Well, phase 1 of the Viking Cinema V2.0 is complete. We have the screen and projector up, I wired a socket to the ceiling so I don't have cords hanging down, and the BluRay player is in the house. In honor of that achievement, Cyndie and I watched a movie last night ... Made of Honor. I'd ordered several BluRays from the library, and it's what came first. The movie was a pretty standard Romantic Comedy, fun enough to watch. The difference from the cheap DVD player to the nice BluRay was HUGE. And apparently Pepper is impressed with the quality of the image too. Every time a dog came on the screen, he growled at it. Fun times.
In other news, the deck is continuing to proceed. We have about 40% of the decking down, and can now use the stairs and the grill again. I think the contractor and his team will be back for several hours over the weekend to get the rest of the decking in place. Timmy has enjoyed watching the team work. This morning he's walking around with his play hammer in his pocket and he's carrying a bunch of nails and other toys stuff around like the contractors do. He said he's building a deck for Tiny and Jack.
The other excitement (I guess you can call it that) over night is that Tim and Emma were playing out in the woods yesterday evening. When they cam in, Timmy didn't have his glasses. Apparently he'd taken them off to put a mask on. Well, I sent them back out to look, no dice. So Timmy was in big trouble ... no TV for a week. Fortunately, Cyndie found them after looking for about 45 minutes this morning. It was hilarious. At breakfast, the kids usually watch a TV show while they eat. Timmy had to sit with his back to TV. He's seen the iCarly episodes often enough, he was describing the action on the screen based on the dialogue. Nice.
Timmy construction man
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Birthday Girl
Emma's birthday came and went (well kind of since she's having her overnight on Saturday night) yesterday. Wednesdays are a pretty busy day, so we didn't do a lot of extra stuff. We had bacon, eggs, cinnamon rolls, and fruit for breakfast ... all Emma favorites. And she received her gift from us ... a digital camera! She's very excited about it. It's pink and we gave her a little bag for it too.
After school the kids had gymnastics ... Emma is graduating to the next level which she's excited about. Then dinner and a bit of time outside before bedtime.
The preparations continue for Emma's overnight. They're going to do pedicures/manicures, watch a movie, and just do general girlie stuff!
After school the kids had gymnastics ... Emma is graduating to the next level which she's excited about. Then dinner and a bit of time outside before bedtime.
The preparations continue for Emma's overnight. They're going to do pedicures/manicures, watch a movie, and just do general girlie stuff!
Deck update!
Well, work is definitely proceeding on the deck project. Over the last week we've gone from having our old deck to (hopefully at the end of today) having our new deck ... minus the roof. Here are some pictures of the process:
Gone!
Pre-removal:
Gone!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday means ...
Family night, pizza night at the Wildwood DeVries. So last night we mixed up some dough, spread some toppings, and headed down stairs to the Viking Cinema part II, to watch the first full movie down there. Now the purists (I'm looking at you Gow and Dave) may complain that the first movie we watched was Home on the Range. However, Timmy really liked it, and Emma did as well. They were quite impressed over the size of the screen, and didn't even care that a ceiling light was partially obstructing the image (only about 6 inches hung in the way, and I fixed that this morning!). Nor did they care that the signal was DVD, and therefore not making full use of the High Def capabilities of the projector.
Good times were had by all! Emma is very excited to have her sleepover birthday party on Saturday night, and watch a movie with her female classmates on the big screen.
Good times were had by all! Emma is very excited to have her sleepover birthday party on Saturday night, and watch a movie with her female classmates on the big screen.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Whew, weekend over!
Well now, that was a whirlwind weekend! I feel like I didn't sit down for more than 1 hour all weekend. The big activity was having a pastoral candidate here to interview/speak to be the next pastor at our church. Since I'm the chair of the search team looking for the next pastor, it meant a lot of activities for me.
We had the pastor (Bruce and Alissa) over for a quick dinner on Thursday night (they flew in Thursday afternoon). Then I had worship team practice after that. Friday was just a crazy day. It started in the morning with our contractor coming to tear out the old deck (his bid was to do it that way as he felt it would be better to get rid of the old deck and pour new footings for the new, heavier deck (with a roof). I'm glad he did as the old footings where shallow, and the deck support posts were neither sunk in the concrete or tied into the concrete ... only sitting on top. Apparently that's not too uncommon around here (no earthquakes and all), but still, I'm glad we went this route). So he did his thing. We also received delivery of our new fridge and freezer ... fun stuff. Cyndie is especially really excited to have the separate, side by side units again. We also had the church staff over to have lunch with Bruce and Alissa, during which time I received via FedEx my new toys ... a projector and screen to create a Viking Cinema, part II in the basement. After that, I went with Bruce and Alissa to visit some houses in and around Lake Geneva. They're looking to buy for the first time, so they wanted some advice which I'm happy to give. Then it was dinner with Bruce and Alissa and the rest of the search team at a friends house, then home to play with my new toys after the kids hit the sack. And that's just Friday! Whew, let me catch my breath.
Saturday the kids and I went up to Stone Fire Pizza, a kind of Chuck-E-Cheese, for a birthday part of Timmy's (his words) "best buddy". Owen is a boy from his class who lives close by and rides the bus with Tim. The pizza party and games were fun, but the place was LOUD. I think the kids liked the bumper cars the best. During that time, Cyndie had a lunch with the leadership team (kind of run the church) and Bruce and Alissa. Saturday night was a potluck for the whole church and Bruce and Alissa, followed by a question and answer session. Bruce (and Alissa) is a really personable and engaging guy, so he made lots of friends quickly. By the time Cyndie and I got the kids to bed, we were pooped, and followed them almost immediately.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing ... until 10am at which time we had the final Coffee Shop (our church small group) at our place. There were about 15 - 20 people here for that. It was fun though, to just hang out and relax a bit. Then it was worship team run through and an extended coffee time prior to church, which Cyndie coordinated. Bruce spoke during the evening service. It was a really great message on the prodigal son. Then afterward we had a congregational meeting to vote to call Bruce to be the next pastor at which he was unanimously approved. Good times. The good news is that as of last night, Cyndie and I watched 30 minutes of the Matrix on our 135 inch screen in the Viking Cinema, part II.
So, we're swinging into the week and I feel like I need a rest from my weekend off. It's been cold-ish (50s/low 60s) the last several weeks, so we're hoping the weather will turn our way and we'll be able to get out on the boat more.
On the kid front, Timmy has a new obsession: paper airplanes. He's been making them for the last 5 days or so and they're all over the house. I think he got the idea (and directions) from a Berenstain Bears book. Anyway, he's getting pretty good at making them!
So there you have it. My rambling on more than you could possibly want to know about the weekend of the Wildwood DeVries!
We had the pastor (Bruce and Alissa) over for a quick dinner on Thursday night (they flew in Thursday afternoon). Then I had worship team practice after that. Friday was just a crazy day. It started in the morning with our contractor coming to tear out the old deck (his bid was to do it that way as he felt it would be better to get rid of the old deck and pour new footings for the new, heavier deck (with a roof). I'm glad he did as the old footings where shallow, and the deck support posts were neither sunk in the concrete or tied into the concrete ... only sitting on top. Apparently that's not too uncommon around here (no earthquakes and all), but still, I'm glad we went this route). So he did his thing. We also received delivery of our new fridge and freezer ... fun stuff. Cyndie is especially really excited to have the separate, side by side units again. We also had the church staff over to have lunch with Bruce and Alissa, during which time I received via FedEx my new toys ... a projector and screen to create a Viking Cinema, part II in the basement. After that, I went with Bruce and Alissa to visit some houses in and around Lake Geneva. They're looking to buy for the first time, so they wanted some advice which I'm happy to give. Then it was dinner with Bruce and Alissa and the rest of the search team at a friends house, then home to play with my new toys after the kids hit the sack. And that's just Friday! Whew, let me catch my breath.
Saturday the kids and I went up to Stone Fire Pizza, a kind of Chuck-E-Cheese, for a birthday part of Timmy's (his words) "best buddy". Owen is a boy from his class who lives close by and rides the bus with Tim. The pizza party and games were fun, but the place was LOUD. I think the kids liked the bumper cars the best. During that time, Cyndie had a lunch with the leadership team (kind of run the church) and Bruce and Alissa. Saturday night was a potluck for the whole church and Bruce and Alissa, followed by a question and answer session. Bruce (and Alissa) is a really personable and engaging guy, so he made lots of friends quickly. By the time Cyndie and I got the kids to bed, we were pooped, and followed them almost immediately.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing ... until 10am at which time we had the final Coffee Shop (our church small group) at our place. There were about 15 - 20 people here for that. It was fun though, to just hang out and relax a bit. Then it was worship team run through and an extended coffee time prior to church, which Cyndie coordinated. Bruce spoke during the evening service. It was a really great message on the prodigal son. Then afterward we had a congregational meeting to vote to call Bruce to be the next pastor at which he was unanimously approved. Good times. The good news is that as of last night, Cyndie and I watched 30 minutes of the Matrix on our 135 inch screen in the Viking Cinema, part II.
So, we're swinging into the week and I feel like I need a rest from my weekend off. It's been cold-ish (50s/low 60s) the last several weeks, so we're hoping the weather will turn our way and we'll be able to get out on the boat more.
On the kid front, Timmy has a new obsession: paper airplanes. He's been making them for the last 5 days or so and they're all over the house. I think he got the idea (and directions) from a Berenstain Bears book. Anyway, he's getting pretty good at making them!
So there you have it. My rambling on more than you could possibly want to know about the weekend of the Wildwood DeVries!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Iron Man 2 and How to Train a Dragon
Saw a couple of movies in the theater lately, so I guess I better get those reviews up or the mob will be at my doorstep with pitchforks and torches.
How to Train a Dragon (3.5/5)
We saw this with the kids in 3D. First a word about 3D. It was kind of neat, but totally not necessary. I wouldn't go so far as to say it detracted from the experience, but eh, it wasn't required by any means.
Largely, this was a pretty typical kids movie. There was enough in there for the adults to keep me interested (I mean come on, dragons are cool!). It was a bit strange that the Vikings were speaking with Scottish accents. I was also kind of annoyed that after building the dragons up for the first act as these big, menacing foes, that once we got to know them they were more like dogs to be trained instead of equally smart enemies with whom to become friends. The technical quality was good, but the story just average.
The overall summary: A sound kids movie.
Iron Man 2 (3.8/5)
Saw this for my birthday the first weekend it was out. I think my opinion of the movie was hurt slightly by high expectations, but helped by viewing the movie with an excited and passionate audience (going to a big movie on opening weekend is always fun). I felt like this, the sequel, lacked a bit of the good humor or campiness that made the first film so fun, becoming a bit more serious. It got away from the Tony Stark character a bit and focused on the Russian antagonist ... to the detriment of the movie (Robert Downey, Jr. is an infinitely better actor than Mickey Rourke). The relationship with the secretary/CEO (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the undercover agent (Scarlett Johansson) was a bit amorphous and probably un-needed. Despite that, I enjoyed the movie. Gow, Laura, and Cyndie all really liked it, so yeah, I'm probably being a bit hard on the flick.
The overall summary: A strong follow up to Iron Man, but not quite the equal of its predecessor.
Movies I've seen recently:
Juno - 4.8/5
Slumdog Millionaire - 4.6/5
Iron Man - 4.2/5
Lars and the Real Girl - 4.1/5
Wall-E - 4.0/5
Traitor - 4.0/5
The Dark Knight - 3.9/5
Star Trek - 3.9/5
TransSiberian - 3.9/5
Iron Man 2 - 3.8/5
Wolverine - 3.8/5
Hurt Locker - 3.8/5
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - 3.7/5
Definitely, Maybe - 3.7/5
Up - 3.7/5
The Blind Side - 3.7/5
Kung Fu Panda - 3.5/5
How to Train a Dragon - 3.5/5
The Passion - 3.5/5
Valkyrie - 3.5/5
Appoloosa - 3.5/5
Sherlock Holmes - 3.5/5
The Incredible Hulk - 3.4/5
Stealth - 3.4/5
New in Town - 3.2/5
Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel - 3.2/5
He's Just Not That Into You - 3.1/5
Horton Hears a Who - 3.0/5
Inglorious Bastards - 2.9/5
Push - 2.8/5
Jonah, a VeggieTales Movie - 2.4/5
Meet Bill - 2.1/5
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 1.9/5
Burn After Reading - 1.5/5
How to Train a Dragon (3.5/5)
We saw this with the kids in 3D. First a word about 3D. It was kind of neat, but totally not necessary. I wouldn't go so far as to say it detracted from the experience, but eh, it wasn't required by any means.
Largely, this was a pretty typical kids movie. There was enough in there for the adults to keep me interested (I mean come on, dragons are cool!). It was a bit strange that the Vikings were speaking with Scottish accents. I was also kind of annoyed that after building the dragons up for the first act as these big, menacing foes, that once we got to know them they were more like dogs to be trained instead of equally smart enemies with whom to become friends. The technical quality was good, but the story just average.
The overall summary: A sound kids movie.
Iron Man 2 (3.8/5)
Saw this for my birthday the first weekend it was out. I think my opinion of the movie was hurt slightly by high expectations, but helped by viewing the movie with an excited and passionate audience (going to a big movie on opening weekend is always fun). I felt like this, the sequel, lacked a bit of the good humor or campiness that made the first film so fun, becoming a bit more serious. It got away from the Tony Stark character a bit and focused on the Russian antagonist ... to the detriment of the movie (Robert Downey, Jr. is an infinitely better actor than Mickey Rourke). The relationship with the secretary/CEO (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the undercover agent (Scarlett Johansson) was a bit amorphous and probably un-needed. Despite that, I enjoyed the movie. Gow, Laura, and Cyndie all really liked it, so yeah, I'm probably being a bit hard on the flick.
The overall summary: A strong follow up to Iron Man, but not quite the equal of its predecessor.
Movies I've seen recently:
Juno - 4.8/5
Slumdog Millionaire - 4.6/5
Iron Man - 4.2/5
Lars and the Real Girl - 4.1/5
Wall-E - 4.0/5
Traitor - 4.0/5
The Dark Knight - 3.9/5
Star Trek - 3.9/5
TransSiberian - 3.9/5
Iron Man 2 - 3.8/5
Wolverine - 3.8/5
Hurt Locker - 3.8/5
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - 3.7/5
Definitely, Maybe - 3.7/5
Up - 3.7/5
The Blind Side - 3.7/5
Kung Fu Panda - 3.5/5
How to Train a Dragon - 3.5/5
The Passion - 3.5/5
Valkyrie - 3.5/5
Appoloosa - 3.5/5
Sherlock Holmes - 3.5/5
The Incredible Hulk - 3.4/5
Stealth - 3.4/5
New in Town - 3.2/5
Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel - 3.2/5
He's Just Not That Into You - 3.1/5
Horton Hears a Who - 3.0/5
Inglorious Bastards - 2.9/5
Push - 2.8/5
Jonah, a VeggieTales Movie - 2.4/5
Meet Bill - 2.1/5
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 1.9/5
Burn After Reading - 1.5/5
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Picture Tuesday
Here are some pix from recent times to share on a rainy Tuesday morning ...
Cyndie went to Daisy (the dog, not the niece)'s birthday at Auntie Karen's ...
This is from our last "spring break" activity ... How to Train a Dragon ... not exactly during spring break, but fun!
Cyndie and some friends from her "Ladies Night Out" group when they went bowling.
Here's Emma giving her speech ("How to Make Auntie Laura's Chocolate Chip Cookies") at the county forensics competition.
Her first grade teacher, Mrs. Hintz, was one of the judges.
Emma (and Cyndie) went on a hike by the lake with her girl scout troop.
This picture is from last weekend when they "camped" in the school gym.
I love this. This is daredevil Tim. When I got home yesterday he tells me, come watch me, I can climb the walls. So I'm wondering what the heck he's talking about. And sure enough, he proceeded to climb up the wall. With a little encouragement from me, he figured out that he can climb all the way up to the ceiling by
Cyndie went to Daisy (the dog, not the niece)'s birthday at Auntie Karen's ...
This is from our last "spring break" activity ... How to Train a Dragon ... not exactly during spring break, but fun!
Cyndie and some friends from her "Ladies Night Out" group when they went bowling.
Here's Emma giving her speech ("How to Make Auntie Laura's Chocolate Chip Cookies") at the county forensics competition.
Her first grade teacher, Mrs. Hintz, was one of the judges.
Emma (and Cyndie) went on a hike by the lake with her girl scout troop.
This picture is from last weekend when they "camped" in the school gym.
I love this. This is daredevil Tim. When I got home yesterday he tells me, come watch me, I can climb the walls. So I'm wondering what the heck he's talking about. And sure enough, he proceeded to climb up the wall. With a little encouragement from me, he figured out that he can climb all the way up to the ceiling by
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