England! Day One

It is 7:17 p.m. here in the UK and honestly...I don't have the foggiest idea why I am not falling asleep about now.  Last night's plan was to board the plane, get some shut-eye and wake up in London.  Didn't quite work that way.  In fact, I think that saying I slept for two hours would be generous.  Talk about some TIGHT seats - whoa...anyway, we survived, we made it, and after walking 60 miles from the LAST gate at Heathrow through the airport and through customs, we found Mr. Incredible and Elasti-girl, and after a tearful reunion, we enjoyed a cup of coffee and headed home. 

Driving on the left side of the road wasn't nearly as freaky as I thought it would be - as long as we were on the motorway (freeway) where all three lanes were going in the same direction.  It was a little scarier when it felt like the oncoming traffic was going to hit us head-on.  And how they find their way from one round-about through the next, I'm not quite sure.  I was feeling a bit queasy by the time we got out of the car.

Before he left for school this morning (and before we arrived), Dash said to his mummy, "Is Papa's back doing poorly?  Shall I put a cushion in a chair at the table for him?  Will that help?"  He is just the sweetest boy ever.

Following the suggestion that we NOT go to bed straight away but instead go for a walk outside, we headed to the nearby canal for a mile and a half walk before picking up the boys from school.  The scenery was exactly as I expected, and it was beautiful.

Next, we headed over to the boys' school to pick them up.  We parked a few blocks away so we could see the village church first.  Inside were a number of tombstones on the floor, one which belonged to someone who had died in 1685.  The village was quaint and lovely and the moms waiting outside the school warmly welcomed us.

Next, hugs all around, look how big you are, a few more tears (me) and then, off to the obstacle course for a five-year-old rendition of "Total Wipe-Out".

And finally, before I fall into a coma, this is for Girlfriend, who crocheted owls for Dash and JackJack.  They loved them!  Dash announced he was including his new owl in his bedtime menagerie, and JackJack quickly discovered that if he spun his owl vertically, the wings looked like a propeller on the way down.

PS - Flyboy is fine - he's just chillaxing here.  :)

Saying Goodbye, Saying Hello

Tomorrow we head to Chicago to start the big trip.  I can hardly believe I'm saying that out loud.  It feels so surreal.  Today, after church, we went out to lunch with Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles (and they paid - can you spell *grown-up*?)  We spent several hours together, and they sent us off with hugs and prayers.  And, as usual, we certainly enjoyed Miss Peanut.  And who wouldn't?

I think I have as much fun watching Flyboy enjoy Miss Peanut as I have with her myself.

Working my way down the checklist before blast-off tomorrow.  Laundry, shopping, gift-wrapping, packing, cleaning off the camera card...it's all coming together.

Next stop: Hello, London!

Happiness is...

1.  ...entering the final countdown for our trip to England.  One week from tomorrow!  We are in total trip mode, working our way through our lists.  Very, very soon, we'll be hugging The Incredibles and talking to two five year olds with teeny tiny British accents.

The latest quotable quote:
Daddy: I'm sorry I can't help you put together your new Lego land cruiser - I'm helping Mommy get ready for your birthday party.
JackJack:  Daddy, I am a very clever boy.  I'm sure I can figure it out.

And figure it out he did - with two little helps from Mommy as she was passing by.  He laid out all the pieces on the kitchen table, opened the book, studied the picture and assembled that puppy.  He IS a clever boy.

2.  ...those four little words we so love to hear:  "Your bladder looks clean."  Flyboy had his 6 mo. cystoscopy on Friday and just in time for our big trip, we were thrilled to hear that the high-grade, fast-growing bladder cancer has still not returned.  Coming up on two years in May since his diagnosis, it's not grown back yet.  Thank you, Jesus!

3.  ...Weight Watchers!  I joined three weeks ago and have lost 10 pounds.  I know I don't want to take cholesterol meds, so this is my challenge to beat the numbers.  I think I am too young to have so much trouble getting down on the floor and up again, and since that is where Peanut spends the majority of her time at this point, I figured shedding 35 pounds might very well help that cause.  And finally, my beautiful cousin over at thayerhut has inspired me to put an end to the every-five-week-color-the-roots routine.  I'm going gray.  And I have this personal philosophy: you can be fat or you can be gray, but you can't be both.  So you can see where that leaves me: working hard to shed that weight.  Weight Watchers is very doable and relatively painless - my kind of plan.

Have a great week!

Wales 2011

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I am the lucky one.  I say that, but I really do know it's more than luck.  I am truly blessed.  There.  That's more like it.  Blessed I am, because even at my age, both of my parents are still living.  Blessed I am, because even after 57 years, my parents are still married to one another.  Blessed I am, because I have always known the love of a devoted mother.

I'm thinking of my mother today, because on this day, 81 years ago, she was born.  Selfless to the core, my mother put her children's needs first, provided a stable and secure home, and modeled enduring love.  She ran a tight ship, efficient and organized.  Even during the years when our dad traveled more, our home life was never chaotic.  I don't remember Mom ever seeming frazzled or out of control.  She was always there, always  giving, always at the ready.

Mom, may this day be filled with happy memories, numerous birthday greetings, lots of love and laughter!

Happy Birthday!  I love you!

Reprise

I don't know why, but I've had an extended and rather unusual case of blogger's block lately.  Somehow, giving myself permission to write only when I have something to say has turned off a switch somewhere in my brain.  Pebbles says I should write about having joined Weight Watchers, and I think I'll do just that.  Tomorrow.  But today, I'm resurrecting a poem I wrote last year while suffering the same brain dead blogging malady.  Have a great day!

There once was a girl who had zero to say

Nothing profound or funny or even cliche

So she sat down to ponder and set out to write

A compelling account of her day

Alas, there was nothing, though hard she did try

To entertain, inform, or perhaps feign to imply

That a sonnet might serve as a stand-in this once

But her venture at verse went awry

Some days are just like that, she rightly bemoaned

There is naught of acclaim to be borrowed or owned

But no matter the disguise or creative facade

Saying nothing cannot be condoned

Conceding, she came to her end and declined

To write any longer, to her fate she consigned

To give up the battle, to throw in the towel

For rhyme is more burdensome than prose, she repined.

The end.

The World's Fastest and Easiest Brownies

This is the first recipe I posted on Empty Nest Full Heart.  It makes store bought brownie mixes obsolete and unnecessary because you can mix them up just as fast and cook them even faster (in the microwave).  There is a one simple rule for making brownies in the microwave:  DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM.  Otherwise, you'll have one fine excuse for a hockey puck instead of tender, chewy brownies.  Don't let fear rule your heart, though, because these brownies really are superb, and if you don't tell, people will never know how fast and easy they were to make.

Try it!  You'll like it!

Melt one stick of butter (I always use salted) in the microwave and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 1C of sugar.  Add the melted butter and 1t vanilla, and whisk til smooth.  Next stir in 1/2C  unsweetened cocoa and 3/4C flour just until blended.  Pour into a Pam'd square casserole dish.  Microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway through if you don't have a rotating turntable.  The brownies will still look wet on top. Set the dish on the counter top and let it cool for 10 min. before cutting into squares.  For an extra treat, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Photo courtesy of myrecipes.com

Sunshine Behind the Clouds

One of the things I love about my commute to and from work is the morning sky.  Depending on the time of the year I might get to watch the sunrise.  For the last week or so, the morning sky has been nothing to write about.  We have been surrounded by gray clouds, making it hard to wake up, much less get excited about the day.

This morning, we were greeted by several inches of newly fallen snow, which usually brings with it a feeling of freshness and cleanness, except at the end of February, when we're wearying of winter and have by now been teased by a few springlike days, only to be thrown back into the cold.  As soon as I started driving I knew I should have left earlier.  The roads were mucky and only partially plowed.  The sky was gray.  Again.  I sighed deeply and went on my way.

As if gray skies weren't enough, I felt enveloped by a gray mood.  Wisconsin is going through some difficult days as the newly elected governor, standing true to his campaign promises, is attacking the budget deficit with vigor.  The teachers' union is not happy, to say the least, as their right to collective bargaining is up for slashing.  Strong opinions are flying everywhere, accompanied by less than charitable feelings toward the "other side", whichever side that may be.  It's just politics - and it's the way things are.  People disagree all the time.  What's my problem?

I've been around long enough and have lived through enough conflict to know full well that this is the kind of thing that has division written all over it.  This is the kind of battle that separates friends and families and yes, even churches.  I'm not so sure I can handle one more factious fight in my lifetime.  I am grieved and gray.  I told Flyboy last night that without some heretofore untapped reservoir of grace one more major attack on the fabric of our church just might do me in.  He understood.  God bless him.

And so it was, with such gray clouds above that I began the drive to work this morning.

As I drove, something caught my eye.  The gray sky above seemed, in one spot, to be not so gray.  There seemed to be a brightness trapped behind, trying to push through.  And while it didn't clear the sky, the sun was there, slightly visible, reminding me that behind the gray clouds, the sun is burning brightly.  Even when the sun is completely invisible to me, it is still burning brightly.  Even in the dark of night, the sun, on the other side of the world, is burning brightly.  The sun never ceases to burn brightly.

The same is true for the Son.  Even when things around me look gray, His love continues to burn brightly.  His grace is as available as ever, not blocked by the clouds, not held back by circumstance or struggle.  His grace is in abundance, and once we step out of the way, nothing can stop it.

The opaque sun, barely seen through the gray morning brought much hope to my heart.  And then, like the cherry on top of a sundae, I found this verse waiting for me in my email at work:

"And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My hope is in you."  Psalm 39:7 NLT

Thank you, God, for sunshine behind the clouds.