Sightings

There are famous people in town! One right next door!

This is what I saw on Saturday afternoon:

That's right! SpongeBob SquarePants was in my neighbor's yard. And, judging by the silly string on my driveway, he was in my yard, too. My neighbor was having a birthday party for her son, and SpongeBob came! I couldn't resist taking a covert photo from my car. At this point, they're singing, "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands...." First, I feel sorry for the dude in the yellow box. Maybe he loves kids, or gets paid a huge amount of money (which I doubt), but that's gotta be on my list of jobs I'd never want. Second, I feel sorry for mom, and every other parent in the world who has to listen to SpongeBob and Barney all day long. What do parents do to stay sane? Maybe this was why my parents didn't have a tv when we were growing up. For their own well-being, not ours!

My next sighting that day was Tim Curry! Okay, maybe not Tim Curry himself, but he seems to be campaigning in my town!

If you don't know who Tim Curry is, he's an actor who's been in lots of things, but I will always think of him as Dr. Poole in Oscar:

And those are my famous people/sponge sightings!

Does anyone want to shop for me??

I'm stuck. Or maybe unmotivated. Or maybe figuring I have no way to find the solution. So...I've decided to come to the Blogger community for help!

Preface:
My dining room table seats six, but came with no chairs, so I found six mismatching chairs in various places: garage sales, resale shops, etc. The plan was (is) to paint the chairs all one color (black), and have the shabby chic look going on.

Problem:
My chairs are falling apart. One has always had problems, one seems rickety, and I always make sure the smallest person sits in it, and another has decided to crack all through the chair legs. So three of my six chairs are now out of commission. The cracked chair might be fixed with a little gorilla glue, but the issue remains that these chairs are not really made to last. Or they are, but I bought them at the end of their days. However, of the three remaining chairs, I really like two of them, and don't want to part with them.

Problem (continued):
We are hosting a rather large Christmas dinner, in which there will probably be more than six people eating, and now we only have three acceptable chairs. And, now that I think of it, our table only seats six....

Solution:
I need to find very cheap, very sturdy chairs! Do I need to go garage-saling again? And I'd like to spend no more than $20 per chair. Is this unrealistic? I guess these chairs have lasted almost four years, which is pretty good for garage sale chairs. I found $20 chairs at IKEA, and they're even black and in the mission style I like, but I'm not sure I can trust IKEA for sturdy chairs.

Here are chairs I like:

This one I found at a "discount" store online for $150. I like armed chairs for the head and foot of the table, and no arms for the side chairs.

This one is from IKEA for $60. I like the cushion, since I sit at the table all day every day, and I'd like something comfy.

And this is the $20 chair I've seen from IKEA. It doesn't look very comfortable (the seat is so flat), but it is in the price range, and it's mission style, which fits the rest of the house. All in all, an acceptable chair, except for the comfort, and it's probably really cheaply made. (And, concerning comfort, I already have a cushion I can use for work. Otherwise, we don't stay at the table that long.)

All these chairs are stained dark brown, but painted black is fine, too.

So...does anyone want to spend time chair hunting? I know some of you just wander aimlessly on the internet; you could use some direction! It'll be like a treasure hunt! If you find anything, post a link in the comments section! Thanks, and have fun solving my problem!!

Drivin' Along in My Automobile....

Today I drove to Dallas for a design conference. The conference was really great, and Karen got to come, too, which made it even better! The drive, though, was not so fun. I don't really like to drive, mostly because I like to look around, and I can't look around as much when I'm the one responsible for the large object careening along at 70 mph. However, I did manage to see some funny things.

First, I got stuck behind one of those new VW bugs. It was going about 58, and driving me crazy. I couldn't get around, and I was getting mad at whatever teeny bopper girl was not paying attention and driving below the speed limit. Finally, there was a break in the line of cars in the next lane, so I took advantage of it and moved around the bug. As I passed it, I was surprised to see a handicapped tag hanging on the rearview mirror. The driver was a little old man! He was so cute, in his little VW bug, that I had to laugh. That's what I get for being impatient.

Then, I came up behind a large truck, kind of like a moving van. The company name emblazoned on the back was "Totally Confused Transportation." That's right! Then, as I moved alongside it, I saw its logo:
Is that funny or what?? And why on earth would you ever name a trucking company that?

Anyway, those made me laugh today. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and I didn't get lost! All in all, a successful day!

Who is the wind beneath my wings?

I just read an interesting article today. It discusses the top 10 songs requested at British funerals. Here is the list:

1. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt
2. Angels - Robbie Williams
   
3. I've Had The Time Of My Life - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley.
4. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
5. Pie Jesu - Requiem
   
6. Candle In The Wind - Elton John
7. With Or Without You - U2
8. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
9. Every Breath You Take - The Police
   
10. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

I know I live in a bubble, and I wouldn't know about some if these songs had it not been for my dear friend and roommate, Leanna (you know which songs!), but none of these would be in my top 10 list. I'm not sure I would want a love song sung at my funeral. But then again, I know I will always connect certain love songs to Jon, and if he does the same for me, I wouldn't want to deny him the playing of those songs. However, I think we both understand that a funeral is not just about celebration of life and love, but of the new life that our loved one has now stepped into. As a matter of fact, this life, and any love in it, pales to that new life. And I think the service should reflect that.

I'm also not sure I would want a contemporary song sung at my funeral. The occasion seems much more...timeless. But then I'm considering these things as how it should be 80 years from now (I'm going to be really old when I die!). Maybe it would be different at a different age.

Anyway, just thought the article was interesting. I think any topic surrounding death is interesting, when comparing a worldly view with a Christian one. I, personally, can't wait for heaven, and I hope, when I die at age 104, that the funeral is a party! You're all invited! If you're not down here, I'll be partying with you up there!! :D

Toot Toot!

Tooting my own horn here, I wanted to show you what I made for the Love Offering for Jesus push that we do every year at our church. The offering is a year-round offering, and it gives money to the major things like Annie Armstrong, Mary Hill Davis, etc. Because it's a pledge to give year-round, the amount we as a church give to these individual emphases is much higher.

I made this banner! It's 4 feet by 12 feet, and it hangs above our baptistry. The Minister of Media helped with it, as well, so I can't take all the credit, but I was there to teach him how to use Illustrator, and for design instruction. It's the biggest thing I've ever made, and I think it turned out great! So fun!

In other news, I won the Most Positive award that my coworkers and I have been in the running for throughout this past month! I won $100! Considering that the Big Boss smoothly pulled out a hundred dollar bill from a wad in his wallet when he presented the contest, I don't think he would have really appreciated the money had he won. I, on the other hand, have only seen a hundred dollar bill one other time in my life, and I'm excited about it. I'm thinking it should either go to Friday's ophthalmologist bill...or to the State Fair!!

Yay for blessings!