Hollywood is here!

Today on my way to my daily work-out place, I got a little side tracked. Never made it to work-out, because I went to look out-look out for Hollywood and all the hoopla that has come to my tiny little southern town. Yes, a movie is being made here by, none other than, Billy Bob Thornton, the one and only. He not only is directing it but is also starring in it along with Robert Duval and Kevin Bacon. The name of the movie is Jayne Mansfield's Car. Several blocks of our little town have been changed to appear as if it is 1969. Storefronts remind me so much of my hometown growing up in the 60s. My look out was quite successful. I did see, from not too far away, all three main people; and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the good manners of these guys. Mr. Bacon and Mr. Thornton came over to the crowd and gave lots of autographs and had pictures taken. I think Mr. Duval was inside somewhere cooling off-you know it gets rather hot here in the South in the summer. Who knows-maybe the premier will be held here. They are using the vintage 60-ish movie theater in a scene or two. I'm told that the theater is what sold Mr. Thornton on the idea of using our town. Whatever becomes of the movie, I'll have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the manners of the movie stars. It just goes to show you that you can't believe all you read about movie stars.
Miss Lulu

Where did it all begin?

Did you ever wonder where the word, etiquette, came from or how the practice of good etiquette began? According to the book, Emily Post's The Guide To Good Manners for Kids, by Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning, ED.D., the word is French, and it came into use in the eighteenth century. The book further states that King Louis XIV of France used to invite people to his palace for parties and festivals. He became really upset with his guests when they walked all over his lawns and gardens, squishing  the grass and stomping on the flowers. He talked with his gardener about this problem before the next party, and they decided to put up little signs everywhere saying: Please don't walk on the flowers! Stay on the path. Be careful of the roses. The signs guided the guests so they would know where it was okay to walk and where it wasn't. The word in French for the little signs was "etiquette." Over time the word, etiquette, came to mean all the little signs that help us know what to do in new and different situations and all the things we do to help us get along better with everyone we come in contact with throughout our lives. Today these little signs make up a set of manners that we think of as etiquette such as saying please and thank-you, yes ma'am and no ma'am, and so on. Each little sign is like a tool to help us get along with each other. We all need to learn how to use these tools, and this takes practice, practice, practice...
Have you practiced using your etiquette tools today-----how about yesterday?  It won't be too late to start tomorrow.
Miss Lulu

Why manners?????

Manners is my #1 passion. Most of my friends probably would have thought I would have said Bama football is my #1 passion. It's right up there, but football isn't an everyday thing-that is, unless you watch ESPN,etc 25 hours a day! Manners is that particular tool of politeness that one needs to have and use correctly every day. I begin my classes at the age of 4 and continue them into the college and adult world. We teach our babies as soon as they can talk to say the "Wonderful Words" such as "Please" and "Thank You", but as they get older, a lot of these types of words are forgotten. Another thing we teach our children when they are very young is how to bathe. The more they do this for themselves, the better they get at it. You don't have to tell them every time they step into the shower how to turn on the water or tell them what the soap is for. They've done this enough to know how.It's second nature to them-it has become a natural extension of themselves. And that's what I hope for each child or adult in my classes-that using good manners every day, whether at the dinner table or on a cell phone, becomes a natural extension of themselves. After all, our young people are our future-sometimes, that's kinda scary to think about, isn't it!?!
 So----manners is my passion. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it; and I'm going to stick it to whomever will read about it. Topic suggestions are always encouraged.
Miss Lulu