Sign Language - Asian Style

Chris, ChellBell, and I had the privilege of taking a two-week trip to Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau) this summer for our family vacation. Since Chris and I grew up in Asia, we were very excited about giving ChellBell the opportunity to see that part of the world. She did very well, with little complaining. She even ate (or tasted, I should say) BBQ chicken foot.

Although Chris has kept up with his Mandarin skills, we were still curious to see how the language barrier would impact us. Fortunately, all of the "critical" things we needed to know like "danger", "toilet", and "fire escape" were all communicated in pictures and signs. But as we started looking at the signs around us, we found them to be more humorous than informational. Take a look:

Sign for the toilet (but only ballerinas allowed):

Please, people, put some clothes on those lights!

Run fast through the doorway! (I'm not sure where it will take you...)

If you go down, you might as well go down singing.

The voices in my head have been telling me to mind them for a long time...

No pets allowed, or just no happy jumpy dogs?

This sign was posted at the log ride at an amusement park.

I love that the plastic bags are so giving.

In America we do not have issues with foul dogs.

Hey, look -- a new word: Combining tiny and thin gets you "thiny"

I have nothing to say about this one (except that we should have purchased this shirt).

Interesting...

Oh look! You can get more Obama here at the language center:

Yes, that really says "Corn Embryo Oil" which gives me the willies to even think about.

Give us this day...

Friends, I may have to change the name of my blog.

After being totally inspired by this post by Christie at A Few of My Favorite Things, I made a little homemade bread last night. I don't know about you, but bread-making has always been an intimidating thing to me. Breadmaker machines seem to take some of the intimidation out of the process, but when I become responsible for the yeast and kneading -- yikes!

After reading Christie's post, I still was skeptical (because she is WonderWoman, and everything comes easily to her...), but I decided to give it a try. And she did not let me down! I made the dough last night and actually let it rise the 2nd time overnight and then simply turned on my oven when I woke up this morning.

My family was amazed to have freshly baked bread for breakfast.

And that, my friends, may be better than Pop Rocks.

Say Cheese!

PLUS

PLUS

EQUALS

And hopefully a "Most Creative" Award in the school pumpkin contest!

Great job, ChellBell!

Good Things to Come

In 8 short hours, I will be on an airplane headed for a week of :

and nothingness.

For an entire week.

I can't wait!

Another thing to look forward to?

Shawn's Birthday Swap over at Seriously. She is staying frozen in time at 39, and you will not want to miss this big birthday swap -- everyone wins! Hurry over there soon, before it's too late!

Sometimes we make mistakes

But I hope no one ever makes this mistake about me...

My sister-in-law, who also happens to be a sweet friend of mine, posted this on her blog today, and I thought it was hilarious. Go visit Marci's Musings for more headlines that will make you chuckle!

Oh, the games we play...

pssst -- *200th post coming up next!*

I love, love, love summers for ChellBell. She gets 3 months full of activities and swimming and hanging out with friends without the pressure of school (I know, I know, she's just going into the 3rd grade, but pressure is relative...).

But just to make sure she doesn't lose her "learning edge," we have a set theme for every week of the summer and plan activities and a memory verse that correspond. This week's theme is "The 5 Senses," and I have arranged activities each day of the week to coordinate with a different sense. In addition to that, ChellBell and her sweet nanny, Kala, are reading all about Helen Keller this week.

So after learning all about "sight" today, ChellBell invited her friend Sarah to come over to our house to do their favorite thing, which is jump on the trampoline in their swimsuits and have water fights at the same time. Today the water fight turned into a game of tag, and they ran around that trampoline soaking wet trying to tag each other. Hilarious to watch!

Funny that not much changes through the years, because, believe it or not, I've been tagged! My friends Becca at Texas Darlings and Kasey at All That is Good tagged me in this fun 6th folder/6th photo game. Fortunately, there was no water involved, and I did not have to wear a swimsuit! Here is my picture:

Definitely not the highest-quality pic that I have, but it's one of my favorites! This is ChellBell doing a dance/cheer routine in her school talent show back in June (in front of the WHOLE school!). I was so proud of her for going for it! Look at that herkie she's doing with her hair flying - makes a Mama proud...

Officially Addicted

To this...

I'm sure it's not much better than soda, but it does have "vitamin" in the name, so I am pretending that it's really, really good for me!

Wonderful Lazy Tuesday

I spent the day at home, accomplishing just enough work to say that I did something, but mainly resting. Our Nanny came and took ChellBell swimming, and the house was very quiet most of the day. It was interesting to see what our house must be like while we are at work.

The Big Dog slept all day except when his senses told him that there might just be a squirrel in the yard, and then he would get up, lumber around to the closest window, and begin barking loudly at the squirrel (or the yard if there was no squirrel) just to make everyone knew that a Big Dog was waiting inside.

The Little Dog is a cat-napper. He sleeps for just a short bit and then walks around looking for someone to give him attention, either trying to pick a fight with the Big Dog (just to have someone to play with), or coming over to see if I would scratch his ears. Then he'd lay down for another 15 minutes and start his little social parade all over again. I am convinced that this is where the shoe chewing and bad behavior must take place when I'm gone -- it cures his boredom.

Interesting that both dogs will snap out of the deepest sleep when the refrigerator door is opened. I know people say that dogs have a keen sense of smell, but my dogs have bionic ears. No bag of chips or pantry door can be opened without the dogs waking up and racing downstairs to beg for a treat.

Chris and ChellBell are back home, dinner dishes need to be washed, the TV is on, the dogs are no longer tired (on account of them sleeping all day). The phone is starting to ring, and there is no more quiet in this house.

Ah, but it was nice while it lasted.

Back to work tomorrow...

Catching Up and Playing Tag!

It has been another crazy week, and I've missed getting to catch up on everyone's posts.  But there is nothing better than a Saturday morning, sitting here with a cup of coffee, seeing what you all have been up to this week!

Jen over at Tatertots and Jello is celebrating her 200th post!  Go congratulate her and check out her giveaway -- she's so amazingly creative!

Becca at The Texas Darlings and Kasey at All That is Good tagged me in this very fun game.  So here I go!  I'm tagging 8 people at the end of the game...

8 Things I Am Looking Forward to:

-Date night with my husband tonight

-Celebrating the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday

-Hunting for eggs that I'm sure the Easter Bunny will leave for us

-ChellBell's formal portraits next weekend

-Throwing a party next Saturday for my friend Nicholas who just turned 40!

-Flip Flop weather

-Hanging out with Nancy and Renee and other bloggy friends in a couple of weeks

-Retirement (oh, a girl can dream...)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

-Thanked God for the gift of Jesus -- I'm so aware of how much I need a Savior!

-Worked really hard on a new proposal at the office

-Wished I had been able to take the whole day off to hang out with ChellBell

-Had my first mammogram

-Actually left the office early

-Went to happy hour and celebrated with my friend Nicholas

-Ran into my parents at dinner and ending up eating with them

-Kissed my sweet family and was reminded why I am so lucky to be loved by my Chris and ChellBell

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

-Find jobs for all the people who have lost them

-Move forward with Foster Parenting

-Blog more often

-A back handspring (but those days are long-gone)

-Find the time and motivation to work out consistently

-Make the perfect souffle

-Have a green thumb and make my yard look fantastic

-Own my own paper store with great invitations and gifts

8 Shows I Am Currently Watching:

-Heroes

-House

-American Idol

-Grey's Anatomy

-The Office

and only because ChellBell watches them constantly:

-iCarly

-Zoey101

-Drake and Josh

8 People I Am Tagging:

-Marci at Marci's Musings

-Carie at SheepishLion

-Sheri at It's the Journey... (she's new to the blogging world -- drop in and say hello!)

-Kelly at Fabulous K

-Nancy at Powell Family Blog

-Renee at The Sturgill Road

-Keri at Doing Life

(okay, that's only 7... )

Okay, friends, have a great day!

Donde Estas?

Pop Rocks has been quiet this week, but my life has been far from it.

I hoped to look like this:

In reality, I have looked like this:

But after a great weekend with Chris and ChellBell, I am refreshed and ready to jump back in to the work week tomorrow.  (Wish me luck!)

Are you ready for some Football?

I am working on a meaningful and thought-provoking post, but in the meantime:

A family conversation earlier this afternoon...

Chris:  Sunday night football is on tonight

Me:  So what.  I'd rather watch a movie.

ChellBell:  Are the Clownboys playing?

Chris and Me:  The who?

ChellBell: The Dallas Clownboys.  Isn't that our football team?

We're now in the third quarter of the game, and I have to say that I think ChellBell was on to something...

(sigh)

Lovely.

It's a word that has meant different things me to over the years.

As a 4 year old, it meant my baby doll, Betty, who went everywhere I went. She could open her eyes and make a muted "crying" sound. She had short, matted blonde hair and a blue and white dress. And to me, she was lovely.

At 10, lovely was a new pair of roller skates, the kind with 4 metal wheels. I wore the wheels out skating up and down our street in San Antonio and making figure-eights in the drive way.

At sixteen, lovely was a new car. A red one. And freedom to go anywhere (except at night and only with my Dad's permission).

After college came a new freedom, a scarier freedom, of being on my own. And the loveliest thing to me was my very own paycheck. Paying my own way. Doing it on my own with very few withdrawals from that money tree that Daddy had growing in his back yard.

Then came the amazing loveliness of marriage. And then a baby, who is growing into a confusing, dramatic, lovely young lady.

And the older I get, the loveliest of all are the people who share all of it with me. The friends and family who can look back and "remember when" and who are making those "remember when" moments with me now.

Look around you. Find the loveliest thing in your reach. Maybe it's the man you sleep next to at night. Or the extra hour of sleep that comes from "falling back." Maybe it's the roof over your head. Maybe it's the Bible on your nightstand. Maybe it's some great Tory Burch flats (okay, superficial, but they ARE quite lovely!). Maybe it's that you paid your bills this month. Maybe it's your little girl's laugh.

Regardless of where we are in life, most of us don't have to look far to see lovely. But if you can't see it in front of you, look back. And think about the loveliness you have walked through. And think about those who walked through it with you.

The mind is an amazing tool. It's the highest quality camera we can own. We should all spend some time flipping through the pages of its photo albums and being grateful for all of the things it brings to mind. And deliberately continuing to fill those pages with the small, sometimes seemingly insignificant memories of rainbows, time with friends, playing in the rain, and belly laughs.

For long after the mind has dulled, and its pictures have faded, the heart will still be amazingly full with a lifetime of memories that were... lovely.

A world bigger than mine

ChellBell's prayers tonight were sweet and included our dogs and Mama and Daddy and Morganne and Jack, as always.  But after her Amen, she started talking about how we should also  pray for dogs who are sick and kids who are sick.  

This led into an interesting discussion about families who don't have what they need.  ChellBell's list of things "families in need" are without: their very own computer in their room, a Wii, a cell phone, and shoes.

I'm sure my child is not the only 7-year old in America with a skewed idea of what "going without" means.  Which on one hand makes me comforted that she has not experienced hardship.  But on the other hand, it means that she can't experience true gratitude because she doesn't understand the value of what has been handed to her.

So we talked through the simple act of her bath tonight and all the things it "cost" for her to have that bath.  First, we pay for the house, so we can have a bathroom and a tub.  Then we pay for the electricity so there is light in the bathroom ("wow, Mama, you have to pay for electricity?! I thought it was free."), plus the gas that heats the water ("do some kids take cold baths?"), face soap, monogrammed towels, fluffy robe and slippers...

ChellBell thought about all of this and then asked, "so what is actually free?"

And then answered her own question with, "Sleep.  Mama, sleep is free, and we should get more of it.  Because we don't have to pay for it."

True.  I never quite thought of it quite like that, but she's right.

And I'm exhausted, so I'm off to get some free sleep.  

Lost and Found

School is off to a great start, and ChellBell is excited about the year. She has great new clothes, a fancy back-pack with wheels that light up, and some shoes that even I might try to fit into. And she's vowed to be a straight-A student this year (I wonder if she's just an over achiever, or she likes how we buy her stuff when she gets good grades -- not that I care about the motivation, because all Harvard will care about is her GPA).

So ChellBell showed up to school this week with everything in place -- lunch box, pencils, folders, and cell phone (discreetly hidden in back-pack). But here's the truth -- she's part of our family, and with that DNA comes the propensity to misplace things.

So all bets are on how long it will take before we make our first trip to the Lost and Found.

Even the thought of an elementary school Lost and Found makes my skin crawl. All those germ-infested sweaters, combs, hair bows, tennis shoes... things that should never be lost, but all make their way to the large cardboard box, in hopes that the person to whom they belong will come to claim them.

I have to tell you that I needed a Big Girl Lost and Found last week. One specifically for brains. I misplaced mine and needed a designated cardboard box where I was sure to find it or a suitable replacement (maybe trade up?). Maybe I'm too busy, or maybe I'm too old, or maybe it's somehow Chris' fault (which is the choice I like best), but lately I'm just forgetful.

Remember the old adage, "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan..." Well, that used to be me, but now I'd either forget to bring the bacon home or forget to turn the stove on while I was cooking.

Clearly a problem.

The worst of it was last week. I went through my very low-maintenance morning ritual and grabbed my work bag, purse, cell phone, suit jacket, coffee, and shoes and ran out the door. I have this bad habit of not wearing shoes out the door in the morning. I just throw them on the floor board and put them on once I get to my parking garage. My shoes are cute, but not necessarily comfortable. So I was having a normal morning -- put my make-up on at stop lights, took a few phone calls, and pulled into the parking garage at 8:12. Just in time to get the computer booted up and start my 8:30 meeting.

Oh, and my boss pulled up right next to me and waved. And waited for us to walk in together.

So I took one last sip of coffee. Threw my jacket on. And went to put on my shoes.

But there were no shoes.

Seriously, no shoes anywhere in my car.

And I panicked, realizing that somehow I had forgotten to grab my shoes.

With my boss standing next to my car waiting for me to walk in with him.

Now kids, I am not an advocate of lying. But at that moment I lied. Because I was NOT going to tell my boss that I did not bring shoes to work. So I rolled down the window and explained that I had gotten there without a cell phone and that I was just going to run home and grab it before the day got underway. Okay, so I lied and I was prideful. And for that I have prayed. But at that moment it seemed like a much better option than walking into the office barefoot with my boss.

I guarantee I will continue to forget things. But I will never forget to wear shoes to work again. I put some under my seat, so there is always a contingency plan...

Unfaithful

It's true. I've been two-timing. I've been distracted from blogging by my new infatuation with FaceBook. And I'm here to admit my guilt and apologize.

But I've been working on a few new posts. So we'll be back to our normal relationship in no time.

Gotta run. I just got 2 new notifications. (see, if you were on FaceBook, you'd know what I was talking about).

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Once upon a time there was Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Er, actually there was RedCurlyLocks and just one bear. One bear named YaYa. Here's the story:

Once upon a time there was a little baby girl named ChellBell with the most wonderful Red Curly Hair a girl could ever wish to have.

ChellBell was determined from an early age that she needed to talk and would constantly put together sounds that kinda-sorta sounded like words.

One day ChellBell received a gift from a family friend. A big white box with a pink ribbon on it. ChellBell squealed with delight and tore open the box. With both hands, she pulled from the bottom of the box a fuzzy, quirky, cute, stuffed brown bear.

"YA YA!" she screamed.

And the name stuck. And has been sticking for almost 7 years. (Though YaYa has been a "he" some of the time and a "she" some of the time, the name has never changed).

Remember when you had a stuffed animal that was literally your best friend? Yep, that's ChellBell's YaYa. There isn't much that happens around our house without him. He's a member of the family.

I do remember the episode where YaYa was forgotten at school and left overnight. Hysterical crying at our house, wondering if YaYa was safe, and would he be scared, and would he ever forgive us for leaving him in a lonely place. And, as you guessed, there was not a wink of sleep at our house that night. (Fortunately, he was fine when we found him the next morning, though he had a crick in his neck and a little chip on his shoulder, but nothing a few hugs couldn't take care of).

In the past few years, ChellBell's collection of what we call "soft babies" has grown immensely because of Webkinz and gifts from friends. She has American Girl dolls and 23 Barbies. But nothing trendy will ever trump her YaYa. He always has a place right next to her watching all the action (this picture is from picking blackberries -- he kept eating them, and we had to make him stop).

YaYa's fur isn't quite what it used to be. He's a little more worn in his face from all the kisses, and his paws are starting to lose fur from being dragged around so much. His face, though, has gotten a little bit smarter, his eyes a bit shinier and his smile a little bigger. Because this bear has known more love than most people ever will in a lifetime. This bear has a true blue friend in his RedCurlyLocks.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." -The Velveteen Rabbit

Tell me about a soft baby that you have loved until it was "Real"...

Truth or Dare

There are a lot of things that you don't know about another person until you live with them long enough for them to drop their guard and be themselves. Since I only have a couple of extra bedrooms, and it would seriously take weeks for you all to come stay with me, I thought I'd speed up the process of your exclusive intimate peek inside my life.

If you lived with me, you'd learn:

That I am a procrastinator
That I really do wash my hands every time I go to the bathroom
That I'm not very organized
That I don't really make my own pie crust, but I'll hide the Pillsbury wrapper and say it's from scratch
That I turn on every lamp downstairs at night in case someone were to be walking their dog and look into my house (please return the favor, I love to peek)
That I wash my hair in the bathtub
That I hate it when the chairs aren't pushed in
That I am constantly moving accessories from one room to another
That I can't keep a plant alive
That I love to play the piano
That I am not a very good piano player
That I have to have a napkin in my lap when I eat
That I love American Idol and and call in votes for David Cook
That I have my own Webkinz account
That I sing at the top of my lungs to Kenny Loggins when I am cooking
That I will open a bottle of champagne just because it's Tuesday
That we pray a lot at our house
That I love to fall asleep on the sofa
That I screen my phone calls
That I push the snooze button 3 times in the morning
That I'm still trying to figure out this Mom thing
That I hate to be late
That my feet stink
That I really do love the little dog

And if I stayed at your house, I would learn...?

8 Days of Definitions

Overwhelmed: (ō'vər-hwělm', -wělmd') adj.
1. To overflow and bury beneath; to engulf; hence, figuratively, to immerse and bear down; to overpower.

2. Starting a new job and learning new systems, managing a new team, and feeling a slight bit of pressure to hit the ground running and be wildly successful by the end of Week Two.

Grateful: (grāt'fəl) adj.

1. Appreciative of benefits received; thankful.
2. Having Mom complete her first administration of chemotherapy with few side effects [also see Answered Prayers]
3. Suffering only a short power outage during a damaging tornado on Thursday, though the neighborhoods surrounding us went without power for two days (oh, and the school, too).
4. ChellBell's feeling about there being no school for two days in a row because there was no power. [also see Kids Dream Comes True]

Squeal: (skwēl) v.

1. To give forth a loud shrill cry or sound.

2. The sound heard continually at Anne's amazing American Girl birthday party, Limo Ride and all!

Determined: (dĭ-tûr'mĭn) adj.

1. Resolute; decided; settled; resolved.

2. ChellBell discovering her first wiggly tooth and eating 3 apples a day to try to get it out, just so she can see if there really is a tooth fairy or if it is her parents like Bailey told her at school last week. [also see curious and growing up]

Withdrawals: (wĭth-drô'əlz) n.

1. The physiological and mental readjustment that accompanies discontinuation of an addictive substance.

2. Not getting to blog for 8 days because there is simply no time. [refer back to Overwhelmed]

Breathe: (brēth) v.

1. To pause to rest or regain breath.

2. Having the perfect weather on a Saturday and getting to spend it with family, flying kites, playing with the dog, and eating a picnic lunch.

I Quit!

After a short but impressively convincing courtship by a new staffing company in the area, I have turned in a two week notice to my current employer.

I HATE changing jobs. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Even though I am convinced that I am going to THE MOST amazing company that I could be a part of, I dread the change.

Change is hard for me. Even in the littlest aspects of my life. So having to re-train the car to go to a new part of town, and getting used to a new office and a new bathroom... YIKES. And we haven't talked about a new team and a new computer system and a new mouse and a new chair. (excuse me while I schedule an emergency appointment with my therapist). Assimilation is just downright painful for me.

But here I go... And no doubt will be glad I did in about two weeks.

But before I go, Chris and I thought it would be nice to take a trip for a few days. So we started planning where we would go -- Vegas, New Orleans, Colorado. Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I feel the tension going away. But then Chris realized that it just isn't practical for him to take time off right now because of everything going on at work. So I decided that I would just take off for a few days by myself and check into the Four Seasons and go to the spa and have breakfast and mimosas in bed and get some rest.

Funny how the plans started off so big and grandios. But my little-miss-practical-side keeps screaming at me about all I could be accomplishing around the house instead of lying around at the Four Seasons, and I've given in. So no get-away for me. My week has now ended up becoming a checklist of to-do's:

• Get a new Social Security Card with my married name on it (since we're nearing our 12 year anniversary)
• Organize the play room
• Unpack the Spring Clothes
• Get the dogs groomed
• Get the garage door fixed
• Paint ChellBell's new bedroom

Fun and enticing, isn't it? I did manage to make an appointment for a spa day in there, but that will be the extent of excitement during my time off.

So if you can help me out with an arguement for little-miss-practical, my little-miss-wants-to-have-fun side would be very appreciative!


PS. ChellBell was singing karaoke last night and has a new fondness for Pat Benetar's I Love Rock and Roll, especially the line "Put another dime in the juice box, baby"!!!

Do You Like Me? Check one: Yes No Maybe

Brings back memories, doesn't it? Note passing. The old-fashion version of the text message. And I was the consumate note-passer. Notes to friends about what we should all wear tomorrow (God forbid you wear red and I show up in yellow). Notes about the teacher. Notes about cheer practice. Notes about boys.

Then there were notes to the boys. And from the boys. And they always were about being liked. Except when they were about not being liked. You know, those horrid, crushing no-I-don't-like-you notes.

You would think we would outgrow the Yes No Maybe notes. But unfortunately, NO. We've just made them look oh-so mature and put a dot com on it. My Space, FaceBook, Linked In.

Let's talk about Linked In. LinkedIn.com is a database of 20+ million professionals, where you can find people by querying their name, employer, or profession. You can find people that you "used to know". And then you invite these people to "link" with you and become part of your on-line network. You send a note, "Will you Link with me?" Yes No Maybe.

Unfortunately, I'm an addict. Even moreso than note passing. Maybe even moreso than texting and blogging. I love to get on Linked In and watch my numbers of connections grow and grow.

But when it comes to sending those invitations to "link", I seriously get this nervous feeling in my stomach. What if people I "used to know" just let my request sit in their inbox ("pending" is the term that LinkedIn politely uses, but it is definitely a Maybe. A I-need-some-time-to-think-about-it answer.) Even worse, what if they decline? What if they just simply don't want to connect?

Linked In also publishes the number of connections each person has. Right next to their name. And there are special Linked In groups for those members with lots and lots of connections. The really popular people. Their names say "500+" next to them. It's like an indication of status:

Joe Smith, CFO, 500+

or in other words

Joe Smith, Really smart guy with lots of friends

And how do you think that makes the rest of us feel, Joe Smith???

Well, who knows, maybe one day I too will be a 500+ Linked In member with access to special groups that probably don't really do any good but still look impressive on a member profile.

So if you'd like to help in the cause, please come Link with me. Oh, and go ahead and nominate me for Homecoming Queen while you're at it.