i am so tired! i stayed up last night ordering all my u.s. christmas presents and things my hubby will try to stuff into his suitcase from his brief trip to the u.s. in about 10 days. i sat down to write a post and i was actually sitting here asleep. so i am off to nap. something more exciting later.

favorite quotes

“ Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own."

Carol Burnett

i like this quote. i think i have written before about how much i love words. it is indeed sad to me that i am not the master of words. i am a terrible writer but i truly appreciate the way others can put them together. i wonder though what carol burnett was speaking of. was it something that she said, or another. i smell a scandal.

work day

my children slept in today, those who do. it is saturday and i think everyone should be entitled to an extra hour of sleep on a saturday. i can remember my dad marching through the house on a saturday morning, flinging open bedroom doors with the loud refrain "get up, it's a work day."

of course this was met with moans and groans. i have to say though that these work days are some of my best memories. i remember, having recently moved to the country, cleaning out the barn and clearing the lot. a lot of hard work but also a lot of family fun. i used to climb onto the tractor and shred the pasture, for me this was a prime chore as my imagination would have the time to dream as the tall grass fell behind us. i recall saturdays painting the house, and washing the windows with vinegar and newspaper.

my children i fear live a charmed life of endless computer games and very few chores. today is a work day. a thing they are not used to and something that to them is akin to child abuse. this announcement is met with me being told that no one else's mother makes them work. their ayi makes their bed for them. i am undeterred. some day maybe they will have fond memories of working as a family toward a common goal. striving to contribute to the group, valuing a job well done, and maybe they will have their own work days with their families.

paraskevidekatriaphobia

today is friday the 13th. i suppose that means that i am just going to have a stinky day and i should just accept this. i have read that friday the 13th is actually one of the safest days. fewer accidents are reported on this day because i suppose the world is full of superstitious people who either in fear do not venture out or are just extra careful.

in honor of the day here are a few friday the 13th myths:

• a child born on this day will be unlucky for life but their lucky day will be friday the 13th


• if you cut your hair on this day someone in your family will die.


• if a funeral passes you on friday the 13th you will be the next to die.


• bad luck will befall you if a black cat crosses your path.

so for today friends, beware. try not to crash your car, or fall down the stairs. please don't light yourself on fire or walk under any ladders.

what superstitions do you have if any?

favorite quotes and art

"And forget not that the earth delights

to feel your bare feet and the

winds long to play with your hair."

Kahlil Gibran

cutting the cord

number 2 son started school in september. we made the decision to put him in chinese school, since he misses the start date for american kindergarten. we were very excited about him being able to learn the language and to speak it fluently. i cannot tell you what a stress this has added to our lives. every night he asks if tomorrow is a school day. there are tears and pleadings. one evening he came in while i was cooking dinner and said he must speak to me alone. he told me how he hated school and didn't want to go back. he rides the bus in the morning, with four of his friends from the neighborhood. the bus attendant usually has to carry him away crying and then he watches me out the window for as long as he can. i have visited the school and dropped in unannounced and the teachers are loving and patient. i wonder how long it will be before he is comfortable. in between the lines i pull out snips of happiness. new songs learned, playing ball with new friends, reading circle. i think most of this comes from him being my last child. he is the only one that has had my sole attention, as the others were all in school. so days of having his mom all to himself have not served him well, and lets face it, he is my baby. after his first days of school the teacher sent home a progress report for the week. this is what it said:

Parrish, you are not stable in the mornings. you cry because you miss your mom.

you are a good boy and we all like you very much

i thought this very sweet. i hope soon he will adjust. my friend whose daughters go to the same school are in their second year. the first year they weren't always so thrilled to be there but now are quite happy. lets hope it doesn't take us a year.

christmas in november

today i spent with my girls. we drug all the christmas decorations out and started to cut out snowflakes. for the last three years we have been cutting out snowflakes and adorning our air-conditioned windows with snowflakes. we absolutely love them. our collection grows and grows. g is still holding out for real snow. i have promised her that one day i will take her to real snow. who knows when that will be. next christmas i was hoping for a trip, maybe australia. definitely not a snow location. my neighbor is throwing up her arms in disgust as her daughter is now pressing for their christmas decorations. i know, i know, thanksgiving is first. for some reason though christmas is just calling to me. so i thought i would share a bit of the bug with you.

today i just wanted to share this amazing photo i found. this is china. isn't it amazing?

appearances

There is an interesting dialogue in my mandarin lesson book. it is entitled:

di shi liu ke ren kao ye shuang

you are what you wear.

It is a conversation between a western woman and a Chinese woman. the Chinese woman is saying that she has discovered that western women don't usually wear make up unless going out, because they don't work here and stay at home and look after kids so there is no need.

Western women dress casually, so when they go out they look like a different person. at these comments the western woman responds in surprise, could these statements be true? Surely she should mend her ways.

In contrast the dialogue goes on to talk about how Chinese women wear light makeup during the day so they look more vigorous. They always dress nicely and wear lots of lipstick because lipstick looks beautiful. When they do dress to go out they look fantastic and amazing.

Wow, i am feeling quite inadequate and frumpy after this. It is amazing how different cultures look at issues. in Brazil and Venezuela (especially Venezuela, where every women you pass is dressed to kill and utterly gorgeous) there was a lot of emphasis on looks and the women worked out, were constantly getting manicures, having hair appointments, surgical enhancements. Now here in Asia you can see some of the same issues. I found it funny when we went to Japan Disney that there were all these men and women walking around in suits and dresses with high heels. Not that i am opposed, because lets face it even an old barn looks better with a coat of paint. I just hate the judgement sounding part of it, because I have met amazing women from all over the world. the truth is we as women have so much more to offer than appearance. Everyone should strive to look good. Let's just not go to the the extreme with it and remember who we are should not be defined by how we look. Perfection will always be just out of reach.

information of the painting above: Zhou Fang's "Hue Shan Shi Nv Tu" ( court ladies wielding fans) represents the beauty of the women of the Tang Dynasty.

Just so you know I do not discount the cultural histories that have brought women of different cultures to where they are today.

chinese saying -

under an overturned nest, can there be unbroken eggs?

i am off to mandarin lessons. wish me luck, i need it.

aging

i suppose time creeps up on all of us. i saw myself in a picture not long ago and i thought wow, that's not me. i have blond hair and wear a size 4. Even looking into the mirror it doesn't really connect. i hate it though. not the fact that i have changed but the fact that others cannot see me in the way i do. i still feel 16. i still think of myself as blond. i know that i have grown and changed, that i understand things in ways i did not as a youth, but i still have dreams and desires, some of them may have matured a bit but they are basically the same. i wonder if others feel the same as me. if in every old lady you see there is a tiny ballerina wanting to get up and spin about. if only they could.

these bodies of ours can be burdensome. although they are marvelous and amazing i am finding that mine is beginning to hold me back. i want to go out to dinner and savor the last cheesecake crumb. i want to jump and run and spin, but i find myself not as limber as i used to be. i want to read without putting glasses on. i think the hardest part of all this is i want someone to notice that girl that is still inside of me. her time is done now, and new and exciting things await the person i am now. someday though we will be reunited she and i, and i hope she is happy with what she became.

i just wanted to share this with you because i think it is just amazing. what a great thing it is to be able to do what you love and get paid for it. more people should be able to share their talents and loves in this way. anyway i found this and i wanted to share. enjoy.

knitting

Everyone at my house has been ill. Throats so swollen you can hardly swallow, aching muscles and runny noses. Today i say "ENOUGH." I refuse to be held back by a nasty virus whose main purpose is to make me miserable and deter me from my path. Of course it is not only illness that has kept me from life but the dreaded knitting needles. They call my name in the middle of the night, while dusting, while putting up the groceries. They keep me from walking out the door to meet someone or pick up my children on time. I am powerless. I am under their spell. Not only do I have to contend with the knitting needles but now Gwendolyn is learning to crochet and I decided that anyone who knits should be able to crochet, so I set about learning and made G a hat with a lovely little flower attached. There is no stopping me now. Remy has half a pair of socks. There is also a lovely half-finished pullover, and three new babies coming who need a sweater desperately - so say their mothers. I am never content with just one project. Another always beckons. I pour over websites picking out beautiful yarns, self-striping for socks, glittery and bejeweled for scarves, cottons, wools, hand-dyed. I am a knitting junkie.





I always wished that I had enough time to do and to learn everything I wanted. Enough time to read all the books on my ever growing list, be an expert knitter, learn an instrument, climb a mountain, be super-mom, perfect wife, watercolor, sketch, cook a gourmet meal, travel, the list is endless.





What do you spend your time on?

chinese wisdom #2


“Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy”

- lao tzu -

after an eventful summer, a trip to disney japan, a trip to the huizhou sheraton beach resort and me fighting with a testy vpn situation - the reason i have been unable to view your blogs or post. all is well. since i don't plan on ever having to go through blog withdrawl pains again, i will be doing nablopomo for the month of november. so stay tuned. missed you all. china misses you, although not a lover of the blog.

jet-lag

hello to all, many apologies. my vpn blocker seems to have blocked me out! when i try to confirm my password it tells me it is incorrect and it will not let me reset or anything. so i am sorry that i have not been available.

right now i am sitting in the lobby of the sheraton hotel in houston. listening to two gentlemen at 2 in the morning wondering where there is an open restaurant where they can sit down for a meal, but the catch is it must be a place where they can have a glass of wine because they are coming from brussels and cannot eat a meal without a glass of wine, even if it is from jack-in-the-box. wait they are approaching me, "do i by chance happen to have a bottle of wine hiding in my suitcase?" sorry gents, i cannot help you.

so i will try to do some posting while here in the u.s. to catch up on all your doings. i am off to try to sleep. good - night all.

chinese wisdom #1

The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water; but to walk on the earth.

someone likes me!

i received this award from charity. thanks so much! so here are the ten recipients of this award. keep in mind you are all great, but todays top 10 are:


1. this is a blog that i don't even have on my favorites list yet (only because i am lazy). it goes to terresa at the chocolate chip waffle, who shares my love for maxfield parrish and quotes and i would venture to say may also love klimt, and although i heard she wants to ban the scarlet letter - a favorite of mine - i love to visit her.


2. here is my wonderful brasilian blogger friend who is just a joy to share with and who's honesty and bubbly personality shine through. carla at how does this work again?


3. christine at strange pilgram is a fellow expat in italy who knows how to soak up life . christine i will soon be sending my market pictures to mr. linky.


4. cairo typO who is currently wandering the world and resides in egypt; who makes me laugh with her stories and is also a fellow knitter.


5. jessica at zakkalife always inspires and keeps my creative juices flowing. she is amazing.


6. in brasil we have ballerina girl on her roller coaster ride. she is a true friend reading and commenting on what-ever drivel i throw out. thanks bg


7. gabriela who is living la vida loca in brasil, who shares her tales of family and fun.


8. my beautiful gwendolyn at piggy love who loves me no matter what


9. my friend che at lifes bone. a recent follower who stuck with me even though twice now i have mysteriously disappeared. he always has things to make you think - some of us need a boost at times.


10. kiss the paper by kate and molly. i have been lax in keeping up with them lately but they are two truly creative and inspiring sisters who with the help of their friend jennifer have been able to share this with us.


there are so many others but for now i hope you can enjoy these. those of you honored follow my example and pass it on.

all blogs , you tube , videos and such have been blocked - thus my absence. my hubby bought some sort of a blocker. it disguises your isp. this means i am back and will be catching up on all your news.

thank you charity for bestowing the wonderful ladybug upon me. it is great to be g's mom - to which i truly owe this honor.

after the rain

after a morning of hard rain my camera and i took a walk. we thought we would share some of our findings with you.

after the rain

raindrops

quiet tree lined streets

the roots of drippy trees. these roots just crawl down from the branches and trunk. they are amazing and i just love them.

scootering through puddles

reflections

girls and umbrellas

shiny mailboxes

tomato, corn, and avocado salad

i am ready for summer and for all the delicious garden things that come with it. i have a favorite pasta salad recipe from my niece brittany's young women's cookbook. it is delicious but when i make it no one else will eat it so i end up eating the whole thing. not usually a good thing. today i saw this recipe and cannot wait to make. it looks like summer. it was listed as a side dish but i think i will make it for a light dinner.








1 ear corn (husk and silk removed; tip cut off)
2 pints cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
Stand ear in a large wide bowl; with a sharp knife, carefully slice downward to release the kernels. Discard cob. Add tomatoes, avocado, scallions, lime juice, and oil to bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.


what are some of your favorite summer recipes?