Pleasant Places

And We're Off...

2011-06-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

...on a family ROAD TRIP! (pretend like I shouted it out ala Oprah).

I have been out of bloggie commission because my computer was, oh, what is that technical term....oh, yeah, KAPUT. I couldn't blog, catch up on blogs or do trip research on the borrowed time of my hubby's computer so blog posting fell by the wayside.

I have confessed before, that I am a trip planning fool. And this has been some kinda of fun as this Road Trippin' crew includes our cozy family of five, my mom, and my mother-in-law, and our niece Rachel. It only struck me last week, "Zowie, David is gonna have quite a van load of ladies"....but I know he can handle it...he is mellow that way. But if y'all do shout out a prayer for our safety include his and our sanity.

So, I look forward to blogging about our trip as we get our...

Tennessee on...(I say this ala Andy Bernard from The Office)

our North Carolina on...

our Blue Ridge Parkway on...

and our New Orleans on...

and then after, I'll have to get some "rest" on from all that road tripping.

Thanks dear readers for stopping by, checking in, and your kind comments. Let's catch up when I get back.

In Christ,

Paris afternoon (June 8th, still, 2008) Day 10 (yes, still) Part II, yikes!

2011-05-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

**May 28, 2011**Yes, do not adjust your monitors...this is a repeat post...but it is all about our family of five's first Paris afternoon (way back in '08). Hello and Welcome to anyone stopping over from Castles, Crowns, and Cottages for the Paris Party!

Thank y'all for visiting and your kind comments.**

We left the apartment about 5ish, extremely hungry, and gladly lighter (sans mucho luggage) in order to track down a restaurant in the Latin Quarter. Paris, just in case anyone wonders, is divided into 20 arrondissments (neighborhoods) with the lower numbering in the center spiraling higher outwards. The Latin Quarter is found in the 6th arrondissment and called such because in the olden times (very technical term) the students of the Sorbonne near by frequented the cheap eateries and cafes in this area speaking in their educated language--Latin. Or so I have been told. Well inexpensive eateries, cafes, food stalls and tourist trap places still abound but it is still to me a distinctive and lively area to visit as a part of the Parisian experience.

Again, I was nostalgic because, having been blessed to have stayed in Paris two separate times before, this area of Paris was very familiar. I guess, being me, I have to regress and explain that I was in Paris 1993, and 1997 with Campus Crusade for Christ. During those mission trips (lasts about two months in the summer) we were busy amongst the students of the Cite Universitaire (14th arrondissement). In those times I definitely got an everyday feel of Paris, student life, but actually had only small opportunities to explore the grand city of Paris. While doing ministry and friendship building with the international students we met, we explored some the the notable sights of Paris, quite a few times: Notre Dame (near the Latin Quarter), the Louvre, and of course the Eiffel Tower. But I just barely scratched the surface of getting the distinctive feel of the neighborhoods. Now it is apparently an itch I've got to scratch. Poor David.

Well, back to our dinner. The Latin Quarter was in full swing with tourist crowds in mass movement, but being it was a somewhat early European dining hour, the restaurants were uncrowded . Goody for us. I expected my family wanted something a bit familiar and I knew I wanted pizza. Then I saw what I hoped to see. The restaurant our mission group defaulted to each time we wanted a real pizza was still in the same spot and open. The hosts were attentive in seating us, helpful with our slow ordering (in France at times your run the risk of indecision causing you to have to wait a long while before you see your waiter again). We waited on our sidewalk table quietly (yes, Sophia was snoozing away in her tucked under the table stroller, again) and each of us was absorbed in unabashed people watching. And Paris is the place to do it.

A street musical troop started up nearby and entertained us while we oohed and ahhed over our meal.

After being refreshed by our sit down meal we headed out for our walk. We crossed the Seine River (the strong lovely river that splits the fair city in two (Left bank, right blank, I guess that is obvious?) and Notre Dame came into full view as just as reverent choral singing echoed around us. It reminded me of Versailles musical gardens and the background symphonies that created a surreal atmosphere. But the origins of the singing was revealed as we approached the square in front of the majestic hundreds years old Catholic Church. The square was crammed with seats and people taking in a mass outdoors of the capacity filled church via big screen.

What a sight. What sounds. I took a picture and then a tap at my shoulder brought me face to face with another kind stranger. An American mom (family in tow) offered to take a picture of me with my crew with Notre Dame in the background, remarking that "the picture taker rarely gets in any pictures". I thanked her and, ridiculously, I think I teared up in appreciation of this kind gesture in a day filled with them.
We walked past the crowds, over bridge with its solo street musicians, handful of street performers and sprinkling of easels with busy painters capturing the early evening sun on the busy Seine, towards the small elegant island in Paris called Ile Saint-Louis. I was navigating my crowd towards the palette pleasing Berthillon ice cream stand on the Ile. Actually my opinion is that its flavors are definitely delectable but I notice I enjoy most the ice cream/sorbet stands throughout Paris equally. I am thinking, because, well, their flavors are usually more than 31 and heck, I am in Paris eating an ice cream cone--delicious.

Here I had another pinch myself moment (yeah, I am fairly bruised by now). We got our Boules (scoops) and ate our cones (Sophia too) as we leaned on the bridge overlooking the Seine, with a street musician on accordion playing songs from Amelie (movie from 2002 that oozes Parisian charm). Ahh. L-O-V-E-L-Y.

As we slowly left the bridge we crossed back over the bridge in no certain direction, but got drawn in by the peace and small rose garden behind Notre Dame. Sophia bounded around freely and we noticed there was an area for children to play. I had never noticed this small garden before but in as tightly a laid out large city as Paris it is notable that there are always open green patches for the Parisians to take in the natural beauty in the midst of their bustling city. Sophia was certainly appreciative!

At this point I pushed us one bit further. We found our closest Metro stop and got off at the Trocadero. My family knew we were headed to the Eiffel Tower but their response was a lackluster "Okay." Okay? We were climbing the steps up to the street level outside the Trocadero plaza and a chattering group of identically sundress clad American sorority girls huddled near us over a map. I could hear them "I don't see it, Tiff." "the map says is it near here, I know" "Where do we go, do we ask someone?" So I leaned over to them and offered directions to the place it was obvious they were looking for. They ran just ahead of us and made a moment for us out of their own. They passed the sight blocking building we were in front of, looked to the left and caught sight of THE TOWER and squealed for joy, jumping up and down. Our girls giggled as they watched the "old/older" girls overcome with the experience. Now it was their turn. And here is my picture of my crew caught by surprise.

WHOA!

No, no jumping up and down (not their style). David remarked that he hadn't expected this familiar world renowned sight to give him pause but it did. We posed and posed, and posed. Then we rode the nearby carousel---dreamy.

Anna got a crispy sweet Belgian waffle and Sara had her Nutella Banana crepe--messy, yummy goodness, right by the Tower.

And then the Tower lit up for us--de-LIGHT-ful!

I should have known not to push further but at 8:30ish I made my dear family get on a Bateau Mouches (Seine River Cruise) in order to get an idea of the city's layout and unique view of the sights. I loved it. The whole crowded, windy, loud (tour groups partying around us) ride, but David and Anna slipped drowsily in and out of sleep while Sara, Sophia, and I took it all in. My crew was tired but Paris was in full swing as we even passed a quay filled with people dancing tango to Latin rhythms--my oh my.

The walk was surely long to the Metro and to our apartment. But in retrospect it was our most full day. The last day I would be able to check every box off on my itinerary. My fearless crew was hitting a travel wall. Paris was wonderful but no match for a tinge of homesickness, 10 days of go-go-go, new experiences, different languages, and a lack of everyday comforts. I was the energizer bunny trying hard to push my worn out loved ones. Sleep, and a slow morning was the order for our next day, Day 11.

Happy Easter...a bit late...

2011-04-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

...but I just couldn't resist sharing this funny, cute, yet true telling of "A Very Special Sunday"...They shared it in church this morning and got my 4 year old's attention,...and, yes, mine too. Pausing my music will keep it from competing with the video.

http://www.sermonspice.com/product/38702/a-very-special-sunday

In Christ,

Oh, how I miss blogging....

2011-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I miss you guys....hello? Is anyone out there?   It is a bad thing to have an infrequent blog and be absent from the blogosphere. I don't have my pics loaded on this computer....and for whatever reason this computer lets me type a few keystrokes and then it changes its mind and skips a few letters....okay it just happened, I typed a whole sentence and then in a flash it was gone....what does Charlie Brown say when things conspire against him?...oh yeah, AARRGGHH!

So in this sweet Easter season, when we give thanks and glory to God, all I dare to share--or else the computer may sweep it away, are once again some quotes....and Thanks. For hanging in there with me and, as always, your encouragement.

~~...the world can forgive practically anything except people who mind their own business.~~
                                     ~~Margret Mitchell

~~Friendship is forgetting what you give and remembering what you receive.~~
                                     ~~Unknown

~~The best way out is always through.~~
                                     ~~ Robert Frost

~~You must plough with such oxen as you have.~~
                                     ~~ English Proverb

~~When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
     when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
     count your many blessings,
     name them one by one,
     And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
                                      ~~Johnson Oatman, old hymn

Happy Easter...He is Risen!

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-03-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

Computer troubles. I'm on a borrowed computer and even tho' I had some blogging inspiration lately, with my pictures stored on a to be repaired computer, I am now image-less. Oh, my...that sounds bad. But I have some words to share that have cheered, and encouraged me.....

I need this one:
     Use what talents you possess--the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.    ~~Henry Van Dyke

     A ship in a harbor is safe--but that is not what ships are made for. ~~John A. Shedd

     The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing. ~~Zephaniah 3:17

     In our daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. ~~Unknown

     You and I are here to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don't know. ~~W.H. Auden

And as a funny:   You can observe a lot just by watching. ~~Yogi Berra

Love to you and yours,

In Christ,

Jenny

Stepping Outside...

2011-03-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Quotes for cheering you through the weekend:

~We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.~~Billy Graham

~It is wonderful what may be done if we are always doing.~~Thomas Jefferson

~When you cannot pray as you would, pray as you can~~Dean Goulburn

~....the cheerful heart has a continual feast.~~Proverbs 15:15 NIV

This seems a bit of a cheat but with the quotes I wanted to share, I also wanted to post something that moved me today. I love reading Corey's Tongue in Cheek blog

Ahh, Provence!

where she writes primarily about her expat life (she's American) with her French husband of twenty-some years in Provence. Her photos, her love of brocante, and travel has drawn together quite a nice community of bloggers, but today she shared an amazing part of her travels and I feel compelled to post.
Her visit with a long-time friend in Thailand to the Vieng Ping Children's home

precious, happy faces and a heart stirring visit

Blogging is such an amazing forum to me. And I thank y'all that stop by and those that I read for all you share and how wonderfully you help me step outside my everyday and inspire.

In Christ,

Ahh, Paris

2011-03-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

I thankfully and wholeheartedly agree with the Jane Austen quote above (yeah, she's my girl). But when I think of Paris, I sigh.

...Aaahhh.

Even now, I have to confess, that if I ever get the chance to see dear Pah-ree again,

I would still be giddy with delight.

I have no doubt of how Paris romanced me and won me over....

and for those of you who have visited the City of Lights or have simply dreamed of her from afar you may understand.

The other night was a slow quiet night so my hubby and I indulged in two movies on TV, while we pattered about with work and home cares. Now, we had seen these movies before and even own them: Julie & Julia

and Amelie.

Oh, boy...this was not what I needed. Seeing Paris dance before my eyes in the way it won over Julia Child and the whimsy and magic of Amelie, brought back sweet, sweet memories.

Montmatre photo courtesy of Centrury 21, naw, it's mine, just a bad angle

When I first went to Paris (also my first trip "abroad"...sounds so fancy-schmancy said that way) in 1993, I was college-age and stayed there for 9 weeks in the summer (my heart flutters to remember it) with a missions group. I was the perfect picture of a fish out of water....small town Texas born and raised, just a year of High School French under my belt, and all I knew of Paris went like this: Eiffel Tower,

Hunchback of Notre Dame,

Phantom of the Opera,

cafes,

Louvre,

and Monet.

But boy, the experience changed me. No, not as a whole new person but it awoke my wonder with new tastes, cultures (as we met people from so many different places) and history. I came away from that summer wanting to know Paris more and with an understanding of Gertrude Stein's quote: "America is my country but Paris is my hometown." I surprisingly felt at home.

My very first experience in Paris knocked my senses silly. You see, in order to help keep jet lag at bay and orient us to our new surroundings, our group gathered together for a briefing picnic in the local park (the elegant, green and underrated Parc Montsouris).

And as I felt the soft grass beneath me, I found I could barely concentrate of the info. My taste buds were being barraged by the best bread ever (baguettes), REAL butter, flavorful jams, wonderful chocolates, crisp tasty market bought veggies, and creamy cheeses.

I remember hearing my teammates "yumming" themselves silly too, with each new bite. Then the cooling breezes wafting about us, on the sunny summer day, the hum of the visitors in the park chatting, children playing, the distant din of the traffic in the busy city around us....DING DONG! my senses told me, you are truly in PARIS.

So, here is an eclectic assortment of Paris moments from me to you, should you choose to enjoy, reminisce, and daydream. ......there are only 5, 6, okay, 7 things to picture:

1. Carry a Baguette:

If I could, I would add smell-o-vision to this photo

Though the "idea" of fast food is looked down on by the French (cuz, see it is an American invention), it is a common sight to see Parisians carrying along a "snack" baguette freshly purchased from a boulangerie (bread makers) or patisserie (pastry shop) found on almost every block in Paris. I remember carrying an armload of early morning, warm, tender crisp, and deliciously fragrant baguette loaves in my arms for our mission group's jam and butter breakfast at our dorm (Cite Universitaire). Now that sense memory most decidedly walloped me, and screams "Paris!" to me.

2. Have a picnic: as often as possible, take your food to a spot, make it your spot. Grab a suitable grocery/market collection of cheese, sausage, fruit, bread, and juice/water and don't forget a pastry treat.

Feast in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, enjoy your Gyros along the banks of the Seine,

devour an ice cream in the leisure of one of Paris's famous Jardins (gardens/parks),

indulge in a sweet or savory crepe from a street stall (I never had a bad one) whilst sitting on one of Paris pedestrian bridges overlooking the Seine...take it in. My favorite spots: Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc des Buttes Charmont, and Parc Montsouris....my goodness almost anywhere will do, you're in Paris!

3. Enjoy Paris from a rooftop/view: Of course the Eiffel Tower is a must,

the top of L'Arc de Triomphe, the steps of Sacre Coeur cathedral, from the roof of Notre Dame, or even the Cafe top of the dazzling Galleries Lafayette.

Go ahead pinch yourself, you're really there. I pinched myself silly and would do it all over again, aahhh:

4. Wander....here is where the magic is. My first true wandering in a neighborhood was through La Marais, along the narrow cobblestone rues, with artisan shops and quiet cafes, to the lovely and well known Place des Vosges...with its neatly situated open square with trickling fountain.

5. Sit at a cafe...yeah, I did it; even ordered a coffee (uh, 'scuse me, cafe viennoise) and I didn't even like coffee at the time..It was of course somehow better in Paris, and I did the "Sabrina"-thing and wrote in my journal....it was lovely.

6. Shop....I never had the nerve or proper attire ("money") to saunter into any high end shop, but each time I have been to Paris I have purchased either a scarf, inexpensive accessory,

Cheesey, cute, cheap and all mine, and yep, I got them in Paris

or print and keep it on display as a cheering reminder of my visit. No matter where you go, to say that you went "shopping in Paris" has a sophisticated ring to it, N'est-ce pas.

7. Ahh, museums galore...just sit and ponder a work of art: The first time I visited the Musee D'Orsay I was taken aback by the elegant interior...the former train station turned museum, all grand and wowza,

is bathed in the proper natural light to gaze dreamily at world renowned impressionist art, and I recall that the main entrance hall of sculptures, though stone-still (heehee) seemed to have movement when I first caught sight of them. Paris is stuffed silly with museums and though time in Paris should be enjoyed out of doors as much as possible, she has so much to offer within.

::sigh:: There are so many more....but I have got to stop now, for your sake and mine......thanks for joining me....Any special moments you would like to share? Please do!

I am linked over at Les Chateau des Fleurs by Frenchy for her monthy French Obsession link party and giveaway in case you want to have more of a taste of France...

Au Revoir mes amies,

In Christ,

Good Friday to you..

2011-02-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Random photo...yeah, I am dreaming of Paris when I see the pasture.

But we will enjoy having some family visit us this weekend to kick us out of our hermit life reverie. Nothing in particular going on but some quotes I have run across recently I wanted to share...

~Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it.~~Mark Twain

~ A thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed, but a thing created is loved before it exists.~~ G.K. Chesterton

~Be like the bird
That, pausing in her flight
Awhile on boughs too slight,
Feels them give way
Beneath her and yet sings,
Knowing that she hath wings.~~Victor Hugo

~Dear God, be good to me, the sea is so wide
and my boat is so small.~~Prayer of Breton fishermen

~Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.~~Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)

In Christ,

For love's sake

2011-02-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason this year, Valentine's celebrations started a couple of weeks back. It was my fault. While we (Sophia and I) were waiting for the oil to be changed in our van (call it the momma-mobile....I loves me my mini-van) at the Wal-mart, we perused the V-day aisle and the moment Sophia saw heart shapes she got giddy, clapped her hands at the red hues about us and exclaimed, "Mommy! It's Valentines!" Where did this eruption come from I wondered...then...a-ha, I remembered.

Last year, after the splurging on our Christmas, I decided that I wanted to provide sweet somethings for my girls and hubby in both crafts and treats that were homemade. So in a weekend, we cut out construction paper hearts, posted sweet notes around the house, I made a banner to surprise the girl's Valentines morning,

and we made heart shaped cookies complete with pink icing and red sprinkles....

SO, for Sophia, Hearts=Valentines=Decorations=Crafts=FUN.

Well guess what we did at home after seeing the early Valentine's aisle?....we have been cutting and drawing and decorating ever since. It is like St. Valentine himself is expected down the chimney tonight as often as she has been reminding us all of the day's impending arrival. She is 4 years old and she just tickles me. She has me going full on for Valentine's day. Me, who as a girl threw up my nose at V-day sentiments as sappy (maybe cuz I didn't find lots of cards in my Valentine's box, sniff, yeah, second grade memory here....okay now, I am over it...let's move on) nor did I ever have a beau any of my school days to flaunt sweet nothings from. Then in college, surrounded by great male and female friends and still quite single, I decided to change the day a bit. Instead of the emphasized, commercialized romantic chocolates and diamonds "love" the day elicits, I wanted to treat those I cared for to encouragements and thanks for the love and care they gave to me. So, on cute pink scented paper, in a delicate type I printed the following Shakespeare's Sonnet (116) for my dear family and friends:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

They loved it and ever since then I have tried to do a little something in the same vein. And apparently it has been passed on with a fervor to my girls who have an appreciation for red, hearts, sweets, and now a Valentine's family meal. Of all the family traditions I have tried to propagate, this one now has a life of it's own in the delight of family time together and the love in our midst. Here was a sampling of the meal, "deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie" (or let's say, bit lazy CPP)

....gots to say this was delicious. Anna (14 yo)was aching to create a new sweet and came up with these Strawberry Cream Tarts that were so good

(see the heart shapes)...they were all gone at the end of the night. Earlier last week, I attempted heart shaped cocoa macarons with strawberry cream filling. Sophia, got ultra excited that they were heart shaped then asked me to make her a candy cane one (what?!) and because I love her I said, "okey dokey!"

(Here's to you, Carol!)...sadly they looked better than they tasted....they were completely new for my crew, and they gobbled them up lovingly, appreciatively, and chuckled at me for pronouncing them in the French style (ma-ca-Ron, like the name "Ron")while they insisted on saying "macaroons"... I tried.

I HEART these people!

Above all the extras though, I do want my girls to carry with them the full meaning of love....In Who loved us first, and Christ who came because God so LOVED the world, and everyday blessings of kindness, gratitude, and putting others first. For this Valentine's Day I want to say thank you to those of you who have so kindly stopped by and thoughtfully encouraged me, prayed for us, and commented. You've done my heart good.

1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved us.

In Christ,

Movies Galore!

2011-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year dear friends and fellow bloggers! I know, tsk, tsk, to me for not blogging a bit. As much as I was itching to blog, I barely kept up with the everyday things at home. I fully intended to recap our December too, but after a bit of a hard year we took full advantage of the quiet moments in December. Time we also all spent catching up on movies, old and new. Actually we saw more movies the two weeks around Christmas than I have seen all year...so here is my round up...first of course...

HELLO!...HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (in November):

We went the first day it was out and took my Dad who was a HP newbie. I loved it for sure, but my Dad who is not into the series, nor any kind of movies with their own "lore" said he was lost yet the story was intriguing. The final installment is in July and I will save my raves for then, but if you have read my blog before you know I am so very, very biased about this series that, of course the
VERDICT: A MUST SEE for those who enjoy Harry Potter

SECRETARIAT (saw it in November)....

going to have to first state that I am an absolute sucker for underdog stories: Rudy, Invincible, The Natural, Babe, uh, hello, Seabiscuit....don't like watching most sports in real life, but put it on the little or big screen and give it an underdog and I am watchin' it. Diane Lane is the womanly, yet formidable Penny Chenery, wife/mother of 3 who in 1969 takes over her father's stable of breeding horses and puts everything on the "underdog" Secretariat. Guess what happens? Well of course we all know, but the joy is in the journey of faith in the face of trials. This movie had me from the verse spoken at the beginning to the hymn rejoicing at the end...Oh, Happy Day!
VERDICT: Highly recommend, and will see it again..

KNIGHT AND DAY

This movie did not get great reviews but I was charmed by the previews and even more delighted when I saw it back in June. But when Lou (my lovely Mother in Law) was staying with us over Christmas week, I knew this was one Action/Comedy/Romance flick she would appreciate. And she loved it. It was pushed as an action movie and has a couple of sharp sequences but hello, what have we NOT seen action wise in these days of CGI and multimillion dollar blowups...no big surprises here in that arena. But I cannot tell you how much I appreciated the banter, the fun it seemed to have with the casual action, and the rapport between Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise.
VERDICT: pass me the popcorn, I want to see it again

TOY STORY 3:

This was so very hyped for the holiday season as the must purchase DVD and I had yet to see it. As we wrapped gifts, we watched it on Pay per view. Sophia liked it and I thought it was a fitting final chapter to the heart-tugging series but I don't have raves about it. Maybe the hype got my expectations too high but ..
VERDICT: It was a good finish but I don't need to see it again

A CHRISTMAS CAROL:

Again a pay per view selection (since we saw it when it came out in 3D in November 2009) for Lou. This is something else I am a sucker for, a Christmas Carol retelling and this one is up there, but my guilty pleasure favorite is still A Muppets Christmas Carol

with Michael Caine. This Robert Zemekis version was very nice and was especially cool visually in 3D but honestly, sometimes the CGI characters are kind of eerie, so
VERDICT: Quite nice, but for more chuckles with your morality tale see A Muppets Christmas Carol

SHERLOCK HOLMES (first viewing Jan 2010):

I have always liked the Sherlock Holmes mysteries in its various forms (Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett) but lets face it, this character is so very brilliant, aloof, and lacking in social graces that he is not the most attractive protagonist. But in the hands of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, Holmes and Watson (respectively) are a stupendous buddy team. I certainly enjoyed the fact that in this version Watson is an equal to Holmes and not the almost-clueless step-behind side kick. Plus the music is so spot on, I say thank you to Guy Ritchie (director) for this fresh and lively take on an old favorite.
VERDICT: so good I am gonna buy it

TANGLED:

After the hype let down of Toy Story 3, I was going to opt out of this one family Christmastime cinema experience (I had post Christmas clean up to do people!), but I am so glad I didn't. We saw this in our small town old timey movie theater with a full house of all ages and I was completely delighted in this new version of the tale of Rapunzel.
VERDICT: well worth the price and time

JANE EYRE: (2006, Masterpiece Theater with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson)

What did we watch New Year's Eve? This beautiful, hands down best version EVER of Jane Eyre. As far as period romances go, I loves me my Jane Austen but over all those words-made-to-film this story and little screen gem are tops. In most other versions Mr. Rochester is too brute-ish and Jane such a simpering/frail girl, that it is hard to see their romance and attraction. But here Mr. Stephens fleshes out Rochester as a hard, broken-hearted man drawn to the quiet but strong character in the plain but lovely Jane (hired governess to his young ward). Ruth Wilson is entrancing as Jane, who tho' raised unloved and in an orphanage is always upright in character and so full of hope that you cheer for her along the way.

Here's a clip (only a bit of a spoiler if you have never read or seen Jane Eyre)

Enjoy!

VERDICT: of all the movies listed, it is my top recommendation.

Happy watching, and I love recommendations if you have any. Blessings to you this New Year.

In Christ,

Random Wednesday: Scrummy! and a request, pretty please

2010-12-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

I simply love Christmas time but for whatever reason I cannot get myself reeved up for doing much. It has taken me two weeks to decorate the house (no, not a necessity, but you can't help the cozy, lovely, cheering factor it brings). Today I am gathering up my holiday recipes and putting my cookie gift list together and plan to keep the Kitchen Aid mixer busy this week to the weekend and get a move on it finally...here's hoping, ask me later, keep me accountable.

One recipe I had to pull out sooner than the rest was the one I will share with you today. I have made these almost every year for the holidays, but for some reason the girls just discovered them last year and in an unprecedented move---they agreed!---that they were their favorite holiday cookie amongst my repertoire (oooh, I just typed repertoire, ....uh, yep and I spell checked it and I spelled it right too). I have made two batches since Thanksgiving and now I will share the recipe with you:

Okay, these ARE great cookies, but not a great pic

Libby's Great Pumpkin Cookie (and it is,....great that is)

2 C flour
1C quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 C butter or margarine softened
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C Libby's solid packed pumpkin
1 C semi-sweet real chocolate morsels

Pre-heat oven 350. Combine flour, oats, cinnamon and salt in a med. sized bowl. In a large bowl cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in morsels. Drop spoonfuls (1-2 tbsp) onto lightly greased cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper.) Bake for 18-20 min until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Depending on size you bake, this batch can make 3-4 dozen. Let cool and keep in airtight container.

I don't know how long they last in the airtight container because ours are gone in a week. AND it MUST be said that tho' they are good warm, they are at their best the day after...super moist, not overly pumpkin-y, and such chocolatel-y oat-y goodness in a modest cookie.

Now my request: If you have any holiday family favorite recipes, please share, and if I must be greedy please post a pic. But, I understand the time it takes to type recipes up so if you can just share the name of the cookie and a possible link to a recipe...I love gathering in good ideas and fun new recipes for the holidays. Thank you dear friends. God's blessings to you as you enjoy your Christmastime.

In Christ,

General Randomness (since I missed "Random Wednesday")

2010-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, it must be said that I am a fan of the Today Show....when I went to New York City (ever so brief 3 days in June of 2003) a must on my list was trying to see the then hosts, Katie, Matt, Ann and Al (Today show hosts) and stand around waving to the camera as part of the mass of people that hovers about the show and from time to time (it is a 4 hour morning program) gets face time when they scan the crowd. I watch it most mornings (while I and Sophia breakfast) and it is on in the back ground while I work around the house.

So, anyway, my randomness today is inspired by one of the guests on the show today....none other than Gene Simmons of the band Kiss (no, I confess that I am not a fan). But in promoting his reality show (hey, everyone has one now) "Family Jewels" he shared that while touring in Amsterdam this summer he was deeply moved by the Anne Frank museum (as his own mom survived the concentration camps and was the same age at the same time as Anne, 13 yo). Then even more than promoting his show he took a soap box moment and said that every school aged child should read her diary (and I agreed) and get a true idea of the toll of the holocaust and a moving representation of the lives involved in the ordeal.

It reminded me of the first time I read her diary. I was 13 and staying with my Dad for part of the summer and saw the small book amongst his mostly war, weapons and other "manish" books and was immediately intrigued having never heard of her. I tore through the book and felt as if I was sneaking into someone's private thoughts....and, I WAS. I read the book in a day (such were my summers) and missed Anne in the end. Only, then did I realize it was all true and shared so lovingly by her father Otto Frank who saw that his daughter had left a part of herself that gave a relatable face and heart to a time and people who endured in the most dark part of recent history.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

In Christ,

Random Wednesday: Thanksgiving Throwdown! and 2 days until Harry Potter

2010-11-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Yep, get ready for a great throwdown tonight folks! Ree Drummond aka the Pioneer Woman (see her blog on my sidebar) will surely be defeating Iron Chef Bobby Flay tonight on the Food Network's Throwdown. I will be watching, of course, courtesy of my DVR (I thank the Lord that this contraption was invented...commerical free since 2006, oh yeah!). Right now I am actually busy doing Ree's Thanksgiving dressing since we are celebrating early with my Dad in San Antonio this weekend. It is, of course, delish.

Her quote: My Name Is Ree
I'm a desperate housewife. I live in the country. I channel Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!

And I might just add that there are only two days until Harry Potter and we are even dragging my Dad to see it....yes, quality time there people. Have a great week!

In Christ,

The Boy Who Lived...my countdown to Friday

2010-11-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how much I have toiled over this post, or how ridiculously silly I feel saying so, but seeing as the day to the US premiere of the Harry Potter film is approaching (November 19th at a theater near YOU..I am sure!) I want to be on task about something bloggy around here, and yes, please excuse me, I chose Harry Potter...and if you have not met him...Please, pretty please, let me introduce you.

Harry and his owl, Hedwig

I have watched Harry Potter from when it first came out in 2001 and so enjoyed the movies, that finally, this past summer, Harry Potter in JK Rowling's words, was a constant companion on my nightstand. And, I even got my hubby to crack open the last large tome (7th book) in order to be "in the know" for these last two movies.

I know, I know. Yes, I am nearly 40....a late comer to the Harry Potter fan base for sure. No one that knows me would expect to find me tucked in bed late at night pouring over this book series, or hoping to be the first in line for the movie. I find myself missing Harry, Ron and Hermione (the main 3 characters) and reading/watching their friendship be tested evolve, and strengthen.

The trio in the their Hogwarts common room

Author J.K. Rowling deftly weaves her tale of Harry (The Boy Who Lived) the unloved and unappreciated orphan raised by unkind aunt and uncle, who only until he turns 11, finds he has all along had magical powers passed down to him by his wizard mom and dad, who died fighting the "evil" wizard Lord Voldemort and his lot of dastardly followers. And though Harry was not but a year old He Lived!, tho' Voldemort tried to strike him down, because his mother shielded him from the curse and in her death her love saved Harry and took out Voldy....or so they thought...this is where the first book starts.

From the first book to the last we join Harry in discovering this wizarding world that is a marvel of author JK Rowling's wonderful imagination. Hogwarts (boarding/wizarding school that young wizards in training attend beginning at age 11) comes to life, set in an enchanted castle in the hills of Scotland, Quidditch is a thrilling sport, Rowling's complete creation, as it is played on broomsticks, and Diagon Alley is a shopping wizard's "downtown" of sorts that is "magically" tucked away from Muggles (we non-magical folk) off one of central London's narrow alleys.....BUT before I lose you amidst the new words, places, and names in the book you must know that the strongest themes in all the books are the triumph of Good over evil, Friendship, Faith, Courage, Loyalty, and above all Love.

Diagon Alley

I loved that the books, though taking us into a wizarding world did not involve any Satanic leanings....simply the truths of good vs. evil. That the wizarding world is a combo of the old fashioned principles + magic. There is not a TV, computer, smartphone or even rotary dial to be found in Hogwarts. Harry and the lot send notes on parchment carried by messenger owls, roaring fires light and warm all the rooms, and they dine by candlelight (albeit magical candles that float above their heads in the great hall's rafters, like stars).

Hogwarts Great Hall alighted

I even delighted in being immersed in the language of some English colloquialisms and Rowling-speak like when a character has a "crazy" idea, he is being "mental", or when a "whoa!" could be exclaimed we hear a "Merlin's beard!" I found myself wishing I could say "Accio"-purse (accio being a fetching charm to bring things to you), such was the magic of the literary world I became familiar with.

So, there you go....my explanation of why I have a giddy anticipation for the forthcoming film and wish I could be in the crazy cold line at the first night's midnight showing but my reality of 3 kiddos needing sleep on a school night and me, well, being almost 40 and I most certainly needs my beauty sleep...SO I will be there at a more respectable time on the first DAY, and maybe just maybe sporting the Harry spectacles with a lightening bolt drawn on my forehead in honor of the occasion...

as always

In Christ,

Random Wednesday: Here's my "Present" to you!

2010-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, is it Wednesday already! Yikes, my random Wed. idea is not quite ready but oh, hey, how about a random product endorsement: the present by Philosophy.

Now, I will confess to you that I have some problem skin. Here's hoping this isn't TMI (too much information) but I don't just have oily skin in just my "T" zone, all zones become equally glossy. And as time would have it, my pores have grown too...ah, lovely isn't it. But the other day a TV personality (who I assume would have a team of experts behind her on-air persona) endorsed this product and now I stand behind her too.

The make-up promises an even airbrushed look and no, this is not a face lift in a bottle, but a small amount of this light white cream goes on clear, with a pleasant lavender smell. A couple of minutes after application you can put on your regular make-up with a clean canvas to start your make-up ritual. My usual make-up time used to be spent blotting and applying my foundation as I go, and now after I wait the two minutes after putting on "the present" I have an improved skin tone and less oily-ness.

The highlighted link above will link you to Amazon but I noticed most places selling the 2oz. cream are charging the same $25. It is a little more than I like to spend but thankfully a little has gone a long way for me. Hope it is a helpful tip and if anyone else would like to share their beauty hints, tips, or secrets...I would be glad to get some and share it too!

Happy bloggin'!

In Christ,

You can call me "ma'am": Random Wednesday

2010-11-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends....How about Random Wednesday? As the title states, on Wednesdays I will post maybe, let's say a recipe, a pondering, a poll, a scripture that has impressed me and I want to share but something generally random. I am mostly doing this as a way to keep abloggin' along and in touch with blog buddies. I am going to post on our girls' getaway but I just got the photos from my mom and was delayed a bit. Thanks friends for hanging in there with me. Happy Wednesday!

"Sophia, stand over here and take a picture with Buddy, OK?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sophia
"Woof!" Buddy

I wish I could remember in which magazine I read the article. But I DO remember the title of the article was "Don't call me Ma'am!" In it the woman was relaying how after her move from someplace in the Northeast (US) to Texas she was barraged by the "ma'am's" from cashiers, sales people and even people her own age and disparaged the term in regards to the age it added to her. She stated that these folk were somehow putting her down assuming she was older and especially those seemingly her age were using the term to pigeon hole her. Hmmm

I guess I can understand this. But then I think to my own encounters with the increased frequency of hearing "ma'am" in my general direction....and I have to say....I was pleased with the term. Maybe the difference for me was growing up in Texas and at times be referred to as a "ma'am" even as an 8 year old or so by my "elders" (you know teenagers and above) and understanding it as a polite-ness.

Then, I distinctly recall meeting my dear hubby for the first time and noting his high frequency of referring to men and women as "sir" and "ma'am". Was it his honeyed Texas drawl and wide smile that won me over? Well, yeah, that is highly possible, but I KNOW for a fact that it was the respect he used with the term coupled with his easy use of "please" and "thank you". In a time when you go to a fast food place, store, movie and instead of a "pardon me" you get a "huh?" from the employee of the joint, or when you say "Thank you" you hear a "Uh-huh" instead of "your welcome". I would much rather hear people step up to the plate of civility and offer a "Hello, Ma'am, may I help you?" or a "You're welcome" in these days of "Whatever" being an everyday response (yes, that term drives me up the walls).

But one more thing....My husband and I do teach the girls to use these terms of politeness in their everyday responses and yet we also address them with the same terms. Now, don't get me wrong in thinking we are the height of following our "p's" and "q's" but we try all the way around. So when I beckon to Anna in her room to help Sophia with something while I am cooking dinner she most times answers, "Yes, Ma'am!" and that is music to this mom's ears.

trying to mind my p's and q's,

Girls' Getaway!

2010-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have been having blogging pains....always thinking of the next thing I want to blog about...I start to type, then cringe when I know I want to add pictures (is it just me or is downloading pictures a hassle and a half for anyone else?). So I still have much I want to post and share, but right now, it's Friday and I need to pack for a road trip with some dear sweet family friends.

I love a girls' getaway but I am a sap because I know I will miss my family. There will be 11 of us for the "Just Us Girls Sharing" weekend ( I had to slip that in there because last week on the Today Show morning show, I saw a jolly group of ladies with this club's name acronym on their shirts....and I just thought it was kinda of funny and cute). We will be touring our lovely Texas Hill Country area through spots like Fredericksburg, Comfort, Rocksprings, Vanderpool and the Three Sisters Scenic drive....all with a tea time stop and a BBQ stop, of course.

It is very probable that I will blog about it....and possibly cringe a bit as I try to post all the photos I am sure to be taking. Here's hoping y'all have a lovely weekend and we all catch up when I get back. Happy trails.

In Christ,

A miracle

2010-10-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I have asked of Him."

1 Samuel 1:27

Today my "baby" is 4. Can I officially call her a baby?...I can still pick her up and cradle her in my arms. ?....No?... I guess not because when I do this she giggles and comments, "Momma, you are holding me like a baby!"....I ask, "Is that okay?"...she smiles and says, "O'course!". She is a miracle.

A rare Feb. 2010 snow, our pasture

Much like my two step-daughters are a miracle. Like my marriage is a miracle to me. Let me back track to say that I don't just call anything a miracle, but I also see the miraculous in maybe some everyday things. You see, I can still remember by biggest hopes even as a young teen were to be married, have a large family, and live on a farm.

Helpin' daddy on the farm

I do now live on a farm, and I was thoroughly single until I met my husband to be (blind date set up by my sister--which is a pretty cool story by itself)....I mean the miracle here was that he was my first boyfriend ever...and I was 29! On our second date I told him how I so desired to have about 6 kiddos, and without a missing a beat (even as a divorced, single-father of two precious toddlers) he said, "Well we have two, four to go."

Sara and Sophia in footy pajamas, winter 2008

Sophia and Anna, she's one year old

Then after we got married we started praying, trying and hoping for our third (my first biologically). For nearly two years and some testing (we both checked out fine) we kept hoping and hoping. I will be honest to say there were a lot of tears on my part...especially at a certain time of the month.

Westminster Abbey, August 2009

Then, I so particularly remember one Sunday in January of 2006....we were at our favorite brunch place after church and I was a week "late" (even though I have always been, let's say "irregular")and I felt elated. I remember as we waited for our order I looked at David and said, "Um, I think we are pregnant." He sweetly smiled and said, "Yep, I think we are." somehow knowingly. A week after that I went to my OB/GYN and it was official, Sophia was on the way, after months and months....our miracle.

Sisters+Cousins=Happy times, Christmas 2008

October came and Sophia was born....joy of joys for us all!...but my body took the pregnancy as a stress (and I'd only gained 19 pounds) and Lupus set in. As I am regularly checked on by my doctors and I am on medication to maintain my symptoms (mostly affecting my skin and particularly my hands), I feel fine, but have found out that the Lupus may complicate us getting pregnant again. If, Lord willing, I do get pregnant, it may exacerbate my symptoms, but thankfully should not affect the womb. But for these last 3 and some years of praying and hoping we have not had our joyous news again.

"What are you doing Sophia?", I ask....she says, "I am a fashion model, reading"

Every child is a miracle. But, I count the privilege of carrying a healthy child dearly as a miracle too. And seeing Sophia as she grows each step of the way is miraculous to me indeed. I enjoy the little person she is with her own personality, her likes, dislikes and foibles. So, here's to my joy and miracle: four things (plus)

Sophia turns 2

1. She loves gingerbread cake (her description for both gingerbread and chocolate cake)
2. When it is time to nap or she is tired she tells us, "I think I need to chill now"

Sophia in Seville, Spain (June 2008)

3. Instead of saying something she says, "sum-ping"
4. Lately when she says her prayers she adds, "I pray for my big red dog (we don't own one, she is praying for her fave cartoon character, Clifford), and a tractor", so for her party we made a Clifford cake, and yep, she got a tractor....look at her go (and grow).

She's a country girl

PLUS: the other day when she rummaged through her hefty stash of dress up clothes (thanks to her big sisters) she put on the barbie bride dress and said, "look momma, it is my wedding.". I told her that yes, it is a wedding dress and asked, "Do you know what a wedding is?"...she said, "a birthday party." I told her that when she gets bigger and meets a man after God's own heart and they love each other, she would marry him and be with him like I am with daddy, and they would have their own home and maybe she would have babies of her own.......She furrowed her brow and looked quite serious and said, "I don't want to have my birthday and get bigger and be married, momma. I want to stay little and always be with you." Gulp, words to a mom-of-a-toddler ears.... I told her, "Of course you will be with us for a long time still", as I hugged her. Then, no lie, she grasped my face in her two little hands and said, "Momma I love you so much, always." Double gulp... I love her to the moon and back.

She mommy's Barnes & Noble buddy too!
We love you pill!

In Christ,

I'm BA-AAACK!!!

2010-09-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord!!!! Thank you to my dear blog friends for sticking it out with me and checking in. It means so much because for the last two months my modem has been ailing and I so dearly missed my bloggy buddies and getting in touch with anyone via e-mail (I live in the boonies/sticks). I finally stopped being stubborn and called my Internet provider (we can only get it satellite out here) and waited and waited (over three days with about a total of 4 hours phone waiting time) and voila...the problem was a on-the-fritz-modem. I was completely offline for the last week, and today the modem (covered by warranty!!) arrived and little ol' me was so eager, I connected it myself.

Here I be, ready to read, blog (thoughts on fall acomin', Harry Potter, and baking), and surf the web....but now it is Homecoming week for the girls (mum making, much chauffeuring, and general busyness) and my little girl at home is turning 4!!! I will blog all, ready or not.

Summer? Where did you go?

2010-08-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here are our lovely school age girls ready for the first day back to school. Anna ready for.....HIGH SCHOOL!!! Yikes-o-rama, I said high school.

And our second oldest, ever so ready for 7th grade, goodness me.

Officially our summer is over and though I have kept busy, where did it go? After David injured his left foot, bloggy time was to a minimum. He still did a lot of engineering work, but was at home for a month (worked via computer) and needed quite a bit of help for a while, understandably. I can now thankfully report that after a few scares (infection and mobilitywise) he can bear weight on the foot without crutches or medical boot and his toe is looking closer to normal. Praise the Lord!

We fully intended a low key family vacation (camping in the New Mexico mountains, near where my David grew up) this year, but canceled at the last minute as we found out that Anna's summer was shortened by her new volleyball schedule. She is an involved high schooler, whose school schedule will now take over the whole of August for the next few years.

Here is a brief (I will try) recap of our summer's doings:

How much wet family fun can you have for $35?

Well my week-before-school-was-out-purchase of this water slide (not truly made for bigger than 10 year olds) was worth it even though we only got 3 uses out of it before some mondo super jumps from the kiddos over the height and weight limit broke its seams and caused some holes I could not repair. A couple of weekends we had my sister's kids out to also test it's limits....good clean fun was had by all.

Sophia, and her cousins, Sam and Katie enjoy some cool treats

But I was thankful as it made for some close to home cheap family fun (I would have spent more on this gang in three trips at our local water park). And I got to hang out with my mom and mom-in-law. I am blessed with these two loving ladies in my life...thus we casually celebrated Memorial Day weekend.

PAR-TAY!!!! Sara turned 12 in May but in order to have our group of family and friends at the right time PLUS a huge water slide, we partied in June.

Where's the party people?

Oh, here's the party!

Tho' we did a lot pre-party planning, it is funny how my shindigs still turn in to a haphazard affair. No pretty picture Martha Stewart-y results for me, no way. But bellies were fed, treats were abundant, guests hung out comfortably, fun was had and above all, Sara was thoroughly pleased with the day and my sand castle cake came out close enough to picture pretty and was quickly devoured.

Sara in some kinda birthday getup with the cake

Fourth of July weekend. We traveled to the Texas coast with Lou (David's mom) to celebrate with extended family from David side. Now talk about hot. Yes, I have lived in Texas all my life but humidity plus heat are still tough to deal with. Sorry for the whining...anyway, David hobbled around, show and telling with his injury, Sophia and I swam, we ate and ate and ate, and I chatted up some delightful new family acquaintances.

Sophia meets a talkative new cousin, Addison..note David in the background telling his toe tale to Uncle Bob

We left the next day and day tripped it in San Antonio (one of my fave Texas cities). The riverwalk is typically a must visit on my list, but day two of travel for David was proving difficult, so we walked through the Spanish Governor's Palace preserved in downtown SA (hearkens back to the 1700s).

Sophia's conquistador stance

Lou and Sophia take in the pretty courtyard

David camps out near the well

We chilled at our hotel, watching the fireworks in air conditioning from our 20th floor window. The next morning we headed back home but not before David treated me, Sophia and we introduced Lou to our favorite SA breakfast/brunch spot. The Guenther House. The former mansion home to the Pioneer Flour Mills family from the 1860s. It now houses a charming and friendly breakfast/lunch spot on the river.

I could only finish off one of those monster-sized, yet delicious biscuits

Here's my biscuit and sausage breakfast, and Lou decided on a taste testing of the generous servings of homemade pastries.

Yums! I can't recommend this place enough if you ever have a hankering for a tasty brunch near downtown SA.

For most of July we kept to home (after the holiday weekend David's toe flared up for a couple of weeks during which he visited about 5 different specialists).

Anna turned 14! in July and we promised her the guest room as her OWN room. Her gift was outfitting her space with some new items and I thought that called for a trip to IKEA.

No, Waco is not so hip, we traveled to Round Rock, TX

I enjoy this place far too much. But I am pleased to say our most typically indecisive of kids found all that she needed to make the space her own......
like this, for reading contendedly...

and this lovely print...

and this fun groovy colorful shag rug.

All displaying her sweetly feminine taste.

Last weekend my sister and I had my MIL (mom in law), our families, my aunt, cousins and their kids (all from out of town) over to my house to celebrate my mom's 6? birthday.

As I do, I was scattered here there and everywhere, and only took a couple of not great photos of some great ladies. My mom is doing well but of course she still misses Pete as we all do. There was so much laughter this evening though, as my mom is at such ease with her sister and family all around.

My mom and aunt Beta, kids in background playing Wii

Now here we are staring a busy school fall schedule in the face and I want a vacation. But I will hold out hope for some type of family fun trip in the spring, as we are about to get more bustling on the ranch and I am sure Christmas will be around the corner soon enough. I hope to be a better bloggy friend and catch up with anyone that stops by for a chat. I will get the coffee on....talk to you later.

IN CHRIST,

Frenchy is having another giveaway and party...

2010-08-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have posted a link on her blog about our last day in Paris (back in June of '08). I do have to confess that I am seriously nostalgic about this lovely trip. Here's hoping we will be able to travel abroad again. Frenchy's blog is choc-full of good crafty ideas and her love of homemaking, family, and her French roots is evident. I hope to be back to blogging soon. This summer has had a few unexpected challenges/turns but we are all thankfully doing fine and simply getting busy as school comes on. Happy summer to my dear bloggy buddies and I do get encouraged reading y'all's posts and thoughts. Keep them coming.

Irish Finale (Aug. 17, 2009) Finally!

2010-07-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well I started this telling of our August 2009, 7 day London/Dublin trip a respectable couple of weeks after it happened and now 9 months later I am tying up its loose ends. Thank you, if you have been reading along (at all) and excuse me for this indulgence of re-living a delightful, maybe all too jam packed family journey. Here goes....

"Up and at'em people" this was our last day. And what was the breakfast of champions that got us ready to face the city-filled day? Voila....

The wonderfully provided FULL IRISH BREAKFAST by the B&B.

Our B&B was very basic, but close to one of Dublin's main thoroughfares, O'Connell St., and that along with it's helpful staff and generous (heart stopping) breakfasts included, made it a plus for our stay. I liked eavesdropping and hearing the mostly non-Irish accents of the customers surrounding us (Italian, German, Czech, and yes, also American) in the mornings, typically reviewing the plans of the day and looking much like us...tourists. Lou (mother-in-law, MIL)generally chatted along with one of the other lodgers each morning, and after breakfast would have a tale to tell of who she'd just met and I would marvel at her powers of conversation and how easily people would divulge so much in just meeting her.

On our last day I just wanted us to take things as they came. Did I have an agenda?....well, of course!....but I hoped that we would tromp along and happen upon a place, some music wafting from within a family friendly pub, or find a charming spot to linger. But by golly, I know I am being repetitious, a family of six, ages 2-62, that is a bit travel weary, does not a spontaneous happy group make. I laid out some suggestions for our day and not counting Sophia (2yo), 4 blank faces stared back at me, saying "whatever". AHHHHH! The dreaded "whatever" of vacation travel is on equal terms with "Are we there yet?" and "How long is this going to be?".

First order of the day: SHOPPING. Lou and the girls perked up and we hit a popular touristy souvenir shop that seems to be on almost every other corner of Dublin: Carrolls. We happily, and easily found Irish trinkets with the right amount of local flavor and fun for family back home and once done we were ready to walk across the River Liffey on Ha'Penny bridge to check out some more shopping on Grafton street.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking through Temple Bar again, along old cobblestone roads and pedestrian walkways to Grafton street (again, no buses for us).

Once we arrived I realized that our group was hungry AGAIN. The shops and eateries around us were a bit out of our budget. As I pondered where to direct us next, I heard the beautiful strains of the violin being played nearby and lead my family to its source. A young violinist, and a few other musicians were playing and drawing a small crowd. I paused to enjoy how the dreamy music fit my delight in being in Dublin and having this lovely day.
Then a tap on my shoulder....
SARA: "What are we doing now?"
ME: "Well, we are looking at this cool shopping area and listening to this neat music..dontcha think?"
SARA:" I guess, but where are we going to eat?"
ME: "Well, we will find a place. Don't you want to look around here some?"
SARA: " Can we go eat first?"
So guess what we did?

We had an even lovelier walk BACK to the Temple Bar area to Gallagher's Boxty House (recommended by both our B&B manager and Rick Steves)...(oh, how I wanted to stop every few moments and peek into the interesting and whimsical local shops....but people were hungry!).

After this longish walk, I was even hungry and the restaurant was very inviting with its timbered pub-like interior and long tables and benches.

We ordered the obligatory Boxty, a savory potato pancake that is folded, taco-like around the filling of your choice (mostly meaty) with a gravy/sauce accompaniment,

ummm...this was so much tastier than it looks, I promise

and David and I each enjoyed an Irish pint of Murphys.

Uh, and Lou enjoyed two (hehe just kidding LouLou).

Anna caught in the act of savoring her Irish soda bread....yums.

I know, we are awful parents.

The lunch was a triumph of Irish cuisine again, and the family was ready to join in a historical walking tour that covered Dublin's world renowned Trinity College down to Dublin Castle.

Trinity College

Once the group was assembled outside the main college entrance with our professor-ly Irish tour guide, we set off.....ah, and the rest is a blur.

Sophia and I walking into Dublin Castle

I remember a pretty day, the guide's wonderful Irish accent telling of times of struggle/oppression for the hardy Irish, mass immigration to the hope of America, and rebuilding.

I love history people, but watching a 2 year old, and plain ol' tiredness set in and the man might as well been Charlie Brown's teacher..wha,wha, wha, wa, wha, wha. And the girls were so good, but I am sure if I would mention "historical walking tour" to them now, they would start glazing over.

So this was the state of us after the 2 hour tour as we hoofed it back to the bed and breakfast. And then another dreaded decision....where to eat?...da, dum! I remained silent. I had trooped this group up, down and all around and I guess I just acted out by keeping shut. The response....10 sad minutes of a suggestion and general moodiness and silence. I did not want to pull out the guide book again, and I knew Lou and her still sore ankle would not want to deal with walking 20 minutes out of our way to a new eating spot and then possibly having to get on another dreaded bus (she dreaded them, not us).

So guess where the family of 6, long in the tooth, decision weary American tourists decide to eat?.....Mickey D's naturally. But oddly, our family, who probably eats at Mc Donald's back in the states about once a year was comforted by the familiar as we sat on the second level section of Mc Donald's overlooking O'Connell St.

Then Lou, who I would have bet was mentally noting to herself "I will never travel with David and Jenny, AGAIN", offered a somewhat upbeat perspective, "You know, when we got to London, all I could think was it was so crowded, loud and busy....but after being here in Dublin, I realize that the Tube was actually really helpful, and London was surprisingly clean. And in Ireland I am not as impressed with Dublin as I would hope to be, with the dirty streets and smell of people smoking everywhere, but the Irish countryside is gorgeous, the people are so friendly that I would come back."

I was thankful that she shared something positive that caused us all to reflect a bit and give thanks. We had safely, healthfully (mostly), sanely (yeah, I will stand by that), and with all our original luggage (minus some toilettries) traveled as a family of 6 from Dallas, London, Ireland and were happily ready to head back home.

Chillin' at the B&B

We tucked in early-ish, packed and got ready for our early and lengthy 2 connecting flights back home. Honestly, we came home grouchy and ready for separate activities of home, work and school (remember this was last Aug. 2009)....but just the other day two things occurred...

1. Anna was staring out the window of the truck on the way home (at our pitifully dry, yellowed Texas landscape) and piped up that "I would love to go back to Ireland and just tour all the countryside again." ME, "Sounds great, I hope we all get to do that again"

2. Lou, talking about hopes to travel again said, "You know, if I was able to travel overseas again, I think y'all's style of traveling is most like mine. We should all do it again." All I have to say to that is thank you Lou, and Wow.

Peace out

What happened in these parts on Father's day...

2010-06-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

See these average looking work boots. They are dirty, brown, and a Wal-mart special purchased on the fly one day when we were making a Wal-mart run in town (Waco) and hubby remembered he needed some replacements. But here is their most important quality...

STEEL TOE. Because of this feature my David still has his toes....thank the Lord.

Sunday, yes, Father's Day, there was no big celebration (we usually lay low on Sundays anyway), our oldest girls were spending the day with their mother's father and so David headed out for a few simple tasks in the pasture with our youngest cowgirl in training, Sophia. They had been out for a few hours and I was just expecting them to get home when the phone rang. As I picked it up, I could hear grunting, and then David yelling out "Jenny, my foot is pinned down by the trailer get Allen and come quick!!!" I ran out our front door and saw Allen (David's brother) and my nephew Nick (16 yo) just heading into their home (our two homes share a driveway out here in the boonies) and I called out, "There is an emergency and David is hurt out in the pasture!"

In no time we reached David, (Allen flew the mile and a half down our rutted dirt road) And as we arrived I noticed that the part of the two wheeled trailer (loaded with a 500 gallon FULL water tank), the neck, that usually is attached to the ball hitch of the truck was pressed firmly to the ground pinning my husband's left foot so hard to the ground I couldn't make out his foot underneath it. The three of us (well, mostly Allen, and Nick) started to try to heave the trailer neck off his foot, only to painfully budge it up before it pressed down again. David howled, and next Allen took a steel bar (part of the jack that had given way and lead to the trailer on the foot) and dug it under the trailer neck as Nick, David and I, again lifted the trailer only about three inches up, but enough for David to pry his boot off the neck and out of the way.

Only then did I notice our silent still Sophia, standing two feet away looking startled yet dry eyed. Allen, the closest to her, grabbed her and handed her to me and Nick helped David into the truck and we were off again....to the small town ER only a few minutes away.

As Allen again flew down the highway into town to the ER, poor little Sophia let loose with bawling. David grimaced and grabbed his boot in awful pain but was quiet. When we arrived in the ER, and I signed papers (it must be done, you know), I finally was able to take in the state of us. Allen, just before the emergency, had just come in from the pasture and had on his most breezy jeans (with more than 8 holes plus some patches) and his sweat and dirt covered ratty old work shirt, Nick was in the midst of getting dressed and had on an old dirty t-shirt, new shorts and dirty dusty old work boots, and I with no make up, no comb through the hair, an old t-shirt, and shorts plus neon blue Crocs.....lovely.

But thankfully for a small town ER, they got David back quickly, and then it was boot removal time.....For what we had seen in the pasture, we all felt that toes might be lost, but as the boot came off.....Hallelujah! The sock was intact, and only a pencil sized dot of blood was to be seen. Then the nurse cut off the sock and immediately we were faced with two deep purple near black toes (big toe and adjacent toe). David, who rarely takes any type of medication, asked the nurse, "Please, can something be done for the pain?" But he had to wait as he was whisked off for x-rays, once he was in a room, the morphine came and helped some, but then the word was quickly in from the x-ray...his second toe was fractured and had to be reset...yikes. It seemed the next moment the capable country doctor was putting in a local and in 1 minute it was set and immediately pinked up. Ahhhh.

David was thankful for the local, as it eased the sharpest of the pain, and then it was one more x-ray....which showed the toe to be nicely back in place. During the times in between the x-rays David told his tale, and we looked over the boot that had been on the injured foot. As you can see the boot is a bit mangled and torn, the thick sole on one side even showed that the impact had cut it somewhat, but the steel.....not bent one little bit. Job well done boots!

So now, David is home for the week, foot less purplish, propped up and healing albeit painfully. We have all reassessed the importance of safety in the pasture. And even last night Sara and I got a good dose of hearty farm work in by pitchforking hay from the thankfully small section of pasture David had just cut before his accident, to the barn for winter.

Honestly, at times I am at odds with the demands of the livestock and the land. David LOVES the land, the work, and the livestock. The girls have grown up learning skills (putting up fences, clearing pastures, putting down seed for hay, running a tractor, shots for healthy cows, cutting calves for sale, putting out feed daily, etc) that are invaluable. So, in light of the scare on Sunday I prayed and considered our priorities. And I watched Monday as Sara, my niece Alyssa, Sophia, my sister-in-law Michelle and I moved cows from the waterless pasture (this is not my normal at all....I'm still learning here) under David's direction, to the area with a tank and was moved by the family teamwork. Then last night I saw Sara put herself to some hard work, non complaining, sure of what she was doing and stepping up to help. It is hard, there are ups and downs with cattle prices, feed cost, seed cost, and time invested but how special that we are in this together, learning as we go.

Thoughts about Fatherhood

2010-06-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning on the Today Show they had a segment on a special "Fathers and kids" football/sports camp that works at encouraging men as fathers and leaders and providing a time for some Father-child activities. All of a sudden I was tearing up watching the kids hugging their dads and tromping around playing with them and Sophia was looking at me so concernedly. I hugged her and told her that "I'm just happy to see those daddies with their little kids" and she broke out in a smile.

I grew up knowing I was loved and cared for by my mom, dad, and step dad and all the dear family that we were raised near. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old and my sister was 4yo. We saw my dad about 3 times a year, and talked to him about once a month. Our step dad came into our lives when I was 13 going on 14 and was very good in caring for us and being a steady character in our lives. I loved my step dad but the sense of easy affection was something that wasn't comfortable until I was in college and better appreciated the man he was (he just passed away this April). And my dad does love on us, but again the everyday sense of Fatherly affection was not something I was accustomed to. And this would seem to be a small matter until one weekend getaway in college.

I was a sophomore in college, and in our first weekend of Spring Break six of us from our Bible study group (we had met weekly for study since our first month of college the year before) decided to have a getaway at one of the girl's family ranch in Brenham, TX. The weather was great, we got along so well, and my friend's family was completely welcoming and friendly. We had been there the whole first afternoon when my friend's dad arrived from work to surprise his girl at our campsite in the pasture. He called her name as he approached our group, with his arms open wide and she jumped up and jogged over to him and they embraced. We all got up to meet him, yet I kept myself at the back of the group because I couldn't help that I was crying. I composed myself enough to politely greet him and then he gallantly showed us around the property. But I couldn't believe how overcome I became in that moment. How that greeting resounded with me.

We had a sweet time at the ranch with her family but I would get a catch in my throat when I thought of that moment. Around this time of my life I prayed for the hope I had in my heart of being married, and the blessing of children. And, I prayed for the Father my possible future husband would be and the mother I should be. I would say around that time is when I offered hugs to my step dad more often. I was urged by the Lord in my heart to call my dad more. And God provided changes for good but I still hoped that I would see the same wonder of Fatherly love with my own little ones one day.

And, Praise God!, I have. David is a wonder of a Father. When I first met him he was already a dad (Anna was 5, Sara 3) and a serving, loving, strong, responsible one at that. And we have been further blessed with another little one (well she is 3 yo now, maybe not so little) and I have been gifted again with seeing him father from "scratch".

And I have seen him open arms wide to his girls and sweep them in a big embrace. I have seen him take care of hurt hearts and scraped knees. He has taught them truth, and the meaning of hard work. He has held their hands in protection crossing the road, and clapped his hands cheering them on in all they try. He has prayed alongside them and over them, even at times they do not know. He strives to be the Father that God has called him to be with much grace, forgiveness and love.

So I wish my David encouragement on Father's day to continue to be the protector/provider he is to our girls. And I pray that should a Father/child moment ever cause their heart to catch it's breath it would be because they know so well how their own Father (both earthly and heavenly) loved them full well.

French-y getaway/giveaway

2010-06-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is actually going to be a brief post. Dear Frenchy at Le Chateau des Fleurs blog hosts a monthly French Obsession Party linking Franophiles to new interesting blogs and generously sponsors a giveaway the 1st of each month. Stop over at her site:

French Obsession Party

and enter the giveaway by simply commenting or just join in the fun by visiting the links (hint, I added a link to part of our June '08 visit to Paris). Happy June and Summer dear bloggy buddies!

What a wonderful bloggy world! Thank you so much.

2010-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Do you wanna know how I feel when I share stories (delightful, touching, funny stories) with my family and they ask "where did that story come from?" and I say "so-n'-so's" blog? I feel like I am telling them tales from my imaginary friends. Not because my blog buddies are not real (because so much y'all share is so very very real), but because my blog life is still so foreign to my family (not one family member reads it, I tell them everything anyway) and the looks on their faces are like "Aw, that's nice for you". Now, don't get me wrong, I am blessed with a supportive family in so many ways but for some reason "blogging" does not compute. What gives?

Well this last week I have been in the midst of the awful "yucks", AGAIN (in the form of a blazing sinus infection). And while I have been laying low in the posting department, I have been joyfully keeping up with the blogs I love. Yet, I have noticed that I wasn't sharing some sweet gems from my favorite blogs with my family as much, like Elizabeth's everyday (yet extraordinary) walk through her 'hood of Cornwall,England

or Corey's exquisitely photographed week in Paris inspired by blog readers requests,

or even Debi's fabulous Kensington Palace fancy dinner in London!

I imagined that they (family) might get a bit tired of me speaking about people and places that I did not know in the flesh. Then two things happened this week to peak their interest.....

In the mail direct from Scotland, I received my AWESOME collection of hand crafted goodies from Karon of Dream Country Chat!:

She has a website that features her homemade goods of tea towels, sachets, cards and tote bags (fabric designed by her), and on her blog she hosted a giveaway of her "Brocante" line of items and I was lucky enough to be chosen.

Brocante items: tote, card, post card, herb sachet, and tea towel!

My family was quite impressed and intrigued in how I knew Karon. When they found it was blog related it seemed to add a new dimension to my bloggy interests. Thank you so much Karon!

This thistle was at the foot of my mailbox the day your package arrived Karon!

Then, two days later, and very much a sweet surprise to me I found this in my mailbox:

Oddly enough, my first postcard from Paris (yes, I have had the joy of being in Paris, but I never had anything sent to me from fair Pah-ree).

The CULPRIT: Anne in Oxfordshire!

Thank you ,thank you Anne! Little did you know what a pick me up your card would be and what curiosity it would raise in my home. Again came the questions, "So how do you know this person? Why would she send you a card? yada, yada, yada.." I told them that one of Anne's hobbies is sending and receiving postcards from everywhere and that she also blogs so well about her enjoyment of travel and favorite destinations of Paris and Italy in particular. And I was happy to share that by blogging, I have had the extraordinary gift of forming new friendships/acquaintances with women (as far as my experience goes, it is just ladies) who may lead very different lives from me, but share the same delight in putting their experiences, hopes, dreams and observations in an open forum. I have honestly received such kind words and encouragement and caring from my fellow bloggers and feel very grateful and humbled.

So, from boonies-country Texas I send y'all a big Thank Ya! Happy Blogging and God Bless You.

Teeny, tiny confession:"it's on like Donkey Kong!"

2010-05-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

First off, a great big thank you again to all my blogging friends who have left dear comments and have kindly checked in on me/us. My mom is doing as well as she can and her friends and family have been keeping up with her and loving on her too.

Last night, after a family busy weekend (cousins, in laws, fishing, grilling, hanging out) I sat back a moment and watched some TV with my family. And my confession?:

I love the Amazing Race. I have watched it every year since it started and was totally involved in the premise of 12 couples on a world wide scavenger hunt for a million dollars. Unlike my unfave: Survivor, these couples don't just sit around, have game show challenges, and fakey tribe meetings. Typically the pairs (marrieds, dating, friends, siblings, parents/children..whatever) perform a challenge, find a clue, search for historical sights that fit the region/country and spread their wings personally and culturally.

But this year David and I have a favorite team that has become one of our all time faves:
Jet and Cord McCoy:

Twenty-something cowboy brothers from small town Oklahoma that race in cowboy hats and jeans, constantly have each others' backs, are encouraging to each other no matter the situation and above all find humor and good in times of testing. They have "it" people, they are men of "good character".

And on the plus-iest of sides they are so funny. One time, when at the mat with the host, Phil Keoghan, commented to them that a challenge, playing drums, had been fairly troublesome for them. Jet's answer? "Yea, we don't play musical instruments. The only musical thing I ever played was the radio."

And the Donkey Kong quote, was from Cord on the promo for next week's finale (CBS, Sunday May 9th at 7pm Texas time) when the McCoys race against the last two teams for the million dollars. They are supposed to do some kind of video game task and thus Cord's response to the challenge said in his distinctive country nasal twang. I told the girls that, that was gonna be my quote from now on when we have family game nights. "Girls, it's on like Donkey Kong!" Eyes were rolling all over the place.

The tender thread

2010-04-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello blogging friends. I hold your condolences and prayers very dearly. I do have to say that everything has shifted, for my mom most especially. I am so thankful that she has a relationship with the Lord and holds tight to Him in her grieving. Pete had many health issues over the last 10 years and especially this last year saw many more physical lows than highs, but still his going seemed sudden. My sister and I (my mom's only kids), have been taking turns staying with her and sifting through necessary paperwork to take care of and of course, packing some of Pete's items. And when you do that part, memories and truths come out along with the tears.

Papo Pete, Sophia, Mimi Louisa

Step family can be a very tender thread and only those in it can truly speak to its dynamic. My sister and I love our dad but we saw him 2-3 times a year after our parents divorced and so Pete was a father to us in all our everyday needs. Now, I am a step mom and blessedly our girls are with us half the time (half a week with us and half with their mom) and have a very active mom in their lives. My relationship with them is as a mom but never in place of their mom, and yes, at times this can be tricky, but love is the constant covering.

Now, I also know that just the word "family" itself, can come loaded with baggage (good and bad), but recently some of my heartache comes from the facet of being a step-daughter. Well meaning and also grieving extended family have come up to my sister and I without personal condolences but adjuring us to take care of our mom and understand how much she has lost. I know so more clearly now that I will never take for granted the losses of others no matter the "title" of their relation to the one lost. Now, I hope to not be misunderstood in belittling my mom's mourning but as I focus on stepfamilyhood, I more clearly see that no one but us and the Lord knows what was truly woven together to make our family.

Thanksgiving 2007

Family to me encompasses the earthly relations and those the Lord brings into our lives that complete our spiritual family. Those kindred spirits and hearts that drop everything to cheer us on, let us cry on their shoulder, and pray for our large and small concerns and for whom we do the same. The dear "family" that we can call in the middle of the night to air our "worries" or share in our secret joys. Family means so much.

And I pray to appreciate even more these hearts dear to me that help me to know more of Jesus and what it means to love as He has encouraged me to do. I am glad that He brought to mind this scripture that I tripped upon a while back and became overwhelmed by its truth in my life:

"I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love;" Hosea 11:4a

Some things are hard to say

2010-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I have pondered this a bit. I have been blessed with my blog. I am a stay at home mom way out in the Texas countryside and blogging has been a wonderful outlet for me. No, I am not the most dilligent of writers/posters/bloggers but I enjoy the little community of friends that I have come by through visits and comments on others' blogs. So right now when I have been away for a few days and deciding on this post, I knew that much like my own private journaling, I wanted to keep to sharing true parts of my everyday life. I know I have delighted in posting about our travel adventures in order to share and document trip details and moments for me and anyone else interested, but I had hoped to blog more about our everyday. And sometimes those everyday's can be hard.

I had a kind and loving step-father, Pete, (for the last 25 years) that passed away this past Thursday night (April 8th). Today I have stopped by to clean up the home a bit and pack up stuff in order to stay with my mom for a while, but in my habit and as a pick me up I checked my blog and e-mail. It is very dear to me to see kind catch-up notes from bloggers I have gotten to know and somehow a refreshment to see bright, cheerful, lively goings on of fellow bloggers. I am very thankful for the respite of this virtual fellowship. And I knew I just wanted to let those of you ladies, who have been such kind encouragers to me, know why I have paused a bit.

I certainly would appreciate your prayers for us all and most especially my wonderful mom, Louisa, who is strong in the Lord but aching at every turn. Thank you and know that "For in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28)

A Giveaway....well kinda, sorta

2010-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had a sweet Easter weekend with work, lots of cooking,

Chick-y cakepops ala Bakerella

worship filled Sunday service, family, goats, a yummy lunch, egg hunt,

cascarones (Mexican Easter tradition of cracking confetti filled painted egg shells on your favorite people), wild bunnies, and even a rattle snake hunt (yep, we live in the country and yes it was "taken care of"). It ended with kids stuffing themselves on Easter treats and us all talking, laughing and soaking up our lovely spring weather (lovely Texas weather is a fleeting thing). I really wanted to grab a pic of the gang chasing and cracking cascarones on one another, but I was a target and trying to help my three year old be a part of the fun. But I caught them a moment before the fun:

Sara with her favorite cat ABC

Our lovely little ladies...ahem, what are you doing Sophia?

See baby goats:

Now for the "giveaway": well it is no secret in these parts that I enjoy cooking and baking (I carry more evidence of that fact on my person than I care to, but oh well). I guess with all our visitors 'round here this weekend I pulled out new and favorite recipes and went to town:

Resurrection Buns

Cake Pops ala Bakerella

Giada DeLaurentiis' most awesome asparagus salad with mozzarella, melon and prosciutto

homemade ranch dressing ala Pioneer Woman

Quick Yeast rolls ala Southern living

Crash Hot potatoes ala Pioneer Woman

Apricot Peach tea

And......

there was one dish I knew would cause a round of "yumms" , "mmmms" , and "oohs, ahhs". And as much as I wished I could say that I "thought it up", or "tweaked it my way". Nope. I stick to this simple perfect recipe, and even when I have fudged a bit, it has ALWAYS turned out wonderful, healthful, and DELICIOUS! So I will give away this treasured recipe.....

The Best Roast Chicken Ever:

I could credit the cast iron skilled for the succulent outcome but truly it is Jan's nice balance of oil, lemon, garlic and rosemary that makes the perfect juice. And we carve it in the skillet, letting the pieces swim in the pan drippings a little to get the full umpf of the dish. Now I can't make you do this tonight but it is highly recommended. Enjoy!

Good Friday, He keeps His promises

2010-04-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

We made some Resurrection Buns (click to see recipe) today. They are easy and oh so delicious. You wrap the dough around a big marshmallow and then coat it with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Once baked the inside is hollow like the tomb of the Risen Christ. I take no credit for the recipe. I am happy to glean good things from other bloggers and I got it the recipe from a post on Holy Experience.

If you have not visited her site before she writes wonderfully about her loves: The Lord, her family, and their life on the farm.

Of course, being the Easter season I have been pondering more about how "God so loved the world" and the empty tomb.

One of my favorite verses comes to mind:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider Him

who endured such opposition from sinful man,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Hebrews 12: 2, 3

And in getting to the heart of the matter as to the wonder of Good Friday, I also give credit to Parisienne Farmgirl and the meaningfilled video on the fulfillment of Good Friday that I post here:

AMEN!

AHHH, Ireland (August 16, 2009)

2010-03-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

OUR DAY IN PICTURES....and yes, a few quips...

Ready to head out. It was quite chilly/cold. Perfect Irish weather. Here you can see down O'Connell Street.
And yes we eventually got a jacket on Sophia.

Our drive through Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "done leary").

Our car....hardy har har. No way, but this was a darling Mini Cooper that provided a photo op.

AHHHH.....Powerscourt Estate just south of Dublin ('bout 30 minutes) and gorgeous.

"David, can you get a close shot of us and the fountain? " I asked.

Okay....not close, but the awesome Sugarloaf Mtn. is trying to get in the shot too.

"No, David, I don't want to be in the pictures."
Our sweet flowers in this beautiful garden

Sara ponders Powerscourt...ahhh.

Anna is growing so fast.

Bam ram ewe! (she was eye ballin' me).
On our way to our next stop, I made David pull over many times.

My camera just couldn't get enough.

The Glendalough Ruins in Wicklow County Ireland.
It was all very "Oooh Ah" worthy...the buildings, this history and the wild greenness all around.

Lou in the chapel ruins.
The long stones on the ground are ancient tomb markers.

The Wicklow Heather Restaurant. Our delicious unplanned stop.
In the town, just by the ruins...we stopped at the first restaurant we saw and it was the best of our entire trip!

Cozy wood interior, with lovely upolstered high back chairs.

My Irish Stew....ummm, all mine.
The sippee....not mine....Mommy had the delectable champagne that is nearly finished in this shot.
Everyone's meal was wonderful.

DAVID...FULL STOP!

Notice the stream gliding down the hillside....this sound, with the gentle chill breeze,
and the sloping valley...we love you Ireland

AHHHHH!

Our first Irish day (August 15, 2009)

2010-03-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

We awoke Saturday ready but a little forlorn about leaving London (not Lou though). We had enough time to have a snacky breakfast of leftover items that we couldn't stuff in our one allowed Ryanair carry on pack. I was the official packer for all of us, especially with the strict, strict, Ryanair limits, but Lou had gotten up super early and packed all her goodies away before we were up.

Mark ("London's best cabbie" ....so he told me) proved to be just that and more. The almost hour ride was filled with lively talk about London, his beloved East Hammersmith neighborhood (future home of 2012 Olympics), favorite TV shows, politics and favorite vacations spots (who knew Las Vegas, and Florida were so popular with the cabbie set?). Once we arrived at the airport I noticed that the cab total read 120GBP (yikes) and as I handed him the cash, he cheerily counted it to 100 pounds and handed me back the rest saying he would be as good as his word, and that he was glad to drive a nice family to the airport and have a good chat. What a dear. If we were not in a hurry (my constant travel state of mind...my poor, poor, family) I would have been so glad to have taken his picture with our crew.

Then a glitch. We actually had plenty of time and as we were orderly going through security I was called back (double yikes!) in an assertive tone. "Is this your bag ma'am?" Me: "um, uh, well it is my family's bag but my mother-in-law packed it." (yeah, I am such a fink) Then he showed me the industrial size shampoo and the way too large specialty lotion bottle packed in her carry-on and Lou said, "Oh, no, I wanted that to go in my checked bag" And in no uncertain terms the man let her know that those items were no longer hers and asked her a few more questions and briskly sent her on her way. "Oh, no" thought I. Lou was very glad to be traveling, but these small hassles were mounting and I could sense they were starting to snowball in her mind.

Ah, Ryanair what should I say about thee. Well, it is most definitely the least expensive for us. But the luggage restrictions were in the extreme and outside of the shampoo debacle, we made the cut! I even paid extra for our priority seating and noticed that we were not at the front of the line, but of a mob that pressed us forcefully onto the stuffed small plane. Then there was some kind of ticket mishap (thankfully not any of us) but it had us waiting on the plane, parked for almost 2 hours.

So when the mood of our group should have been refreshed by our arrival to the coolness of the Emerald Isle, we were all a bit quiet and edgy. What a shame. At the airport, I bought our bus passes for our ride into Dublin and for our transportation for the next two days. But after our ride into Dublin and problems "ala me" not exactly knowing the Bed and Breakfast's location...well, Lou stated again that she did not want to take another bus.

We stayed at the The Charles Stewart Guesthouse (budget B & B), referred by our old friend Rick Steves.

It was a good stay for the price plus location. But being in such a historic and near central area it was compact, plain but clean, creaky but quaint, and a bit musty. David, the girls, and I expected this and I was actually delighted (cleanliness goes far with me) but again Lou, was troubled by her room, on a separate floor from ours (it could not be changed but Anna was her roomie) and how decidedly different the room was from the luxury we had in London. Ack! We needed some cheering and what we got was a dose of Irish charm in the being of our grandfatherly hotel manager, William.

Even for us twangy Texans, we craned our necks, and squinted in the effort of trying to make out his quick and lyrical welcome and information about our amenities. He chuckled after we asked him kindly to repeat the times for the (excellent) price included FULL IRISH BREAKFAST. I then wondered aloud if there were alarm clocks in the rooms...

William: "No there aren't dear, but what time would you be needin' the wake up call?"

Me: "Oh, there are phones in the room?"

William: "No, by way of wake up I think a quick toss of water should do the trick."

Me: "Er?"

William: "See there's where you should be sayin' that 'it's my husband needs the wake up.'"

Oh, you silly, silly William. We chuckled and settled on a time and I knew I was in love with the Irish lilt. Lou was slightly charmed too, but I was hoping our dinner stop and scheduled entertainment would set us to rights.

You silly, silly Jenny. The evening was chill and breezy. August and jacket weather....it boggles a Texan's heat scorched brain. We moved along with the quick moving crowds on our way down busy O'Connell street's nice wide side walks across the River Liffey to the Temple Bar area. But here is my silliness. It was a Saturday evening! If we thought the walk to our eating spot was crowded well Temple Bar (not a building but a street and night scene area) was swollen with people chumming about, drinking, slowly pub crawling....and here were the Griswolds, eh, us, stroller and all trying to snake our way through the crowds to our stop, Gallagher's Boxty House (Boxty being a Irish specific dish). Once we found the place(happiness!) they told us we could be seated in about two hours (despair!) I whispered a prayer that inspiration would strike...and the Lord is so good.

What the Lord sent David's way (as I was head in guidebook trying to find another option)was a pretty college age girl, dressed to get attention, handing out coupons to any that needed them to the nearby Luigi Malone's restaurant. He pointed to our girls next to him and asked if it was family friendly and she cheerily announced "Of, course!" and walked us the half block to the door.

Now for the Irish warmth, and friendliness. It abounds. Ireland is beautiful, tortured and lush geographically with a hard history so that you would think that people that inhabit this territory could be hard bitten and, let's face it, cranky. But what we encountered at each turn was open friendliness, willingness to help and listen, some kidding around, and smiles. What a welcome. So as we walked in the somewhat posh looking Luigi Malone's and the young woman called to the host to help us, I was hopeful. I explained to him that yes, we were a larger party of 6, and yes, it was near 7pm and we hoped to be done eating and out by 8pm for a show....could they seat us? (all this asked as I peered over his shoulder and saw the full dining area behind him). The young man smiled, unfazed by the request, and looked over at the reservations and said, "That'll be perfect for us, as we have a table waiting for a large family at eight. It'll be a bit of a rush dinner, is that alright?" "Yes!", David, Lou and I seem to answer at the same time.

And dinner....well I can hardly remember who had what. What I distinctly remember is just the sense of relief of the friendly timing of our meal, and thankfulness to the Lord for its provision. We all remarked at how the demeanor of the Irish people we had encountered thus far was good for travel beaten spirits. They were good to their word and we were in and out in great time and off to find our entertainment.

Now in Dublin there are plenty of nighttime possibilities for the over 21 set...but with our wee ones...well besides the movies, eh, cinema...there wasn't much else. Through the always helpful Trip Advisor, I had found out about the less racy Irish House Party at the Lansdowne Hotel and Bar.

There are a number of venues of Irish music, dancing and comic banter, but typically ages are restricted. This is what we needed to cap our night. The chatty and audience involving entertainers taught us a few things about Irish music, culture and history. Even the girls were grinning and Sophia caused the musicians to chuckle as she would giggle and clap loudly, tickled by the uplifting music.

It was late when the evening ended, and I wished I could say that the last thoughts of the night were happy ones....but we got quite turned around about directions and a bit lost on our walk back and forced Lou on a bus to the B & B. All I could do was cover us with prayers and give all our hopes for a better tomorrow to the Lord. He is so very very capable and I was oh, so tired.

On St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

The white patches are sheep, lounging happily in their Irish countryside

Dear Ireland,

I heard so much about you before I ever met you. I read so much about your gorgeous greenness, your rolling fields, wonderful landscapes, and friendly people and it was all true. Pictures don't do you justice...you are more beautiful in person. But I barely got to spend the time with you that I wanted. I miss you. And I will, Lord willing, see you another time.

Knowing we will meet again, Jenny

Happy St. Patricks day to all! I was excited about posting on the second half of our August '09 trip, as our last 3 days were spent in Ireland....but I just couldn't do it. You see I have the Yicks. What do I call the "yicks"? It is a blending of a cold virus, gray weather outside, dampness all around, and having a usually playful little girl, now sick and feverish and trying to make her feel better when I just want to nap.

She is now napping, my head is a little clearer and I thought I would post some lovely images I tried to capture of Ireland and I will post on our trip later.

Powerscourt Estate County Wicklow, Ireland

Hills and horses of Ireland

How green

Glendalough Ruins, Ireland

Glendalough tombstones

Blessed Femina :

Has a lovely entry today about the heart of St. Patrick himself.

For David, on his birthday

2010-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

This is my husband:

He is turning 40. Wow, 40 looks good.

It is still a wonder to me after 8 years of marriage that he is in my life. I may make an indulgent tale of our meeting and courting on our August anniversary but for now you are spared and I will just share a bit about him. Because when I think of my husband I thank God for the man that he is and for the fact that I get to make a three strand cord with him.

So, here we go, 40 things about a man of 40 years. And as I type it I don't want to push the bragging envelope but I have learned so much from him as a husband and a friend, that I am simply proud of him.

1. He loves the Lord.

2. Oh, how he loves me...dearly, everyday.

3. He loves and dotes on his three girls.

4. He is a good engineer and enjoys his work.

5. He is a rancher and would chose that over engineering if it brought in the bucks.

6. He is a fantastic cook.

7. He makes the best chocolate cheesecake I have ever tasted.

8. He designed our home and did all the interiors.

9. He enjoys gardening (especially vegetables) and has rounded us up for more that a few years of gardening harvests.

10. He detests squash.

11. He will watch Sense and Sensibility with me (or any well told chick flick really)

12. He taught me how to make jelly.

13. He is an Aggie (He will like that I said that, for those unaware, two rival Texas universities are THE University of Texas and Texas A & M....he went to A&M) (I went to THE University of Texas) Love ya David

14. As a single Dad he made sure to always do his girls' hair up in ribbons and dress them in sweet dresses for church.

15. Because of his sweet Texas twang, when he says "drink" it sounds like "drank".

16. He is a great two-stepper.

17. He is a very good shot. (We got lots of troublesome critters around these parts that he had taken care of).

18. He is color blind.

19. He still likes holding hands when we are together.

20. He can fix things (house, cars, tools, machinery...Thank you Lord!)

21. He takes out the trash.

22. He reads his Bible each morning.

23. He loves camping and hikes.

24. He fixes "his girls" a big breakfast every Saturday morning.

25. He hates horror movies.

26. The mintyness of toothpaste makes him cough.

27. On cold mornings he cleans out the wood stove and starts a big fire for us.

28. He loves to play games (card games, board games, dominoes) and likes getting the whole family together for game night.

29. He loves to travel.

30. When we are on the phone and saying goodbye he always remembers to say "I love you".

31. His favorite beer is Shiner Bock.

32. He took me to Prince Edward Island, Canada for our honeymoon because he knew I loved Anne of Green Gables.

33. When my hand was bandaged for 6 months and I had to keep water exposure to a minimum last year, he gave Sophia ALL her baths, and washed many dishes.

34. He likes the music of John Denver.

35. When he was 8 he was hit by a car and came out with out an injury, external or internal. David's dad said that was the first miracle he had ever seen.

36. David likes to cap his night with a cup of hot tea.

37. His favorite color is blue.

38. Between beach, city, or mountains...David would always pick mountains.

39. The soft friction of a cotton ball in his hands gives him chills.

40. David is my best friend.

She is a charmer!

2010-02-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

In the last year I have read more than I anticipated. I got Amazon happy that is for sure. And I have a dear friend that finds a literary gem and likes to matchmake people with books. If he loves the book, then he passes it on. So in the same vein I have just met a dear woman, Helene Hanff, through her writing and if you have not met her I would love to introduce her.

When I was quite younger (early teens) I remember first knowing of Helene Hanff. I got caught up in the movie 84, Charing Cross Road, with the saucy and perfect Anne Bancroft as Helene. The movie recounts the 20 year correspondence between Ms. Hanff of NYC and a Mr. Doel (played by the spot on Anthony Hopkins) of Marks & Co. Bookseller of London England from 1948 until his untimely death in 1968. She is in search of hard to find English authors and through her blunt, honest, and witty writing she charms the staid and at first formal Englishman and store clerks and befriends them all. She loves English literature, England and longs to know London first hand so that once her link to the bookstore is made she too treasures the exchanges of books and growing friendship. Recalling that movie after our Aug. '09 trip to London (wished I'd remembered it sooner) I got the book (a very short rewarding read) and had to know her more.

It happened that right after I read "84" I read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It is a fictional story set in the English Island's WWII aftermath and is also told in letters. I would recommend it too, but it seemed to pale in comparision to the truelife heartfelt friendship that unfolds in "84".

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

When I found that I wanted to know more about Ms. Hanff, I discovered that she had more to tell about her love of London post-"84" in her book/diary, "The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street". She recounts her first visit to London to meet pen pal friends face to face, a number of fans of "84", which did well in England, and become intimate with the city that had grown dear to her in literature. She made me see London again. Her depth of knowledge of the city's life and the true characters of London that weave its rich history is fascinating. And you cheer for her when she confesses that at 54, the single woman's hard-working writer's life she had known for so long, without much acclaim, appeared to have a hurrah for her.

If you like books, romance, travel, and writing (hello bloggers!) get to know Helene and prepare to be delighted.

Our jaunt to the Palace (8-14-09, Friday)

2010-02-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Travel dreams vs. Travel realities. I wanna "keep it real" on this blog but I don't want to be gripey, or sound ungrateful. Just because I have happened to post back to back trips I never feel like "oh, been there, bored with that" at all. What I have is a very real feeling of "I have got to make the most of it" and "I can't believe I am here". Yes, I have read too many romantic tomes to fair London and England as a whole, traveled vicariously (over and over again) with Rick Steves on PBS, and Oh, my goodness the movies that have carried me away over gorgeous English countrysides and historic London locales....too many for my own good.

With six of us the dreaminess washed away quite a bit. I did plan all our comings and goings to fine (okay, maybe too fine) details but I had over and over requested suggestions, offered resources to all involved to help me plan or even take over. David and the girls were easily trusting (they know how I roll), but Lou. Well, many times I reviewed things with her and referred her to sources to okay ideas, but in all she had to do (she was moving and finding a new job) she put her travel dreams in my hands---maybe all too completely.

So this day was to top it off for us, but it started with some frustrations that carried through our trip. Lou's ankle (sprained days before our trip-yikes) was better but would easily flare up on her. So the walking, hustling about, standing, lugging stuff up-down-all-around was wearing on her. This Friday morning of our last full London day I found her up and ready to go before we got up and she was rarin' to set some things straight: No more buses (the rush of it all proved too flustering), No more Tube, and we were not loading ourselves up for the long train ride to the airport the next day....she was going to splurge for a cab. OKAY.

I knew David was at odds with this laying of the law but when we solemnly walked down to the train station for our day out, Lou spotted a van-sized new-style London black cab parked by our next door fancy hotel and said, "Check with that cab about tomorrow." I walked over and was cheered to greet Mark, the self proclaimed "Best cabbie in all of London!" When I blurted to him our early departure time for the next day, number of our group, and load of luggage, he was unfazed and made our appointment and set the price at 100GBP (gulp). He looked over at the rest of my group standing behind me and called out "No, problem. You'll be glad you picked me." Honestly, he made my day with his cheery hello. Thank you Lord.

Our mood was a bit perked up with this detail settled. We also found it easy to get our train out for the day. We were all so quiet on this peaceful ride to Hampton Court Palace. I so enjoy the trains. You are at rest and getting somewhere at the same time (I know, duh, but really a nice respite in the midst of going-going).

From the train station, through a large amount of confusing road work we found this imposing entrance:

Let me tell you the weather was PERFECT for this mostly outdoor day. I ache to think about it now. On our way in ....the courtyard...Lou caught unawares.
Again here was another palace that we spent more time on the grounds then in the palace proper. So it is one of those...yes, I have to go back and see it again. We toured some of the main rooms showcasing the story and timeline of Henry VIII, his first Queen, Katherine of Aragon (I love her), and Cardinal Wolsey (who built and then gave (forced to give) the palace to Henry).
Vehry Intrahsting.

But our troops were hungry (always, travel makes us hungry) so we made it to the very lovely and tasty enough Tiltyard Cafe near the palace gardens.

We wandered through the family filled maze....Sophia sized fun.

Then the gardens.....

All seemed to be set to rights....with the sun...the breeze....

the sweet floral aromas.But from the time we arrived to all our wandering (10:30am-3:30pm) we were cutting it close to make afternoon cream tea back in London. By the time we arrived back at the flat, unloaded, refreshed, found a cab and found the place, we had 30 minutes to make it in time for tea. Hustling happened...again.It was LOVELY and so worth our rush. The Orangery is only mere steps from Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria spent her somewhat lonely youth, and is more well known as the last residence of Princess Diana. The white interiors glowed from the tall open windows that line the front side of the corridor-like expanse of the Tea Room. Small delicate orange trees adorn the simple white cloth dressed tables. I have to say we all felt a little shabby in comparison but not uneasy enough to keep us from the goodies.We splurged on our orders, ready to enjoy ourselves, and Sophia was not to be left out. As soon as I was done with my last order to the attentive waiter, she actually piped up "I want tea too please!" I was shocked. Sophia is a talker....just to us though. But I guess she knows tea time well enough from when we play it and do it from time to time at home and she was not going to be left out. The surprised waiter paused near her and kiddingly asked, "Anything else?" "Chocolate cake too!" she answered quickly and we were all laughing. The waiter thoughtfully offered that he could bring a small espresso cup for her to share our tea orders and that they had an appropriately sized chocolate cupcake that could take place for cake....Perfect! We lingered and ooohed and ahhhed as long as we could and closed down the joint....oh so refreshed and Lou wished aloud how she would do this all over again if she could. Yea!Again there was a long walk from here through the delightful Kensington gardens to Harrods.

The girls needed us to cap off our last day with some shopping and wanted to show Lou this amazingly ornate and historic mulit-floored shopping highlight.

Is there another word for packed? Because any of those words applied to Harrods on this Friday evening. The sight of the crowds made me tired. I waited with Sophia sleeping in her stroller on the less crowded first floor as David and the girls shopped and I thought over our stroll to the store. We had cut through a well appointed neighborhood with white townhouses. It was quiet and humming with families home for the evening and I peeked through a couple of street-facing below-ground windows into kitchens with meals being prepared. I love the sights but I hope in the future to enjoy more of this side of London....with it's neighborhood feel, it's nooks and crannies with all their specific London character. I want to get to know it better.

After Harrods, Lou got us a cab again and we were home quickly to wash, eat up our left over goodies, pack, and get ready for Dublin. Will you join us?

Croissant break

2010-02-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

What to do on a day like this?.... a rare event....snow in Texas that doesn't melt at the ground and lingers a little.

It put me in the mind for baking...a Valentine's treat for my family. David remembered a long ago wish I made and for Christmas (2009) got me the two vol. set of Julia Child's ..... in this second book I found this recipe... my, oh, my....could I do it? I wondered. Then I read that it only took a 12 hour process. hmmm. Who has 12 hours? Well apparently I found 'em, and somehow thought, time+ingredients=tasty. Let us see.
There was mess+4 hours of rising+butter (lots of it)+more time+skill with the rolling and the folding+time (ya see pattern here). It equaled a mess.... and this....Aha.... and in all honesty this burnt horror too (yet still somewhat edible). Plus I got to wake up the girls by smoke alarm at midnight because this burnt butter roll didn't happen without some smoke. But I discovered that the heavy weight pan burnt while our airbake pan worked wonderfully.
As to taste....we ate it ....hmmm....some more...hmm...well another one....hmmm. All in all they looked somewhat right, but the "ooooh, ahhh" was missing. They were most definitely flaky and tender, but the flavor wasn't spot on. Now I wasn't expecting French perfection, but the flavor to me was key over texture. Was it the butter? ...Was it the flour?....Dare I say, was it the "baker"? (well I can't do much there). So will I attempt it again....more than likely...I have to conquer it. Just have to. I will report here as soon as there is success.

Here's one for you.....

London Lite--just a half-day (8-13-09)

2010-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Jenny's game plan for this Thursday:
sleep in a bit, have pastries for breakfast......Catch the Waterloo train to Hampton Court Palace (10ish) (-ish figured in my itineries a lot..so let's call it a suggestion list)......Arrive and tour every nook and cranny of the palace and delightful grounds, and even splurge on a Hampton Court Cafe lunch......3:30PM leave by boat on the Thames back to London to the Westminster pier. This boat ride would possibly take 3 hours and I imagined us sitting back watching the country-city scenery, coloring with Sophia, journaling, generally taking a pause WHILE traveling. AHHH......Be in London by 7pm for a dinner and possible quick stop at the British Museum that is open late on Thurs. evenings. Good plan.....Right?

Uh, change in plans...my poor Sophia. She is a joy and great even in the midst of travel. David and I seem to have an upspoken rule in regards to outings with her. Since she HAS TO sit with just me at all meals (I typically am the last to finish and rarely eat a hot meal) and attached to me at all times, David takes over when there are potty breaks and he also handles her luggage (ie. assortment of toddler items we MUST carry) and her stroller. And NO, I am not complaining, just interjecting that with the blessing we have of traveling together as a family, taking into consideration the wants and needs of 5, now six people ages 2-62, there is a lot to be prepared for. On this morning Sophia woke up with her usual groggy smile and then quickly threw up on herself in bed. She was crying and very congested.

Oh, my. To have a sick child while traveling is doubly difficult, because at home when there is sickness it is bad enough, but now the items we needed and the comforts of home are gone. We assessed that the congestion she had built up over our many plane rides compounded by little eating had probably gotten her a sick tummy. I popped down to our small grocers on the ground floor, but home pharmecuticals weren't to be found. Lou and I left the crew at the flat and headed to the neighborhood Tesco Superstore.

Once at the superstore (this took longer than expected, as we had walked) I found myself enjoying the opportunity to compare US to UK grocery staples. Items like soda, chips, cookies, and dairy are always fun. We got some medicinal items for Sophia, and easy snacks for her sensitive tummy. As we figured out the bus route back to the flat (definitely a necessity with all our good in tow), Lou fidgeted with the how-tos for the rest of our day. I assured her that we would make the most of it and take care of Sophia too. I have to say that sitting on the local bus, loaded down with groceries somehow made me feel a bit of a "local" myself.

Thankfully when we arrived at the flat Sophia had nearly finished off a small bag of her favorite item...corn chips and sipped on something akin to Ginger Ale. David offered to stay at the flat with our recuperating Sophia and yes they (he) would nap....he was pooped out. See, the weeks before our trip David had worked long hours finishing work projects so he was happy to chill for the day. Sophia was set watching the DVDs of her favorite home shows. What to do?

Since it was nearing 1pm, we decided to go to the Tower of London for the day and then return near dinner time to check on David and Sophia. David readily agreed. It was a "big girls' day" to my favoritest sight in London. The girls figured out our Tube route to the Tower.Arriving in the middle of the day we entered quickly with our Heritage Pass (family pass for English historic sights) and jumped right into the crowd beginning a Beefeater tour. I confess I love this place. The age and times that the Tower has stood through is amazing...the royals that have resided here...the famous prisoners that stayed here...the treasures of English history on display and for most people, the crown jewels that are stored here.

The Beefeater tour is quick and entertaining. Part of the intrigue of the Tower are the guides themselves. These are men (and one woman now) that have served their country honorably and now not only guard the Tower but live in this castle. It is their home and community. They even have a number of pubs in the vast castle for only their socializing but they do have a strict curfew.

As Lou and I found a handsome obliging Yeoman Warder taking photos with other tourists, I asked the girls to join him in a shot. And being the pre-teenager and teenagers that they are they scowled an "oh, no." But Anna offered to take a photo of Lou and I.

Then as the tall gentleman put his arm about us for the photo, he asked a polite, "So, where would you be from?" and his tone rang a bell in my head. "Are you John?" I asked. Yes, I know, a common enough name, but he stood back a little and said, "Yes, miss. Do I know you?"

No, I was not flirting with him one bit. Lou even asked, "Do you know him?" I went on to explain that though he now had a beard and glasses and we were both 8 years older, that on my very first solo trip abroad in 2001, I had toured the Tower and taken a picture with him in that very same spot. And I remembered in '01 he had shared with me that during the Gulf War he had trained with US forces at our nearby Fort Hood and had come to appreciate Texans. He chuckled and agreed that that was surely him and kindly gave us tips on what to see at the Tower. Lou was even tickled by this coincidence. I am not so keen on the jewels myself, but we did the tour for Lou's sake. She walked away with her social consciousness being bothered with the riches and luxury of the Royals through history, while at times the countrymen languished. Hmm. I hoped it wouldn't put her off for the rest of the tour. We looked through the rooms, shopped some souvenirs and still ran out of time. I would happily go back again. When we got back to the flat David and Sophia were ready to get out (I thanked the Lord that Sophia had eaten with no problems and the meds had cleared her congestion). But Lou wouldn't hear of us walking another place the rest of the night. Now our Tube stop was only 10 minutes away, but her ankle was cranky and she didn't want to be. There was a fancy schmancy 5 star hotel next door to us that proved helpful in the Black Cab arena. Taxis were parked outside its doors at all times. Lou had us jump in the first one we saw and happily we all five fit in one even with our stroller---good times. 6 GBP (Great British Pounds), and 10 minutes later we were dropped near Trafalgar Square at St. Martins in the Fields' (church) Cafe in the Crypt. Yes, CRYPT. As you dine in the refurbished spacious underground Cafe you can read the tomb markers of people buried below centuries ago. I so, so, so wanted us to make it in time for their dinner specials and most especially their Brass Rubbing Centre. But, OH NO! it was closed. For about 5 GBP (or more) you can do one of their exquisite rubbings of historical figures and English emblems. In one stop, you have a great kids activity (grown ups too!) and a special souvenir. But no go (yeah it proved to be a bit of a damper to the girls spirits). Thankfully, the cafeteria style moderately priced menu served us well and I had one of the best salads of my whole trip (w/ the most wonderful garlic chive dressing.) Again....I highly recommend it for the ambiance (ooo, I got to say ambiance) and nearness to the National Gallery, and National Portrait Gallery.

Once we were done the girls looked longingly at the souvenir shops near our bus stop. Lou wanted to find some items too and so we spent at least an hour finding the gifts that most our extended family seems to appreciate: London logo T-shirts, Big Ben key chains, magnets, etc. We stuffed ourselves onto a packed bus and thankfully made it back to the flat all together. Lou said out loud to us all that she was a bit put off with local transportation (all the go, go, going, and hubbub) and wanted to treat us to cab rides for the rest of our stay. We were grateful for the offer (it is a time saver) but later that night Sara told me that one of her favorite things was riding the tube.

She felt better when I told her that the next day we were headed out of the city by train to Hampton Court Palace. Sophia was thankfully all better by the end of the day, and even with the outside noises wafting in, quickly was off to sleep.

A Pause for a Thank You

2010-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

From Here to You:
I would like to say Thank You to Frenchy Chick at Le Chateau des Fleurs who happily blogs about her family and daily doings: all things Frenchy, crafty and lovely. She kindly awarded me a :

As this is my first time to do any type of awarding, I look forward to following the rules as stated. Yet I hope it is not bad manners that I tweak the rules a bit....okay? (my addition will be in red, in case you want to stick to the true rules)

1. To accept the award, you must post it with the name of the person who granted you the award, and a link to their blog. (unless linking up makes you uncomfortable, then , please just allow it to be a compliment that it was meant to be )

2. Pass the award on to approx. 10-15 other blogs that you recently discovered and think are great.

3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I love connecting from blog to blog to find others in the blogosphere who inspire, encourage, and share their loves, likes, and life online. I look forward to posting more "shout outs" on my own but I find this award opportunity a great chance to re-post some faves and advertise some wonderful blogs.

Gifts of the Journey (Cornwall, England) Elizabeth (American)

The Beautiful Meantime (Texas, US) Steph

A Tale of Two Cities (England and Texas) Debi

Girl Meets Paris (Florida, US) Teri

Dream Country Chat (Scotland) Karon

Blessed Femina (California, US) Miss Jen

Bonjour Romance (Paris, France) Mimi Bleu

My Year in Paris (Paris, France) Jennifer K

Anne in Oxfordshire (Oxfordshire, England) Anne, of course!

Parisienne Farmgirl (Wisconsin, US) Angela

Sister One of Four (Texas, US) Marcia

Sally Annie Magundy (California, US) Sally

All these amazing women I am blessed to know: some by just what they share online and others I have exchanged "comment conversations". I am thankful for good they do online and how honestly they share their time, thoughts and joys. Enjoy!

London--1st full day, it's a long one(8-12-09)

2010-02-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

First a SHOUT OUT to further enjoy another side of Londontown: A Tale of Two Cities by Debi is a wonderful blog that I only wished I had discovered before our August trip. Debi writes about her London encounters and experiences, and her family, as she and her husband "commute", between the two cities of Houston, TX and London, UK. Delightful!On to the first full London day.....
So guess who was awake first ?.......drum roll please....it's ....moi. It is typical on our trips that I am the first one up and at 'em but surprisingly, this time I was up before our most notable early riser, Lou (my mother in law). Yet this would prove to be the only time I was up before her. She just needed a lie in after our turbo traveling days before. I threw on some clothes and darted downstairs to check out the supposedly "fresh" pastries at the very convenient grocery store on our ground floor! Yes I will say it again, we had a "not bad at all, really kind of great" grocery store in our building. Hurray. I hustled down and found that the pastries were most surely fresh, a great selection, and budget friendly.

Back in June I had sent off a letter to The Tower of London (ooo, so official, yeah the tower and I are tight) and requested tickets for our family to be a part of the nightly lock down at the Tower called the Ceremony of the Keys. It is free of charge but you have to request spots in advance (about 2 months before and only about 60 people attend per night) and then you are only given one date for attendance. I don't know how widely known this ceremony is but our invaluable guide (Rick Steves, guide book) suggested it and we were excited when we received our tickets to be a part of the 700 year old ritual. The time we were to be at the main gate was 9:30pm (no later!) and we would only be allowed with the pass in hand. So after breakfast we set out from the flat at 10AMish and knew we would not return until beddy bye.

The weather was moody and cool. But even in the greyness, it was all so vivid: the river, the people hustling around us tourists, the packed city full of old and new. Sophia would have none of the stroller and so our pace was slow along Lambeth bridge over the swiftly moving Thames to Victoria Tower Gardens behind the Houses of Parliament. Lou was ahead of the gang ready to roll. Once at the park we paused as we glimpsed people actually "frolicking" in the small, tucked away park. A small pre-school class was having a morning picnic.Sophia wandered around a bit but we had to move on to Westminster Abbey for a tour. We paused and took a pic outside the Houses of Parliament with a glimpse of characteristically attired London policeman (bobbies). We had hoped to quickly enjoy a crepe on Westminster bridge (a cute stand we discovered a time before in 2005) and enjoy a bit of nostalgia. But that bridge was crowded, and we ate our crepes being pushed by the crowd by towards the Abbey. Westminster Abbey is wonderfully awe inspiring to me because of our fist encounter with it. Back on our first ever trip across the pond in '05 we spent 3 fast days in London. Westminster Abbey got squeezed to the last minute and all we had time to do was an evensong. Oh, my. It was evening choir lead worship service with a spattering of worshippers and the full choir in their formal red&white robes. Our voices rose up in praise and so did my eyes in amazement of the 100 ft tall vaulted Gothic arches of the 800 year old church of kings.

By the time we ate our crepes, had a potty break and a diaper change, a water bottle shopping stop and then stood in line for tickets (long line), we were too late for the last tour of the morning. This tour would have been extremely informative to my husband and Lou, and possibly the girls, but having missed it they depended on me, and the Rick Steves guide highlights tour. And this was tricky because as I paused to read and point out the dignitaries, artists, writers, and figures of history entombed in the Abbey (most notably Queen Elizabeth I), it was just so gosh darned crowded that standing and gawking was a rushed ordeal. And I wasn't hip to all the interesting tidbits about this centuries old cathedral and yet I made sure we all paused to take in the coronation chair (all wooden and non gilded, surprisingly) that has been used to crown the hundreds of years of monarchs, including the current Queen Elizabeth. Sophia then announced, "We need to go out of dis house!", Me: quietly, "Sophia, shhh, this is a church" Sophia: louder it seemed, "Den (then) we need get out of dis church!" So out we went through the lovely open cloisters towards the back gardens when we heard music.

We followed the music through a somewhat dim enclosed walkway and happened upon this lovely sight. (Westminster lunch concert)

Now here is where I should have put on the travel breaks and spontaneously had us picnic in the laid back and lovely atmosphere. But I had my mind set on a pub lunch en route to Trafalgar Square and so we lingered just to the end of the tune and headed out from the centuries old cathedral to Whitehall Road. Down this main thoroughfare you will find some great landmarks, 10 Downing Street (home of the prime minister) (no pic, yikes, can I say it was "CROWDED" again for emphasis),

Stables of the Royal Horse Guards, a couple of other museums, and some traditional pubs. I had looked up our pub stop online and the interior was the wood and brass image I had in my mind, but the food was only "eh". But for the price, we didn't dare complain. A crew of six, in one of the most expensive cities in the world...you cut corners when you can. We left the warm welcoming pub and found that it was raining softly. Just as it should be in London. Trafalgar Square was very close and even with all the people about the city the rain chased away crowds from the open plaza. None of us minded the damp and enjoyed looking about the wide sweeping square that has the towering Nelsons column, the four stately Lions (photo op), and two large tumbling fountains. We next headed for the shelter of the National Gallery and its awesome art collection and equally elegant interiors. Now this well appointed gallery doesn't need lil' ol' me to advertise for it, but for all the famous painters it houses (daVinci, Rembrandt, Monet, Vermeer, VanGogh ) the fact that it and a handful of other popular British sites are free, makes it a must see. I wanted to slowly take in the paintings and their history but again crowds, loudness, and a tired toddler sped up our tour and I could see that Lou was not "into" lingering. I hate to say that the rushed feeling was getting to her and when I asked if she would simply like to walk through a neighborhood before we found a dinner destination she perked up.

Then, while searching for our guide book/map in my pack I made an awful discovery....I didn't have the tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys! David looked at me disappointed. Should we just forget it? Everyone looked a bit displeased at the prospect. We soon decided that David and Anna would go back to our flat and meet us at a certain shop I'd marked on a map of Covent Garden an hour or so later. OK.

David and Anna departed to fetch the tickets (Lou did not like this one bit), and Lou, Sara, Sophia, and I strolled leisurely down Charing Cross Road towards Covent Garden square. As we passed Henrietta St. I hoped to locate the marker for the home/building that Jane Austen stayed at when in London, but no such luck and Lou was growing worried. 45 minutes and we needed to meet up with Anna and David. We took a snack stop at a Paul's bakery (a French bakery "chain") because one of the curious must dos on my list was to taste a macaron (yes, this is French I know but I had just discovered them) and Paul's was on the way. Lou thought the macarons were curiously colored but was too distracted with concern about our split party to taste one. And that "concern" is contagious my friends.

It started to drizzle heavier as we approached the most congested spot thus far, Covent Garden. Brimming with shops, market stalls of goods and produce, and a street entertainer drawing in a large audience. And even tho' this picture shows a covered part of the large square's market, I had picked a souvenir shop that faced the open air square....supposedly. As I reached the spot where the shop should have been, there was an American clothing shop in it's place. I gulped. Lou noticed (it was raining harder), "Jenny, what's wrong? Something is not right." I tried to explain that what I thought I knew of the shop from online was apparently wrong. I told Lou that I just wanted to double check at the info. center nearby and left them under a cover, keeping an eye on the "meeting spot". The info. desk was apparently a four man job and four boisterous Englishmen looked up from the main desk as I asked directions and then all four looked puzzled. They went through a list of shops they absolutely knew to be in the square and had no idea what I was talking about. I said a quick thank you, and as I left I was sure I heard a "sorry Luv".

I had to be resolute when I faced Lou. David surely would go to the the geographical spot I marked and not just be looking and roaming aimlessly....lost forever. AND, it had only been a little past an hour....no worries. As I got to them I noticed it was raining quite hard and Lou was flustered. My dear, dear Sara was entertaining Sophia and seemed to know it would be alright. I again left them in their dry spot and I told them that I would stand in the rainy meeting corner within eye shot of them. So on the northwest corner I stood, and stood, with my bright red umbrella, praying and noticing as it got nearer to 5pm the mass of people streaming about was growing.

I waited at the corner 45 minutes and just when Lou decided to move on over to me ("oh, dear" I thought), as they were nearing I noticed two of my favorite blond heads walking up behind them. We all seemed to breath a sigh of relief and Lou most definitely brightened. David and Anna shared that they had the tickets and had no problems finding us, it was just the onslaught of people getting out of work and loading on to the tube that put them behind time.

Once reunited we all chomped on my macarons and believe it or not everyone announced they were ready for dinner (it was nearly 7pm). I have to say I liked this tight neighborhood near Covent Garden. There were a number of quaint Dickens-like store fronts of tea shops, stationary and print shops, a cheese shop. But they were all closing. So I enjoyed the store fronts, the girls bought some tea and paper fans as gifts for friends back home and we headed to the restaurant I had chosen for the night: Belgo Centraal.

I highly recommend this tasty Belgian cuisine dining experience for anyone in London. They have a more formal dining area but we opted for the slightly rowdy, full beer hall that has long tables and benches. We were seated quickly and appreciated their "children 11 and under free with an adult" menu. And if we had made it before 6:30pm, between 5pm-6:30 certain (very good) entrees are the price of the time you arrived. Savings indeed. By 8:30pm we were filled and satisfied. I had the yummy! mussels Provencal (a brothy butter garlic sauce)with fries (frites), their signature dish. David and I enjoyed fruity beers and though Sophia's sausage with leek mashed potatoes looked good she only nibbled and played with horseys. Our spirits were sagging a bit from the long day, and yet we had one more major stop.
It was dark and, thankfully, dry by the time we arrived at the Tower of London. We all remarked what a welcome difference the English summer was to our Texas hot, dry, hot, scorching, hot August. The jackets we had toted the whole day were perfect in the chilly August London night. The small crowd outside the gate slowly gathered in as the Beefeater approached from inside at the exact time of 9:30pm. In his impressive uniform and with his booming voice, the Yeoman Warder set the stage for the serious, and respectful tone of the lock down ceremony.

Daytime at the Tower that houses the crown jewels, the Beefeaters, and the guards, has such a royal English aura, yet this nighttime ritual, with only 50 people or so in our crowd, standing in silence, hearing the locks turn, the calls of order, the marching of the guards changing stations...was amazing. The Beefeater emphasized that we were apart of the living history of this great renowned Tower. Sophia caused some interruptions of chuckles form the group, as she kept stepping out of the space we were "ordered" to stay in as the ceremony unfolded. But just as our part in the ceremony was upon us, Sophia stayed by my side. The Warder called out to us and the guards, "God preserve Queen Elizabeth!", we responded with an "Amen!"

The whole rite took only 30 minutes and then we were cordially escorted off the premises. Our long day caught up with us and it took no time to get everyone to bed.

London of my dreams....it's there.

2010-01-25T12:50:00.001-08:00

Quote from Helene Hanff in "84 Charing Cross Road": "(a friend) says tourists go to England with preconceived notions, so they always find what they are looking for. I told him I would go looking for the England (London)of English literature, and he said, 'Then it is there'"

(Thames River, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben)

Well someone who gets to the meat of the story would start at day one...not me. I just have to reflect on the decisions that led to our wonderful surprise London/Dublin trip. Last May 2009 when we were brainstorming vacation possibilities, nothing major in mind, and finding that my mother-in-law was interested in joining us, I dabbled on-line for the possibilities of stateside and international travel for our family of six. And yes, I must confess to my bloggy buddies: My name in Jenny N. and I am a travel planning junkie. I thoroughly enjoy finding the best deals, insider tips, and smoothing out Point A to Point B details. Well, very quickly I discovered that a traveling family of 6 was a pricey enterprise. And as I was just about to give up the whole idea when inspiration struck, and I found a fantastic airline deal. Dallas (with two connecting flights) to Dublin, where we would change the airline then on to London for less than it would cost us to fly Dallas to St. Louis, MO!

I ran the idea past by family and after a pause of surprise there was a definite "Yes!" My mother-in-law (MIL, Lou) had never traveled abroad and was tickled by the God blessed turn in plans. But yikes, my travel planning challenge was to get our itinerary and bookings made before our August travel window.
OUR ITINERARY: Leave for London Aug. 10th with three connecting flights arrive in London(Aug 11-14), then to Dublin (Aug 15-18) Home on the 18th. Whew. Cheaper flights mean connections are one thing: BRUTAL! But I knew my family had dealt with worse the year before, so it was important to emphasize to my dear MIL that our version of budget travel was not pampering in any way. We lugged our own luggage, traveled with the bare minimum (clothing and toiletry wise), walked a lot, and learned local public transportation. She understood....at first. So our very groggy, jet lagged arrival to London a day after we left Dallas was an eye opener for Lou, but expected...uh, somewhat. Trip Advisor was an invaluable resource along with my trusty Rick Steves, and on TA I found nice recommendations for a car shuttle service by a man named Ray Skinner. I had communicated with him via email and even a phone call (I was delighted to hear his chipper Cockney accent) and easily made our reservation and got another great deal compared to the possible costs of train and cab to our London address. We were so comforted by the sight of him standing at the exit from baggage to the transport terminal that I was tempted to run up and hug him. Just like in movies, he held up his hand scrawled sign with our name and gave us a hearty welcome to London. The ride in was about 45 minutes and he was chatty and friendly but I think if you asked everyone, we would agree that we were pretty zoned out. Once we arrived in London proper I had to pinch myself. The architecture, the pubs, the crowds of people walking around, the red double decker buses, and black cabs rushing about....it IS the picture of London from books and movies.
Then we arrived very easily at our apartment...excuse me, our FLAT. And if I wanted to I could write an entire complain-y post about the first flat we attempted to book...they cancelled on us because of all my question asking, two weeks before the trip. And I lost it (mentally speaking), then I prayed that somehow, somewhere our last minute booking would help out some apt. owner as much as us and the Lord graciously provided within a 24 hour period. The owner was understanding and helpful and the flat...oh, me oh, my, a first instance for me of our entire group having their breath taken away. See for yourself: Our view outside this living room balcony was the picture at the top of the post. The flat was on Albert Embankment and only a ten minute walk to Westminster Abbey. THE THAMES RIVER was actually right out our windows. Big Ben! Houses of Parliament! Thank you very much Mr. Sarab Monib for your fantastic flat. Okay here is another pic and then I will try to stop gushing.

We picked rooms and beds, unpacked and refreshed ourselves a bit and then hit the street to our nearest Tube stop: Vauxhall to ride to dinner. Ride what you say? The London Underground (Tube) of course. Now at this juncture it must be said that once again our crew was great on the go. I mean it can be an ordeal anywhere to travel with kids, toddler included, and all the gear (sippee, snacks, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, stroller, and incidentals for our day-long outings away from our flat) anywhere, but in a big, busy, bustling city like London in August and moment to moment unknowns, we charged ahead. And the girls even confessed to me later that getting from place to place and especially riding the Tube, were some of their most favorite times during our trip. Who knew?

But Lou, it must be said, had some trouble with the hustle/bustle. See, three days before our trip, she sprained her ankle. Yikes. She is always an"on the go" person and had looked forward to all our planned walking about Londontown (and I mean a lot of walking), but now walking was not as enjoyable. So the first evening's hoped for walk around Buck House (Buckingham Palace nick name) was crossed off and we headed straight for some traditional eats of good ol' Fish'n'Chips. We went to Seafresh near Victoria Station in central London.

It was declared "delish" by all and I liked that even though WE were tourists, we seemed to be surrounded by locals (the lovely English lilt all around) on that Tuesday evening.

See these "horseys" with Sophia...they proved to be her invaluable travel companions. At every stop they entertained her...Thank you Lord. Lou called them the trip savers. The few months leading up to the trip Sophia had amassed a hefty collection and hand-picked these nine for our exciting trip to London. And they made it home as a complete set through all the flights, stops and restaurants. She was constantly the mother "horsey" making sure each one was stowed in her pack.

After our satisfying meal, I remember that I yearned to go walking near to Buck House. But, my family was in varying degrees of falling over from lack of sleep. So odd. Normally I am the one wanting for energy. Yet, much like our trip before, my boost comes from the fact that there is so much to discover and so little time. Needless to say, we headed back to our flat by bus. David was the adventuresome one in this instance, as I was not familiar with the colored coded routes and stops. Yes, it was the double decker red bus variety and a treat. As is with our family, a nibble of something sweet and a warm drink (coffee for grown ups, tea for the young set) was necessary before we all tucked into our pleasantly comfortable beds.

I was the last for bed and noticed the one draw back to our flat was the constant din of traffic that flowed all through the night. No double paned windows it appeared....and yet.... every night we slept soundly after our long days. On this first night I worried about the noise keeping everyone restless through their needed sleep. Yet, I fell asleep to the sounds of the traffic, the river, the awe of being in the midst of London, the lovely night breeze and the slight night glow of the city that was full of life and ready for us. Ahhh.

What's next...some blog love.

2010-01-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

London here I come. No, not at any moment soon, but me writing about it is next on deck. Right now though I have hoped each day to blog about our day to day, my favorite blogs, and some random thoughts. You know. The stuff that bloggin' is about.

Last January through April was a little hard on me. Just to share a bit, after a year of some post-baby, strange symptoms: lots of odd/random skin discoloration, random finger and toe numbness, bothersome pattern like rashes, I checked in with my family doctor (yes I had put it off for a long while) and she and some tests revealed that I have Lupus. I "exactly" have "unclassified autoimmune disorder" with symptoms of lupus/schleroderma. Lupus attacks different organs and mine attacks the skin. I feel fine, if I exercised and ate better I am sure I would feel great. There are so many out there with living with lupus that deal with so much more, so this is not me complaining.

Last January to February the pain in my fingers and hands was at its worst and what kept me on edge each day was the fact that over the holidays of '08 I had a finger wound that grew from the size of a pin head to a mushy, pink open wound the size of an eraser head. My left hand was constantly bandaged and from January to June of '09. I almost never ran my hand under water as the special bandages and the wound would not respond well to water. I am thankfully, a stay at home mom, and at the time Sophia was two and changing her diapers was always a slow process because of my wound, bandages, and general wiggling and mess. Suffice to say I was hypersensitive about my hands and stayed at home nearly all the time. My family probably never noticed a difference in my attitude because they buoyed me up during this time of self imposed home bound-ness. The Lord truly taught me so much about those that must live with chronic issues (as I said I have always "felt fine" outside of the hand issues).

Another blessing during this time was the blog world. Seems a bit odd to type it, but I know this to be true. I discovered blogs in areas of interest, i.e. travel, homemaking, faith, and family, and found daily encouragement. A number of my most favorite blogs are penned by women of faith and wonderful insight. It seemed that even across miles, while I was at home just with Sophia, and not at my best, the Lord led me to some of the best company. And for that I thank each of the dear women (whether they know it or not) for all they have shared. And the bonus of it all is that so many of my dear blog buddies are able answer comments and it is a way to be "pen pals" in the 21st century. Those of us that blog and have come to enjoy this camaraderie might find it hard to explain to everyday family and friends about our bloggy buddies. I know my dear husband who supports me in every way has taken quite a while to be convinced. If anyone has seen Julie & Julia the movie with Meryl Streep (it is great, please see it if you haven't), there is a scene that so heartfully depicts the joy of a friendship come to life from words, ideas, and feelings shared on the page: Julia Child meets her years long pen pal Avis (a woman), in a train station after they have finally planned to meet in face to face, and as Avis enters, they seem to know each other immediately, throw their arms wide and embrace each other joyfully. Such a true picture of friendship.

Now I would like to share a few of those blogs. First, I would like to attribute my inspiration for this idea to two sources: Sally Annie Magundy, who tries each Monday to share new crafty blogs for others to visit (she has such interesting crafts and resources). The other is 84 Charing Cross Road, a tender true story told solely in letters that were exchanged over 20 years between a zesty New York screenwriter, Helene Hanff and an at first formal then friendly Englishman in London who was the manager of an antique bookstore from which she made many special requests (years 1948-1968). In the book you find that each time she requested a book, he would recommend another or visa versa and her interests grew as well as their friendship.

Let's grow some more friendships:

Tongue in Cheek: Corey (American) writes about her life in Provence these 2o some years married to a Frenchman and her adventures, brocante, family, travels, all things French, and has gorgeous photos and a loving outlook. My mom now actually understands blogland because in September 2009 Corey came to an antique fair in Texas that I dragged my mom to so that I could meet this dear woman. The moment I met Corey we squealed with delight and hugged, and chatted up a storm. My mom took to her immediately (of course) and now enjoys catching up with Corey online daily.

Sister one of four and The Rogers Family: a mom and daughter (dear friends Marcia and Lindsey) write sweet family updates and encouraged me so much by being my first followers and commenters (it is such a joy), even though they live near me I have kept better in touch with them via blog and emails--see I AM a hermit.

Here's a power blog alright: The Pioneer Woman, I happened upon her blog as she was just beginning to hit readers in the high hundreds, but now this homeschooling, former city livin', cookbook writin', photographer extraordinaire, and rancher's wife, who lives on a vast cattle/horse ranch in OK blogs daily and lovingly about her life and times....I dare you not to be won over....go ahead...at least try one of her man-pleasin' recipes.

Pleasant Places: Steph is a thoughtful, dear woman of the Lord who I found when I googled my own blog because I forgot my blog address. Hee, it happens. She blogs about her latest reads, antiquing, wonderful homemade gifts and especially, her inspirations: the Lord, and her family. She started at the same time I did, is also a stay at home mom to a same age toddler, and then I noticed that she is also in Texas! and we hope to one day meet up.

Thank you truly, Sally Annie, Corey, Marcia, Lindsey, Ree, and Steph for the encouragement and goodness you add to the blog world. Cheers to all!