Double Protection

Eye safety is of the utmost importance when playing guitar in our house. 

You just can't be too careful these days.

More Pumpkin Fest Pics

This year we started a new tradition, in lieu of trick-or-treating on Halloween.  Actually, we started two...partaking in the downtown Pumpkin festival and having a family movie night AT THE MOVIES.  Both were received well by all Workmans, especially since we met up with the Davis' downtown.  We look forward to continuing the fun each year. 

Caleb thinks it is one of the greatest things in the world to go to an actual movie theatre to see a movie. And eat the popcorn.  (which was $8!!! Can you believe that?)  Little brother agrees, and is finally at the age where he will sit still, for the most part, during an entire movie at the theatre.  We haven't quite achieved that at home.  I think it is the mass amounts of popcorn that keeps him in his seat.  We went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Caleb got a real kick out of it.  It was really cute. I think Seth liked it, too, until he dozed off.  He fell asleep about a 1/4 of the way in.  I guess he had too much Pumpkin fest excitement to stay awake.  He did do a lot of bouncing there!

I am not sure how Elliott was the only Davis to find his way into our pictures, but I was sure sad not to have gotten a shot of cutie pie, Aaron.  Sorry, buddy. (If it makes you feel any better, there weren't any pictures of me, either.)

Here are a few more pictures from our day:

Caleb's New Favorite Character

Yep, Darth Vader.  Like Father, Like Son.   Caleb and Elliott got to meet Darth Vader at the pumpkin festival last week and Caleb has been talking about watching the Star Wars movie all week.  We decided that he was old enough to watch the original series with Eric, so Daddy introduced him to Star Wars (the first one, which is actually the fourth one...right? )on Friday night.  It was a BIG HIT!  And Caleb almost made it through the entire movie, but conked out right at the final battle scene...You know where Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star with a single shot into a miniscule little hole.  No worries, the boys watched the scene again the next morning, while Caleb was awake, as well as The Empire Strikes Back. Two down, four to go.  He loved them both.  But of course, when I asked him what his favorite part was, he said, "Darth Vader." 

And so a new father/son tradition begins in the Workman home.  I am sure there will be many marathons to come.

Go Titans!!

Ninja Workmans

What happens when you give black pjs to Workman boys????

You get Ninja Workmans!!

Mean Ninja faces

Thanks Granny!

Pump It Up with the Prince

Eric took the day off on Friday so we could take Seth to the little boy paradise known as Pump it Up.  For the past month, any time we are in the neighborhood, Seth asks, "Can we go to Pump it Up?"  (I wish there was audio on here, so you could hear how cute he says it.)  So, we decided that before heading to Caleb's school for his party, we would have a little pre-party of our own.

That place is so cool!  Especially when you have extremely active and VERY bouncy boys.  It is the perfect place for them to get out that abundance of energy that seems to ooze out of Workman children. 

Eric and I have a blast in there, too.

Seth had a GREAT time and didn't stop the entire time we were there!  Which means that Eric and I didn't stop either.  

Bryant Family, this little Workman (actually both little Workmans) is counting down the days until Joshua's Pump it Up party.  He is ready!!

Move Over Bob...

Here comes Billy the Builder!!

Caleb's class had their Pumpkin party on Friday.  When asked what he wanted to be that day it was no surprise that he immediately shouted, "Builder!"  Yes!  That is easy...no costume to actually purchase.  That's my boy!  He was so excited about his party.  On Monday, he already had his tools laid out for his outfit. 

But which builder to be?

So many choices.

Handy Manny (his current favorite show), Bob the Builder, or just Biz the Builder.

No, none of them would do.  Caleb chose to be Billy the builder, a little boy from his favorite book at Tante's house.  So, what made Billy win out over the host of other very capable builder dudes? 

The pocket in the shirt!  Yep, Caleb wanted to wear a real builder shirt with a pocket in it...for his wrench and pencil.  You got it, babe!

The kiddos got a huge kick out of playing, "Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin."   It was a hoot watching them. Since Caleb was the class Superstar (aka. teacher's special helper for the day), he got to go first. 

What a fun party!  Complete with a Chik-fil-a lunch, popcorn, and oreo cookies.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of Builder Caleb with his friend, Princess Lily.  Oh, she's a cutie!

A Reasonable Request (Continued)

I accept your challenge, Katie Songer!

Before reading this post, you may want to visit my dear friend and recent co-worker (Yay!), Katie's blog , to understand the motivation behind this post. And for those of you who tune in solely to see pictures and stories of my boys, you will not find them in this post.  Sorry.  Next time.

Actually, I can not believe that I have been in the blog world for over a year now and have not posted one single Cracker Barrel story, a similar post to this one, or one about some of the crazy antics that occur in my work environment.  And there are plenty!  I HIGHLY recommend you read a post by Katie, that witty and ever so eloquent writer friend of mine.  It is called Bottom of the Barrel, and it is hilarious!!  If you have ever worked in food service or with the public, in general, I am sure you can relate.  And if you haven't, then you need to at some point in your life...to have a true appreciation for people who choose to work in the service industry. I still think that one should never be allowed to eat in a dining establishment until they have first worked in a dining establishment.  You should have to carry a card as a badge of proof.

Can you tell I have worked as a server on and off for over 12 years?

I do love my job and I love people!  It is truly a delight to serve others (including co-workers) and converse with so many different people with whom I ordinarily would not cross paths.  It is also an awesome mission field!  I love the fast-paced world of serving, as it really fits my personality. Since I am quite the fan of eating out (and eating, in general), I really do want others to have a pleasant dining out experience. It does take a lot to get me miffed in this job.  I can ignore the rude comment and compassionately consider that the person may have just had a bad day.  After many, many years at it and two kiddos at home to care for, I have really learned to overlook the minor annoyances, not take anything personally and not get stressed over the little things. 

But there are exceptions....

The following paragraph was blatantly stolen from Katie's blog (since I gave you credit, that doesn't make it plagiarism, does it?), but the requests are those I added to the list from her blog.  She had most of the really good ones, but there were a couple of extras that I thought of.

Here are the stolen words:

There is a fine line between reasonable and unreasonable requests in a restaurant, and guests can’t always be expected to know on which side of the line a particular request will fall. So here are a few real life examples of the kinds of behaviors that will and won’t make you the topic of mockery in the kitchen. 

I might also add, REMEMBER, your server is a person who has complete access to your food before it arrives at your table, and if you are going to do something unreasonable, then you might want to wait until AFTER you have received your meal.  I would never condone food tampering....I am just saying that I have been around this business for quite a while and others do not share my convictions.

Reasonable Request: It is certainly reasonable to request that your steak be well done, but not charred.  Even asking for a little extra steak seasoning is acceptable in my book.  I even welcome you to send back a reasonable steak order that is not to your liking.  You are paying hard earned money for your meal and I would do the same.


Unreasonable Request: Asking that your server make sure that the cook examines all the steaks and gets the one with the most marble (this apparently means fat), puts just enough steak seasoning on it-but not too much-because you also want the catfish seasoning on it, too.  But remember, not too much.   Make it an even ratio. Also, make sure that the steak is well done, but just well done, not a bit more or less.  And don't forget to ask the cook to put butter all over the top of the steak when it is nearing done, but take the steak off the grill before the butter melts completely.  But make sure the butter has covered all sides of the steak, but careful not to get any on the bottom.  Got all that?  And remember if it is not exactly how I stated, then I will send it back.  Thanks, sweetie!  And make sure my tea is lukewarm.


Not acceptable! Yes, this was an actual request from a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently, some people do not have eyes to see that they are not the only guests in the building and that asking for that much attention to be put on a mere steak is ridiculous. Especially when there are thirty more orders coming through at the same time. I don't even pay that much attention to the dinners I make at home, for just my immediate family...and remember, I made my own baby food for the boys.  Sheesh!  If you are really that picky and particular about your food, then you should consider cooking for yourself.  Super, duper special requests make for very unhappy cooks, especially when it is busy.  This makes all of our lives rougher.  And remember that whole, people whom you are annoying having access to the food that your going to eat, thing I referred to earlier?

Reasonable Request:  It is reasonable to ask that your pinto beans be a little extra soupy or a little dry.  It is even okay to ask that any big chunks of ham be removed from the beans.  I get it.

Unreasonable Request:  But it is completely unreasonable to ask that every trace of ham be removed from an item that is COOKED in it.  This is particularly a challenge for the turnip green consumer who just can not handle finding a trace of ham in the greens. 

Tip:  If you don't eat pork, don't order our green beans, pinto beans, or turnip greens.  Save us all the agony.

Reasonable Request:  If you are one of the only tables in the restaurant on a cold, snowy night in mid-January, I completely understand your desire to have the fans turned off.  I will happily oblige.


Unacceptable Request: If you are a guest at 6:00pm on a busy night in the middle of July and no one around you appears to be uncomfortable with the temperature, especially your server, who is running around like a crazy person trying to "please people," do not request to have the fan turned down because you, and only you, are FREEZING!!!  Keep a sweater, light jacket, or snow coat...it's your choice.. in your car at all times for such occasions.  Or better yet, place your napkin on your head.   (Again, you may want to refer to Katie's Bottom of the Barrel, for a story that illustrates this.)  Remember, you are not the only person dining with us for the evening.


Reasonable Request:  When you learn that we are out of the special, it is okay to stick out the pouty lip for a moment and say how much you were looking forward to eating our meatloaf, roastbeef, etc.  Believe me, I love food and you will get genuine sympathy from me.  Then, let's move on to plan B.

Unreasonable Request: It is not okay to begin whining like a three-year-old for ten minutes, complaining about how your day is completely ruined now and how nothing in the world can remedy this tragedy.  In this scenario, you will get no sympathy from me.  I mean, really?  Not getting a piece of meatloaf is really the worst thing that could happen to you in a day?  Do you realize that a big portion of the world and many in our own country will not even eat dinner this evening?  Or that there are places in the world where a bowl of rice is a delicacy and the only food that will be had that day?   WAH! WAH!  Move on to the chicken and dumplings and think about what is really important in life!

Reasonable Request: It is okay to arrive five minutes ahead of your party and go ahead and be seated.  That is a fair wait time.  It is also okay to sit at a server's table for two hours, as long as you tip not only according to your ticket price, but also according to the extra time you occupied said table.

Unreasonable Request: It is not okay to arrive 45 minutes ahead of your party during our busiest time and sit sipping on your coffee while you tie up the table I could be making money on while you await the arrival of your slow "joiners."  If at all possible, wait for your entire party to arrive before taking up a table.  Remember, servers only make $2.13-ish per hour and depend on tables turning in order to make money.  Especially at Cracker Barrel, a reasonably priced eating establishment, where a family of four can eat for under $20.  This means that we don't have huge dollar amount tickets and therefore, rely on fast table turn to make a buck.  However, I invite you to have your family reunion with us and sit for hours on end, as long as you remember to tip according to the time you spend at the table, as well as the amount of your meal.

Reasonable Request: It is reasonable to have a cell phone conversation while you are in a restaurant, but only AFTER you have placed both drink and food order.   

Unreasonable request: It is NEVER okay to shoosh your server and act annoyed because the server is doing his/her JOB by trying to take your order when you have chosen to sit down at the table and have an inappropriately timed causual indepth thirty minute conversation on your cell phone.  I guess I could understand if it was an extreme emergency situation, but rudeness is not acceptable and the server should not have to return to the table repeated times just to get a drink order.  Servers just don't have time for that and it really messes with his/her work flow and productivity. Even in the most dire of circumstances (phone call wise), you can pause briefly and ask for a sweet tea and a bowl of beans.  Or better yet, we have a welcoming array of Hinkle family made rockers on the front porch that are available while you have the aforementioned conversation.  If it is cold out, we have a lovely hearth on which you can plant yourself.  You can talk until your little heart is content and THEN occupy a table and get down to the business of ordering your food.


Reasonable Request: I will happily inform your kids who are playing checkers near the fire place that their dinner is ready.  I am going that way anyway.  No problem.  I will even journey into the gift shop to give word to your loved one.

Unreasonable Request: But I will draw the line.  I will not happily retrieve your kids, spouse, friend from the bathroom (yes, I have been asked), from the front porch (asked that, too), or the next door hotel (not been asked yet, but I am sure it is coming).

Oh, there are so many more, but this is all I have time for now.  A book should definitely be written.

And I bet you didn't know I could get so sassy!  I don't think I knew I had that amount of sass in me.

I really do love my job!

Lo and Behold, They Fixed the Door!!!

Have I mentioned lately that I love my boys?!!  Better yet, have mentioned how I am both in awe and extremely amused at how their little minds function?

Tonight those little brains outdid themselves yet again.  Daddy was gone tonight for a work function, so it was just the little guys and I.  I have to admit that by 7:00, my fuse was pretty short.  Okay, it was non-existent.   I was actually ready to put the boys down to bed at 6:00-ish, but I decided that putting supper in their bellies before bed would be a good idea.  Not that I was feeling oh-so nurturing; My motives were more self-serving than that. It was more like I was thinking that if I didn't put food in their tummies then they would surely awaken me even sooner than their regular 7am, on the dot, wake-up call.  So, as usual, I fed them.

The boys' non-stop silly antics at dinner made it abundantly clear that 7pm was going to be the bedtime of choice tonight. An hour earlier than usual.  It was for the good of everybody in the house.  And mostly for my sanity. 

So, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and yelling...I mean gently instructing my children to get their playroom cleaned and pjs on, I was keeping my eye on the clock, ready to wisk the boys upstairs as soon as the last dish made it into the dish washer to make my 7pm goal.  I was right on track, too! Playroom was clean (enough) and one boy was in his pjs and another on his way.  Alright! Bed, here we come, and we are all still in one piece.  Victory!

As I called to Seth from the kitchen to come into the living room so I could dress him, I found him sitting in the floor by the playroom door in deep concentration, surrounded by a plethora of toy tools. 

Oh no!  Another mess!  And it is 6:50!!  My goal!  My sanity! Deep breath, Amy. 

It took me a minute to figure out that Seth hadn't just dragged out a pile of tools to play or drive me crazy; He was actually being productive!  I decided to take a seat on the couch and watch him in action...and let go of my 7pm bedtime dream.

For quite a while, our playroom door has had a little hinge problem that makes it difficult to close. We just haven't gotten around to fixing it and since we usually leave that door open, I usually just forget that it needs attention.  It doesn't really impact my day in any way, so that means it gets to sit on the back burner for who knows how long.

However, my two year old has been quite troubled that the door does not close smoothly.  He just noticed it this week. Actually, Seth has just become obsessed with doors in general over the past week.  On Thursday, he became fascinated by the fact that he could turn the knobs on the doors and LOCK them.  This was the coolest thing to him! He then proceeded to amuse himself by locking every door upstairs and then shutting them.  This meant that Mommy had to play McGyver with a credit card and spend twenty minutes trying to jimmy the locks open.

He did it again today.

I am getting pretty handy with a credit card.  It is actually a little scary how easy it is to unlock a door with a credit card.

But I digress.  Back to the playroom door.  Seth has brought its questionable functionality to my attention two or three times this week, but I have given him the same answer each time.  It is actually the answer I give to anything that finds itself broken in this house.  "Daddy will fix it."
That usually satisfies the boys and they move on.

Well, I guess Seth was NOT satisfied and frankly, gave up on Daddy fixing the door. (Actually, in Daddy's defense, I don't think I actually informed him that the door needed to be fixed.)  Doesn't matter now, because Seth decided to take matters into his own hands.   He aligned the hinge and put the dangling screws back in place.  Then he used his toy screw driver to tighten them and then pounded them with the hammer, as a finishing touch.  And the best part, after all of the handy work, the door actually closes!  I didn't do a thing.  I just watched my little guy work, with the patience that God granted because I was fresh out.

I am humbled by how our God chooses to bless us, even on those evenings when our patience is as thin as a tissue and our voices are louder than they should be.

Of course, big brother had to get in on the action, too.  He broke out the sander, because everybody knows that you must sand down those hinges to get them to function just right.

Seth's concentration, work face....and his concentration, frustrated, work face.  I only wish I had gotten a picture of the little tongue that tends to protrude out of all three Workman boys when they are concentrating on a project.  By the way, builders in this house are not required to wear pants.

This is the "construction sign" that Caleb put up to show that work was being done.  Also, notice the tie downs that Caleb rigged up all over the place to denote it was a worker's area.  (but please ignore all of the laundry my kids are sitting in. It is a laundry night here.)

Viola!!

And the boys were still in bed before 8!! Woo Hoo!  It was a victory for all!

A Little Pick Up Game of Football with the Boys

\

               Seth-The Kicker                        Biz-The Runner

Touchdown!!

Seth ponders the next play.

"I got it!!"

Go Team Workman!!