The Day I Allegedly Met Pioneer Woman!

While I was at the beach over Spring break I received a text from my sister who was unable to come with us.  She was freaking out telling me that Pdub was coming to Ptown on her Spring Book Tour and that we should go together to go meet Her Gloriousness in person.

So we planned.  We prepared.  We debated wearing holey yoga pants.  We searched for child sitter possibilities.  Finally it all came together.  Monday April 19th, 2010 finally arrived!  My sister, who is also called Ree, invited our mother to come with us.  They would be driving together and I would meet them there.  My Ree was bringing Ree Drummond some Sleepy House cookies.  I unknowingly had "bossed" her out of making what she'd wanted to make, Just For Me Brownies.  This was because she thought it would be weird to make something so similar to what I had chose to make, Fudge Decadence.  I didn't think it was weird.  This is where the unknowing bossiness came into play.  It happens easily when you are the oldest and used to lash out selfishly, "You can't wear THAT!  It matches what I'm wearing!".  Sigh.  My sins continue to haunt me.

Anyway, back to MY gift I'd made for Pdub.  As I mentioned, I chose to make Fudge Decadence.  This is basically a homemade brownie covered with an easy homemade fudge.  It truly is decadent.  Or, at least, it's meant to be.  I'm afraid I found it wasn't.  I'd overbaked the brownie and accidentally used milk chocolate chips in the fudge instead of semi-sweet.  They are instead just ok.

Whatever.

I paired my brownie gift with a bottle of Chateau St Michelle, my favorite dessert wine.  So, hopefully it tainted her ability to discern decadent from ordinary.  :)

For some reason, perhaps because we used to be children together and have not yet outlived the number of years we spent in that role, my dear sister and I couldn't resist "competing" for Pioneer Woman's affections.  Obviously because of the fact that she would adopt whichever one of us she was more enthralled with and invite us and our family to live in the lodge as maids or something..(I also have more experience in that role than does my younger, feebler sister.)

I'm not sure how these little "teasings" come about.  What I do know is that once we've entered them, they are hard to control and one of us usually ends up acting up out of insecurity and smashing a ketchup bottle over the head of the other.  Or, umm, something completely random and not at all historically evidenceable like that.

Anyway, we were waiting in the back of the book shop for poor Pdub to arrive who was navigating her way through Beaverton with a faulty navigation system.  Then all of a sudden she was standing in front of us in the isle we had been told to be sure to leave open by the evenings 12yr old MC who's shirt was far too small for him.  She looked at us and said, "I'm sorry for being late", then looked up at the "stage" and said, "I don't know what to do!".  One of the women standing by us said, "Just stay back here with us!".  To which we all agreed heartily.  She giggled with us and then proceeded to walk to the front and speak into the empty microphone stand.  The 12yr old was still holding the mic.

On a side note, there were about 400 women there.  We were shoved into the "event" area at the Beaverton Powell Book store.  We were actually standing outside the store in the mall.  There were speakers placed around the edges of the crowd.  So, the MC would walk around to make sure the aisles were open.  When he walked up behind unsuspecting women, in a crowd of 400 patiently (but not quietly) waiting women, who were blocking the aisle he would speak into the mic reprimanding them.  Then, because they didn't pay attention to him, because his voice was being projected over the crowd and not behind them in line with 400 talking women, he would go on to describe their clothes or something to get there attention.  It drove me nuts.  HELLO!  You are standing 1ft behind them.  Wouldn't it be more convenient and less embarrassing to the poor woman to simply tap her on the shoulder and say, "We need to leave this aisle open".  It wasn't like the woman who was standing on the checkout counter who he decided he needed to point out from across the room.  She deserved to have attention brought to her.  Right?  :)

Anyway.  Pdub was completely gracious and beautiful.  She was open and real.  "I'm not a public speaker and I'm sure there isn't one thing about me that all of you don't already know.  So how about some Q&A time".  She truly is lovely.

We waited 3 hours to have our cookbooks signed.  So we had lots of time to tease and chat with the women around us.  I met a couple of real nice people and wish I would've had the foresight to ask if they blogged and swapped addy's with them!  For shame I know.  Someday I'll learn to think outside of the 40min in front of and behind me.

During our wait we were instructed to turn to a certain page in our book and put a post it there with the correct spelling of our name to speed up the process.  I wrote, "To my best friend Summer Bryan".  My Ree informed me right away that if she truly was my best friend she wouldn't use my last name.  I'm not very good at this teasing/competing game we get sucked into.  So, I started looking for ketchup.  A packet would have done fine.  ;)

When it was finally our turn I handed my phone to mom so she could take some photos of me and my sis with Pdub.  Unfortunately it apparently requires a tripod to get a non blurry shot.  So, here is the photographic evidence of my time with Ree D.

Here is the back of my sister and over her shoulder you can just spy Ree's red locks of lusciousness!  (I say that cause she is always going off about how annoyed she is by her hair!)

Here I am handing her my gift and she is noticing for the first time that she likes my hairs.  ;)  She noticed twice! 

Here she is listening to me explain to her what my gift consisted of.  And though it looks suspiciously like she has a can of Coors Light on the table in front of her.. I can assure you she did not!

Here I am showing my skills of talking with my hands while my sister patiently gets ready for Ree to pay attention to her, um I mean sign her book.  (I am SO just teasing.  I can't even write this and act like I would feel that way.  I love my sister and she deserves lots of attention! As a matter of fact you should pay her this attention and visit her blog, here.)  However, I do believe I was explaining about my hairs that she was liking.  It's not my fault, it's the fault of our other sister AmberLee or Burly Butt as she was called in her infancy.  Oh and yes, this is me without a posed face,, talking while a picture is being taken and so ending up with the chin of some presidential caricature.

Here Ree is signing the page with Charlie on it for my Ree's daughter Hazel Grace.  She was very genuine and obliging.  Oh, and my sister is asking her about her plans to write a children's book about Charlie.  We learned it is finished and will be released this summer!

Here I am explaining our sisterly game of who's liked by her the best.  I said, "We of course understand that you don't really know either of us".  Freakishly trying to regain some measure of being un-insane.  She replied, "Well of course I do".  So,, maybe we aren't the only ones who are crazy!  ;)

Here my phone decided to only be sure to let you know I was there.. with two women who may or not be Ree and Ree.  Ugh.  Anyway.  As soon as we walked away with our signed cookbooks my loving sister pointed out that there was no way I could prove that Pdub had actually signed my book as it read, "Love to my Best Friend Summer Bryan".  No  Ree, no Pdub, no Pioneer Woman.

So, apparently I spent 3 hours in line bantering with my little sister only to suffer a crushing defeat in the end.. without any involvement of ketchup.  I guess I've maintained some proof that I am not fully insane.

When I got home and tried to go to sleep.. it took a while.  I lay there thinking about the fact that Ree Drummond was standing in front of me and I just smiled.  I now know what we I should have suggested she do.  She should have walked down the aisle shaking random peoples hands and kissing random babies like the president would do.  Because after all.. I'm sure that to all of the 400 women present.. she pretty much should be the president anyway.  Or, something like that.

Thanks Ree for coming to Portland.  I hope your family is able to visit sometime with time to explore our great outdoors as well as all of the culturey stuff too.  I know you'd love it!

Wordless Wednesday: Poor Fred is loved SO much!

 

Wordless Wednesday on Thursday: Pics I've been wanting to share. Tillamook Beach

In sickness and health and astronauts.

This week has been odd. My poor lovey husband came down with a cold a while ago. This week it was confirmed to be either pneumonia or bronchitis. Strange don't you think. I've never heard of someone being told they have either one or the other... but my husband was. So, he's been home and on antibiotics.

You know how we say that we "just want them to be happy".. meaning our love or our children or whomever we decide we care that deeply enough for. Well, I learned that I didn't really. I want them to be happy so long as getting them there doesn't interfere with my happiness even worse.. God forbid... my schedule!

I was not the most wonderful nurse-wife this week. I saw a lot of yuckiness in my heart that could only.. well maybe not only but definitely at least be described as selfishness. I was happy to take care of him. Happy to get him what he needed. NOT so happy to sit and spend my week watching tv with him. I wasn't sick. I had things to do, places to go and people to see. (blech.. I am trying to add a little humor to my shame though) So in the end I decided to just act sick. Not like take meds and mope. (no, I'm not implying anything by saying that) I just decided to let it all go and when I had time to do the things that I so desperately needed to do.. I could do them then.

We ended up having a great week together which ended last night with him reading from C.S. Lewis', Four Loves. We've not read together like we used to. He actually made a joke about me always falling asleep when he reads to me... "well at least 9 years ago you did". Sad huh. But we are once again at a time of life where the demands of the day aren't so overwhelming. We have the energy and peace of mind to sit together and glean from some books the food that feeds our souls and binds our hearts and minds together in a way that only comes from reading together. (long sentence I know)

This week was also "Space Week" at the kids school. OMSI came and set up an exhibit and each day our kids would come home with new facts about the planets that surround ours. Or the stars, or the sun. It was great fun to see their interests peaked in such an intellectual way.

We've been having a good time supplementing their homework with spelling words or math pages that better fit their personal level of understanding than the day to day stuff they bring home from school. This is proving to ignite in all of us an excitement and great anticipation of the fun we will have homeschooling together.

Space week showed us that out of all of them Ethan was the most fascinated with it. (I think his teacher spent more time on it than the others) He was the most likely to have fun facts to share in the evening and enjoyed watching any shows his dad could find on the subject as well as looking things up online with me to help further his understanding and refresh his memory on things like mileage from the sun or rings on a planet. What a joy it's been to explore this with him.

So yesterday, day 7 of Bruce being sick-sick, he decided we needed to mow the back yard. I told him only if he'd let Ethan.. because he shouldn't be putting that much effort out yet. So Ethan mowed, I raked and Bruce and Jesse organized the rocks that for some unknown reason surround the edge of our yard. (the girls were at friends houses and so missed out on the treat of family work!) It was refreshing to get outside. Refreshing to move. Refreshing to see my boys work hard.

As Ethan came around on his first trip past us with the lawn mower, he shouted, "One small step for man. One giant leap for man-kind!" Oh, how these precious boys make my heart sing.
That is exactly what God's been doing in both his father and me this week. Taking us through little steps in our hearts that will mean giant steps for our children, our family as a whole and someday those around us that our lives touch.

My word for the week is "cusp". I've felt it all week. We are on the cusp of something great that God is bringing us into. Freedom, joy and the ability to once again live from the heart. A heart that is less full of us and more full of him. Every time my heart "sings" about one of my children I recognize that as being so much more a symphony than what is has recently been. And then I want to cry. Because I know that God truly is going somewhere with us. He truly is doing something IN us. He truly has us on the cusp of great things!

Spa, Butterflies and Crap

Lovely title huh.  Give me a chance to explain and then you can decide if I need a different one.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go on a retreat with the women of my church that I haven't attended for months now.  We went to Bonneville Resort and Spa.  It was a lovely hotel which has water flowing into the pools and spa from a spring.  This was lovely minus the sulfuric aroma that wafted through the halls from this magic water.

The speaker was Diane Moore.  She is a family counselor as well as a radio talk show host here in the Portland/Vancouver area.  It is called Parent Talk Radio.  I am not sure of the station or times she's on.. but when I figure it out I should post it.  For now here is a link to her website.http://www.parenttalknw.com/PTNW/parent_talk.html  She reminds me a lot of my dear friend Tori, and so I like her teaching style bunches.  She is a lovely woman.  She also attends our church and so was obligated to speak at our retreat.  Just kidding.  I'm sure she enjoyed it.

I neglected to take notes as I was in a foul mood most of the weekend.  This was partially due to the fact that I was taking pills for a "cleanse" so my tummy was upset, (no this wasn't the reason for the sulfur smell).  The other factor was.. I was being asked to be introspective.. and I didn't like what I saw and didn't understand how to deal with it.  So I was crabby.  That makes sense right?

She, Diane, spoke on butterflies.  She talked about how as caterpillars they live on poisonous milkweed and eat it in case they are eaten by a predator.  This ensures they get the last laugh.  They also apparently see in only black and white.  At some point in their life-cycle they attach themselves to a leaf and within two minutes are completely enclosed in a cocoon.  Then, over a period of time.. they turn to complete liquid.  Completely except for a little bit of their heart which keeps them alive.  So, the are liquid except for part of their heart and then they turn into a butterfly.  When they emerge from their cocoon they fly some crazy long distance like 2000 miles or so and then instead of eating poisonous milkweed they sip nectar from flowers that have bright colors or something which means that now they see in color.

All of this was meant to be a picture of us and how we live and then the process of change that happens in us as we allow God to work in our lives.  She also spoke on the ways that we cope with things that happen to us and then how we behave when we are transformed.

We were given a spa treatment.  I didn't think I'd like it.  We were to receive a mineral bath.  I don't like baths.  I don't like being stuck in hot water.  And we were told to use that 30min. to talk to God.  I don't like being told to talk to God.  And I don't like sitting still. (foul attitude)  Ends up you don't fill your tub with hot mineral water though.  It is supposed to be as close to body temperature as possible.  This ensures that your body is able to absorb the healing minerals within the water.  And that in 30min you can absorb up to 1 pint of water.  After 30min you don't absorb anything.. so they don't leave you in any longer.  It was delicious.

Then they took us to a room filled with massage like tables where we were to lay for another 30min and be wrapped up so that we could sweat out toxins.  At this point I was loving the whole thing and so thoroughly enjoyed it.  Minus feeling like I was in The Matrix.  :)

So, we were in our liquid state and cocooned.  Fun huh.  Allowing the weekends teaching to absorb into me has taken the better part of the week.  And I'm sure that there is plenty more that will come.  But for now it has been good to see the foulness that I've allowed to build up within me and see the gentle cleansing that the Holy Spirit brings as I open myself up to Him.

My next post has more evidence of this need for a detox of my soul.  Please bear with me as I work through it and use this blog to think it all through.

Oh how they make me laugh.

Last week my wonderful hubby bought a Go-kart for our kids. It is tiny. As in my bootie aint gonna fit in there. The older three kids are able to drive it.. Annah gets to be passenger.  The afternoon we got it we took the kids out to a 3 block long empty lot that is basically a big field.  They all were able to drive for a bit before the sun went down.

The next day I picked the kids up from school and as we were pulling into the garage Jesse looked over at the Go-Kart and said, "There she is.. the beauty of my life."

Today Annah started singing Jesus Loves Me.  I got kinda sad realizing I hadn't taught it to her.  So I decided to do a quick run through of other "Bible" songs I'd learned from my mom. 

After teaching her Jesus Loves the Little Children (the now probably controversial one that says Red and Yellow, Black and White) she excitedly said, "He even likes Gee-Jo and Sophia!".  Her two cousins that are half Mexican.  (Yes, I understand that this is another controversial term.. but umm.. there father was from Mexico.. that makes him Mexican right!?)

Wordless Wednesday: A day at the parks!