Emotions are Running a Little High... About Easter Candy of All Things

Have you ever noticed how few things can excite an emotional reaction from most people the way that the mere mention of Easter candy can?  Some of you might be thinking what in the world is she talking about now.  Here, let's play a little game.  What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say "Cadbury Egg"?  or "Robin Eggs", or "Jelly Beans", or heaven forbid- "Peeps"?

See, I told you.  For some reason, there seems to be a love/hate relationship with Easter's holiday candy in a way that there just plain isn't with candy from other seasons.  It has been my experience that there are very few people out there who are indifferent about Easter candy.  Most people either absolutely love or simply cannot stand the most popular Easter candies.  There seems to be very little middle ground here.  And, why is that?  I mean I can usually go either way with most candies. But even I am not immune to the strong emotional reaction toward Easter candy.

You see, in my mind, there is no greater indulgence than a Cadbury Creme Egg, or ten.  But who's counting?  Mind you, it MUST be the original version.  They make caramel eggs and mini eggs, and who knows what else now.  But that perfect creamy milk-chocolatey egg will always go down in my play book as an absolute winner.  On the other hand, the mere mention of "Peeps" is enough to make this girl run for cover.  I have always hated the way springy sweet marshmallow tastes (and feels). Ick!  Yes, they are cute, and they are quintessential Easter candy.  But that's about as far as it goes for me.

To that end, I thought I would share this rather accurate depiction of uses for Peeps.

However, I did find one other pretty cute use.  If there's one thing the Harris Sisters are known for, it's getting crafty.  And this Harris Sister also loves decorating for the holidays.  This may be one project that will actually send me to the store in search of those little buggers this year.

Now, I KNOW I'm not the only one out there who has strong feelings about Easter candy.  Feel free to leave us a comment if there are certain ones that you love or love to hate, and we will see what makes the cut, and what goes the way of the Peep.  

...Or if you happen to come up with any other functional uses for Peeps, 

I would be thrilled to hear all about those, too.  ;)

Drug Store Alternative to Pricey Mascara

I don't know about you, but I have hunted high and low for a mascara that actually makes my lashes full, thick, long, strong, voluminous, and just plain pretty.  And over the years I have tried them all.  If you have ever spent much time looking at mascaras in the stores, you might have noticed what I have- most brands of mascara promise only one thing- either that they will thicken your lashes, lengthen your lashes, volumize your lashes, or whatever- but very few promise to do ALL those things.  And that's exactly what I want, dang it!  Why can't a girl have it all?

But there is good news!  I have found the one that does do it all.  And even better news is that it's a drug store brand- so it's a low cost alternative to those pricey department store brands.  So which one is it?

Drumroll please....   L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

And the one pictured in exactly the one you are looking for.  Like most brands, this one comes in lots of different varieties.  Choose the one that days "Original" right on the package.  It is a good value no matter where you shop, and it's literally the best mascara I have ever worn.

This one is a good one, ladies.  So get out there and doll up those eyes.

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In My Mind, I'm Goin' to Carolina

I stumbled upon this on Pinterest (and interestingly enough, it was originally published on its blog Southern Weddings on February 21 - Deanna's and my birthday).

What a beautifully stated sentiment! All three Harris sisters were raised in North Carolina, and two of us still reside here. We can advise you as to the best methods of catching fireflies (or lightning bugs, as it were), and we have eaten our fair share of grits.

We can argue the merits of Krispy Kreme doughnuts over Dunkin Donuts "until the cows come home." And, if you don't understand what that means, then you won't understand these phrases in this post either: Well, bless your heart!, but I digress.

And THIS GAL certainly appreciates a nod to a Southern state that does not mention fried chicken (finally). It's nice to know that someone else feels the same way.

Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake

This is the cake I request each and every year when my birthday rolls around.  It is called Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake, and trust me- the name says it all.  If you are a chocolate lover, there is no better cake in this world, I promise you!  

My wonderful husband makes this lovely cake for me every year.  Then we each have a piece on my birthday, and I proceed to finish the entire rest of the cake all by myself.  I'm not joking.  That's how it goes down every time.  And when you make this cake yourself, you will understand why. 

Here's the recipe.  Enjoy!

Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2  eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. 
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings. 

Variations:

One-pan Cake:  Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. 

Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes. 

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby!

No one says it quite like The King.  So, Happy Happy Birthday, Baby to one of his biggest fans.  For those who don't know, Donna has been an Elvis lover for as long as I can remember.  

Although, as this little pictorial display will tell, it looks like that love has finally started to wear off on the rest of the family.   So for that, we say thank you...  I think.  :)

Happy Birthday, Sis!  We love you!!

It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right

If you don't know us personally, you'd have to be paying pretty close attention to catch on to the fact that Deanna and I are twins. We have only mentioned it a couple of times on the blog.

"What?" you say. Will these girls ever stop with the surprises?! Next you will tell me that they raise unicorns . . .

Anyhootle, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish my sister Deanna a very happy birthday!

This is a photo of us at the last birthday party that we had together. And even though we don't get the chance to have birthday parties together any more, we always remember each other on "our" day (which makes February even MORE special than Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, and President's Day combined).

So, as a birthday shout-out, Deanna, this one's for you. The ORIGINAL Party Rock Anthem (and guaranteed to make you dance on your birthday):

An original for an original, um, er, that doesn't work for twins . . . an original for someone who was always willing to be the DJ EZ Rock to my Rob Base.

Love you and Happy Birthday!

Told You Dogs Could Fly

Well, mine can at least.  I first detailed the amazing feats and athleticism of these talented cocker spaniels in this blog post last month.  I *may* have also alluded to the fact that, while my pup is not actually an agility dog, she is quite capable when it comes to leaping- dare I say- flying through the air.   Take note.

It is worth a mention that she was in hot pursuit of her ball in all these photos.  We were pitching it off the back deck, and trying our best to keep up with her on the camera as she sailed completely OVER the porch steps time and again.  There is nothing this girl won't do for a toy.  Show off.  

Asparagus Couscous

If you've been paying close attention, I've mentioned several recipes that have been billed as "the easiest recipe ever" - Garlic Roasted Asparagus and Homemade Taco Seasoning. and I must say that I think this one falls into that category too. And since asparagus is coming into season and likely to go on sale at your local grocery  for weeks on end, it wouldn't hurt to have another easy and delicious asparagus recipe under your belt.

Asparagus Couscous

1 bunch asparagus

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 packages couscous

1/4 cup nuts, chopped 

1. Clean and cut asparagus into bite sized pieces. Saute garlic cloves, asparagus, and nuts in olive oil for 5 minutes or until desired tenderness.
2. Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions. When couscous is finished, combine all ingredients in saute pan. Serve.

Note: We used pecans for the recipe that is pictured, but we have also used walnuts and almonds before with success.

In Tribute to Small Towns Everywhere...

As many of you already know, or may have guessed by now, we Harris girls grew up in a small town in the great state of North Carolina.  Now, there are some definite advantages to growing up in a small, rural area.

Everyone seemed to know (and care for) each other.  As a community, we shared and celebrated in each other's successes- whether the graduation of the local high school class, the crowning of the next Roxboro Junior Miss, or the weekly victories of the high school football team.  We shared recipes, family reunions, and birthday parties.  Neighbors helped neighbors.  The local paper was printed twice a week- on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Kids clamored for roles in community theater and the whole town came out to watch.  There were fireworks at Independence Day and a parade down Main Street at Christmas.  Snow cream in the winter, and homemade ice cream in the summer.  Pitchers of Kool-Aid; running through the sprinkler; riding bikes through the yard; sitting on the front porch and waving to the passing cars.

Yes, we grew up good; we grew up slow.

Whenever I hear Lady Antebellum's "American Honey", it takes me back to my childhood in North Carolina.  Take a listen and see if you don't agree.  :)

It's All a Blur- and that's a good thing!

It's been a while since I have reviewed a beauty product, but I have a new one for you, and it was worth the wait.  The product?  L'Oreal RevitaLift Miracle Blur, and it's a winner!

I was recently offered a free sample of this while out shopping, so I grabbed a couple to give a try before I really even knew what it was supposed to do.  No matter- it was free, and I do use (and love) other L'Oreal RevitaLift products, so I took it home to figure out.  

After a little light reading about this new product, I discovered that it is primarily touted to blur out the appearance of fine lines and other skin imperfections.  As I have mentioned before, my primary skin imperfections aren't really fine lines (yet- fingers crossed) as much as skin tone imperfections.  I have dark circles, and a face full of freckles.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of either but after 30-some years of living with them, I've become pretty adept at figuring out how to make my skin look as flawless as possible- thanks in large part to quite a bit of spackle that I will never give up.  But let's face it, there are some situations where a fully made up face just doesn't make sense- the beach, the pool, the gym, working in the yard, etc. 

And that's where this product comes in.  I used my samples for a couple of early morning gym visits, and I have to say that my bare face has never looked better!  It literally blurs out all of the skin imperfections and makes your skin look (and feel) really fabulous.  Usually, I have to be on my death bed before I will leave the house without makeup- and I guess if I were on my death bed, I wouldn't be going anywhere anyway, but you get the idea- this product is a game changer.  Now, to clarify, I will NEVER show up at the office, a speaking engagement (what I do for work), or most any other worthwhile venture without being made up first.  But for those trips to the gym or the pool, I have found my new best friend!  Oh, and It does contain a fair amount of sunscreen too, which protects your skin on days you are outside.

Other reviewers have also said that they use this as a makeup primer because it also makes your skin feel incredibly smooth, so I can certainly see why people might decide to use it for that.  But for this reviewer, I am more than content with using it alone and letting it work it's magic all on it's own.  

It is relatively new to the market, so you may have a little trouble finding it in stores just yet.  I did. So I ended up ordering my full size product from Amazon.  So head's up just in case. 

I'm so glad I gave this product a try; it's one of the few that really does all it says it does.   

I'm a happy girl. :)

 

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Takin' It Back to the Old School

Well, it occurred to me that I might have frightened some of you last week when I wrote about some things that our kids will never have the pleasure of knowing about in Now You're Just Somebody That I Used to Know. Trust me when I say that was not my intent. If I really wanted to frighten you, I would have posted a picture of myself without makeup. :-)

Anyhoot, to make up for it, I thought I would post a more inspiring list of things that my kids DO KNOW ABOUT because we have foisted these retro 70s and 80s toys onto them as gifts (because, believe it or not, they are still available). In the case of the two girlie toys, we have given them as gifts to the girls in the family:

Rubik's Cube: I remember that my original Rubik's cube confounded me so much that I eventually pryed the stickers off and then put them back on in the right places . . . Of course, Aidyn is advanced and has already figured out how to get two sides of his back to the right colors. This toy was clearly not for me.

Etch A Sketch: The toy for the budding artist and someone technologically inclined enough to use it. (And, yes, I think rotating two radio buttons qualifies as "technology" - or at least it did back in the day when this toy was originally released.) Did any of your masterpieces ever turn out looking like this?

Slinky: "What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound? A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows it's Slinky. It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun, it's a wonderful toy. It's Slinky, it's Slinky. It's fun for a girl or a boy." Fun, that is, until it gets wadded up into a tangled mess of wire. But, until that point, FUN.

Slinky Dog: The animated cousin of the Slinky. This guy has gained popularity since the release of the Toy Story movies. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the toys on this list are still hanging in there because of that franchise. When these movies were released, those toys, most of which were older toys, became cool again.

Lite Brite: In case you are wondering, the little pegs still get lost and strewn all over your house . . . . CLASSIC toy indeed. :-)

ViewMaster: I have always called this toy a View Finder. And if you Google View Finder, one of the first items that comes up is the ViewMaster by Fisher Price. So, I guess I'm not alone in my misunderstanding of what this item is called. At any rate, what kid doesn't like clicking through and seeing what's on those teeny tiny frames?

Transformers: "More than meets the eye." Our boys are playing with the originals that Ryan Barrett Walkush was smart enough to save from when he was a boy. Now before anyone has a heart attack, they were not pristine, new in package condition. They were the well-loved toys that he, himself played with as a youngster. And now they are being enjoyed by the next generation.

Sit 'N Spin: Now the name of this toy has always cracked me up. It makes me think of what Potsy would tell Ralph Mouth down at Al's Diner on Happy Days on occasion. But, slightly questionable naming conventions aside, this product is still available, and your kids can still twirl themselves silly on their own.

My Little Pony: The newer ones have shorter noses, but other than that, if it catches your fancy, you can still purchase these. We bought My Little Ponies for one of my nieces for her recent birthday.

Cabbage Patch Kids: While these dolls don't inspire the mob scenes that they did in the 1980's, they are still available. I'm not sure if they still have unique names like Eucalyptus Hasenpfeffer or Disingenuous Folklore, but even if Xavier Roberts has run out of all of the REALLY GOOD NAMES, these are still a good bet for a retro toy. We gave a Cabbage Patch Kid as a gift to one of our other nieces a few Christmases ago.

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In Honor of Valentine's Day

Please enjoy one of my favorite musicians, Brad Paisley, performing one of my favorite songs, "Then".  Leave it to a country crooner to say it like no one else can.   

Whether a spouse, a special someone, a child, a parent, a sibling, I think we can all relate to loving someone more than you ever thought possible.  Ain't love grand?  

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

I remember trying not to stare
The night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
And three weeks later
In the front porch light
Taking 45 minutes to kiss goodnight
I hadn't told you yet
I thought I loved you then

Now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world
I just can't believe
The way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than its ever been
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

I remember taking you back
To right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn't care
I got down on one knee right there
And once again
I thought I loved you then

Now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world
I just can't believe
The way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than its ever been
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

I can just see you
With a baby on the way
I can just see you
When your hair is turning grey
What I can't see
Is how I'm ever gonna love you more
But I've said that before

Now you're my whole life
Now you're my whole world
I just can't believe
The way I feel about you girl
We'll look back someday
At this moment that we're in
And I'll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then

And I thought I loved you then

Snickerdoodles!

I, too, ventured into the make your own valentine game last year.  For once, I was ahead of the game which was good because our particular valentines required some forethought.  At the beginning of February, I took a few pics of Charlotte and we chose this one:

Once they arrived, we went to work on them.  I glued the pics to scrapbook paper, and attached a mini snickers to Char's hand in the photo.  Can you see where this is headed?  On the back, Charlotte wrote in, "I like you.  You make me snicker!"  Charlotte did try to address one as 'Your Secret Admirer' until I explained how that plan might not work with her big face on the front!  

DIY Valentines: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

For you long time Harris Sisters followers, you KNOW that we are crafty, as has been established previously in this post. So, when it came time to round up not one but TWO sets of class Valentine's cards this year, somehow I decided that crafty was the way to go. Although, please read this all the way through. YOU might decide:

Last year, our experience with store-bought valentines was that no matter which pack your child chose, the number of cards in said pack was at least one shy of the number of children in the class (thereby causing you to have to buy two packs and ending up with additional cards). Considering these packs of postage-stamp sized cards cost anywhere from $3.50-$5.00, it starts to add up when you are buying about 4 packs for two kids.

So, I meandered over to my Valentine's Pinterest board to check out some options. I wanted to give two different types of DIY valentines a go so that I could report back to you, our loyal readers, my findings.

For Jaxon, my four-year-old, I thought it only fitting to go with the Pop Rocks/You Rock, Valentine. He concurred. For those of you who might be unawares, Jaxon is our wild child. I offer up as proof a gift that he received for his third birthday:

Although there are several of the Pop Rock valentine templates floating around on Pinterest, I chose to use the one found here: Keeping It Simple Crafts. And this is how ours turned out:

What I loved about this template was that it printed four up on a page, it was sized perfectly for the Pop Rocks (no need for an additional bag as some of the others required), and the template is square (which doesn't sound like a bonus until you get to the review of the next DIY valentine - trust me). 

Supplies needed:

Printer

Printer Paper

Template from Keeping It Simple Crafts (link above)

Pop Rocks

Scissors

Stapler/staples

Pen for writing students' names

Pop Rocks are sold at the Dollar Store in packs of three, so this was an economical choice for valentines. Cost for the entire class (16 kids plus 2 teachers) - $6.00.

For Aidyn, my seven-year-old, we had previously decided to go with a version of You're Just "Write" for Me (a heart with a pencil stuck through it as an arrow) so I had already purchased valentine cut outs that were the right size for this. But when we got to the Dollar Store to buy supplies for Jaxon's cards, Aidyn changed his mind and wanted to give out hot chocolate. So, for him I will be reviewing a valentine of my own making WHICH I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN. :-)

This valentine is different for one main reason: it is heart shaped. Now, this does not sound like a big deal until you realize that you have to cut out 24 of them . . . . 

And, of course wanting to make it as difficult on myself as I possibly could, rather than just designing a beautiful valentine, printing it on card stock, cutting it out, and calling it a day, I thought it best to just print it on regular paper and glue it to the pretty hearts I had already purchased (because I didn't factor in the extra time cutting would take until AFTER they were already printed). Cost for the whole class (20 kids plus 4 teachers) -  $7.59. And this is how they turned out:

Supplies needed:

Printer

Printer Paper

Template of your own design that says "Valentine, you warm my heart" (if you dare)

Heart Shaped Colorful Cut Outs (mine were purchased from Carson-Dellosa)

Hot Chocolate

Glue Stick

Scissors

Stapler/staples

Pencil for writing students' names

Patience

So, considering I am a sucker, it is likely that we will make our own valentines again next year (the boys loved it). Given what I know now, I would recommend a few of these nice simple ones that I've pinned:

Star Wars Valentine recommended at Purple Patch Parties and free printable found here Star Wars Glow Stick Valentine Printable.

And as you can see, glow sticks can also be replaced with Pixie Sticks as acknowledged on Inchmark.

And another idea (and free printable) for glow sticks found at Kommunicated:

An idea (and free printable) for Kool Aid (which is el cheapo grande) found at Moms by Heart, although after this year, I might just be inclined to design an Avery label and stick it right on the back of the pack of Kool Aid (easy peasy!).

Don't forget to check out this post for many more ideas and links to free Valentine printables.

My (not-so-secret) Fascination with Kate Middleton

I must admit I have been quite fascinated with this young lady for some time now.  In a world that increasingly seems to celebrate immodesty, this lady stands out in the crowd for being just that- a lady. 

It is so refreshing to see this natural beauty shine so brightly.  You never see the Duchess wearing provocative, short, or skin-tight clothing.  She doesn't wear over the top makeup, and her hair has almost become it's own entity.  I mean, who doesn't want her big bouncy curls?  She is always pulled together so nicely, and the world has taken notice.  Virtually everything she wears instantly sells out of the stores.  She has even got this generation wearing hosiery again!  Now, that's a feat in itself.  

 

And, if that weren't enough, she wears hats!  Oh, how I wish that we Americans were more prone to this lady-like look.  But alas, even I must admit that I usually only wear a hat when I am heading to the gym to hide my bed-head hair.  Maybe I will wear a hat for Easter this year, or maybe I can get John to take me to a horse race so I can try out this look.  :)

Even her formal gowns feature floor length hemlines and long sleeves (as did her famous wedding dress, if you will recall).  And she still looks more beautiful than anyone else out there.  Compare that to some of the gaudy red-carpet fashion from last weekend's Grammy Awards.  Not much competition there. 

Kate has been both praised and critiqued for wearing common clothing lines.  To me, that makes her all the more endearing, and always leaves me wondering what fabulous outfit she will show up in next.  If you are as interested as I am in following Kate Middleton's fashions, there is a Website that is dedicated to chronicling her clothing, footwear, jewelry, and handbags.  And I also found a wonderful Facebook page called RepliKate, that shows you how to get Kate's classic look. 

Trivial?  Maybe, but oh so much fun.  Enjoy!

And the Winner is...

Banana Joe, the Affenpinscher, took home the top prize for this year's Westminster Dog Show.  As you can see, this little fella represented the toy group.  I always love it when the winner is small enough to stand inside his prize bowl.  :)  Well done, B.J., well done.  

I'm Sweet on You, Valentine

I ran across this vintage Valentine's PEZ ad the other day, and I thought it was adorable:

My reasons for loving this ad are threefold:

• Apparently back in the day, PEZ dispensers didn't have character faces on them, and that made them look like cigarette lighters, which is questionable at best.
• That little cupid looks just like my boys did when they were babies.
• Also back in the day, you could plunk down a quarter and walk out with a shiny new (and personalized AND gold encrusted) PEZ dispenser. Shmancy!

While the price of PEZ dispensers has certainly increased over the years, their popularity has increased right along with it. The boys love them as noted here: Oh Mickey, You're So Fine and here: Trick or Treat.

 

And as per usual, they'll be getting Valentine-themed PEZ this Thursday. Even though they won't be gold encrusted, I'm sure they can't wait.

Now You're Just Somebody That I Used to Know

So, I ran across this article The Floppy Disk Means Save And 14 Other Old People Icons That Don't Make Sense Anymore.

And that got me thinking that there is an entire WORLD of things that the boys know nothing about now. Things are so different compared to when I grew up. Aside from the walking to school in the snow. . . uphill  .. . both ways . . . , these are a few things that spring to mind.

Maps- Neither of them will ever remember a time without GPS. I can distinctly remember when Aidyn was about two and he found it funny to try to mimic what the GPS lady said, even though he didn't quite understand what she was saying. So, "Turn right, followed by, turn left" to him sounded like "Turn right, Fruit Pie, turn left." I always told Ryan that he was "Fruit Pie" and he always told me I was "Fruit Pie" - we were at an impasse. And if you think about it, the only map that either of them has ever experienced is the one that Dora carries around, and it talks and tells you where to go - much more GPS-like than any of us would care to acknowledge.

Payphones - Other than the Maroon 5 song, which both of them know, I don't think either of them have ever SEEN a payphone. And, I don't know if payphones even exist anymore (outside of music videos, which no longer play on MTV, but I digress).

Rotary Dial Phones - Speaking of phones, the good ol' rotary dial phone is pretty much a thing of the past. We have a phone that is made to look like a rotary dial, but it has buttons where the dial would have been.

Phone Numbers - Even if either of the boys were to happen upon a payphone or a rotary dial, I don't know what they would do to call someone. We are all so used to scrolling to someone's name and selecting it to make a phone call that the practice of remembering full phone numbers has nearly disappeared. Remember 867-5309? Jenny's phone number might be the last phone number that anyone remembers for a very long time.

Film for Cameras - At least since we've had the boys, our cameras have been digital. I don't think either of them have ever seen a roll of film or would know what to do with it. Unfortunately, because they've grown up with digital cameras, they are forced to suffer through "just one more" because you can preview the photos as you take them. When you only had 24 or 36 pictures to a roll of film, I remember being more careful about the photos I took (and even then you didn't know what they looked like until you developed them).

Card Catalogs - To tell you the truth, I haven't even looked around our local library enough to tell you if they even still have them there. I know that the computer look-up stations abound and that is where it was headed when I was frequenting the library IN COLLEGE. Methinks this is why it is so en vogue to repurpose card catalogs as household furniture. (Information for the project at the left can be found here: Toone Family Blog.)

Encyclopedias - That is where we used to look up our information for reports, science projects, and such in the olden days. (Hey kids, when I was your age, we didn't have the Internets!) Now that most all research is done online, it makes me truly wonder about the fate of one Encyclopedia Brown . . . Do kids just think that this fictional investigator just has the strangest name ever?

Manually Unlocking Car Doors with a Key - You know what, if you were to ask me right now if my car even had keyhole on the outside doors, I would have to go look to give you a correct answer. Ever since the boys have been around, we have always used the keyless remote - bloop bloop. I know Ryan's car has keyholes on the car doors, but that is only because his keyless remote broke and he had to kick it old school (gasp!) until he got the remote fixed.



Purchasing Current Music from a Brick and Mortar Store - This one is near and dear to my heart. When I was in college, I worked for Blockbuster Music. Most people associate Blockbuster with movies, but they had music stores too. And those stores sold CDs (and at the time, we still sold cassettes if you can believe it). We had a listening bar, where you could pull up a barstool and give a CD a listen before determining if you wanted to commit to the WHOLE DARN THING or, wait for it, the ever-popular (say it with me) single (that they were wearing out on the radio and your local music store employees were, quite frankly, sick of hearing). Nowadays, the only music stores you're likely to step foot into are those selling vintage vinyl. And, thank goodness that has not gone the way of the dinosaur.

Postal Service on Saturdays - Beginning in August, the USPS will institute a five-day delivery schedule. Banks closed up shop on Saturdays long ago and now this. Thankfully, banks no longer have to be open for you to do business with them (online banking and ATMs are what kids nowadays are used to).


These are just 10 things that my kids won't know. Feel free to post comments about anything else that comes to mind. And if anyone would like to weigh in on the aforementioned Fruit Pie debate, feel free.