Birthday Treats

Happy birthday to me! I turned 38 last month. While I don't love the idea of getting older, I do love celebrating with fun people. My week started out great with a visit from several of my cute Beehives... they came to wish me a "Happy Bee-Day" and gave me some yummy treats. I am so glad I was able to serve with these lovely ladies.  Megan took me and the kids to lunch at the Black Bear Diner. The kids thought it was the bomb-diggity and I loved being with Megan. My friend Jodi took me to lunch another day and we laughed when we showed up at the restaurant wearing the same outfit... white shirts with a long, royal blue maxi dress. I had lots of calls and visits from friends throughout the day with tasty treats and great prizes. I got to hang out with my family and eat ice cream cake from Cold Stone and then I got to finish off my day at Book Club! My cute friend Maria hosted and she even hung up a birthday sign for me and Jacque, whose birthday was the day before. Maria and Jacque made delicious food (still waiting for recipes), we had a brief conversation about the book and chatted about a whole lot of other things (as per usual). Despite having to add a year to my age, it was a great birthday! Thanks to all who made it wonderful!

Chinese Intrigue

At our May Book Club we discussed the wonderful book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. We all loved it. Rather than try to summarize this book myself, I'll quote what is written on the author's website:


A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship.

I highly recommend this book!

We had a great discussion about foot binding (and whether or not the things people do to their bodies in our culture can be compared in any way to that tradition that has thankfully been dying out), education of women, arranged marriages, friendships between women, mother love, and the Chinese animals assigned to each year. The author did an amazing job in her descriptions of different characters and their corresponding animal years, and it was quite humorous in some instances. It made me curious what year I was born in and if the characteristics assigned to that animal held true. This website has a way to calculate which year you were born in and a summary of each animal's traits.

I was born in the year of the TIGER. I am supposedly: Liberal-minded, outrageous, heroic, love limelight, gamble all and risk everything believes life is for living in a big way. Thrives on action and new ideas. Brave, gifted, clever, reckless, fights for what is right but no discipline, vague, quarrelsome.

Not so sure about everything there... I liked another website's description a little better:

Tigers may not be the king of the jungle, but these striped cats are no softies! Magnetic and self-possessed, Tigers are born leaders. They have an air of authority that prompts others to fall in line, which is exactly how they like it. Although they are magnetically charming and fun to be around, Tigers like to go it alone sometimes too. A Tiger's main interest is in following its ambitions -- and maintaining control.

Tigers are courageous beyond compare and generally come out ahead in battle, be it in the boardroom or the bedroom. Seduction is one area where the Tiger is definitely king! Noble and warm-hearted, Tigers have a natural, raw appeal that's extremely attractive to other Signs. They're not just about attraction, though; ever on the side of right, Tigers will fight the good fight to the bitter end if the cause is worthy. Opponents are wise to fear this feline.

A bit of caution is a good thing around Tigers, since they can pounce without warning. They experience mood swings and often feel things more intensely than others, the latter quality being both good and bad. They can react poorly under stress and are prone to emotional outbursts. This Sign's bristling sensitivity can send friend and foe running for cover.

A lesson that Tigers would be well-served to learn is moderation in all things. Once these cats can find their center and direct their considerable energies toward worthwhile endeavors (as opposed to racing through life), they will accomplish much.

I'm not into astrology at all, but it's interesting to see which characteristics I have (or don't).

Both Ryan and Olivia were born in the Year of the SNAKE.

Some of the snake characteristics:
Power seeker, looking for excitement and intrigue, money and fashion conscious, graceful, softly spoken, elegant, well groomed, wise, passionate, cool under pressure, intelligent, thoughtful, attractive, but sometimes conceited, poor loser.

Coleman was born in the year of the SHEEP.
Some of the sheep characteristics are: Lucky, attract prosperity and comfort, emotional, feminine, compassionate, artistic, graceful, timid, good Samaritan, shoulders to cry upon, kind, perceptive, eccentric, whimsical, indecisive, insecure, pessimistic.

It's interesting that some of the characteristics for each of us hit the nail on the head... others are pretty far from reality... but if anything else, it's entertaining.

**Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?
**What year were you born in?
**Are the characteristics right on or nowhere near the truth?

Remnants of Paris

A week after we got home I got to host book club (for a great book--The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch) and I still had Paris in my heart and taste buds... so I made or bought some yummy foods that reminded me of my trip. You might notice my toile tablecloth (happily purchased at a discount price at JoAnn Fabric) and Eiffel Tower and Fleur de Lis (also purchased here in the States at a discount store). You have to love that I bought my Paris souvenirs in the U.S. and a couple of them were more than likely made in China. Oh well... they still remind me of a fabulous trip and I didn't spend a fortune on them.

I made crepes and served them with Nutella and bananas (or butter and sugar). I made ham and cheese quiche (although I would have purchased the mini-quiches from Costco if they had been in stock). I served cream puffs (thank you Costco) and chocolate-croissants (thanks refrigerated crescent rolls and chocolate chunks). And I pulled out all the stops and served the very baguettes I had stuffed in my luggage (we froze it right when we got home) with Laughing Cow cheese (thanks to Costco again). We even had sherbet (not nearly as tasty as the sherbet from Ile de St. Louis) with ginger ale (my beverage of choice on all flights going anywhere, including Paris). I don't think anyone there was nearly impressed with everything I pulled off for that night as I was with myself... it had been my first full day at my clinic and we had a soccer game for Coleman in between, but somehow the house managed to get clean and the food got made, just in time for my lovely book club friends to come over and enjoy it with me.

The next week I had signed up to decorate a door for our PTA's Teacher Appreciation week... the theme had something to do with our teachers being world-class and so Olivia asked her teacher what her dream vacation was... she was so kind in saying that she was dying to go to Paris (I am sure she had compassion for me and knew that I could easily put something together about Paris). We came up with this rendition of the Eiffel Tower (complete with gem sparkly things for the lights they turn on at night) and put random sayings about Paris and our fabulous and wonderful Mrs. Rhodes who has been a great teacher for Olivia this year.

I think those two projects sufficiently got Paris out of my system... although we are still enjoying a baguette every few days and will likely keep the Laughing Cow cheese and Nutella a staple in our fridge and pantry....