Fannee Doolee

Birthday Boys

TWO special somebodies have birthdays today . . .

Today, Patrick and Logan turn 34 and 6, respectively.  The shot above was taken when Logan was about a week old.  It's always been one of my favorites.  There's something about the way Logan has his head tipped back and his eyes opened wide, as if he's really trying to comprehend all of Patrick's face, or at least his eyebrows. 

Let's take a closer look for some boyish resemblance. Here's one of Patrick, age 2, with Helen and Dale:

And here's Patrick eating cake in 1979:

I think I see more of Keelin in that one.  Then we have Patrick circa 1984:

Just Beat It. 

And here's what Patrick looked like in 1993 when we met, costumed for his role in that fateful production of Romeo & Juliet:

Yes, I do think fatherhood has done wonders for Pat's image:

Easter 2002

Good genes run in the family: 

Three generations - Logan, Patrick and "Grandpa Choo Choo", August 2001

Then again . . .

Halloween 2001

The Nutcracker Prince Rock

Alternate Title:  Exhibit A in support of certain statements made in my About Me Page. 

Someone special has a birthday today . . .

Let's all give a big FD Happy B'day shout out to my home boy, Bobby Ritchie, aka KID ROCK, seen here with me in our sixth grade production of The Nutcracker Prince.  Notably, our limited press coverage for that performance did not include any mention of beer, fake boobs, video recordings or property damage:

Fuggy New Year

Disclaimer:  Readers are advised to forgo consuming liquids while reading this post and/or viewing the following photos.  Fannee Doolee will not be responsible for any damage to computers or equipment caused by expelled liquids, saliva, etc. 

Logan and Keelin started the New Year off by spending the day in their pajamas, then later adorning themselves in Keelin's new box of princess attire (courtesy of Nana, thank you very much), which inspired me to start the New Year off by once again revisiting some fashion foibles of the past.

I like to call this first collection "Twinkies:  The Dos and Don'ts of Coordinated Dressing."

First, a few "don'ts":

Now, I'm not saying that the black velvet overalls weren't cute, but as a general rule, when dressing alike across generations, an outfit that's appropriate for one age group may not work for the other.  Granted, overalls are arguably non-age specific, and the holidays are a bit more forgiving of the oxymoronic black-velvet "formal overalls" - what is that?  Some kind of prehistoric predecessor of the dreaded formal shorts? Still, I am thankful that Nancy chose to forgo the festive socks. 

Even within generations, as can be seen in this next example featuring my well-spaced sibling cousins Mike and Rachel, twin dressing for boys and girls can be difficult:

Or maybe it's just the overalls again? 

Because here, it totally works:

The classic khaki (yikes - I can't spell it forward or backward!) trousers paired with a festive turtleneck and crew sweater are appropriate for both Michael's and Joe's age groups.  That is Michael, right?  I've kind of forgotten what he looked like with hair.

OK.  Now my good sportswomanship and sense of humility lends me to ensure that my fug posts poke fun at me more than anyone else in my family, so with the help again of cousin Mike, who both selected and is featured in some of these next photos, I present a few more classic 80s ensembles:

Here's one of me as some sort of elfin child-hooker:

"Hey there, Big Boy - won't you ride my sleigh tonight?"

Crime against humanity #1:

What, pray-tell, exactly is that print on my dress?  Some cheap rendition of a French brothel cartoon (like a take-off on the wall paper Grannee Doolee used to have in her den?) A map of the Heathrow Airport?  At least I managed to coordinate my purse with Mike's fashionable-yet-practical elastic-waist pants. 

Crime #2:

Thank God they've outlawed those horrible synthetic running shorts so marginally tailored that they revealed more of your crotch than Britney Spears climbing out of a limo, but to think that I wore them with a MATCHING FLORAL T-SHIRT - oh, the shame.  Apparently, this was taken when Mike was in his Richard Simmons-emulating tank-top-layered-over-a-T-shirt phase.  It's hard to tell because my hand is in the way, but I'm sure he had the sleeves cuffed.

And finally, the piece-de-resistance:

I was so proud of that hair.  And the make-up.  But not nearly as proud as Mikie was of his Night Rider jersey!  Oh, what a feeling . . .

Happy Halloween (1994)

Oh for the days when I could slice cheese with my clavicles. 

Things That Seemed Like The End Of The World When I Was a Kid. Now, Not So Much.

Having freckles.

Not being popular.

Having a slight indent at the top of my upper thigh before my hip that made me think my legs looked bulgy in my size 2 bluejeans.

Not having any guys "like" me.

Not getting to go to my very first boy-girl dance in seventh grade because I was grounded.

Not being the center of attention.

Not getting tons and tons of presents for my birthday or Christmas.

Not getting to go on the 9th grade class trip to Washington D.C. because my mother was afraid we'd be hijacked by terrorists.

Having a zit. 

Not being perfect.

Here's me in 1978 getting tons and tons of presents, including a "My Friend Mandy" doll that now belongs to Keelin.

Niagra Daredevils

Amazingly, not only did they survive, they went on to raise a family, including a daughter who turned out to be rather brilliant.  Sometimes.

Family of the Mask

First it attacked my brother . . .

. . . then it got me. 

It spread to my mom . . .

my dad . . .

. . . and even the dog. 

DOB: 1971

I recently got this in an e-mail from Kurstin, my girlfriend with four five (soon to be six) kids who runs marathons.  You've probably seen this before, but I thought I'd share my responses.  I also have some great photos that illustrate many of these, which I will have to scan in at a later date.

YOU WERE A GIRL IN THE 70S (and 80's) IF...

You wore a rainbow shirt that had half-sleeves; the rainbow went up one sleeve, across your chest, and down the other.

I had a shirt that was all rainbow stripes, and a pair of bright aqua blue overall/knickers to go with it. And also a matching headband.

You made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake Oven and washed them down with snow cones from your Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.

I also got my third-grade class pet, a hamster named “Fudge”, stuck in my Easy Bake Oven.

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.

Check. (thunk-thunk . . thunk-thunk)

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

Check.

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

Check.

You thought Gopher from the Love Boat was cute! (Admit it!)

I will never admit that.

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.

Yes! After the "Picture of Dorian Gray" episode and after the episode with the Charlie McCarthy-like puppet that comes to life.

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

And I used to put plastic bread bags on my feet before putting on my Moon boots.

You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. People sometimes thought you were a boy.

Check (see third grade class photo).

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

There was a sleeping bag??!!!!

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

Check. check. check.

You begged Santa for the electronic game Simon.

And a Magical Musical Machine.

You could spend hours playing Pong!

Got me on that one - never heard of Pong.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

And the Cher  doll.  And--how could I forget?--the Bionic Woman doll with the roll-back skin and pop-out bionic parts!!!

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze.

Check - not sure if it was my own backyard, but I remember that trapeze bar.

You were really into ping pong and pogo sticks.

Check. Although I couldn’t play ping pong to save my life, and I’m sure my pogo-sticking was short-lived for safety reasons.

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.

Or at least light blue and purple, and a roach-clip with feathers that I used to pull back one side of my hair (see 5^th grade class photo).

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).

No, but I really wanted them. My mom wouldn’t' t let me wear clogs either.

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson!

Check on LIW and the shirt (worn with a “prairie” skirt, of course). Who was Nellie Olson?

You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink.

Or in a tree.

Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket.

Until I got a perm - but just in the back - then I switched to a pick. But I guess that was the 80s.  And then there was the 90s, where no pick, comb or even a pitch fork could break through the shield of blow-dried hair-spray I used to create "wings" over my ears and a cockatiel-like headpiece out of my bangs. 

You had to make sure that no boys would grab the comb out of your back pocket and skate away at the roller rink!

Keep your hands outta my Gloria Vanderbilts!

You knew who Strawberry Shortcake was, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

Check. Now I just eat them.

You carried a lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.

Check - it was Dukes of Hazard.

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.

Bo.

Me and John Schneider in May 2000 when he came to Columbus with the musical Civil War.  I became pregnant shortly after this photo was taken, and for the longest time I teased Patrick that Logan is really John Schneider's son. 

Every now and then "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the movie, "Annie" will pop into your brain and you can't stop singing it the whole day.

Don't get me started.

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too.

Nope - missed that one.

It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

Also for “Sound of Music.” Although, I’m not sure it was popcorn that my mom broke out. . . .

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett or Andy Gibb?

It is Definitely So.

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record albums.

Scratch Saturday Night Fever & add Xanadu.

You tried to do lots of arts and crafts,like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.

Check. And also those things you make by folding up a piece of paper, then you ask someone to pick a color, then a number, then another number, then you fold back the piece of paper to see the answer.

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts!

Check on the Shrinky-Dinks. I also remember making little “stained glass” sun catchers by filling outlines with little plastic beads, then melting them in the oven. Highly toxic, I’m sure.

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

oh my god.

You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when you ordered books from the Scholastic book club.

Rainbow unicorn?

Double score if it was a teddy bear dressed in clothing. And the posters always had permanent creases because they came folded!

You learned everything you needed to know about "the facts of life" from Judy Blume books.

Are you there God? It's me, Tiffany.

You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics.

Hah! My girlfriend Jo Vivi just reminded me that in Jr. High, she conducted a mock interview of me as Olivia N-J. I’m pretty sure I wore a headband for that, too.

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs.

Those safety pins with beads on them? Check.

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

The ultra-sexy African American one - she was the best!

You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin.

Pull the handle!

How about drowning yourself in Love's Baby Soft? The first "real" perfume you ever owned!

Oh yeah.

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.

Nope.  Skipped those and went straight to Glamour and Cosmo.

You spent your allowance on Smurfs and stickers for your sticker album!

Anyone have some puffy stickers they want to trade?

Granny Doolee

Someone special has a birthday today:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!  That's me and my grandma.  Judging by the hair length, I must have been about the same age that Keelin is now.  The family resemblance is amazing - change the hair color, and this could be a picture of Kiki and my mom.

I tried to get the kids to record a birthday message for you, Grandma, but, as you can see here:

it was a bit of an off night for us. (I should have at least gotten Patrick to finger paint "Happy Birthday" across his chest).

So instead, I'll leave you with this picture of Kiki in the tub: