As the World Churns

Final Post Here

2008-09-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is my final post on this Blog.

To continue viewing this post in its new format, visit www.astheworldchurns.com. I hope you will come visit me in my new e-home!

Amber (aka Ellis)

We've arrived in Oregon!

2008-07-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that I have not blogged in forever! We left for Oregon last week at 5:40 in the morning. Just me and my three kids plus a friend of Anne's. The first day we were in the car for 19 hours! We drove all the way to Utah from Texas with just a few short restroom/gas/food breaks. The second day we were on the road from 8 am until 12 pm, with 1-2 hours spent visiting Bo's great grandparents in Idaho and enjoying some of Dorothy's Apricot Pie.

Was it Hell? Call me crazy, but it really wasn't. We did it last summer and it wasn't bad so I thought we would try it again. This summer was easier than last because I had Anne, who is 16, drive sometimes.

It WAS a long drive, but it was all worth it when we arrived at the cabin!

We spent the past week up at the cabin with our dear friends the Adams' and the Fischer's. I'm hoping to post some pics very soon...

I love Oprah - but not that much....

2008-07-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we disembarked the cruise ship and Bo headed on home early in the morning. Due to flight schedules the kids and I needed to spend the night in Denmark and catch a flight out the next morning. So we took the train in to Copenhagen and hung out in the hotel for a while. Then we took a walk and went to see Marshall's favorite museum of the trip: The Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum..... no famous Hermitage museum for him. The Picasso's bored him to death. But show him a picture of how much weight a person can lift with a hook through their tongue - now that is worth putting in a museum! Oh the world through the eyes of an 8 year old boy!

After the museum we were pretty bored. You know how after two weeks of living out of a suitcase you are just ready to sleep in your own bed? That's where we were at. In fact, we were so bored that when an ambulance drove by and stopped about a block ahead we decided to follow it and see what happened - now that IS bored!

The ambulance guys just went in the building... boring. But across the street there were people gathering, including about 5 police officers and a bunch of people all dressed up looking like they were waiting for someone to arrive. We headed on over and got into the group along the entry to Tivoli Gardens which is an amusement park/ garden/ concert area in the city. I asked one of the police officers what was going on and she said the Danish royal family would be arriving soon for a summer concert - COOL!

So about 10 minutes later the Queen and her sister arrived along with the Prince Consort (Queens husband).... then the Crown Prince and his wife. Of course I had no camera with me at the time. But nevertheless it was quite a memory. The royal family walked past us about 8 feet away! Marie actually was right in the front, just 4 or 5 feet from them!

They were dressed beautifully and there was a line of guards with big fluffy hats - similar to the British Guards. Some of these guards were young boys of about 12 years old (like Boy Scouts maybe?)so Marshall thought that was so awesome.

I love Forrest Gump moments like that!

Next we ate dinner and then headed on back to the room to repack and get ready to prepare for our flight the next day. On the way I was excited to see a 7-11 and went in to see if they had any english magazines for the flight home. I immediately spotted an Oprah "O" magazine in english - I hadn't seen anything in English for a very long time. I know I mentioned it before and I don't mean to obsess, but did I tell you how crazy expensive it is in England? Denmark is twice as bad! Most of our trip we were fairly shielded from the extreme prices because we slept and ate on the cruise ship and we aren't huge souvenir buyers. The only thing we really saw the high prices in quite often was museum entry fees. A bottled water is usually about $5. so we were definitely refilling them and reusing them!

Anywhoooooo....
I took the magazine up to the counter and the clerk told me it was 82 Danish Kroners. Five Kroner is equal to one dollar. Therefore the magazine was over $16! I was shocked, but not too shocked to tell him that I no longer wanted the magazine - I love ya Oprah, but not that much!

I will post pictures soon. We arrived home in the middle of the night last night after 21 hours of travel (Copenhagen to London to Chicago to Texas). One of our suitcases never went through customs with us in London, so not sure when it will arrive. Of course it was the one that has my camera battery charger and UBS cable:)

What a journey!

2008-06-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the ninth day of our Baltic cruise. It is a day at sea, so my first chance in a long time to blog.

The trip has been better than Bo and I even imagined. The kids have done very well... they are never too excited about waking up at 7 am or earlier for an on-shore excursion, but once they get off the ship, they perk up. Our itinerary once we left London was to fly to Copenhagen, Belgium and then board a cruise ship which went to Stockholm Sweden, Helsinki Finland, St. Petersburg Russia, Estonia, Poland, and Norway. St. P was fascinating and two full days of non-stop touring. Marie was always zipping up to the front where the guide was so she could hear all the details. Marshall was bored to death in the Hermitage museum - I guess 8 year olds dont really understand how cool it is to see a Picasso, Renoir, etc.

It is so hard to get to bed at a decent time. Sunset is at about 11 pm and sunrise at 3 am.

We have had wonderful weather - incredible really. Although I packed rain ponchos, gloves, scarves, etc. we have only needed light jackets.

One of the most magical days was when we rented bikes in Helsinki Finland. The city was extremely quiet as it was a holiday weekend and everyone heads out of town (Midsummers Festival). So with little car or pedestrian traffic we could safely ride our bikes all over the city - what a blast! Anne attempted to take a photo shile riding her bike and nearly hit a tree, but saved herself at the last minute:)

It's almost the end of our vacation. We are sad to see it end but also looking forward to being home, seeing our friends and pets, etc.

The Alarm Did Go Off!

2008-06-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the alarm did go off and we left the house at 4:40 a.m. OUCH. Everyone had their one carry-on and their one suitcase. We first flew to Chicago and then we had an only 35 minute connection for our flight to London. When the Captain announced that due to thunderstorms we would be landing late, we assumed we would miss the flight and therefore have a nine hour (minimum) layover. When we landed we looked up on the screen and saw that our flight to London had not yet left. We gathered our stuff and led by Marie, we sprinted to the other terminal. Luckily (for us), the cargo door was having a problem so we and our luggage made it on the plane. I love it when things work out like that!

The flight went well. Anne was kind enough to offer to sit by Marshall, a favor I think she later regretted as he sleep absolutely not a wink the entire 8 hour flight. The noise-cancelling headphones were fantastic! They block out all that irritating engine noise yet you can still hear the flight attendant asking you what type of beverage you would like - genius! The only problem with them is that everyone want to use them:)

We arrived in London late due to the delay taking off. This meant we arrived after the last train had left Heathrow. We had just 15 British Pounds in our pocket and the ATM was broken. By making Marie slightly younger than she really is, we were able to finagle our way onto a double-decker bus.

We took a one hour bus ride and then a 45 minute walk with our luggage through the streets of London at 2 am. The adventure has begun! Everyone was a trooper! Some people don't like to travel this way, but we thrive on it... it brought back lots of memories for me of traveling with my family when I was a teen. Lots of deja vu.

We tried to sleep, but due to excitement and jet lag, it was hard. It is also difficult because it gets dark at 11 pm and then light again at 3:30 am. Strange.

Our next two days in London were exceptional. Gorgeous weather and lots of fun. I will write more later!

written from Helsinki Finland....

Bon Voyage!

2008-06-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

We are going on a long dreamed about family vacation!

I'll try to blog about our trip, which we leave for in 4 hrs. and 15 minutes. But if I never figure out the technology on other computers, you may not hear from me for a little while.

Today was spent packing. We are each limiting ourselves to one 25" suitcase and is has to weigh less than 40 pounds - not easy consider we will be gone quite a while, we could have pretty dramatic temperature changes as well as a need for formal, semi-formal and casual attire. It was a challenge, but we did it. Our saving grace? Space bags!

The Container Store sells travel and suitcase size space bags. You just put your stuff in them, ziplock them up and then roll all the extra air out and you end up with clothes that look like colorful freeze dried fish! Big fish!

It will be an adventure and with all that has been going on (see kitchen blog below), I haven't even really had time to get excited. But now with just a few hours until we leave the house to catch a 6 am flight, I am getting pumped! I'll try to keep a journal and then post when I get back if I am unable to post while away.

Off to bed now ...(but can anyone really sleep wondering if the alarm will go off on time?) Good thing I can sleep on planes, as my friend Liz can attest to (I once slept 8 hours straight on a trip with her! My parents got me noise-canceling headphones for my b-day. So it should really be no problem to tune out irritable spouses, cranky teenagers, needy little boys,etc. I don't actually think the headphones were invented to tune out your own family (I think it was some dumb thing like engine noise that was the original intent). But hey, what a great bonus benefit!

The Kitchen is Done!

2008-06-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Taa Dahhhhhh - we are done! Finished about 26 hours before our family vacation!

Well, done might be a little strong. We are 95% done. Painting cabinets can be a real pain - especially in the humidity and 100 degree plus heat we have had. The painting contractor has been very concientious with a high level of quality control (which is good), so the cabinet doors are not all done because some have to be re-done.

But, we were able to move our stuff back into the cabinets! I stayed up until one last night putting everything back and it was so nice to have a fully functional kitchen again!
Picture #2: notice the lovely fruity wallpaper behind Bo and the old backsplash which every house in our neighborhood had an exact copy of.

Pictures #3 and #4: we have now painted over the wallpaper, added a wallpaper border and decorative painting and taken down the light box, installing pendent lights and recessed lights. Bo and I chipped up the old tile (exhausting!) and laid new tile a year or two ago. We also have removed the broken microwave and replaced it with a countertop one (this was for about a year) and had the tile backsplash removed. We purchased a new kitchen table when I took the old one up to Oregon last summer.

Picture #5: In the middle of this, I wasn't sure it was worth the hassle!

First and Last pictures: new appliances, counters, backsplash (my fav) and newly painted cabinets. The walls were also textured and painted Sherwin Williams Dapper Brown (love it!) It makes the whole house feel updated!

WARNING: Not for small children - bikini photo!

2008-06-09T19:26:00.001-07:00

Well, today I went to Fran the lifestyle coach for my weigh in. I'm .5 pounds away from the 20 pound weight loss mark, but I am going to go ahead and post my bikini photo. I mean, I bought the new suit so I might as well show it off, right?

It's kind of scary to do this here on the internet where everyone can see it, but I'm trying to go a little outside of my comfort zone. So I went out by the pool today and took the photo in the lounge chair right next to the pool. Here it is:

are you sure you are ready?

I don't want to scare you!

keep scrolling down...

OK, here it is:

keep going....

Pretty HOT looking, huh??

Warning: bikini picture coming soon!

2008-06-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I went and bought a new bikini last week. My husband thinks I look good in it, but I still feel a little shy. However, as soon as my weight loss has reached the 20 pound mark, I will be posting a bikini picture on my blog.

Just thought I'd give you a little heads up because I only have a few more pounds to go before I reach the 20 pound mark and you may want to block my blog site on your computer so you don't scare the children:)

Great Teachers Change Lives!

2008-06-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

School ended for us last Friday. As the kids said goodbye to all of their teachers, I think their thoughts were racing ahead to summer activities more than to gratitude.

They may not have gratitude now, but hopefully someday they will.

Personally, I have lots of gratitude for the teachers my children have had.

So far we have been really blessed in that I think my kids are getting a great education. Our school system allows for relatively small classroom sizes, physical education, music, fine arts and extracurricular activities. Of course there have been a few duds in there, but for the most part I am absolutely amazed at the dedication, enthusiasm and passion that teachers have brought to the table. They have helped Bo and I to raise our children!

I know the power of a teacher. My very favorite teacher shaped who I am to this day. Mr. Dan Mortlock. He taught me sophomore and then AP senior English. But he taught a lot about life as well.

I remember the time he came into class and gave this powerful lecture on why we should not believe in something (it might have been God or perhaps it was some political policy. I don't remember what is was, but he spoke very convincingly and had everyone going along with him.) As his students, we were just sitting there nodding our heads yes as he made one good point after another to support his cause. He was a very good public speaker!

The next day he walked into class and absolutely read us the riot act on how malleable we were, how weak that we couldn't think for ourselves! I mean he ripped us a new one for not questioning his stand! It was a powerful lesson: question things. Stand up for what YOU believe in, not what someone else tells you to believe in! Between sophomore English and again as a senior in AP English, Mr. Mortlock gave one life lesson after another about gratitude, existentialism, about civil rights, about enjoying the simple things, about poetry, about being your authentic self, about "thirsting for knowledge", about surrounding yourself with excellence and many other things.

He thought I was smart and I actually believed him! He always told me that he thought that I would achieve great things in my life and I believed him!

A poem that I have memorized from my time with Mr. Mortlock:

The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

to me this poem seems silly at first, but says a lot about appreciating the little things in life and how every day things are a blessing.

As well as learning about many famous authors, Mr. Mortlock brought out our abilities to create literature/ poetry:

Somewhere in Between
by "Ellis"

In all our veracity
we independently seek
to purify this venture
that is now at its peak.

A leaden tint,
not dove,
not crow.

But
better blush
than colorless
we're somewhere in between.

The poem (to me) was about how sometimes relationships can be a little "muddy" - at the time it was about my relationship with a boyfriend who had gone off to college while I was still in high school.

Dan's "stamp of approval" was huge. Being a blond, cheerleader-ish valley girl type in high school, it may have seemed like I was fully self-confident. But what teenager really is? It's a tough time and Mr. Mortlock gave me faith in myself.

So this blog is dedicated to Mr. Mortlock and all the teachers like him who change a student in some way--whether by igniting a love of learning, increasing self-esteem, or just being a supportive and encouraging cheerleader for the student.

Thank you to all the great teachers that my kids have had and to all of my own wonderful teachers, especially you Mr. Mortlock!

Thirst for Knowledge!!!!!

Camping Out

2008-05-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

We are camping out! Not in the woods.... no,we are camping out in our own house!

I decided that I couldn't stand the kitchen anymore and that it really needed updating. One day during a weak moment, I told Bo my plans and he said "go ahead and pull the trigger." So I pretty much got out the shotgun and blew everything up. Two weeks ago we got the ball rolling and now we are "roughing it". The microwave and fridge are in the family room as well as the table. We are living off of paper plates and cups and cooking with the microwave and the grill until everything wraps up (hopefully next week).

I love that saying that "All who wander are not lost", but baby I'm lost. Sometimes people say that I live in my own little world, and I am ok with that - they know me there.

So I'm wandering....I'm looking for my happy place and I am having trouble finding it.

The kitchen is taped off like E.T.

I have a terrible headache - maybe it is the paint thinner? Maybe we should open a window? Can't do that - it's 90 degrees outside!

Everything in the cupboards had to come OUT - what a bunch of junk!

ET Phone HOME!!!!!!!

Above: Our "campfire cookstove"

Going the Extra Mile

2008-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today Anne had her confirmation ceremony at our church. She has faithfully attended every confirmation classes - every other weekend for three hours -- for two years! Initally she started doing it with the promise of a car for completing it. But she says that she really got a lot out of it. We are very proud of her and her commitment to God today. We celebrated with a pool party/ BBQ at the house. It was 90 degrees and a beautiful day. We had about 40 people over to the house and we had lots of fun!

I have been wanting to post this link to a u-tube video that I LOVE. It is about living a purpose-driven life no matter what you do. It is about how one person can make a big difference in the day-to-day life of their fellow man. It is about letting the God in you shine through to others.

In honor of Anne's confirmation day, please take a look:

JOHNNY THE BAGGER

It's A Girl!

2008-05-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Joy to the world! My sister just called and informed me that I have a new niece! I am sooooooo excited! After a 3 year wait, they got their "referral" today and fell in love immediately with their new 2 1/2 month old baby girl. Her Ethiopian name is Etame and she is gorgeous.

I am so amazed at how much you can attach to a child after only seeing a picture. My first experience with adoption up close was about 11 years ago when my older sister Ann got her referral for a six-month-old girl from Korea. I had always wondered how long it would take to bond to a child that you had not given birth to. Even as an aunt, not a mother, I was shocked to discover how bonded I was to a little 3 x 5" picture. Once I saw that picture, that baby was a part of our family. Picking them up on the other side of the world a few months later was just a formality.

I felt the same way when that same sister went on to adopt another child (an infant boy) from Korea a year later. Then just a few months ago she and her husband added a joyous 6 year old boy (a "waiting" child) from Vietnam. Now my little sister and her husband have added to her family (she has a four year old son)via adoption and again I am in love with the baby in the picture.

I can't wait to meet her in person! Thank you God.

Polygamy - What's up with that?

2008-05-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's been in the news alot lately. This group of people out in East Texas who are a radical branch of the mormon church and believe in polygamy.

I tell you, it is a cryin' shame what is happening to these people. It makes me want to head on out there in the middle of nowhere and save those women!

What, you say, could one suburban housewife do? Well, I'll tell you what my plan is. I plan to load up my SUV with a bunch of professionals and hit the road. I am going to grab some of the best hairdressers they have up at the local Supercuts and get a few personal shoppers from Kohls and we are going to help! Those chicks have got to be SO SICK AND TIRED of wearing frumpy hand-made tent dresses. I can't wait to get a good silky tank top and some short shorts on them. They will thank me for freeing them from their cotton bondage! And the hair ... I can't keep typing because their hair is so bad that it makes me too emotional... you understand where I'm coming from, right?

I'm not really into the whole time-share husband thing, although I'm sure it has it's pluses and minuses. But I gotta tell you that I would LOVE to have a couple of extra wives around! Especially these drones who do all the cooking and cleaning and childcare. That would free up alot of my time for some other important tasks. Important things like manicures, massages and lengthy gossip sessions at Starbucks are SO hard to squeeze into my busy schedule! Get those pesky household chores out of the way and I could accomplish alot more in life!

Too bad the guys started going for the young gals. That IS horrible. Seriously, no jokes about that. The sexuality with minors is absolutely inexcusable. But even if you put that aside, we have definite proof that these men are insane. I mean you would have to be out of your freakin' mind to want a 15 year old wife! When a teenager does the cleaning up, it looks like you have Stevie Wonder as a housekeeper. No thank you!

Hump Day Happiness: A great extended family

2008-04-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

I just enjoyed a wonderful weekend on the Oregon coast with my parents and my three sisters. What a magical weekend we had. It was fun to spend time together walking on the beach, drinking wine, eating, doing a jigsaw puzzle and just generally reconnecting. We have never really spent time together without spouses and/or our many children and it was very nice to do just that.
(not that we don't enjoy our husbands and children:)

It was Mom's 70th birthday and we presented her with a quilt that my sister Trisha put together. It was amazing! One sister mailed out a letter to Mom's friends and family asking them to mail in a piece of fabric and a small card with their birthday greeting. Another sister collected the squares and cards and sent them to my little sister in Baltimore, Maryland. Then my little sister joined a quilting group (!) and created a masterpiece with all the fabric.

I then created a scrapbook of our beach weekend and the fabric notecards -- Mom of course loved it all! We all did some crying over the weekend - HAPPY tears. Mom told us that us four girls and Dad were "her life" and Dad gave a wonderful toast to Mom, whom he called "the mainstay of our family". She is an amazing woman and we all feel lucky to have her as our mother.

The weather was great, the beach rental was fabulous, and the company was even better. What a blessing!

Happy Hump Day!

2008-04-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

If you know me, or have read my other posts, you probably know that I am generally a very happy person. Soooo, in celebration on hump day, I am going to blog about happiness every Wednesday for awhile.

Right now I am big on the idea of "what you think about comes about". What I mean by that is that a big part of being happy means disregarding negativity and choosing to see the light. In other words, viewing the glass as half full.

Here's part of an article in this months Ladies Home Journal Magazine that I just loved:

"One evening a Cherokee elder told his granson about the battle that goes on inside people's heads. He said, "My son, the battle is between the two 'wolves' that live inside us all. One is unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion."

The granson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old cherokee simply replied,

"The one you feed"

Feed your spirit today and notice everything good that happens to you: anything that you see, feel, taste, hear or smell that brings pleasure. Happy Hump Day! I am off the Oregon for a weekend with my parents and my three sisters in celebration of my Mom's 70th birthday. I can't wait! I imagine there will be plenty of food for the good wolf this weekend:)

Sunday Supper/Are Teens Super?

2008-04-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, my Sunday Supper Recipe. This is a specialty of Anne's - and a favorite of Marie and Marshalls:

NACHO CHICKEN

4T. mayo
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning
4 bnls/sknls chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups crushed Doritoes
2 T. melted margarine.

Combine first 3 ingredients; spread on both sides of chicken. Dredge chicken in crushed chips. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

***Chef notes: Go ahead and use lots of mayo, butter and doritoes - whatever seems right to you. The recipe is a loose guideline:)

---------------------------------------------------------

TEENS..... sometimes they are such a blast. Sometimes they are so fun to be around, so hilarious. Sometimes they are so helpful. I remember how wonderful it was when Anne was old enough /tall enough to sit up front in the car. She can be such good company.

But oh goodness, she can be a real pain, too. It's times like those when I think the following poster is SO hilarious.

The bun is no longer in the oven and the chicken pot pie is goin' in!

2008-04-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

How's that for a blog title? Well, the aforementioned "bun in the oven" is my dear friend Y's baby boy who was born yesterday - Jacob Michael (Jake). I went to the hospital today and got to change his diaper and hold him --- what a wonderful, beautiful gift from God he is. In fact, I love the quote by Charles Dickens:

"It is not a slight thing that they who are so fresh from God, love us."

Fresh from God - that is exactly what babies are. Pure heaven.

Here's a picture of the darling with one of his big sisters. Doesn't she look proud? C is one of Marie's good friends. Our families have been friends for over 10 years, so I have known C since she was 1 1/2 years old. Our neighborhood is like a village, so she is one of my village children and something special indeed. Congratulations!

---------------------------
Tommorrow when the family brings the baby home I am going to decorate the front of their house and make a meal for them. I thought I would share my favorite recipe for taking over to people. It is a hit with all ages and I make one for my family at the same time - it is a family favorite! I am going to start posting recipes on Sundays and it will be called Supper Sunday. Tell me if you enjoy them by emailing me at Txamber_schmitt@sbcglobal.net. I could also use your recipe ideas!

CHICKEN POT PIE FROM "SCRATCH"
1 pkg refrigerated pie crust - top and bottom - let thaw out well
1/3 c. butter (I didn't say it was low cal.)
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. chopped onioin
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 and 1/2 c. chicken broth
2/3 c. milk
2-3 cups cooked chicken (I just bake the boneless skinless frozen ones and then let cool)
1 c. frozen mixed veggies (usually I stick to peas and carrots)
1-2 cups diced potatoes
(I use frozen diced hashbrowns -easy! Just warm them a little in the microwave first)

Cook chicken and let cool. Then heat oven to 425 if you are going to cook right away. Place bottom pie crust in pie pan or casserole dish (you don't have to cook it first). In large pan melt butter over medium heat, add onion and cook until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended "paste". Gradually stir in broth and milk. Cook; stirring constantly until bubbly and thickened. Add chicken, veggies, potatoes/hashbrowns and mix well. Spoon into the crust - put top layer of pie crust on over top; cut slits in several places. I like to make a family initial or write something like BABY in the top with a sharp knife for decoration.

If you are giving it away, don't cook it and attach a note with cooking instructions to the top.
--Bake it at 425 degrees for 28-38 minutes until crust is golden. I usually cover the edges of the crust with strips of foil and then take them off during the last bit of cooking.

I hope you enjoy!

Inspiring!

2008-04-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&eurl=http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_04-06-2008/1My_Last_Lecture

A few months ago on Oprah.... oh goodness I hate it when I say that. For some reason it makes it sound like all I do is sit on the couch eating bon bons and watching Oprah. Wouldn't that be fun?

I did go through a stage where I DVR'd Oprah everyday and then watched the ones that interested me..... I've gotten away from it and I think I miss it. I consider Oprah one of the great spiritual leaders of our time. She inspires millions in a completely non-denominational "church" called lead your best life, constantly try to improve yourself and learn, pay it forward by helping others, and be grateful for all the blessings in your life. Someday I want to see the Oprah Show or meet her. It is definitely "on my list".

(When my girlfriends and I were in Chicago last year, we stalked the Harpo Studio offices and we did get to meet her make-up artist Reggie..... but I don't think that really counts as meeting Oprah.)

There was a guest on her show back then named Randy Pausch and if you have been living in a cave and haven't seen his "last lecture", go to http://www.parade.com/ or copy and paste the link at the begining of this post. See the lecture on their U-Tube link, read the follow up article that appeared in last Sunday's Parade magazine, and then watch ABC tonight for a show about him. I promise it will inspire you.

Why I Love Texas

2008-04-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

OK, remind me that I wrote this text next August when the kids won't even go out to the pool and swim because it is 112 degrees outside. But overall, I really do love the climate in Texas. We've had beautiful weather in the 70s lately and everything is blooming. The palm by the pool was a two foot tall plant that I thought was a bush. A year ago during a cold spell I covered it with a queen size sheet. That sheet would only cover a few fronds now. It has more than tripled in size in just one year!

Spring is in the air and it brings joy to my heart. These pics are just a peek at the beauty right here in my own yard.

Ellis Facing Expulsion/Extradition and Deportation from Texas

2008-04-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

As you know, Texas is a rather conservative state. So needless to say, Hillary Clinton support signs are definitely not a common sight, especially in our little bubble of a neighborhood. Anne recently ordered me up a campaign bumper sticker because she knows I am a fan of Bill and Hillary.

It will be interesting to see how many people say something to me about it when I start driving around town tommorrow. I'll let you know. I wonder if the police will start randomly pulling me over. I wonder if my Mom will still call me on my birthday. I wonder if my husband will come home from his business trip.

Hopefully they won't kick me out of the neighborhood, the PTA, the book club, or the state of Texas! Perhaps they will dump me over the great wall of Texas that they are building between the US and Mexico. Adios Amiga!

Give me strength!

Anne is turning 16!

2008-04-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that 16 years ago today I was hugely pregnant and one week past my due date with my first baby. The next day Bo and I drove to the hospital for an induction and after 10 hours of labor, including four hours of pushing and a vacuum extractor our sweet little girl entered the world (with a major cone head!). Our dear friend Liz and my Mom were in the room and soon thereafter we were joined by about 8 or 10 more people and we celebrated. I remember being starving and ordering stew from the cafeteria while Bo gave Anne her first bath. They left the baby in the room with us the whole time. Anne was born at 5 in the evening and we left the hospital the next morning at about 10 am. It was like a baby drive through window:)

Now my baby, Anne, is going to get her drivers license!

A few weeks ago Bo and Anne went out shopping for a car and got a new Hyundai Elantra. It is very cute and the color is gorgeous - Candy Apple Pearl. Why a new car? I always hated it when people purchased new cars for their kids. But we decided to go with a new car for a couple of reason: 1) safety features. The newer model cars have airbags... Anne's has front, side and back airbags. 2) maintenance. We are not car people and we don't do a whole lot of routine maintenance, so having a warranty is a good thing. We expect this car to last Anne through college.

I'm scared and excited for Anne to be out driving on her own. Scared for her safety, but excited to have someone to share soccer carpool with:)

It's a rite of passage ... yep, my baby is growing up.

To the right is a picture of Bo loading Anne into her carseat for the trip home from the hospital. Contrary to what you might believe, Bo was not a teenage father. I know he looks about 12, but he was actually 26 years old at the time!

Here's a picture of the two of them now - Fun times!

Count Your Blessings

2008-03-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Do you want to feel really grateful for the life you lead - problems and all? Go volunteer at a Soup Kitchen! So many of the philanthropic efforts that my family does are far removed from the people who are actually affected. We sort cans out behind the Food Bank, or we write a check or buy a raffle ticket. Also, our lives are so homogenized. We are generally around people who have similar social and economic situations as we do.

This is especially true where we live in Texas. We are part of a large subdivision that my husband likes to call "the bubble". It is a great place to raise kids because it is very safe and close-knit.... but it is a little bit like "Leave it to Beaver"-Land. Not alot of diversity.

So anywhooo.... on Good Friday the kids had the day off of school and for the second time this school year, we took the Girl Scouts to prepare and serve the food at the Soup Kitchen at the Austin Baptist Chapel. They ladled food into containers, set up and later washed the serving trays, took tickets, etc.

I sat at the door with my new friend Juan Jose (pictured). We made sure that when people came in they only got one ticket - lots of people try for two. We also helped the handicapped get their trays, greeted guests and said good-bye as they left.

Juan had a message as they left. The message on this day was "Those who lead a right life will have a bright future". One guy was pretty witty when he said, "Well, I guess I don't need my shades then."

Both times we have helped out we have seen the usual druggies and homeless people... but there are also clean-cut people who come in with their hard-hats or their employment badges on. They are hard working and take pride in their appearance, but just can't make a decent living. There have also been a few children - that is really heartbreaking. One little boy and his mother came in at the end of the time frame and most of the food had run out. On his tray was apple juice, a frzen (plain) yogurt cup and soup. He and his mom looked physically put together, but emotionally exhausted.

They ate in silence, heads down. I tell you, my heart breaks every time I think of it.

There was also a 10 month old baby named Omara. What a cutie!!!! I got to hold him while his Grandma (she looked about 30) ate her lunch.

It is sad to my soul to be there. But it gives me some consolation to know that I helped out in some little way, even if all it was was looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and smiling.

It may be the only meal they get all day. It also may be the only smile they get all day.

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My Pal Juan Jose. He and I were dining room greeters----->

I Need a Vacation after my Vacation!

2008-03-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

We just returned a few days ago from our cruise in the Caribbean. We went on the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas and it was a very cool ship. There was an ice skating rink with an amazing ice show, good food, a fun Promenade gathering area/internal street thing, a casino, bingo, pool fun, etc. Our family loves to cruise and about every other year our parents join us. This year Bo's parents flew down from the Seattle area and my parents came from Oregon. It is great to be able to drive 3 hours and leave right from Texas (saves money on airfare too!)

A few days before the cruise my husband's recurring eye problem cropped up. Last summer he had a sliver in his eye and it has never permanently healed. Well, this time was the worst ever. He was in a horrendous amount of pain and could not see or stand any light. Not only did he have the problem with the wound on the surface of his eye, but he also had a major viral infection that caused pressure behind the eye and threatened his long and short term vision. Needless to say, it was very difficult and very scary.

We went to see a specialist on Friday and she put him on all kinds of meds and drops and she also did a procedure whereby they "debrade" the surface of the eye (yeah - OUCH). Then she put a contact bandaid on it.

All of this basically meant that there was no way Bo would be able to get on a cruise ship on Sunday morning. Our parents, me, the kids, Bo.... we were all very worried and also very sad that the vacation would have to be cancelled (and of course we had no vacation insurance). It's alot of money (although I do think cruising is great bang for the buck) and there were so many of us (9 total).

We went back to the doctor on Saturday (she came into the office on her own time). She said the contact had to stay on until Monday but that Bo could fly out after that assuming it continued to heal and he was careful. So we made the decision to go on the trip and have Bo fly to Cozumel (our first port) on Tuesday.

It was hard to leave on Sunday with Bo in bed and all of us loading up for a Caribbean vacation... it felt wrong and yet what to do? We had Tuesday to look forward to.

On Monday Bo got clearance to go and then we heard from our ship Captain that the itinerary was being changed and we would be going another day at sea, then to Honduras and then back to Cozumel. So Bo wasn't going to be able to meet us on Tuesday. Everyone was sad - it was heartbreaking. I cried and my Mom came to my stateroom and gave me a big hug. It doesn't matter that I am 40 years old, that hug still felt good. Bo's parents and my parents were also very sad. There was a shadow all that day.

Then on Wednesday Bo decided to fly to Cozumel and on Thursday morning he finally hooked up with the ship! It was so great to have him back with us and everyone was thrilled that he was doing well and that everything worked out.

So, Bo's vacation was very short, but very sweet. At the time it felt like the end of the world... but it all worked out. Following are some pictures from our trip.

The Kids at one of the formal nights

Roatan, Honduras was beautiful!

Marie conquers the rock wall. I did, too. They don't call me SpiderMOM at Girl Scout camp for nothing!

Marshall digs a hole to China

Anne with her new pals from the teen club onboard

Please note that we do not know the guy in the wet suit, shown below. My daughter took this picture of a stranger. I am providing the picture purely as a benefit to you, my faithful blog readers..... a little eye candy for free:)

Dresses for Ethiopia

2008-03-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hi there - it's the negligent blogger here. My 15 year old was telling me that I hadn't blogged for awhile and I said "Well, I've been really busy!". She then told me that my sister was blogging up a storm and she has more than twice as many kids as I do and is obviously SUPER busy..... so I guess I have no (valid) excuse.

I thought I would show you the dresses that I sewed for my little sister Nicole. She is in the process of adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia and set a goal to take 100 hand-made dresses to the orphanage. People told Nicole that perhaps she should set a more reasonable goal or make an easier dress. But my sister is determined! She set her mind to reach her goal and now she is nearly there. You can always get an adoption or dress update on her blog The Coy Pond (linked at the beginning of my blog)

I made these 10 dresses and mailed them to Nicole as a surprise - she was thrilled!