Nina from Painted Rainbows and Chamomile Tea tagged me for this fun meme. Here are the “rules”: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
I am having a really hard time coming up with 8 things about me that you all don’t already know. Seriously. You already know that…
1. The very first thing that I do every morning is get a cup of coffee…before anything else.
2. I must read something before I go to sleep.
3. When I am ready to go to sleep, I rub my foot on the sheet.
4. I don’t eat red meat.
5. But, I do love raw fish (as in sushi!).
6. I am an obsessive list maker
7. I don’t particularly enjoy cooking. If it weren’t for my husband and children, I would still be eating rice and peas for dinner or going out every night.
8. I am a blog and email junkie.
Then, I came across the revised rules for this meme. You share four things that were new to you in the past four years. Four things you learned or experienced or explored for the first time in the past four years. New house, new school, new hobby, new spouse, new baby, whatever. Then you have to list four new things you want to try in the next four years. I liked thinking about the four new things that I want to try.
Four new things I learned or experienced in the past four years:
1. Quit a 15 year career in the corporate world to get my teaching certification.
2. Built a new house from the dirt up…don’t want to do that again for a long time.
3. Became a mommy – twice.
4. Overcame my fear of failure and opened an online store.
Four things that I want to try or do in the next four years:
1. Spend a week at the Jersey shore with my family…smelling the salt air and feeling the sand between my toes, playing in the ocean, taking long afternoon walks along the beach, walking the boardwalk at night…aaaah bliss!
2. Learn American Sign Language – I was so moved when I watched a new friend worshiping through sign language at the women’s retreat. I have often thought about learning ASL, but my experience at retreat really encouraged me to find a class. I’ve been checking out online resources, but I really think that I need to attend a class.
3. Return to China with my daughters to tour their birth country and volunteer at an orphanage. Realistically, this might not happen within the next four years, but a girl can dream!
4. Explore more opportunities to create while contributing to our family’s income.
I am tagging the following bloggers for this meme. You can choose which one to complete or do them both!
Christie
Erin
Robyn
Valerie
PandaMom
Stacey
Cathy
FunkyMonkeyJunk
Thursday, June 7
Two 8 Things Memes!
Wednesday, May 9
Retreat Recap
I’ve been home from my first ever women’s retreat for almost three full days now and finally found a few moments to share some highlights of an experience that changed my life. Now, those of you who know me in real life might not see any type of visible transformation, but I can tell you straight up that I have changed. I have long considered myself a Christian – I believe in Jesus Christ and I pray daily. But, without being really aware, I was seeking something more. I bought a Women’s Devotional Bible that I have been studying for several months now, but that’s all it really was…studying.
On Friday morning before leaving for the retreat, I wrote this: "This weekend, I’m taking a break from bag tags to attend a Christian women’s retreat with three of my awesome friends. I’m looking forward to relaxing and rejuvenating. I hope that this weekend of praise, worship and sisterhood will leave me refreshed and allow me to return home a better wife, mother, friend and businesswoman!" I had no idea that it was going to be life changing. I had to idea that I was going to be so filled and, at the same time, so drained.
This weekend, I was touched by the hand of God! No doubt about it! He touched me and without wanting to sound hokey or whatever, I physically felt His touch. Who ever thought that I would have no qualms about sitting in a room with 157 other women (154 of them complete strangers!) crying my eyes out asking God to lift me up and save me? I was so deeply moved that I quickly gave up on holding back the tears and I just let them come. I have long believed and known that God listens, but I know that I have not done such a good job of listening to Him. All I had to do was say, “No!” to the enemy and open my heart to listen. Whew…so glad I finally figured that out! So much about this weekend moved me. The music is not what I’ve experienced in any church that we have attended; no hymns here. Oh no, we were singing with great joy (and loudly) about our great God, giving Him thanks and even rocking out a bit! The courageous women who shared remarkable personal testimonies left me speechless. The energy and conviction of our guest speaker prompted meaningful discussion into the wee hours of the morning. Many women, who I have never met before and who knew that I did not attend their church, welcomed me, embraced me and prayed with me and for me. Finally, sharing all of this with three of my dear friends was… was… indescribable*! I am really looking forward to embracing the Word of the Lord through bible study with these amazing women…my sistas! I know that it’s going to be way more than studying!
*My new favorite song that I heard this weekend…Indescribable, sung by Chris Tomlin. I have to listen to it every day now because it lifts me up and energizes me. The words of this song are so simple, yet so powerful. Here are the lyrics...
From the highest of heights
To the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of Fall
To the fragrance of Spring
Every creature unique
And the song that it sings
All exclaiming…
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untamable
Awestruck, we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God
Who has told every lightening bolt
Where it should go?
Or seen heavenly storehouses
Laden with snow?
Who imagined the sun
And gives source to its light?
Yet conceals it to bring us the
Coolness of night
None can fathom…
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And you know them by name
You are amazing, God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart
And You love me the same
You are amazing, God
Written by Laura Story
Monday, March 19
I’ve seen this book meme floating around the blogsphere for a few weeks now and thought it was interesting. I have no idea where the list came from or who started this meme, but I thought that I would play along. The titles in bold are ones that I have read and those in italics are ones that I would like to read. Leave a comment if you play too!
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
My favorite five (in no particular order): The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
I own Emma and Price and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but have yet to read them. I’ve added The Time Traveler’s Wife, Confessions of a Shopaholic and White Oleander to my reading list based on recommendations from real-life friends. And, I’ve added The Life of Pi and The Poisonwood Bible after seeing this list, not knowing much about them and reading about them on Amazon. Now if I could just figure out a way to add a few more hours to the day, so I could read more books…
Wednesday, January 10
What Kind of Coffee?
A little fun...
| You are a Black Coffee |
 At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high |
Interesting...I drink black coffee (with a dash of Sple*da) every morning! My dear loving husband would probably disagree that I'm low maintenance!
Friday, December 8
A Tasty Friday Feast
I don’t have much to report from the house o’ glamour unless you want to read about poop, puke and snot. Yea, I didn’t think so!
I am saved from blog boredom with a tasty menu from Friday Feast…
Appetizer
Which language would you like to learn and why?
Chinese, so that when we go back to China (to visit, not adopt, my husband assures me) I will be able to communicate without an interpreter.
Soup
What's the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week?
While discussing previous jobs, a friend of mine listed “Community Support/Investor in Local Economy”. You might need to think about it for a second, but it cracked me up! And, she is an expert in her field!
Salad
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing?
This is a great shock (and quite possibly disappointment) to many of my movie watching friends, but I do not watch many movies. I don’t have enough time, I would rather be reading or creating something, and I can’t sit still to watch a movie. I will say that if my husband slides one of the hundred war movies that he owns into the DVD player, I am outta there!
Main Course
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name, what would the day be called?
National Real Moms Don’t Wear Jimmy Choo Shoes Day...I hope that I don't offend any Jimmy Choo shoe wearing moms out there, but the ironic thing about my holiday is that this real mom covets Jimmy Choo shoes!
Dessert
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see.
Like I said during the salad course, I don’t have much interest in movies, so I am hard pressed to even think of the name of a movie that is coming out.
And, if you’re interested…Before all the poop, puke and snot started around here, we did host a kickin’ party of the M3 crew on Saturday night. You can read about it (although we do not disclose many details about our parties) and most importantly see photos at Robyn’s and Erin’s (page down a bit to MOMMIES, MUNCHIES & MAYHAM). You’ll note that some of the photos are the same since we aren’t above stealing photos from each other.
Tuesday, November 7
Fall Into Reading Challenge Update
I have been a reading fool and have finished most of the books on my Fall Into Reading Challenge list already. I’m actually surprised by this because until I signed up for this challenge, it had been taking me a really long time to read books. I think that it might be because I gave the books that I wanted to put on my list some serious thought and if I can say so myself, I picked some good ones!
My updated comments/reviews are in italics…
The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan (I actually have to finish this book by October 8th because it is due at the library on that date and I’ve already renewed it once). I have loved everything that I've read by Amy Tan and this was no exception. In addition to being entertaining, her novels provide me with insight into Chinese culture, customs and customary relationships within the family – especially the relationship between mothers and daughters.
Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron I am working on week one on my path to higher creativity. I have already seen a positive impact!
A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe I just finished this book the other night. It is definitely one that I will read again. Each of the adoption stories was so touching. I was most impressed that the authors wrote with such honesty regarding their family and their feelings.
The Mommy Manual: Planting Roots That Give Your Children Wings by Barbara Curtis (I’ve been reading Barbara’s blog off and on for a few months and after reading the glowing reviews on Amazon today, I put the book on hold at my library!). I LOVE THIS book as much as I love Barbara’s blog! In fact, I just ordered it from Amazon yesterday. It provided me with some very sound advice, plenty of humor and a serious reality check. This is one of those books that I will read several times and I believe that I will probably get something new out of it each time.
Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects On Raising Internationally Adopted Children by Cheri Register (I have requested that my public library purchase this book. Hopefully they will before December!). I had two weeks to read this book as it was on loan from a library outside my public library system. I finished it well within the two week limit! I read Cheri’s book that was published in 1990 called "Are Those Kids Yours: American Families with Children Adopted from Other Countries" in early 2002 while we waited for our referral for Emily. I was so excited to see her publish this book, in which she discusses some of the pitfalls that may befall well intentioned parents of internationally adopted children (like me!). She uses a combination of her own experience as the adoptive mother of two now adult daughters adopted in Korea in the 1980s as well as the experiences of adult Korean adoptees from around the world to examine ten common pitfalls. I just ordered it from Amazon because I know that I will read it several times as I try to do my best parenting my daughters.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Both my girls love Pooh, so I’ve decided that I’m going to read a few pages to them each night before bed.) Of course this was loved by all in our house!
The Tale of Despereaux: being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread by Kate DiCamillo (I’ll start this with Emily after we finish Winnie the Pooh with Mia and I’ll find another book to share with Mia. Hopefully, it will be available at the library by then.) We’re picking this up at the library today. Emily is excited to get started on a “big girl book” with Mommy!
I am going to add the following to my reading list:
Women of the Silk by by Gail Tsukiyama
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Friday, October 27
Friday's Feast 117
Oh goody...something to post about other than my foot and my shoes!
Appetizer
Create a new candle scent.
Freshly Bathed Baby…I just love the smell of my babies when they come out of the bathtub and are all wrapped up in a towel.
Soup
Name one way you show affection to others.
Hugs!
Salad
What is your favorite writing instrument?
A mechanical pencil followed closely by a Sharpie. It depends on what I'm writing...
Main Course
If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy?
Definitely Amazon for books.
Dessert
Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be?
Nope, not dressing up. My husband forces me to participate in Halloween and it is kind of fun now that we have kids. I do have a cute white t-shirt that says Happy Halloween. So, I guess that I will be “tired mom wearing Halloween t-shirt taking her two children trick-or-treating” this year!
The main idea behind Friday's Feast is to feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions. Visit the Friday's Feast blog for more feasts and sign up to get the weekly email with the questions. It's fun!
Wednesday, October 25
Well!
I was firmly reprimanded by a few of my friends for my lack of posting. These are friends who I see on a regular basis…not a daily or weekly basis, but still quite often and yet they feel the need to read posts about what is going on in my (not so) glamorous life.
So…here you have it!
I have rejoined the two shoe world! Yes, I’m thrilled to be out of the lovely and stinky surgical boot, which was followed by the “makes me walk like the hunch back” surgical shoe. However, I am now forced to wear sneakers. My kind real life friends say, “They aren’t ugly.” And, some have even said, “They’re cute.” The first group of friends are lying and the second need to go shoe shopping with me! I know that loads of my friends wear sneakers and they are quite cute, but they are not for me. I don’t like how they feel and I don’t like how they look on me. A second element of the torture is that I have to wear these sneakers all day. The first day that I had them on for 12 hours, I about lost it! I am usually barefoot in the house, so having my feet stuffed in big, ugly, hot sneakers is sheer torture, I tell ya! To make matters worse (in my mind), I ordered a second pair of sneakers from Zappos (way cool concept if you’ve never checked it out), so that I’m not forced to wear the same sneakers every day. They should arrive today. Oh goody! Now I will own two pair of big, ugly, hot sneakers of torture! The new ones are all black, so they will be my “dressy sneakers”. Did I really just type that?
Grammy and Pop Pop left today after gymnastics (Emily did the gymnastics, not the grandparents). They have been here for seven weeks helping out with the girls and me while I have been recovering. I honestly have no idea how people can have this surgery and either not have any help at home or go back to work in two weeks. I know that it is not an option for them and I am thankful beyond words to have the extended help that I had. I have no plans to ever have surgery on my feet again after I get done with my left foot, so I was determined to not do anything that would jeopardize my recovery and the long term success of the surgery. In addition to having them here to help, we had some fun too! Of course, they adore the girls and spend every possible moment with them. My mom and I also got to enjoy a night out with my friends and their moms. That was cool! We even went shopping at the mall (me in the wheelchair) and to the Pumpkin Farm yesterday. Hey Grammy and Pop Pop…it was so much fun, let’s do it again in a couple of months! Yes, I need to have the bunion corrected on my left foot too and that’s the one that hurts the most. So, I will return to the sofa of recovery (hopefully) early next year. I want to get them both done and over with as soon as possible so I can keep up with my girlies! And, eventually wear cute shoes again!
I have a lot of post ideas whirling around in my head. And, now that I’m getting back on my normal daily routine, I hope to get to them. I did a lot of blog reading while I was laid up and found some interesting topics, which I would like to give my two cents on if anyone cares. And, my head has cleared enough to get back to reading. From my Fall Into Reading book list, I have finished The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Mommy Manual. I loved both and will post my review soon! I’m currently reading three books – Artist’s Way (it’s a twelve week process that I’m just starting on), A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents (had to put this one on hold because of the next book) and Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects on Raising Internatinally Adopted Children (only have a two week check out on this book from the library). And, Emily and I are almost through Winnie the Pooh.
Finally, here are a few photos of my glamour girls…
What happens when baby glamour girl Mia does not get her way.
Emily has started to take an interest in "reading" to Mia...so cute!
Mia having "naptime" with her best buddy (Pop Pop)!
Princess Emily on her way to a royal birthday party.
This photo is so Mia!
Our "every day" crowns at the House of Glamour!
This is an awful picture of me, but I've included it as self-imposed punishment for not posting more often and to redeem myself with my blogger friends. Am I forgiven?
Thursday, October 12
Making Progress...
Whew! Long time, no updates from the sofa of recovery…it has been craaaaazy around here. The big news to report is that I am off the sofa of recovery more often now. I graduated from the big boot of torture to this smaller “shoe” last Friday. And, for all who inquired, Dr. Makes Me Sweat made me sweat again! I swear…he tries to bend my big toe more than it bent before the surgery. My other toe doesn’t bend as much as he tries to bend this toe when he tries to make it touch my ankle! So, now I have to massage it and bend my toe several times a day. I bend it to the point where I get a good stretch, but not up to my ankle! Here is my pretty new shoe...
Pretty, isn't it? Wait! It gets better!
Yesterday, I went shopping for new shoes. I go back to see my doctor next Friday and he told me to bring my new shoe. So, this is what I had to buy. Oh yes! I am not kidding…there it is – at the height of all fashion – on my left foot. Those who know me in the real world know that I very rarely wear sneakers…let alone sneakers as ugly as these!
They are men’s double wide – yes, you read right – double wide Sketchers! I want to get a shirt that says that “I do not normally wear shoes this ugly and I would not choose to wear them”…except that I don’t normally wear t-shirts with things printed on them! I will endure and those who love me will not judge me by my ugly shoes. I am working toward something like this...maybe by next fall...sigh...very practical for a mommy of two, huh?!
On top of my own recovery, we have had to put Emily on breathing treatments again. After Mia got over a stuffy nose, Emily started. However, with Emily it turned into a major cough that would not stop. She took a big left turn for the worse on Friday night. Of course, right as the weekend begins…whenever she gets sick it’s either on a Friday afternoon or in the middle of the weekend. Thankfully, our super awesome pediatrician’s office has Saturday morning hours. We called right away on Saturday morning and within an hour were on our way to see Dr. K. He heard her coughing non-stop in the waiting room and quickly got us into an examining room (much to the relief of the other mothers in the waiting room with their children) and started her on a breathing treatment. He prescribed a bunch of meds and sent us for a chest x-ray. Just as Chuck was backing my wheelchair out into the waiting room, Emily threw up. Good thing we know this is a common thing when Emily coughs a lot and we were prepared with a towel. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have great aim and it happened so fast that she got me, her blankey and Winnie the Pooh. So, off to the hospital we go for the x-ray smelling oh so nice! Even before we got home Dr. K called to let us know the results of the x-ray. He is so awesome that he went down to the hospital to read the x-ray before he left for the day. She has bronchiolitis, which is like bronchitis, but affects the small airways in the lungs and is often caused by the RSV virus. Yikes! Last night she finally slept through the whole night. Hallelujah! I’m worried about this being caused by the RSV virus and am going to revisit it with our regular pediatrician.
Here is a photo of Emily and Mia taken by their Pop Pop yesterday. Emily saw these pumpkins while I was trying on sneakers and convinced Pop Pop that she and Mia needed them! He's such a pushoever!
Happy Fall!
Friday, September 29
Friday's Feast 113
Appetizer
What is your favorite herb or spice?
Chili powder is a must have spice in our house!
Soup
Name a song you like but haven't heard in a long time.
“All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow…this song was playing on the radio all the time when I was making a big life change that turned out to be a very good thing.
Salad
If you were to take just one minute to write down as many things as you can think of that you need (not want) to do, approximately how many things would there be?
Since I’ve been laid up with this pesky foot surgery, there would probably be at least 10 things on my list that I need to do when I can walk again.
Main Course
Tell something interesting about one of your family members (nothing scandalous, please, just something unique).
Oh geez…this is a hard one. I can’t think of anything, but if I think of something I’ll come back and update!
Dessert
What's the latest you've ever stayed awake?
Oh my! I would have to say 4 AM. Back in the day when I was young and energetic my friend and I would go clubbing. I love to dance! We would dance until the club closed at 2 AM and then, we would go out to eat at an all night diner. The scary thing is that we would be out until the wee hours and then, go to work the next day. I guess that I was preparing myself for lack of sleep brought on by motherhood!
Check out more feasts here.
Friday, September 22
Friday's Feast
Appetizer
Measured in minutes or hours, how much exercise have you had in the last week?
If you count the energy that I expend getting myself to the bathroom, to take a bath, and going to the doctor’s office on crutches, I would say 45 minutes. “Real” exercise = zero!
Soup
If you had to change your blog title to something else, what would it be?
Right now, I would title it “View from My Sofa”
Salad
Name one television show you watched when you were 9-12 years old.
“The Partridge Family” Click on the link...it has shows opening with the egg cracking open with the mama and her five baby chicks. C'mon, get happy!
Main Course
If someone gave you $50 to spend with the one condition that it had to be educational, what would you purchase?
Books!
Dessert
Do you tend to prefer dark colors, neutral shades, or lighter/pastel hues?
Dark colors to wear, neutral shades for my home décor and pastel hues (read: pink) on my girls.
What a fun feast this week! Check out more and add your own here.
Wednesday, September 20
"Stop! You're making me sweat!"
No, that is not what I said to Chuck during a night of passion! It’s what I said to my doctor today when he grabbed hold of my big toe and started moving it up and down vigorously. Hello! Ouch! That hurts! Then, he proceeds to tell me that yes it’s going to be sore because he had to dig quite far down into my foot to remove the cyst and then he had to dissect (yes, dissect…like I’m a frog in the lab) in another area to relieve the tendon that was holding my big toe. Then, he started enthusiastically moving it up and down again in between pushing down on the area where he removed the cyst. That’s when I said, “Stop! You’re making me sweat!” I thought that he was going to fall over. His nurse was practically peeing in her pants. Then, he tells me that he wants me to move my toe in the same manner every day. Okay! Okay! Just so you stop moving it right now! Then, I made the mistake of telling him that I was uncomfortable when I stood up with the boot on because my heel would pull up and the weight of the boot pressed down on the top of my foot. I was secretly hoping that he would say that he would give me a smaller surgical shoe so I could dispose of this big, hot, heavy, smelly boot. No such luck! Instead he would show me how to avoid that problem. Apparently, the way to avoid that problem is to tighten the straps so tight that I would lose all feeling in my foot, but my toes would feel like they were going to pop off!
He’s going to take the stitches out next Wednesday. I can hardly wait for that session of torture! I’m sure that there will be more toe wiggling and pushing too. Maybe I’ll take a happy pill in the morning before I visit Dr. Makes Me Sweat (and not in a good way)!
It’s Wednesday and time for Works-for-Me Wednesday over at Shannon’s place, Rocks in My Dryer. What works for me is…Demerol!
Friday, September 15
Friday Feast
I've been getting the Friday Feast email for several weeks, but this is my first time to play along!
Appetizer
What was the very last song you listened to?
“My Humps” sung by the Black Eyed Peas on The Today Show this morning. I liked the Black Eyed Peas back in their earlier years before Fergie.
Soup
What is the one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from?
I can’t think of any specific company/store/corporation that I would encourage people to stay away from. But if I get bad service or have a negative experience with a company, I'll be sure to tell you all about it!
Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture made?
I would say…7 if I’m ready to have my picture taken.
Main Course
Besides a bookmark, what is something you’ve used to keep your place in a book?
I usually use the receipt with the due date printed on it from the library, but I have also used post-it notes, a band-aid (unused and unopened), a piece of tissue (also unused) and if I own the book, a good old fashioned dog ear always works.
Dessert
Name a food that you like that most people don’t.
It would be much easier for me to name a food that most people like that I don’t! But, I think that I would have to say sushi – I love sushi and I’m talking about more than California rolls! Tuna and salmon sashimi, unagi maki (eel roll) and salmon row are always on my order.
Wednesday, September 13
HGTV and Narcotics
It has been five days since I’ve had surgery on my foot. I felt great on Friday when we got home from the hospital. I had a great two hour nap while the doctor dug around in my foot to remove a small lump and correct my bunion. He put an epidural in my foot, so I wasn’t feeling anything on Friday. I was wide awake and chipper when Robyn, Erin and Mollianne stopped by after lunch. By Saturday, the epidural was wearing off and I started on Vicodin. By Sunday, the epidural was completely gone and I was popping Vicodin every four hours but wanted it every two hours. The pain was so intense and when I got up to hop to the bathroom the pain became excruciating. I laid on my back with my leg propped on two pillows all day watching the clock and nonstop HGTV. First thing on Monday morning, I called my doctor and asked for something stronger. Chuck went to pick up a prescription for Demerol. Oh yes! I was in a very happy place by Monday afternoon! I feel so much better today (Wednesday) and I have not taken any pain medication. I saw my doctor this morning and it felt great to have this boot off for a few minutes. But, alas it is back on and will remain for at least another 3 weeks. It should smell nice and extra funky by then!
The view from my sofa...
My faithful puppy at my side...
My parents came down from Pennsylvania to help take care of the girls while I’m laid up. They brought tomatoes – real Pennsylvania tomatoes – with them. Oh yum! It has been so hard to find good tomatoes since moving to Texas. Actually, I have never found good tomatoes in Texas! On Thursday, I made myself a long anticipated tomato sandwich for lunch. I can’t decide whether the first sandwich that I had on Thursdaya or the sandwich I had for lunch after my surgery on Friday was better! These tomatoes are nothing like you get in the markets in Texas. They are deep red, meaty and have a fabulous flavor!
It tastes even better than it looks...And, it is beautiful!
Time for Debbie Travis' Painted House...TTFN!
Saturday, August 26
For Christy...Rah! Rah!
Here it is! I know y'all have been checking my blog everyday just looking for this photo...LOL! This is my college cheerleading photo. My friend Christy challenged me to post my cheerleading photo and now that I have...Erin, please post your band photo!
I believe this was my junior year...maybe sophomore. I don't have any high school cheerleading photos, but I'm sure that my Mom could come up with one or two to bring with her when she comes down in two weeks.
On to other subjects...you can read my friends blogs here, here , here, here and here to see what we've been up to and to see photos of my daughters! In addition to our social engagements, digital scrapbooking (my latest addiction) and our regular weekly stuff, I've been trying to get my house in order before I have surgery. I'm having surgery in two weeks to get rid of the bunion on my right foot along with that mystery cyst. It's interesting that the bunions are probably a result of surgery that I had waaay back in 1982 to remove bones from the ball of my foot that were broken from jumping up and down (cheerleading) in saddle shoes -- boy did I just date myself! Do I have to explain saddle shoes to any of you youngsters out there? Anyhow, because I don't have these bones, I don't have a normal rolling motion in my foot which the doctor believes has not given me the support to keep my big toe where it's supposed to be. Bunions! Probably more than you ever wanted to know about my feet. So, since my Mom and Dad are coming down to help while I'm laid up I thought that it would be nice of me to give them a fairly clean slate to start with!
The girls are napping now, so I'm going to see if I can figure out photo bucket or something similar to post a few of my digital scrapbook pages...
Tuesday, August 1
Got some traveling to do!
Erin over at M&M's Mommy did this fun little thing and I thought that I would join in.
I've been to 49% of the United States...that's 25 
states!
Looks like I've got some traveling to to in the central part of our country! We often talk about buying a travel trailer and visiting all the states in the US with the girls. What was that a *gasp* from the friends who know me in real life? I said a travel trailer not a tent! We're talking a small house on wheels -- microwave, refrigerator, toilet, shower, and most importantly electricity for my flat iron!
I have done little traveling internationally, but have a few places that I would like to visit when time and funds allow. This is where I've been so far...
United States (obviously, not international travel, but I have been to 49% of the states!), Canada (again, not so international, but you do need a passport to travel across the border now), Mexico (doesn't seem so international now that I live in a state that borders this country), Germany (for business, but you know me, I managed to have a great time!), China (twice!) and Japan (I'm going to count this one because we spent the night and ate two meals there, but it is on my list of places to return and spend more time touring). That's it!
Where have you been? Leave a comment if you post your travel destinations on your blog. And, let me know your favorite US state and favorite country. My favorite US state to visit has to be California -- so much to do and so many different climates all in one state. My favorite country has to be China, of course!
I dream of traveling to: Japan, Italy, Caymen Islands, and Australia
Have a great Tuesday! We're off the to pool! Check back tomorrow for Works for Me Wednesday...
Friday, July 28
Welcome to Our Home!
Welcome to our home! BooMama had this great idea to host of Tour of Homes. If you didn't get here from there, then head on over after you're done visiting with me and pay a visit!
Hi y’all! Come on in! We moved into this house in November 2003, just three weeks before we boarded a plane for China to adopt our oldest daughter. Over the past two and a half-ish years, we have been working on painting and decorating in between figuring out how to be a mom, going back to China for our second daughter, and figuring out how to be a mom to two active little girlies. We still have a ways to go and by the time we get it “just so,” we’ll probably move again!
This is our entry way…you can either head on upstairs, make an immediate right into the “formal” dining room, turn right down the hallway to the powder room and Chuck’s office or head straight down to the living room or stop in the kitchen, which comes up on your right. Don’t you just love that beautiful white gate at the bottom of the stairs…not that I want Mia to grow up too quickly, but I can’t wait to get rid of that thing along with the wooden contraption that Chuck had to built to secure it there!
We spend a lot of time here in our kitchen. I do most of my emailing from my laptop at my desk near the pantry and the girls spend time coloring at the table. Of course, this is where the four of us eat every night. We only ever use the dining room when we have company.
When we’re not in the kitchen, the girls and I are upstairs here in the game room. I do most of my blogging and blog surfing on my computer over there in the corner. This is the most un-decorated room in our house. We have yet to agree on what to do with it, so here it sits (with that little cutie on the sofa spicing up the place) with its bare walls, windows and old furniture.
I’ve decided to also show you my daughters’ rooms. This is Emily’s big girl room. She had a nursery in the front of the house (I decorated it in those three weeks before we left for China), but when we thought about it, it made more sense to have the girls share the bathroom between the two bedrooms at the back of the house. Soon after Emily turned two, we got her a big girl bed and we decorated her big girl room together. She loves her very pink room! The bed is usually on a diagonal in the corner, but we had company last weekend and had to make room for the pullout sofa that is on the other wall in her room.
This is Mia’s nursery. I love how her room turned out. The girls and I find this room very cozy and spend time in here reading every day. There is a big cozy denim rocking chair just out of the picture on the right that we all snuggle in to read. I hope that this will be their playroom some day when the girls are old enough to share a room. But, then again, we may move again before then.
Let’s head back on down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. No, no, of course I didn’t bake it…I don’t bake, but I did drive on down to Corner Bakery to pick up one of those yummy cinnamon coffee cakes!
Glad y’all could stop by!
Tuesday, July 11
Seven Things About Me
I know that you have been waiting with anxious anticipation to learn more about me, so here it is!
7 Things I would like to do before I die
Of course, I want to grow very old with my husband and see our daughters grow into beautiful young women, marry and make me a grandmother (good grief that sounds strange), so I wanted to list the seven things that I dream about doing with my husband and children…
- Travel throughout the United States while my children are young
- Take my daughters to visit their birth country more than once
- Travel to Italy, Australia and the Cayman Islands
- Spend a month (or more) in China working in orphanages
- Host exchange students from all parts of the world
- Own a beach house
- Swim with dolphins
7 Things I cannot do
- Ride on a carousel
- Sing well (I still do it, but not in public)
- Play a musical instrument
- Get to sleep when my hubby is snoring or there is any other noise in our room
- Watch scary movies
- Read in the car (it makes me nauseous)
- Eat beans
7 Things I can do
- Dance pretty well
- Sleep with the lights on
- Spend hours on the computer
- Sew
- Carry one 25 lb. child on my left hip and one 29 lb. child on my right hip at the same time
- Create…scrapbook pages, cards and all sorts of other crafty things when I have the time and inspiration
- Get my husband to suggest taking me out to dinner when I don’t want to cook
7 Things that attracted me to my husband
- His PalmPilot (that’s our little secret)
- His very dry sense of humor
- His integrity
- His work ethic
- His ability to keep up with me trudging through the streets of Boston in 20 degree temperatures without complaining once – He was smitten with me!
- His ability to love me with all my quirks and career changes
- His faith in and passion for God, me and his family
7 Things I say most often
- Love you!
- Give them to me! (Referring to Mia’s glasses)
- Get out!
- Give that back to your sister!
- Dog!
- Whatever!
- No ma’am, don’t even think about it!
7 Books I love
- The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
- Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck
- Three Daughters of Madame Liang by Pearl S. Buck
- The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- Good Women of China by Xinran
- On Gold Mountain by Lisa See
I have listed eight books because I needed to add one more and I have fewer than seven movies listed because I like books better than movies!
7 movies I love
- Titanic (the first movie that I saw with Chuck)
- Castaway (the last movie that I saw in a theater)
- Memoirs of a Geisha (I don’t think that I would have loved this movie as much as I did if I had not just finished the book before seeing the movie)
- Monsters, Inc. because Chuck and I would watch it while we waited for Emily and imagine our baby Boo with pigtails and big brown eyes.
That’s all I can come up with…I told you that I’m not a big movie person!
I have not had a chance to take a photo of my pantry and my fridge, so you'll have something else to look forward to in the coming days!
Friday, July 7
Nesting
While I waited for both of my daughters, I went through various forms of nesting. I was either buying clothes, baby gadgets, or things that we would need to travel to China or I was decorating their room and then, tweaking it here and there or I was organizing. When I felt most frustrated about the wait, I would organize and organize and reorganize. It was something that I could have control over when I didn’t feel like I had control over anything.
I think that I may be “sympathy nesting” for my friends who wait. I don’t know what has come over me, but I have been an organizing fool! I reorganized all my scrapbooking supplies to move them closer to my work desk. This, of course, required the purchase of a new shelf as well as coordinating black drawers to hold my supplies. I hope that this newly organized space will spur me to start scrapbooking again. I am very behind on Emily’s book and Mia’s book is completely empty.
Some of those drawers look a bit empty don't they? I might need to do a bit o' supply shopping. Yea, that's what will really inspire me to get going on a few new layouts!
The “old” white drawers are now holding all sorts of printer paper in the closet near my computer armoire.
Today’s organizing project will be the guest room closet. As you can see, this closet tends to be a dumping ground for who knows what!
Ah yes…another glamorous day awaits me!
UPDATED LATER IN THE DAY...After 45 minutes in the trenches (closet), I emerged with a smallish bag of trash and a closet where guests can actually hang a few articles of clothing, store their luggage and a pair of shoes or two! Who wants to come for a visit?
Sunday, June 25
My New Minivan
I’m a Minivan Driving Mom!
Yes, it’s true. Yes, I admit that I, more than once, have said that I would never drive a minivan. Yes, I have laughed along with my dear husband as we joked about the dangers of driving with moms in minivans on the road…
But, the lure of a third row of seats that will make it easier to get around town when the grandparents come to visit, the sliding doors that glide open and closed with the click of a button, the middle seat in the second row that pops out to provide easy access to the third row, the hooks that hold grocery bags on the back of the third row of seats, and enough room for the third row, the double stroller and a bunch of groceries was just way too much to pass up! So, we traded in my year old Honda Pilot for a brand spanking new Honda Odyssey and I love it! Who would have thought that I could be so excited about a minivan, but I will humbly and honestly admit that I am! 
