Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
And I'm Not Even German
I'm half Irish and half Slovak. Jerry, on the other hand, is a little more "mixed up". He's got some German, some English, some other bits of stuff and even a little Cherokee Indian running through his veins. So I was momentarily a little confused when Savannah handed me a note that said, "Der Nanny".
Actually, she was very excited to give me a little letter that she had all sealed up with cute stickers. Once I got it open, I read the whole thing; "Der Nanny I love you". I then realized that she had written it on her own and was writing it phonetically. It was "DEAR Nanny...." and it is the best letter I've ever gotten!
Der Savannah, I love you, too!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Where's the Beef?
Well MY "beef" -- as it were -- is squarely at the doorstep of Burger King. Have you seen their latest tasteless ad? The "king" is singing a parody of Baby Got Back while scantily clad girls bop and grind to the music with phone books stuffed in their already-too-tight pants...so they have square pants. Promoting the new kids' meal that features a Sponge Bob Square Pants theme.
This ad has been controversial. Many are voicing a negative reaction, while others are saying, "Oh, lighten up. It's just in fun." Burger King says its ad is not aimed at the children, but at the adults who take them out for fast food.
I was going to weigh in this morning and give them the advantage of seeing things from my point of view. Well...I went to their web site and after searching for a bit I finally found a "contact us" link. But when you click on that link, you get their mailing address (????) and several department phone numbers. There is NO e-mail link to share your o
pinions with them, even though the page opens up to say, "We're listening". I guess I would rather it said, "We're reading".
So I'll just tell you what I was going to tell them. First of all, their latest king mascot is creepy. I'm not sure what he's doing in this picture. Possibly propositioning this young boy. I would think he's the stuff of nightmares for young children. Compare him to Ronald McDonald. Not only is "the Ronald" a happy, fun loving mascot...but you associate him with the Ronald McDonald hou
ses and all kinds of community support and wholesomeness. What's the king done for us? I am always glad to patronize McDonald's because I'm a fan of the way they conduct their business.
I'm also a fan of Wendy's. You know her...cute little red head with braids. Wholesome. I will be a loyal fan of theirs for a long time because even though it's commonplace now, they were the first that I knew of to offer the options of mandarin oranges instead of french fries in the kid's meal and milk instead of a Coke. Now they also have yogurt. Speaking of good-for-you foods for kids...McDonald's also has the apple slices. The closest Burger King comes is fried apples. (????)
And if BK thinks their ads aimed at the adults is a wise move, then they clearly don't know their target audience. When Savannah was about 3 I told her I'd take her out for lunch. She clearly let me know that she wanted to go to the "W" (Wendy's) and not the "M" (McDonald's). She doesn't always get her own way, but when she told me it was because she wanted yogurt, I was fine with her decision. The parents, many times, take the kids where they want to go.
So here's to you, Burger King. I think I'll just "have it my way"...and have it someplace else.
This ad has been controversial. Many are voicing a negative reaction, while others are saying, "Oh, lighten up. It's just in fun." Burger King says its ad is not aimed at the children, but at the adults who take them out for fast food.
I was going to weigh in this morning and give them the advantage of seeing things from my point of view. Well...I went to their web site and after searching for a bit I finally found a "contact us" link. But when you click on that link, you get their mailing address (????) and several department phone numbers. There is NO e-mail link to share your o
pinions with them, even though the page opens up to say, "We're listening". I guess I would rather it said, "We're reading".So I'll just tell you what I was going to tell them. First of all, their latest king mascot is creepy. I'm not sure what he's doing in this picture. Possibly propositioning this young boy. I would think he's the stuff of nightmares for young children. Compare him to Ronald McDonald. Not only is "the Ronald" a happy, fun loving mascot...but you associate him with the Ronald McDonald hou
ses and all kinds of community support and wholesomeness. What's the king done for us? I am always glad to patronize McDonald's because I'm a fan of the way they conduct their business.I'm also a fan of Wendy's. You know her...cute little red head with braids. Wholesome. I will be a loyal fan of theirs for a long time because even though it's commonplace now, they were the first that I knew of to offer the options of mandarin oranges instead of french fries in the kid's meal and milk instead of a Coke. Now they also have yogurt. Speaking of good-for-you foods for kids...McDonald's also has the apple slices. The closest Burger King comes is fried apples. (????)
And if BK thinks their ads aimed at the adults is a wise move, then they clearly don't know their target audience. When Savannah was about 3 I told her I'd take her out for lunch. She clearly let me know that she wanted to go to the "W" (Wendy's) and not the "M" (McDonald's). She doesn't always get her own way, but when she told me it was because she wanted yogurt, I was fine with her decision. The parents, many times, take the kids where they want to go.
So here's to you, Burger King. I think I'll just "have it my way"...and have it someplace else.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Spring, Easter and the Gospel According to Emery
Spring is glorious this year. Lots of much-needed rain has made the sunny days brighter and the blooming things even more beautiful. Our cherry tree, dogwood trees and some azaleas are in bloom now...and the show topper will be when the big, white azaleas in the front yard come into full bloom some time this week. 
Easter doesn't always coincide with the peak of the blooms, but this year it came close enough that we got a few cute pictures of the grandkids yeste
rday posing in their Easter duds by some of the bushes in the back yard.
rday posing in their Easter duds by some of the bushes in the back yard. On Saturday, we were invited to an Easter-egg themed birthday party. Billed as Allen's "65th birthday eggs-travaganza"...it did not disappoint in the "eggs-pectation" department. On the way to the party, the grandkids said they were so excited they could burst! They had a great time with the other kids hunting Easter eggs, jumping (and jumping, and jumping and jumping) in the inflatable birthday cake, and eating lots of candy...as well as some actual food.
On Friday we had the grandkids for the afternoon and evening. Emery gave me a very concise explanation of the whole story of Jesus' death and resurrection. He said that "Jesus died because all his blood came out. Then they put a big rock in front of the "creepy cave". But it's okay (he assured me) because He's alive!"Amen, Emery. Jesus is alive indeed...and I'm glad that I'm alive, too.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
'Cuz it Was Fun
Back on March 7th I posted about my two cousins coming for a visit. Last week I post
ed a picture of the "thank you" bouquet they sent after they got back home. Now I'd like to post about their visit.
We picked them up at the airport mid-day on Monday, March 23rd. Since neither of them had ever been to Atlanta, we decided to be tourists for the rest of the afternoon. It was a pretty day...actually, the prettiest one while they were here. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and after that we walked over to Centennial Olympic park and just enjoyed the spring day and budding trees, flowers, etc. All that walking w
orked up an appetite, so Jerry and I took them to the OK Cafe in Buckhead for a down-home cookin' southern dinner. Then we drove back by way of West Paces Ferry road to show them the governor's mansion, other mansions and more signs of blooming spring.
Tuesday we spent at home. I made a "Simons Bed and Breakfast brunch" and we just visited away the morning. In the afternoon we dug into the old family photos and shared and reminisced. Jodi and Jeremy and the kids joined us for dinner, so they got to meet our grandkids (and son-in-law). On Wednesday I took them to the Blue Willow Inn for lunch. Here they are enjoying the desserts (notice the plural). I passed on the dessert so I could take a picture. Yeah...right! After that big lunch, we decided to drive over to Madison, Georgia, and walk it off. We toured
an old ante bellum home there. In the evening we laughed to an Anita Renfroe DVD.
On Thursday morning we finished up copying the last of the pictures that everyone wanted to swap and then we headed out to find a scrapbooking store (or two) and get supplies that we'll need to enshrine all these old family photos. That night the rain held off long enough that Jerry could cook our dinner on the grill and Jessica was able to join us to eat and visit for a while.
On Friday morning they went back home to Rockford, Illinois, with promises to "do this again some time" and telling me that it's now my turn to make a trip up there. We had a wonderful time and, YES, we need to do it again some time very soon. The fact that none of us has really changed all that much in the past 40+ years belies the fact that we're not getting any younger!
ed a picture of the "thank you" bouquet they sent after they got back home. Now I'd like to post about their visit.We picked them up at the airport mid-day on Monday, March 23rd. Since neither of them had ever been to Atlanta, we decided to be tourists for the rest of the afternoon. It was a pretty day...actually, the prettiest one while they were here. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and after that we walked over to Centennial Olympic park and just enjoyed the spring day and budding trees, flowers, etc. All that walking w
orked up an appetite, so Jerry and I took them to the OK Cafe in Buckhead for a down-home cookin' southern dinner. Then we drove back by way of West Paces Ferry road to show them the governor's mansion, other mansions and more signs of blooming spring.Tuesday we spent at home. I made a "Simons Bed and Breakfast brunch" and we just visited away the morning. In the afternoon we dug into the old family photos and shared and reminisced. Jodi and Jeremy and the kids joined us for dinner, so they got to meet our grandkids (and son-in-law). On Wednesday I took them to the Blue Willow Inn for lunch. Here they are enjoying the desserts (notice the plural). I passed on the dessert so I could take a picture. Yeah...right! After that big lunch, we decided to drive over to Madison, Georgia, and walk it off. We toured
an old ante bellum home there. In the evening we laughed to an Anita Renfroe DVD.On Thursday morning we finished up copying the last of the pictures that everyone wanted to swap and then we headed out to find a scrapbooking store (or two) and get supplies that we'll need to enshrine all these old family photos. That night the rain held off long enough that Jerry could cook our dinner on the grill and Jessica was able to join us to eat and visit for a while.
On Friday morning they went back home to Rockford, Illinois, with promises to "do this again some time" and telling me that it's now my turn to make a trip up there. We had a wonderful time and, YES, we need to do it again some time very soon. The fact that none of us has really changed all that much in the past 40+ years belies the fact that we're not getting any younger!
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