Two-Firecrackers

Soccer Kids!

Uncle David's Wedding (Ringbearer & Flowergirl)

V's Favorite Band

Grayson's Poetry Assignment

Grayson’s assignment was to write his own poem in the same style as James Whitcomb Riley had in the Little Orphant Annie seen below. His poem below was inspired by the Renaissance Festival Dungeon Museum we visited this weekend. Torment Chair By Grayson Bowman Christenbury 10/23/06 Wunst upon a time thare was a fella who didin’ care about his King. He was mockin’ and talkin’ and carryin’ on about, so they sent him to the dungeon and put him in the torment chair. It was thare in the torment chair when he learnt to care. So when you run off at the mouth don’t forget the torment chair is lurkin’ somewhere about! LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) INSCRIBED WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones; The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones; The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones. ITTLE Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay, An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away, An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep, An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep; An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done, We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about, An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you Ef you Don't Watch Out! Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,-- An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs, His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl, An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all! An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press, An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess; But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:-- An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin, An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin; An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there, She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care! An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide, They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side, An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about! An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue, An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo! An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray, An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,-- You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear, An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear, An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about, Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out!

Our Best Buds!

Happy Days!

Our Nana's new book! Spelldown

SPELLDOWN by Karon Luddy. 13-year old Karlene Bridges has had just about enough of Red Clover, South Carolina. With her older sister, Gloria Jean gone and married, Karlene is left to care for her young twin brothers, take care of Mama, and make sure Daddy lays off the alcohol. On top of that, Karlene has a National Spelling Bee to win. Karlene has that fresh irreverence that might make some take her for a smart-aleck ¬ like the time she corrects Mrs. Helms' pronunciation of hierarchy. Reading Whitman and Hemingway help Karlene make sense of the world, and with the butterfly-inducing Billy Ray to offer comfort, and the mentoring of Mrs. Amanda Harrison, Latin teacher extraordinaire, Karlene finds her way to young adulthood. This is a coming of age story for the ages. Talia Cohen sold North American rights to Simon & Schuster for publication next summer. We retain translation rights. http://ldlainc.com/news.html