.
 
Finally, we thought, proof they taste the same.
 
Not so fast. We forgot this is Dad we were dealing with. This is the boy who, as permanent quarterback for all the pick-up football games on Hodges Lane, long ago honed the skill of spinning every defeat into a victory.
 
Two out of three, he insisted, is a win.
 
So, here we are, another Christmas, and Dad still insists the green ones are the best.
 
And some kids still believe in Santa Claus.

Friday Funnies

If only cooking my Christmas dinner was this easy...

Have a very merry weekend!

Carolyn for the girls

Friday Funnies

Here's a Christmas Friday Funny I got from a friend. Be sure to read the caption underneath!

We've got more (serious) Christmas stuff for you next week.

Kristin for the girls

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations.  The bad news is that I had to take him down after two days.  I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.  Great stories.  But two things made me take it down.  First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.
 
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn’t realize that it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy).  By the way, she was one of the many people who attempted to do that.  My yard couldn’t take it either.  I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

Shopping Trip Conclusion

Well, the shopping trip is over. It was a blast! In between stores we managed to stuff in plenty of laughter and conversation, which is really what the shopping trip is all about anyways. But we're so happy to be back with our husbands and children and grateful to our men for holding down the fort while we were gone.

See you back here, tomorrow!

Shopping Trip

Today was day two of our shopping trip. Here are a few fuzzy pics from our camera phones.

Nicole enjoying her cranberry juice at our pre-shopping breakfast

Heading to the store...

Shopping success....