Life in Gingerbread Town

P90X

2012-01-02T08:06:00.000-06:00

Well, a few days ago, I was watching a bit of Dr. Oz. His guest just happened to be Tony Horton of P90X fame. Now, a couple of years ago, my daughter, Suzanne and I started the P90X exercise program. We continued for approximately 30 days and stopped. It was HARD!!
I managed to persevere for that short amount of time, but eventually, I started finding reasons why I couldn't exercise on a particular day. This continued for about a week and then.....no more P90X.

Now....quite unexpectedly, there is good old Tony Horton, talking with me through the television screen. I have to say, Tony looked really good.......older than in his videos, but still a shining example of good health.
I started to think about the P90X program. When I was doing it, it was really good for me. Now, I had already made a semi New Year's resolution to add Yoga to my physical training regime. I'm testing for a first degree Black Belt in TKD in August. I want to amp up my training schedule so that I can knock that test "out of the park". The P90X actually has a great Yoga dvd included in the 12 dvd set. So, I rustled through my dvd collection and there it was......my stack of P90X dvds.....waiting there for me, not actually calling my name, but eager for me to blow the dust off them and start to "Bring It" as Tony says.

I've got two P90X routines now under my belt. While they are hard, I was surprised that in the interval between when I stopped before and today, I've gotten a lot more fit. Kudos to my martial arts teacher and diligent TKD training!!

So.....my New Year's Resolution is this......
To stay on track with P90X for the entire year.....
Black Belt here I come!!

Things I Cannot Live Without

2012-01-01T13:19:00.000-06:00

This morning as I was rushing to leave for church, my husband sat in his chair talking with me. We had to laugh because as I was apologizing for leaving a huge mess on my computer desk, clearly the items dear to my heart accounted for the clutter found there:

My computer
Not one, but two, bottles of Diet A&W Root Beer
Lots and lots of make up and skin creams
A large oval make-up mirror
An eight by ten photo of us in Hawaii, taken five years ago on our 30th wedding anniversary
My blue appointment book which literally contains everywhere I need to be and when I need to be there (I panic if I lose this!)
My alarm clock
My cell phone
My Bible
And....a cup of hot water with lemon.
Everything a girl needs to survive her day!!

Homegrown Roses

2011-11-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

My love of roses began when we lived in Midland, Texas. The previous owner of our home had planted about a dozen huge red rose bushes which gifted us a bounty of roses each year! Then, when we moved to our home here in Waxahachie, I missed those rose bushes, so I eventually planted a few rose bushes of my own. Today I had the pleasure of cutting some of my homegrown roses for display.

Recently,I found this vintage (circa 1930 to 1940) flower frog vase in a thrift store for only $3.00! Similar ones are going for $30.00 on Ebay. I think the roses look quite nice in the frog vase.

This was so satisfying!! I do love roses!!

The Original Three

2011-10-30T03:03:00.010-05:00

On a Saturday not too long ago I enjoyed dinner with three of my adult children. I tend to think of them as "The Original Three" because they were our first three biological children before we began the adoption journey. Siblings in our family are spread out from age thirty-nine to age fourteen. (Because some of our children came via adoption, two of our children are actually older than "The Original Three".) Consequently, our youngest children only lived with "The Original Three" a year to a few years before this trio flew the nest. Even today, with families and busy lives of their own, they still remain tremendously committed to our big family! Thank you, God, for "The Original Three"! My heart is full with gratefulness that I have the privilege of being their mom!

Old Texas House......Happy Halloween

2011-10-29T18:37:00.000-05:00

The Old Texas House hails from Gonzales, Texas. While visiting there last weekend, I discovered this wonderful old Texas house all ready for trick or treaters!

Tiny Texas Houses!!

2011-10-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I traveled to Austin to visit with three of my adult children....Stephen, Alison May, and Suzanne. Saturday morning, Alison May, Suzanne, and I drove to Luling, Texas. Luling is the home of a company named Tiny Texas Houses, a totally appropriate name because, well, the houses are Tiny. At least, the houses are much tinier than the houses I am familiar with! Check out www.tinytexashouses.com to read about the vision of this company's owner, Brad Kittel. Basically, the idea is that we Americans live with much too much materially, and our lives and environment would be simpler and happier if we lived with much less. Kittel uses salvaged building materials to construct these tiny houses. This is such an interesting concept to me. I have always been interested in lifestyles that are different from "normal". Settling down in a Tiny Texas House would definitely fit the "different" sort of living bill!
Check out these pictures.

Thoughts on the Midlothian TKD Tournament

2011-09-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, my TKD do-jo held its' annual TKD invitational tournament. Other schools from Texas and Oklahoma participated. I have to say that I am disappointed in my performance. I just recently learned my new pattern,Choong-Moo. Choong-Moo requires me to perform a 360 degree jump turn. Needless to say, it is going to be several months to a year of persevering before I can complete that turn. So....I didn't perform my pattern up to the standard needed for competition. Next time, I won't enter a tournament unless I know I can perform the required pattern consistent with competition standards. This was my first tournament where I didn't place first, second or third, and I was sad. On the other hand, I left the tournament wiser than when I started. Watching the younger black belts with their crisp kicks and punches helps me to aim higher and farther in my pursuit of TaeKwon-Do.

In All Seriousness

2011-09-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

Horribly bad things happen to people. There is no way anyone can escape this fate. Of course, mentally we can understand that it is through pain that we emotionally and spiritually grow becoming better people. But, in the moment, that pain can be an awful place to be. Bad things have happened to me...my husband....and unfortunately, my children. It's quite devastating to watch one of your children suffer. For myself, I've spent all of my parenting life hoping and praying that nothing too terrible would happen to any one of my children. But....it has and will, I'm sure, continue to happen. But......I am a spiritual person and know that God loves my children more than I do. As a parent, I have to trust that He is in control and will be there with us though it all.
In large families, difficult life lessons are bigger just from the fact that there are more people having life experiences. My husband says that large families are a microcosum of society. I don't know about that, but sometimes it certainly does seem like that to me.
As a mom, I hardly have time to catch my breath before something else upsetting happens. But, even though the stormy times seem nonstop, I realize on the flipside, the super extraordinarily happy times are nonstop as well.....and bigger just from the fact that we are a large family.
Thank you God for taking care of us......through the good and the bad.

Scrabble......Thou Shalt Nots....

2011-09-04T10:02:00.003-05:00

Last night was my husband, Tim's, and my date night. We had a stay-at-home date, and after watching a short documentary on DVD, we spent two extremely long hours playing Scrabble on the computer. Now, as everyone in my family knows, playing board games with Tim can be daunting. It's no exaggeration to say that Tim wins almost all of the time with everyone he plays!......Tim grew up playing board games; he loves the competition and thrill of the win.....Tim is the Lance Armstrong of board game athletes!!

Now, rarely do Tim and I complete a game of Scrabble in less than two hours. Why, you ask....well, because Tim has to "study" every move and be absolutely sure he is making the best move for the most points possible. I used to threaten to place a five minute hour glass next to him to keep him from stretching the agony of my wait time out too long.

In order for me to continue to play with Tim, I have written a list of ten "Playing Scrabble With The Wife" rules that must be adhered to for continued Scrabble happiness...

1. Thou shalt not hum while playing Scrabble.
2.Thou shalt not be a Smartypants!!
3.I repeat....Thous shalt not be a Smartypants!!!!
4.Thou shalt not, under any circumstances, laugh or be perceived as laughing at your opponent!
5. Thou shalt not bob one's head up and down.....or sideways...while thinking...
6. Thou shalt not look so satisfied when one is winning.
7. Thou shalt not regard any single gain of less than twenty points as unworthy.
8. Thou shalt not fidget while one's opponent is concentrating.
9. Thou shalt not mentally make words out of your opponent's letters.
10. Thou shalt not say upon winning by seventy points, "That was a rousing game, don't you think?"

Black Stripes

2011-08-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

On August 19, three years after beginning as a white belt, I tested and received my black stripes in TKD! I am so appreciative of my son, Taylor, for being my partner. Taylor is a first Dan Black Belt. He has helped me so much, I can't even begin to tell you! Without his support and the support of my family, instructors, and fellow students, I certainly would not have made it this far. Now, I'm on the final part of my journey to first Dan Black Belt. I'm thinking it will take me a year, mainly, because I want to have a really good test. There's a whole lot to improve on both physically and mentally.

Oma's Jiffy Burger

2011-08-24T16:44:00.000-05:00

Last week, Taylor and I stopped and had a hamburger at Oma's Jiffy Burger. This diner is a tiny little restaurant just off the town square in Waxahachie. Celebrating 41 years in our Gingerbread Town, the cafe has become a bit of a cultural icon. Located on Water Street, the cafe was originally found on College Avenue. Eventually, the owner sold the business; the new owner moved to the present location, but took many of the diner's fixtures with him. The inside of Oma's Jiffy Burger resembles a classic 1950's malt shop. I love eating here, as does most of Waxahachie. Sometimes it's hard to find a place to sit!! The burgers here are beyond tasty......Do you have an out-of-the way place in your town or city that has become locally famous?

Sunday in Salado

2011-08-23T22:53:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday, I met my daughter, Billie Sue, in Salado, Texas. We went to church together and had lunch. We also hit a couple of antique shops. We discovered this beautiful old white church built in the late 1800's.

After lunch, we found a wonderful antique shop/ book store. Behind the bookstore was a tiny little chapel. The doors were open, so we went inside. This is the stunning sight that beheld our eyes!!

I began to cry.......

Billie Sue and I will attend services in this chapel on our next Sunday in Salado.

Timmism #2

2011-08-21T20:28:00.006-05:00

Every Saturday night,Tim and I have a date. Most of the time we just get a bite to eat at a local restaurant and take in a movie at our local "Show Biz Theatre". Except.....last week I wanted a bit more excitement to our dating experience. Hence, we went to "Taste of Europe" restaurant in Arlington. (Check out my previous post.) This Saturday, Tim was not to be outdone by me. With all the suspense and mystery he could create, he informed me he was taking me out for Greek food....at an apparently, highly applauded Greek restaurant in Dallas. A little after 8:00, we drove up the interstate towards Dallas. I was dressed in black slacks, a crisp white French cuff shirt and black jacket, with a large turquoise necklace and handcrafted blue stained glass and silver chandelier earrings. Tim, on the other hand, wore khaki carpenter shorts and a shirt he bought several years ago when we were in Hawaii. Now, I was a bit worried that the restaurant would be closed by the time we arrived, so I called them while en route. The woman who answered the phone cheerfully announced that they were open until 2:00 am.......and, in answer to my question concerning proper attire,(Actually, I was really asking,"Would you let us in the door if Tim wore carpenter shorts and a t-shirt"?) she remarked, "Casual".
After pulling off the road to properly secure his GPS onto the front dashboard, and enter the proper address into said device, we finally arrived at our destination. Well, the place was certainly popular and probably justly deserved the twenty-five positive feedback comments listed on Google. The parking lot was full to overflowing.....the bouncer at the door was quite...bouncer-looking...and the neon sign of a belly dancer moving suggestively all the while with a sword in her mouth certainly caught our attention.

I started to wonder if the twenty-five positive reviews were all authored by men....Tim asked, "Well, what do you want to do? I certainly understand if you want to go somewhere else." Tim is always so democratic!! I did have to think about it for a minute....Because, I wasn't totally opposed to dining with belly dancers...In fact, when Tim turned thirty years old, I surprised him when I hired a belly dancer to dance for us at a local restaurant.....Boy, was he surprised. But, I did worry that I was overdressed and wondered about the male/female ratio of patrons present in the restaurant. I opted for another, less exciting, restaurant! I have to hand it to Tim, though!! When he plans a date, he REAllY plans a date!!

Taste of Europe

2011-08-14T15:22:00.010-05:00

Last night, Tim and I had our usual Saturday night date. However, our date was anything but usual. We decided to step out of the box and drove to Arlington, Texas,to eat at the locally famous Taste of Europe restaurant. Taylor's geography teacher had mentioned this restaurant to me. It sounded like fun....so the adventure began.

The restaurant owners immigrated from Russia many years ago. The gift shop stocked primarily Russian item such as Russian nesting eggs, icons, tea service sets, wonderful Russian peasant marionettes, chess sets,iron toy Russian soldiers, Christmas items and Russian military items such as uniforms, coats and hats. Here's a sampling of the wares to be found....

This one Russian nesting doll set was huge!! I didn't even have the nerve to ask the price!

Finally, after checking out all the items in the gift shop, it was time to eat. Tim had the German sausage with sauerkraut and potatoes while I dined on the Hungarian goulash. Dessert was crepes with chocolate and whipped cream! Delicious!

The grocery market consisted of a good variety of items to buy as well as a deli. Several people came in just to buy items from the grocery market and deli.

Before we left, Tim had to try out the one sentence that he knew in Russian. When he was a boy, a friend whose heritage was Russian taught Tim to say, "I am a Russian man" in the Russian language. So...Tim asked the store owner if he could "try" his sentence out. The Russian owner was happy to oblige, and affirmed that Tim had spoken his one sentence perfectly!! Tim was so proud!!

Alison May....Earnest Keep

2011-08-09T20:24:00.004-05:00

My daughter, Tellanova.....actually Alison May, recently recorded her debut album, Earnest Keep through Misery Loves Company recording company with Jeff Price producing. Alison plays all the instruments on the album, sings vocals, and wrote all the original music!! How exciting is that? Release date is: September 13, 2011, but I thought you might like a sample. She's released three songs as a preview.

Earnest Keep by Alison May Feathers for Shoulders by Alison May
Michael's Song by Alison May

What is a Timmism?

2011-08-09T01:50:00.000-05:00

What is a Timmism, you ask? Well.....obviously, I made it up, but my children and I know what a Timmism is! Timmisms are funny stories about my funny husband's adventures in the wide, wide world. Large families are famous for their outrageous, funny stories. In our family, Tim, has many crazy, out-of-this-world experiences as he is out and about with our kids. I thought it would be fun to periodically relate some of Tim's adventures as he navigates through life as the dad of twenty-two children!

Timmism #1:

The other day, Tim was standing in line at WalMart with a full cart. Since Tim is the resident cook at our house, he is totally in charge of the menu. He was making dirty rice that evening for dinner. He uses the Zatarans rice recipe. So...he has six boxes of Zatarans rice and six pounds of hamburger meat....plus a cart full of other multiple foodstuffs. The lady in line behind Tim made a comment about the significant number of rice boxes in Tim's cart. She asked if he were cooking for a party, to which Tim mechanically replied, "No, it's just for the family dinner." The lady had a "shocked and amazed" look on her face, and was just about to say something additional when Tim said, "Actually, I'm a gormet chef". She said, "Oh, really?" Tim said, "Yes, tomorrow night I'm cooking macaroni and cheese". The woman didn't say another word!!

Contrabass Flute.......This is Truly Amazing!

2011-08-07T19:41:00.003-05:00

A Facebook friend of mine plays the flute. Recently, she had the opportunity to play a contrabass flute. This instrument is amazing! I didn't even know such an instrument existed! Check it out!

A Totally Perfect Day!

2011-08-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

A surprise visit from our daughter, Tweets, and our sweet grandbaby, Baby Tweets, makes for a perfect Saturday!

Does Formal Training Stifle Creativity???

2011-08-05T17:08:00.002-05:00

This post is mostly about creative people and their art. While I have quite a few creatively gifted children as well as gifted extended relatives, I'm going to focus on my son, Alexander (Alex), in my discussion. The question I'm posing to you, my readers, is: "Does a university degree or formal "education" in an artist's expression such as a musical instrument, dance, mediums such as pen and ink, painting, mixed media etc., or voice training hinder or facilitate one's creative gift or gifts? From another perspective, "Does formal training in one's art damage or rob that person of his creative soul"?
Yesterday, my daughter, Tellanova, her fiance, my husband and myself discussed this topic over dinner. My daughter and her fiance are professional musicians. Both of them attended the same elite music school in Boston, Massachusetts. One opinion presented was that formal training tends to remove spontaneous expression making one's art conform to the status quo of what is "normal" in that genre. Another perspective is that when exposed to a wealth of information from an "expert," one can glean tremendous knowledge that can only serve to make one's art eventually better. Indeed, in the early stages of study students may adhere to a strict standard, but eventually, over time, a student blends his own creative juices with the acquisition of formal training to produce a better product than if he had not been mentored by an expert in his field.

This question brings to mind my son Alex. Alex has never been to a prestigious music university, but he plays the piano quite well. Alex, a Filipino, came to our family when he was nine years old. While Alex is blind, he taught himself, while still in the Philippines, to play the piano. It didn't hurt that Alex has perfect pitch! Our family was stunned when we heard him play. I felt a tremendous responsibility to give him every opportunity I could to pursue his musical talent. So, when Alex was about eleven, I enrolled him in piano lessons with a classical piano teacher who had previous experience teaching people who are blind. Until then, Alex had only played the pop music he heard on the radio. (Alex also has a photographic memory.) Alex was quite accommodating to me, never complaining about his classical training and practicing everyday. As time passed, I noticed that Alex did not play the piano for fun anymore. He didn't seem to have any interest in music. His music, while playing the notes perfectly, lacked a sense of spirit. After, two years of classical training, I stopped the classical piano lessons. I thought that Alex would be overjoyed to be rid of the pesky scales and music by such composers as Bach, Mozart and Schubert. I imagined him with a big smile on his face, hammering out the pop tunes that he so loved. Not so..... Alex didn't sit down at the piano again for almost two years after we had stopped the classical lessons. Those lessons had zapped him of his spontaneity and passion for music! I worried that he would never again return to the piano. I was so relieved when finally, he did sit down at the piano again and play.
This was an important lesson for me: what I think is an outstanding opportunity is not necessarily the best choice for someone. I'm just happy I realized that the classical lessons were hindering rather than furthering Alex's musical creativity before I made him take years and years of lessons.
So, readers, do you have an opinion on this topic? Have you or someone you know actually had their artistic creativity harmed by "formal training"? I'd love to hear what you have to say!!

The Gardens at the Greenery

2011-08-01T23:42:00.002-05:00

In our large family we are constantly celebrating birthdays!! When the kids were growing up, and now still, birthdays were major family events! Now, most of my "kids" are twenty-somethings with a few being a thirty-something. Recently, we have transitioned into weddings also becoming a frequent major family event. One of my daughters, Tweets, has been married over four years now to her sweetheart, Mr. Tweets. Recently, they had their first child, my new grandson, our Sweet Prince! Now, I have two more daughters engaged to be married within the next eight months. Penny and Tellanova will soon be a Mrs. to their Mister. Tellanova is getting married to a fellow musician in our hometown which we lovingly call Gingerbread Town! When searching for wedding venues; it didn't take long to find The Gardens at the Greenery! The Greenery is one of the finest landscape nurseries around these parts. They also dabble in the wedding venue business! So far, these gardens have top billing.

Did you have a garden wedding? Did a family member or friend have a garden wedding? Do you have a wedding story to share? Or....if you are a large family, are you, like us, celebrating frequent wedding events?

Lunch at the Dove's Nest

2011-07-29T02:19:00.000-05:00

Waxahachie has many wonderful local restaurants. We have several pubs, tea rooms and home style diners on the town square. Suzanne has been home visiting for the past several days. Before she headed back to Austin, she, Soo-Jin and I had lunch at the Dove's Nest, a nationally famous tea-room.

The food was "melt-in-your-mouth" good, but the dessert, a Brownie Sundae, was totally scrumptious!! Ivy and Abby made it clear they didn't want dessert, but when the sundae showed up with three spoons.......How could they resist??

Good food and good company.......It just doesn't get any better than this!!

The Bard Prison Initiative

2011-07-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

I listen to Public Radio while I'm driving. This evening I heard a program on the Bard Prison Initiative. This is a privately funded program in five New York State prisons supported through Bard College. Similar programs are now imitated by several colleges in the USA and worldwide giving an incarcerated man or woman the opportunity to go to college while in prison. Budgets for all publicly funded programs were cut in 1995, ending educational opportunities in 350 prisons. According to my research, (www.bard.edu), to date, since 1999 when the Bard College project started one hundred fifty- seven degrees have been issued. The program enrolls approximately two hundred students across the five New York prisons. The results have been good, with the number of released convicts that find employment high and the number that re-offend low. All in all, I personally think the concept is a good one. If the incarcerated men and women are going to be released at some point, why not make the possibility that they would re-offend less? Isn't this better for society?
Some families of victims object to the program questioning the moral value of making prison a positive place where a criminal can get a college degree. They point out that prison should be a place of punishment. I totally understand their argument. The anger and violation at being the victim of a crime is horrifically dark and ugly; the sense of evil is overwhelming. However, while I do think that there are some crimes that are so horrible that a person should never be released, if an inmate is eventually going to be emancipated, why not attempt to lessen the possibility that he will repeat a crime?
While listening to the radio program and then reading about the program online, I was encouraged that this program exists. While I do not believe every criminal can be helped by education, I do believe that a good number can, and ultimately, isn't that better for society?
What do you think?

This Has Been a Blistering Summer!!

2011-07-26T19:31:00.003-05:00

Our yard is completely dead......all three acres of it!! Every summer I have high hopes of a beautiful yard and wonderful flowers. The yard started off well; the first bloom of our many rose bushes was magnificent! ( check out my blog for April 8, 2011: Blooming Roses.) Then, it went downhill from there. We lost five of our beautiful palm trees due to the frost last winter. We had them removed.

This is our last palm tree!!!

Then, no rain equals a dead yard, and with the water bill already being so high for our large family, I just don't feel justified watering. But....now I'm feeling wistful wishing for at least green grass around the house. I'm thinking of buying some plants this weekend and potting them in containers. That should spruce the place up a bit!! Finally, hopefully, the daily one hundred plus heat will begin to slack off. I'm dreaming of cooler days .......and soon!

I'm in Retirement .......Twenty-five Years of Homeschooling Is Ending!!!!

2011-07-22T09:59:00.000-05:00

I began homeschooling twenty-five years ago in 1986 when my son, Patrick, was just three years old. On August 31, 2011, my son, Christopher, will finish his last class in high school, and I will complete twenty-five years of teaching my children.....all twenty-one of them. Christopher is the only one I taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade. All the rest were home schooled through fourth grade to ninth grade depending on our family situation at the time. Some of our children have special needs and did not continue through high school although one graduated from technical school and one will hopefully get some technical training. The other special needs children will continue learning, but I will not be "formally" teaching them. Of the non special needs students, five have graduated from universities, two are presently university students, and one will be a university student after high school. Their occupations are: two are graphic artists, one is a television producer, one is a certified financial planner, an aerospace engineer, professional actor/director, a professional musician, and a technician in film, radio and television. One of my daughters was a National Merit finalist.
Some of those twenty-five years were difficult years.....especially when most of the kids lived at home and I had a lot of students to teach......But, as you can see from their success, it has all turned out pretty well. In reality, I'll always be teaching. That was my initial career choice and I have a Masters degree in education. But, above the career choice, I love teaching. I can't imagine going through a single day without teaching or learning something myself. The love of learning is ingrained in me.
But, I'm looking forward to not having the responsibility of having to meet goals and the pressure of knowing that "the buck stops with me" so to speak..... Now, hopefully, I can be more relaxed and can breathe a bit easier. Twenty-five years is a big commitment....regarding any endeavor a person chooses to undertake! I'm so grateful to have had such interesting, marvelous children!! They have made the journey a blessing! Thank you to all my prodigy! You have made the past twenty-five years of teaching spectacular!! Thank you for putting up with me and loving me through all my mistakes! I love you all!

Happy Feet

2011-07-21T00:37:00.000-05:00

I'm delighting in a most unexpected blessing!! At the risk of sounding trite or self-serving, I have discovered a clothing accessory that has filled me with an anticipation I haven't felt in awhile......at least concerning my physical appearance, that is!! I have discovered Poetic License shoes!!! And......I have purchased TWO pair already!!
Take a look!!

Aren't they magnificent? One day I googled, funky shoes, and this brand appeared on my computer screen!! Oh the joys of the internet!! I am looking forward to finishing out a classic black outfit with these wild, wild shoes!! I do believe I'm my mother's daughter after all......My mom loved to wear all sorts of attention grabbing socks and outfits! We're talking Cat-In-The-Hat socks or leopard skin skirts etc. etc. etc......You get the picture!! I must say I never pictured myself being so "interesting"!!
Do you have a clothing item or accessory that makes you stand out? Or, do you know someone that makes a fashion statement? I'd love to hear your "fashion" story!!