ABCs of Me (and maybe You too)

Wasting time when I should be cleaning my house, cooking dinner, or something else constructive . . . received from a Facebook friend and hadn't done a "list" in a quite a while so here it is . . .

ABC's
You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

A - Age: 38

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate to do: Dust

D - Dog's name: No dog

E - Essential start your day item: Coke

F - Favorite color: Pink (in general), Black (to wear)

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5 '2"

I - Instruments you play: Piano

J - Job title: Mom/Cake Designer/Internet Retailer/Instructor

K - Kids: 2

L - Living arrangements: We live in a house

M - Mom's name: Ofelia

N - Nicknames: Lissa

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Stayed overnight when 3 day old baby had to go back due to jaundice, but I wasn't the sick one!

P - Pet Peeve: Public signage with bad grammar/spelling

Q - Quote from a movie: I don't have one yet

R - Right or left handed: Left

S - Siblings: 1

T - Time you wake up: I will wake up 6 hrs after going to sleep, so that's usually around 9 am if left to my own internal clock. But that never happens, so my alarm clock wakes up much earlier!

U - Underwear: optional

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussels Sprouts

W - Ways you run late: not paying attention to the time; need to wear a watch and actually look at it

X - X-rays you've had: shoulder

Y - Yummy food you make: cakes!

Z -Zoo favorite: National Zoo, Washington DC

It's All Personal

Or, Really, Really ?!*%&$#@ Mother's Day Gifts

If you're a Mom, what did you get for Mother's Day? Brunch with your family and a complimentary rose? (Or better yet, complimentary Mimosas?) A day off from cooking and other mundane mommy-chores? Or maybe even a store-bought gift? I sent my own Mom her favorite perfume and a card across the miles since we couldn't spend the day together.

I was excitedly summoned to the living room on Sunday morning by my kids for the presentation of a mysterious gift that arrived earlier that week. Hints of a wonderful "surprise" had me slightly curious, although in all honesty, I've learned over the past 8 years that lowering your expectations to the point of nothingness is really the way to go with this holiday. There were homemade cards that the girls created at school and at home, and of course, I always love and appreciate those. Thalia also made me a "rock person" at school, and even has the hot-glue gun burns to prove it! But last of all was the piece de resistance:


Don't you love it?! What do you mean, what is it? My FACE on M&Ms of course, silly goose!!! Yeah, because every Mom wants to eat her own face in chocolate, right?!

As a bonus, the M&Ms also have custom sayings on them:
Best Mom Ever!
Terrific Wife!

I was rather underwhelmed by my gift. I think Thalia picked up on that right away, because she quickly said "It was Daddy's idea." And so it was. Apparently my spouse thought it was a great gift idea. Interesting. Of course my little half-pints went along with it, what do they know? Candy for Mom? Hooray! They chose the colors, pink and platinum.

To humor them, I opened one of the three packages of customized M&Ms and let my kids eat my face. Several times in fact.




And then I got up off the couch and went back to bed for three more hours. Happy Mother's Day, y'all.

Cheap Eats

I've been both amazed and repelled by all the posts and articles I've read lately about how to feed your family on next to nothing. One of my favorite blogs asked readers to comment on their favorite cheap meals. Wow! These ladies don't mess around--one Mom feeds her family of four for less than $8.50 a meal. Another made dinner for two for $7.38. Both cooked meals from scratch. Yum!

What kind of grossed me out and yet fascinated me at the same time were the "recipes" or "meals" that consisted entirely of packaged or processed foods. Some call them "pantry staples." Full disclosure: our pantry has quite a few of these staples (Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Pilaf, Cornbread Mix, etc.) so I'm not knocking them altogether. But a whole menu of canned/boxed food? Hmm. For example, the dinner made up of 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, and 1 can of meat or meatless chili. Heat in a pan and serve. Doctor it up with spices if necessary. Hmm. Or this one: Top Ramen cooked with only a little bit of water and add a can of Pork-n-Beans at the end. OMG.

So here is my "quick-scratch" contribution to eating in these lean times (and what we had for dinner last night):

Easy Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

Leftover boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, shredded or sliced (1 - 2 cups or whatever you have)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, shredded
2 ribs of celery, sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
Leftover cooked pasta (regular or whole wheat, any shape, about 2 cups or whatever you have; I have used penne, rotini and thin spaghetti)
Chow Mein Noodles (ie. La Choy)

Dressing:
4 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
2. Toss chicken, pasta and all vegetables together with the dressing. Add a few handfuls of chow mein noodles on top. Best if served immediately. (**If you are serving the salad much later, you can leave out the lettuce and chow mein noodles and add them right before serving to keep them crisp**).

Makes about 6 servings, can be stretched by adding more pasta and lettuce. Since I buy most of my produce at Costco, this meal is really economical. For example, 6 heads of romaine for $3! Enough celery for a month for about the same price. About $1.50 worth of carrots, green onion and cucumber combined. And I always have these particular Asian ingredients on hand anyway, so I didn't have to go out of my way for them and they seem to last forever in my fridge. Definitely a yummy cheap meal!

*Variations: You can add/omit vegetables based on what's in your fridge. For example, I think it would look/taste really great with some red bell pepper strips or mandarin oranges. You can omit the pasta if you don't like/have any. You can substitute roasted cashews or friend wonton strips instead of chow mein noodles.

Recipe adapted from a much more involved one in Every Grain of Rice by Ellen Blonder & Annabel Low

Guilty Pleasures: 16 Free Romance Reads

It's rare these days when I squeal with delight. (It sounds funny just to type it.) But squeal I did when I read about Harlequin's FREE book download from the Barnes & Noble website. Make that downloads as there are 16 free books in all. Yippeeeee!

As one who was a closet romance novel reader for a few years before "coming out," I'm very proud to share this gift with everyone (all 4 of you loyal friends who might be reading this!). Be warned, the downloads are low-tech: PDF files. No Kindle or Sony Reader downloads here. Who cares? Free books!

I almost never read Harlequin books, but I'm looking forward to sampling some of the romance genres represented among the freebies. NASCAR romance, anyone?

And for any non-romance readers, B&N is also giving away nine FREE MP3 Audiobook downloads as well. An interesting mix of authors, such as Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain and Alice Munro. Something for everyone.

So get to reading already!

Image from eHarlequin.com

Family Fued

So I've been tagged by Janine in yet another Facebook "list", but this time I'm willing to play along because it really did remind me of watching "Family Fued"!

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE MY ANSWERS! Copy this note and write a new note. Then erase my answers and fill in your answers. Tag your friends and don't forget to tag me too. Remember, you can't use the same answer as the person who sent it to you. Remember, if my answers are dumb, it's because the person before me had the good ones!

1. Name something you use in the shower? Bath gel

2. Name something a football player wears under his uniform? Athletic supporter

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshield? Flyers stuck to the wipers that will NOT fly off!

4. Name something a man might buy before a date? Breath mints

5. What is another word for blemish? Zit

6. Something you cook in the microwave? Leftovers

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving? Piano

8. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner? Pees on the carpet when company arrives

9. Name a kind of test you cannot study for? blood test

10. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for? camping

11. Name a phrase with the word "home" in it? Home run

12. Name a sport where players lose teeth? Skateboarding

13. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day? Assign detention

14. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying? Red eyes

15. Name something a person wears even if it has a hole in it? Underwear

16. Name something that gets smaller the more you use it? Ball of yarn

Hot Mom, Hot Kid?

"I love how they dress their age.

And I don't love how that's remarkable."

~ Recent anonymous comment online about Sasha and Malia Obama
I'm back after a "Spring Break" from posting and then getting caught up at home from the Break! It takes a whole week to recover from Spring Break around here.
Anyway, my previous post was about looking older than I was 20 years ago, and today's is about even younger kids who do so as well. And I don't mean "looking older" in a dowdy, frumpy kind of way, like I did! I do mean 8 year old girls who are dressed by their parents to look like they are 16 yr old Lolitas. And this is a uniquely girl-only phenomenon. (Little boys start dressing like little men when they're a year old and continue to dress the same until they really are little old men.) If you are the parent of a girl, you know what I'm talking about unless you sew all your kid's clothing yourself and never have to go shopping for girls' clothes. And lucky YOU!
Suffice it to say that once you cross the line between infant/toddler outfits and girls 'size 6 and up' (and often even before you've crossed the line), you have to steel yourself against the slutty, tacky or merely inappropriate "Mini Me" clothes that are all they sell at many stores. If it's ever been your dream to have your kid dress exactly like you, well they certainly can! Right down to that Mommy tatoo on your arm/hip/ankle/lower back. It's a real and constant challenge to pick outfits for my almost 8 year old daughter from what's available that don't scream "tiny slut."
So for example, a bra for me, a bra for little 5 year old her:

This is a size 30AA bra that is basically sized to fit a little girl. Really little girl.

Attitude tee for me, attitude tee for 7 year old her:

Such cute graphics and not-so-cute sayings on tees.

Other actual attitude t-shirt sentiments seen on actual girls:

“Santa Loves a Hot Cookie”

"Dinner: $60. Movie: $40 dollars This shirt off: Priceless.'"

Sexy undies for me, sexy undies for 8 year old her:

Size 7-10. Won't these look great peeking out from the top of her jeans?

And don't even get me started on parents who dress their kids just plain old inappropriate for the occasion! For example, I can't tell you the number of kids I see daily, even in the winter, who are wearing flip flops to P.E. class at my daughter's school. Or tank tops on cold, wet days. Or shorts with high heel sandals all day at school when it's 42 degrees outside. Whatever.
So it's just been so nice to see photos of the First Daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, who are 10 and 7 yrs old respectively, dressed as girls who are 10 and 7 yrs old! Wow, dressing age-appropriately, what a concept! All the body parts that need to be covered up are and nothing detracts from their smiles or from their primary mission: to just be kids.

Twenty Years Ago

Totally 80s style blue floral print Multiples outfit, plus icky 80s shoes and my favorite fake Fendi bag. Visiting Stanford University, March 1989.

My absolute favorite Multiples outfit--loved, loved, loved this one! I wore this everywhere. Apparently also wore the denim jacket everywhere too! A view of the Golden Gate Bridge after just crossing it. March 1989.

The new Units/Multiples by Sandra Garratt, the original designer of the 80s fashion craze. They look almost exactly the same and the prices aren't bad either. (Photo from Sandra Garratt Design website)

I posted the first two photos on Facebook three months ago, after my friend Tyra sent me a link to a website about the founder of Units. Units, and later Multiples, were these amazing cotton/poly knit separates (excellent quality, never faded) that were "convertible"--you could mix and match the solids (later prints too), wear certain pieces in different ways (as a belt or as a tube top!) and they were one size fits all. And according to the new website, the designer is selling her Units pieces again starting this year!

I hunted up pics of me wearing my beloved Units/Multiples pieces, and found several. These were from my Spring Break trip to visit family in the San Francisco Bay area in March 1989. Although I loved these outfits so much, I realized how OLD they made me look, and not in a good way. Dowdy-looking old, not sophisticated and chic old(er)! My uncle, who drove me to Stanford the day I wore the blue outfit, told me I looked "middle-aged." I didn't think so then, but he was soooo right!

I decided to post these pics on my blog because they were taken exactly twenty years ago this week. I was 18 years old in these pics, and yesterday, I turned 38 years old. 20 YEARS. Wow. The question is, if I wore Units/Multiples now, would I look my own age (now that I am middle-aged) or would I look even older?!

Goodbye, Facebook (kind of)

It's official: I'm over Facebook. I still think it's a great time-waster and reunion place for people I've lost touch with since elementary school. But I no longer feel compelled to update my status or check FB compulsively.

I read this great blog post about why this woman left Facebook and found myself laughing at how funny and yet true it all was.

Several people I know, including my hubby, have voiced their privacy concerns about social networking sites like Facebook. Seriously, I think the idea of Internet "privacy" is overrated! I have no problem putting my information "out there" in exchange for the privilege of shopping, doing research and generally being entertained by various websites and blogs online. I'm not a famous person and likely won't be, so I doubt there is a whole lot of interest in my personal information anyway. So I'm not shying away because of privacy issues.

My real reason for taking a break from Facebook is just because I'm kind of bored with it and would like to meet people in person for a change! Or maybe just through other venues besides FB. Time spent online in general is time sucked into a huge vacuum and I can't ever get it back. Time that possibly could be spent on other things. Like hanging out with my husband and kids (who are not on FB), enjoying the all-too-short spring Texas weather, planning my upcoming vacation, etc. I'm sure I'll fill up that time with something!

I'll be checking my account now and then because now that I've reconnected with so many people I had missed for so many years, I still want to stay in touch. I've really enjoyed meeting for lunch with my found-on-Facebook friend from high school, for example. And catching up on another found-on-Facebook friend's awesome foodie blog. Facebook began as a really strange thing for me because I had to lie and say I was a college student in order to get an account a few years ago, and then everyone and their dog showed up and it got really fun, for a while, but now it's time to move on. I may have to sneak back in too for a round of Scramble or such; I think I might miss those games most of all!

A Rotic Invitation

Happy Valentine's Day, 3 days late! I never thought I'd say this, but I am heartily sick of chocolate, candy, cookies, and other sweets from this past holiday. Ugh.

Last Thursday I picked up a flyer at Nordstrom's shoe department, where I treated myself to some cute pre-spring shoes in honor of Valentine's day (yes, any excuse will do). The flyer was an invitation to a shopping event at Nordstrom on Valentine's Day:

Join us for a "Rotic" Evening
What's Rotic? It's Romantic without the man!! Do you have plans? If not join the gals for a night of shopping!! Enjoy treats & a movie while shopping the latest trends!!

At first glance, I thought I was reading the word "erotic"! But instead "Romantic without the man"! I love it! As it turns out, I've had a standing "date" on Valentine's Day now for over 17 years, but if I didn't, I would have been at the Rotic event in a heartbeat. A shopping party! Seriously, who needs a man when there's shopping to be done?!

Valentine's Day is a fun holiday for kids--valentines and treats for everyone, no one gets their feelings hurt anymore. But no so for grown-ups, especially those who are still looking for their one and onlies. I'd be lying if I said I'd never been disappointed on a Valentine's Day. But then again, it's just a day.

In fact, I may be the first one in line at the next Rotic Valentine event.

25 Things: Redux

Yes, they're everywhere! The 25 random things about me/you/your dog that no one wants to read anymore on Facebook and everywhere else! haha But just for those of my pals who aren't on FB, here you go:
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. Between Kinder and 12th grade, I attended 7 different schools. And no, my father was not in the military. He just loved to move around.

2. I like eating sour cream just by itself.

3. I absolutely love to read. In 9th grade, my English teacher said something like “A person cannot consider himself well-read if he doesn’t read at least 2 books every month.” With the exception of college, when I had to read too much for all of my classes, I have consciously tried to meet and exceed her standard for the past 23 years.

4. I have 3 college degrees, all from the University of Texas at Austin. None have been particularly useful in my daily life, but I loved being a college student.

5. People who walk around with very expensive designer purses/shoes/whatever but complain to me that they can’t pay their mortgage/car/utility bills annoy me. I don’t feel sorry for them at all. I thank my parents for instilling in me a healthy sense of establishing priorities.

6. I have been a cake decorating/sugar art instructor since 1998, with a little time off in between to have some kids.

7. I was excessively shy growing up, compounded no doubt by constantly being the “new girl” at different schools, and finally found my own voice in college.

8. I have a mild fear of flying now that only developed when I was pregnant with my first child and has not gone away. Prior to that, I would hop on an airplane going anywhere like it was a city bus.

9. I discovered when I was 6 months pregnant with my first child that I love to scrapbook! My child’s earliest memories from the womb are probably of me frantically scrapbooking until 3 a.m. for the entire third trimester. I’ve also taught scrapbooking classes for Michaels.

10. I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever in my lifetime.

11. For a long time I used to love to collect random little “things” for various reasons. Over the years I’ve grown to dislike “things” around me and have to restrain myself from taking beloved “things” away from my kids. Seeing 40+ years worth of collected “things” all over (taking over) my in-laws’ house has cured me of “collecting” forever!

12. I have lived in 4 cities/towns in Texas plus Chicago and Seattle in my lifetime.

13. I wanted to have 2 girls, and God blessed me with 2 girls. I just didn’t know that they would be extremely different from one another!

14. I love to give things away, to friends and total strangers who can really use them. I also love to give birthday gifts and treats at different holidays. I get this from both of my parents, who would gladly give you the clothes off their back if you asked. I don’t care as much about receiving gifts and encourage my kids to “be a giver” by having no-gifts-please birthday parties each year. And seriously, they don’t care/haven’t noticed the difference! Other people think we are totally nuts, however.

15. I wish I could sing better. I love karaoke, and have a typical Asian karaoke setup that we almost never use.

16. I have been a Girl Scout Leader, on and off, since 2000, before I even had daughters of my own.

17. I am an INFJ.

18. I have known my husband since we were 16 years old, over half my lifetime. We’ve been married almost 11 years after dating/living together for 7 years. We complement each other because he likes to look at the big picture, whereas I am all about the tiny little details of life.

19. Motherhood is absolutely the hardest job I’ve ever had. I simultaneously love and despise it daily.

20. I was a Financial Aid Officer many years ago which pretty much made me immune to (crocodile) tears on students’ faces. They cried all the live long day.

21. I have not cleaned a bathtub or shower in my house since 2000 when my husband decided the fumes were bad for baby in utero, said he would do it himself, and hasn’t stopped since. I love this man.

22. I am an exercise hater. I only do it so I can fit into my clothes. I hear people say that exercise gives them so much energy, but it just makes me want to take a very long nap afterwards.

23. I would love to live in another country, not forever, but just a little while, with my family.

24. I recently learned that I’m part of the new “Gig Economy.” Some “gigs” from the past 9 years: custom cake designer, stationery/gifts Internet retailer, teaching classes in the evenings and weekends in different cities, supervisor/reader for an educational testing company from my laptop. All stuff that looks really odd on a resume.

25. I love to make lists.

Kitty Kouture

If you've read my family blog, you might have guessed already that I heart Hello Kitty. Last month I was in the MAC store at the mall, and the salesperson mentioned that a new Hello Kitty line would be out at the beginning of February.

I had forgotten all about it until the other day, and rushed online to check it out, but they don't go on sale until next week. But I did get a sneak peek of the new line, and it's all soooooooo damn cute:

Photos from Temptalia.com

I think I'm going to want everything in this line. They even have non-cosmetic accesories, like a key clip and a bracelet too! Good think my birthday is just around the corner . . .

Just One Word

Cool time-waster lifted from my friend Shannon's FB page.

USING ONLY ONE WORD! It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from!

1. Where is your cell phone? car

2. Your significant other? dylan

3. Your hair? ok

4. Your mother? active

5. Your father? working

6. Your favorite thing? reading

7. Your dream last night? none

8. Your favorite drink? coke

9. Your dream/goal? happiness

10. What room are you in? office

11. Your hobby? scrapbooks

12. Your fear? regret

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? austin

14. Where were you last night? home

16. Muffins? chocolate

17. Wish list item? time

18. Where you grew up? texas

19. Last thing you did? drove

20. What are you wearing? sweatshirt

21. Your TV? digital

22. Your pets? none

23. Friends? wonderful

24. Your life? good

25. Your mood? mellow

26. Missing some one? nancy

27. Car? volkswagen

28. Something you're not wearing? bra

29. Your favorite store? nordstrom

30. Your favorite color? pink

33. When is the last time you laughed? today

34. Last time you cried? thurs

35. Who will resend this? few

36. One place that I go to over and over? costco

37. One person who emails me regularly? dallas

38. My favorite place to eat? chinese

39. Why you participated in this survey? interested

40. What are you doing tonight? teaching

Sad

One of my favorite blogs to read daily has ended, and I feel so bereft. I loved it not because the blogger leads a glamorous life with exciting posts about her adventures around the world, but because she is a mom of 3 (although mostly grown) kids and loves to cook and putter around in her home. And she is a writer and I have such an affinity and admiration for those who make magic with words. She lives in one of my favorite cities in the world, in another country, and I loved all the local references to places there I have visited. I have never met this woman in my life, but feel like I know her and her family through her words and what she has shared of her life experiences. Very grateful for that as a total stranger given the privilege to know another total stranger but feel very connected.

She has decided to go "unplugged," disconnecting her Internet today and ending her blog after 16 months of posts about everything and anything. She writes:

Now I’m going to move on, unclench the tight grip this computer has over me and try to rediscover and enjoy other aspects of my life. Things that I have let fall by the wayside.

It is time for me to simplify.

That takes alot of courage and discipline! I know how much I depend on the Internet for my daily amusements and communications. But I admire her desire to simplify her life. I discovered her blog only a few months after she started it, and checking in with Meg became a natural part of my day, five minutes of chatty musings, recipes and inspiration from another Mom who'd already been through everything I am going through right now. The craziness of parenthood when the kids are small. And to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and the tunnel isn't as long as you think it is and someday you'll yearn for those days again as she often does.

I hope she'll leave her blog up anyway, for those days when I want the comfort of familiar words (like watching a favorite movie I've already seen a hundred times). I wish I could thank her, but she's never taken comments or emails so I just hope she realizes that there are many of us who loved visiting her peaceful, tranquil site.

"Porcelain Mary" and Other Etiquette Dilemmas

Photo from Miss Conduct's blog

I love discovering new blogs that I really love. (Overuse of the word love?) I stumble upon other blogs all the time, independent or sponsored by some other entity, but rarely find one I want to revisit often. And I love when the blog has been around for a while, providing me with lots of entertaining backreading as well. Today, I happened upon Miss Conduct's Blog during some research on the subject of "etiquette" for my business blog.

Miss Conduct offers some very good advice about everyday etiquette; according to her bio, she writes a weekly advice column for the Boston Globe Magazine. People ask all sorts of questions, and I mean all sorts, and she answers them. And she has her own humorous anecdotes to relate. I have been laughing out loud for the better part of half an hour already.

I haven't backread very far yet, but here are two of my favorite "issues" so far: Popcorn at the Movies and Toilet Decor. I also like that her blog is regional (and not my own region of the country) and at the same time, universal. Good manners are never out of style anywhere, right?

I'm adding Miss Conduct to my list of faves today.

Love This

I just love this pic! The NY Times chose such a charming, intimate photo for it's cover page. Can you just imagine what the First Couple were saying to each other as they walked the parade route?! I love how they're holding hands.

Youth . . . Optimism . . . Energy . . . Family . . . Hope

These are some of the words I heard used over and over again on Inauguration Day. It's going to be so nice to have a First Family with children near the same ages as mine. Everyone who has kids knows that kids help you keep it real. They connect you to the world in so many ways that you never expected before you had them.

And I so admire the Obamas for having a grandmother who lives with them, helping to raise the children. How many families in this country are struggling to find affordable, reliable child care and are yet cut off from family members who could help provide this kind of support? Because it truly takes a village to raise a child. Coming from an Asian background, it is nothing but natural to me to see a wise, helpful Grandma move in to help with kids. My own parents live over an hour away, but will come on a moment's notice if needed to help out in any way with the girls or our other every day needs. That's simply how it's done in our culture, and likely the same in traditional African American culture as well.

Icky

From a blogger I follow daily and whose writing I admire, on watching Obama's inauguration:

The pastor is speaking now. He irritates me. He is sooo pompous and full of himself. I can feel huge ego emanating from him. Icky.

Thank God, he is done. Now Aretha Franklin is going to sing. Hopefully that will get the taste of that pastor out of my mouth.

YES, that is exactly how I felt watching him on Tuesday! Icky indeed. I am not into his books. I have never trusted him. Gave one of his books away when I received it as a gift (from someone I can't stand anyway).

I'm just glad Warren's bit part was at the beginning of the event rather than the end. The "rhyming reverend" Lowery gave a warm and even humorous (who says you can't smile and laugh in prayer?!) benediction to close out the event. Some have said his words were racist, but I wasn't offended (and I'm the "yellow" one). I liked him and his genuine words way more than Pastor Icky.

The Choice of a New Generation

Michelle Obama, who've I written about before as my new "friend in my head," is about to receive the best 45th birthday present ever! She celebrated her real birthday two days ago, but can anyone argue that watching the husband you helped elect get sworn in as President of the United States isn't the most wonderful birthday gift?!

I am soooo excited about tomorrow and will spend as much of it in front of the TV witnessing history along with everyone else. I actually have friends who are in DC and will be part of the actual throng of well-wishers, but I'm ok with my front-row seat at home!

The voters of the United States of America did a very grown up thing last November by voting for change. Not the kind of change that looks and talks like what we already have right now, or at least for 12 or so more hours, but real change. You know it's a good thing when your friends in other countries are congratulating you and your nation for the choice we've made!

The thing about change, however, is that it always has to hurt a little bit. Or at least make us uncomfortable. I hope, when the post-inaugural euphoria dies down, that we don't give up immediately on Mr. Obama and the plans that he and his team have for us. I'm just so grateful that it's him at the helm, and hope everyone else will just get behind him for the long haul. Who knows what miracles will occur in the next four years?

New Pepsi . . .

Obama . . .

Old-school Pepsi

And now, slightly on- and off-topic: When I bought a twelve-pack of Pepsi in December because it was on sale, I noticed that the logo on the box and cans was new, in a retro-ish kind of way. Two seconds later I thought that it looked alot like the Obama campaign's logo. (Clever? Pepsi's capitalization of Obama's popularity? But if you think back (waaaaaay back), the Obama logo actually looks like the old Pepsi logo. The one you saw when you were about 4 years old on the one-liter bottles, the kind you never see anymore.)

Today, I remembered the slogan from the old Pepsi ads and commercials from the 80s. As Pepsi was then, so Obama is now: The Choice of a New Generation.

Enjoy tomorrow, y'all!

Images from Google Images

Plaid Stallions

Getting sick always sucks. But being sick during the holidays really sucks. So unfair. I wish I could have a do-over for the two weeks I was "out" (and still officially not 100% yet). All the things I didn't get to do, the friends I didn't get to see. Oh well, enough complaining. My blog's been calling out to me, begging to be updated, but I've ignored it because, you guessed it, I've been feeling sick lately!

Today's post was going to be a rant about some aspect of volunteerism in the parenting sphere, but then I changed my mind because that would just depress us all. Saving that for later! haha

Instead, I guarantee that I will bring a smile to everyone's faces (who is actually reading this). Everyone, I present the blog I go to whenever I need an honest-to-goodness laugh: The Plaid Stallions. Both the blog and the website are seriously fall-out-of-your-chair and pee-in-your-pants funny if you were a child of the Seventies. If you weren't, then it might be mildly amusing or even downright confusing. But if you lived it, you will love it!

I think if I were a male with a little more time on my hands (ok, alot more time) then I could have dreamed up this website. As it is, I have been obsessed with catalogs since I was a child. Obsessed. Apparently, so was the owner of Plaid Stallions. The only difference is that he kept alot of his catalogs and keeps finding more, and I don't have any of mine because my Mom threw them away.

The website name is Plaid Stallions: Rambling and Reflections on 70s Pop Culture. Plaid Stallions, in it's own words, is "mocking the seventies a catalog page at a time." Seventies toys, fashions, housewares, Halloween costumes, etc. are all there in living catalog color and even some vintage TV commercials. The blog is a daily feast of 70s gems such as:


and this:

(For more 70s "fashion" commentary, see my earlier post about this on my other blog.)

It's not always cheesy fun though. Sometimes I just have to smile really big when I see the toys from my childhood so lovingly revered:

I LOVED THIS TOY! I still have it, my girls play with it, and the elevator still works!

Received excitedly some of this for Christmas, either 1977 or 1978, only to have my Mom give it to the neighbor's child when we moved away. Still mourning the loss 30 years later.

And some days I even feel sad (again) about the toys I desperately wanted but never could convince my Mom to buy:

Barbie Airplane, as seen briefly at a birthday party in the mid-70s and always wanted, even now!

This website and blog brings back memories of pretty much my entire 70s life-- what my parents wore, what my brother and I played with for a whole decade, what we watched on TV, the colors and textures of the world around me.

It's Never What We Think It Is

On the last day of 2008, one more disappointment pertinent to this blog: one of my favorite blogs, Mrs. O, is a fake. The New York Times has found them out. Mrs. O is not simply a blog by a well-informed, well-researched fashion-obsessed fan. It's a marketing tool for a global advertising agency, BBH, written by one of its employees.

I think I might have to remove Mrs. O from my faves list. Knowing it's just another piece of the marketing puzzle makes it not so clever anymore. I feel duped. At least I hadn't gone to Target yet for the oh-so-enthusiastically reviewed Thakoon pieces!

But I still heart Mrs. Obama, if not Mrs. O.

Christmas Eve Boots

Photo successfully snapped by Thalia on take #3 and actually did not cut off our heads!

Dylan and I in our Christmas Eve finery! Dylan, wearing the shirt he bought on his birthday and one of many Snoopy ties, and I in my just-bought-that-day sweater dress. Do we look our ages?! Do we look hip?! Ha!

I think my pointy-toe, high-heeled boots really made my outfit:


I just love wearing them, but not very often because you can't chase after a bunch of kids with them on! Yes, that's me taking a pic of my own boots while I'm wearing them . . . .

That evening, we went to the Children's Mass at church and then to Magic Time Machine for what is becoming a yearly tradition for us--Christmas Eve dinner with costumed character waiters! This time it was Captain Jack Sparrow, and he was the best waiter we've had yet. Very much "in character." Lots of food, bubbly potion and merriment enjoyed by all.

In the Doghouse, Or Memories of Hubby's Gifts Gone By

I meant to post this days and days ago after telling my friend Amy about it. This is in memory of all the "doghouse" gifts I've received from my better half over the years. And there have been many, many of them. Oh my yes.

I was cracking up watching this video with Dylan, and then realized that I have actually been the lucky recipient of some of those gifts! Ha!

The last few seconds of the video are kind of lame, but the video on the whole is quite brilliant. Cheers!

Just a Girl Who Once Fell in Love with a Boy

The Lovings of Virginia

Dylan and I have been married since 1998-- 10 whole years of (mostly) wedded bliss! When we married in May 1998, a marriage between someone like him and someone like me had been legal in this country for not quite 30 years. When I say "someone like him," I mean a Caucasian American male, and "someone like me" being an Asian American female. In the same year that my husband's parents married, 1966, it would have been quite illegal for Dylan and I to do the same in many states. Amazing and sad and true.

I was reminded of all of this today when I was reading an online tribute to famous people who died in 2009. One of those people was Mildred Loving, who passed away in May of this year. I would guess that very few people knew who she was. I learned about Mildred Loving in college while writing a paper on interracial marriages in the U.S. in the 20th century for a US history course. In 1958 Mildred Jeter, a black woman, married Richard Loving, a white man, in Washington DC, where it was legal to do so, and then drove home to Virginia, where it was not. They were in jail within a month. They avoided a one year prison sentence by agreeing to leave the state of Virginia for 25 years. And their marriage was still considered illegal in over half of the states.

In 1967, the US Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case of Loving v. Virginia that all anti-miscegenation rules were unconstitutional, ending the Lovings' 4 year legal battle to be able to return to the place they knew as home in Virginia. For eight years, the Lovings lived happily ever after, until Richard Loving was killed by a drunk driver. They had been married for 17 years.

Mildred preferred to stay away from the limelight for the rest of her life. She also said that "you see so many" interracial couples now, that they hardly turn heads or cause comment anymore. However, last year on the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, she issued a rare public comment on same-sex marriages:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

It's a privilege to be married to my husband, whom I chose to marry and who chose to marry me, and how fortunate we are to have been given that freedom in the first place. Today I am thankful for the Lovings and their marriage, which got us to where we are today. Mildred and Richard could have lived out the rest of their marriage under the radar, in exile from the place they called home, but chose instead to fight for the right of any woman to marry any man she loves anywhere in this country.

Dylan & Melissa

It's amazing to me as well that we have our new President-elect Obama who is himself the product of a biracial marriage (fortunately his parents lived in one of the handful of states that never enacted anti-miscegenation laws). How far our society has come to catch up with the reality of courtship and marriage, that love is color-blind, however cliche that is, and can't be reined in by rules or definitions of what is socially acceptable. Mildred Loving was, in her own words, "just a girl who once fell in love with a guy."

Stuff I've Been Reading

Photo from Google Images

Ok, I was supposed to post this at the end of November, but I totally forgot! The "Stuff I've Been Reading" list is my planned running tally of books I've read and books I've bought or borrowed (sometimes not the same books!) in a month's time. I got the idea from one my favorite authors, Nick Hornby, and which I wrote about last month.

The really sad thing is that I cannot remember exactly what I read last month! I don't ever write down what I'm reading. So starting today, I'll keep a running list of books read/borrowed/bought and try to post monthly. Call it my first New Year's Resolution for 2009!

Facelift

I've been experimenting these last few months with different Blogger templates, but I'd been envying our friend Tracy's cute background on her scrapbooking blog, along with all the other bells and whistles there. Today I finally figured out how to get this super-cute cupcake theme on my blog! So appropriate. Free background from The Cutest Blog on the Block.

I'll probably continue to tweak the color combinations. I love pink, but hate hot pink/magenta. As soon as a pink starts looking like magenta to me, on any given day, I'll get rid of it.

The new look makes me happy! I'm so easily amused and entertained these days, no?

Four, Four, Four, Four . . .

Received from my friend, Janine, via email:

Here's what you are supposed to do...and please don't spoil the fun...

Delete my answers, type in your answers and send it to a bunch of people, including me. It's not spam. It's fun! Happy Holidays!

A) Four places that I go to over and over: Target, Michael's, Costco, HEB (yes, I'm quite the retail queen, aren't I?)

B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly): Dallas, Rachel, Kelly, Anjali

C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Places with good enchiladas; The Salt Lick; Places with good steak; The Melting Pot (with friends)

D) Four places I would rather be right now: On vacation pretty much anywhere; In bed with my electric blanket keeping me nice and warm; Having lunch with friends; Shopping (when what I am really doing is answering emails, updating blogs, etc.)

E) Four people I think will respond: I don't know. I hope I get around to forwarding it to my friends!

F) Four TV shows I watch over and over: Sex and the City; Charlie & Lola (yes, the kids show); Thirtysomething; Biography (I realize my favorite TV shows are really odd!)

I'm Baaaaaccckk!

After a few weeks away from my blogs, I found that I really missed writing every day! I didn't miss the stress of "having" to blog however. That was a bit too much like school. So I'll be blogging not daily but more often than I was before, which was more like quarterly! I have so much "non-news" to share!

Anyway, I found out about this cool giveaway on the Steamy Kitchen's website through my found-on-Facebook-high-school-friend Archana, who is a foodie herself! Steamy Kitchen's keeper Jaden is a Modern Asian food writer and she is giving away some fantastic stuff she's found or received from other companies. And I like Jaden's writing so I'll be a frequent visitor to her site from now on. Because we can all use some culinary inspiration now and then, for sure. She has an awesome list of food links too. So if you're reading this (whoever you are), enter the big giveaway and maybe you'll win that really cool salt block.

Visions of Sugarplums Danced in Her Head

Photo from www.surlatable.com

We put up our two Christmas trees (the "family" one and the "fancy" one) over the Thanksgiving break, and I had been toying with the idea of buying a smaller third tree to put my baking/cake themed ornaments on it. I've amassed quite a collection in the 10 years since I started my cake business, although until the last few years, it used to be much more difficult to find these kinds of ornaments.

So we were at Lowe's today buying more Christmas lights (so cheap), and they had these little table-top Christmas trees in urns. They were charming and not tacky/cheap looking like usual. $15 for a third tree. I was almost ready to buy it and had it in my cart, but at the last minute I put it back on the shelf. I suprised myself. It just wasn't something I needed, merely something I wanted. We do have two other trees after all. Sometimes it sucks to be a grown-up, because the kid in me would have bought that tree and had it decorated and on display in no time flat!

But I'll still be thinking about a cupcake/cake/candy/baking tree for future years. And maybe it will look something like this:

Photo from www.brentwood.thefuntimesguide.com

In Hiding

It's that time of the year for me--time for all the wonderful holiday things I've packed away to come out of hiding. The problem is, when you only use something once a year, it's really, really difficult to remember where you put it!

I bought an Advent wreath for the first time last year. I really wanted to start that tradition with the girls, to make the meaning of Christmas the most important part of the season. Today I found the pink and purple candles but not the wreath! Aaack! And this weekend is the start of Advent! (Deep calming breath) I have one more box of decorations to open; I will pray it's in there!

Now for the other 99 things that I did find but had forgotten all about:

• The gifts I bought for Thalia's teachers after Christmas last year. In the meantime, Thalia and I had bought other stuff to give them--oh well!
• Christmas craft kits so the girls could make gifts for our relatives. I was so happy to find these!
• Ornaments for our tree and for our friends' too. A welcome surprise.

Maybe this year, on December 26th when I start my Christmas 2009 shopping, I'll also start writing down what I buy and where I hide them for the next 11 months.

Getting To Know You: The Holiday Edition 2008

I love receiving the 'Getting to Know You' emails! I always answer the questions and forward to my friends, hoping they'll all respond, because I always learn something new about people I've known forever. This year, I am posting the Holiday Edition I'll be sending out to my friends and family (might as well get the ball rolling):

Getting to Know You: Holiday Edition

Fill out the questionnaire, replacing my answers with yours (of course!).

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I like to do both. I have too much of both thanks to several years of selling both for school fundraisers at two schools!

2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial all the way. I find it sad watching a real tree slowly fall apart over several weeks.

3. When do you put up the tree? Either the day of Thanksgiving or day after. No later than 2 days after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually no later than the 2nd weekend in Jan.

5. Do you like eggnog? No way! I can't stand the smell of it; I think it's the nutmeg I can't stand. But amazingly, I bake tons of stuff with it and everyone just loves it, except for me!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved alot of my toys, and I love the memories of them even more, so I don't have any one favorite.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad. He has everything and wants nothing expensive.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have 2. One is made up of dolls and the other is Fisher-Price. Very kid friendly.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I have to send cards--I sell them!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Pretty much anything given to me by my mother-in-law, especially the year she gave me the gift I had given her for her bday!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street, 1994 version. I just love that little girl!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I shop almost all through the year. My shopping for the following Xmas starts on Dec 26 and usually ends in Sept. I like to have everything wrapped by Veterans Day in Nov.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Spritz cookies, Honey-baked ham, anything sinfully chocolate.

16. Multicolor or White lights on the tree? White.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Angels We Have Heard on High' to sing. 'Carol of the Bells' and 'Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)' to listen to.

18. Travel or stay home at Christmas? Travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We had an angel for 11 years and just bought a star last year!

21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Grew up opening Xmas Eve but now make my kids wait until morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Just about everything. Is that sad?

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? My favorite ornaments are the ones we've bought during our travels.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Prime Rib.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Good health.

Black Friday

It's been generally understood that the day after Thanksgiving is the official start of the Christmas shopping season. This is probably still true, despite the fact that Christmas merchandise appears in stores as early as August and decorations go up just weeks after Halloween. When I was younger, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday because it meant getting together with loved ones, great food, and shopping!

Shopping at a reasonable hour, that is. When I was yonger, we didn't get up at 3 a.m. in order to be at the store by 4 a.m. for doorbusters. We left as early as possible to get a good parking space, but that was when the mall opened at say 9 a.m., not 5 a.m. But then, a few stores at a time, shopping became a marathon event starting with Thanksgiving day. Stores would stay open for days at a time (ie. Garden Ridge) or open practically in the middle of the night (ie. Walmart) to get an edge on sales.

I almost hate the whole day-after shopping thing now. What's fun about rising before dawn?

Thankful

Photo from countryaccentspa.com

Tonight is Thanksgiving eve, and I've already baked and frosted my pumpkin cupcakes (and licked the frosting bowl!), made Dallas's 'Company Sweet Potatoes' (messed up and had to start over), and whipped through my homemade Mac & Cheese recipe. I also picked up our favorite Pumpkin Cheesecake from Costco. I'm ready for tomorrow's marathon of eating!

As I'm taking a break from cleaning up after all of that, I am pausing to say thanks to God for all of my blessings: the gift of life, my husband, my girls, my parents, my brother and his new wife, many relatives near and far, old friends, new friends, new acquaintances who may become friends, good health, youth, shelter, nourishing food, clean water, education, employment, freedom, the future and good luck.

Thanksgiving isn't about the turkey, it's about giving thanks, and this year in particular, I have much to be thankful for.

In Mourning

Tonight Thalia, Carys and I had another "girls night" at Nordstrom Cafe Bistro at La Cantera. I was so disappointed with the food. My Rosemary Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich, which I order all the time, was a good 3 inches shorter than usual. I was actually still hungry when I left, which is not usually the case. The fries on the kids' meals were kind of over-fried-- over-crispy to almost burnt. Pathetic little strawberries instead of the lovely fat ones. The order taker forgot to place one of the girls' orders, and our waiter forgot to our silverware and requested condiments.

I hate when a favorite restaurant disappoints. It's like a broken friendship. Even the kids noticed it. Sad, sad, sad. I had actually noticed the slide in quality a few visits back but was in denial. What are we to do? We live not very close to any good restaurants, especially ones that are not part of a huge international chain. Nordstrom Cafe Bistro was a rare gem-- five minutes from my house, cloth napkins, friendly waitstaff who indulge my children. And it's at the mall, which is my natural habitat.

I'll be mourning the loss of a good place to eat that was also quite healthy. Maybe I'll give them another chance, but it probably won't ever be the same.

On the Cusp

I just discovered a new store/website that I love the other day: CUSP. As in "on the cusp of fashion." It's owned by Neiman Marcus, which I think is how I found out about it (I was browsing Horchow's site, I believe). It's like NM for the younger crowd. I'm actually not the target demographic for these stores, I'm probably too old, but I love the stuff on the website. It's like they weeded out the ridiculously expensive and the "stuffy" stuff that I would never buy and trimmed it down to just the cool stuff. I also like that there's not a huge, cumbersome selection online. Who needs to choose from dozens and dozens of jeans?

I'm currently looking at some Tory Burch bags on their site; good sales right now on some cute designs. I read that she is a "working Mom" which makes me like her more!

I rarely, rarely shop at Neiman Marcus, the actual store. I do buy frequently from their website, which does not have snooty hourly-wage employees. However, if a Cusp ever does open in Texas, I'd be very interested in shopping there. Somehow, I think it would have a completely different vibe from the posh, grandma-ish feel of NM.

Cusp has apparently been open for a couple of years now, but as I don't live in any of the cities they're located in AND I'm too old to be really hip, it's a nice new discovery for me!

Funny Weddings

I can't exactly post this on my 'business blog' but I really have to share this somewhere . . . The Return of the Funny Wedding Photos. I stumbled on this website while doing a Google search for something else, of course. These pics are SO funny and strange. It's really interesting what some people consider to be their dream wedding idea.

I particularly loved the faux wedding invitation at the end; OMG that could have been sent out by my own mother-in-law, only she wouldn't have been half that clever.

In the Pink

Yes, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has come and gone, but my all-time favorite tie-in product will still always be this pink colander that my friend Amy gave me. It is probably used at least once a day, and I never tire of looking at it. That is the sign of a perfect gift at my house!

The Turn Of The Tide

In 1987 the book Free to Be A . . . Family by Marlo Thomas came out and a corresponding TV special aired as well; it was a sequel to the 1970s Free to Be . . . You and Me which I've never read. I was 16 years old when the second book was released and I saw the TV special one night. I must have wanted to watch it because I even video taped it. I absolutely loved this song, "The Turn of the Tide", that was written and performed by Carly Simon. I watched it over and over again just to hear the song. The sheet music is included in the book, which I also have. It's a hard song to sing unless you have Ms. Simon's fabulous voice.

To me, the song was an anthem for the youth of the 80s--that it was OUR world and OUR responsibility to help "turn the tide."

We cannot go on
sounding alarms
And rattling swords
and building bombs
And fouling the air
and the streams underground.
We've got to begin
to turn it around!
It's our right to be heard,
Our right to decide--
Here comes the turn of the tide.

Maybe our generation hasn't done everything it should or could have so far to turn it around, but we still have a responsibility to change what we can, however we can. This song is just over 20 years old, and while I may not have quite the positive outlook that I had about the world and the future when I was teenager, I have a duty now as a parent to bring about some meaningful change.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying this video again after so many years. It really brings back the 80s for me! Note the kids who sing between verses are singing in Russian! (This was the world in the mid 80s when the USSR was our enemy.) And Carly Simon looks great!

Prayers Please

Please pray for our friend, Steve Damm, who has had a really tough week. Steve is fighting brain cancer, and is truly the bravest, most patient, most uncomplaining person in the face of all of this. The Damm family needs everyone's prayers and positive thoughts right now. You can read their story on their blog, Check on Steve, and leave some encouragement and good wishes there too. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your prayers and thoughts.