Summoned by Bells, (With apologies to John Betjeman)

Summoned by Bells. (With apologies to John Betjeman).

"Well, the 2012 Olympics have come and gone, and speaking as a patriotic Brit, I’m pretty happy with the way we chaps performed, both in terms of the sporting achievements, and the overall organisation.

To come third on the medals table to the two giants of USA and China was quite a feat for a small nation like us. What’s more, when it comes to the Three Bs. We can teach the rest of the world a thing or two. (For the uninitiated, I of course mean Bikes, Boats and Boxing). Yes, no one can hold a candle to us in the velodrome, on the water or in the boxing ring, and we’re feeling smug that we even managed to tame the weather to behave itself for the duration.

The Opening Ceremony was deliciously quirky, and fun, as was something you guys across the pond didn’t know about, but which typifies our eccentricity as a nation. And I’m talking about bells.

“Any Bell. Anyone. Anywhere. 08:12 27th July At 08:12 this morning hundreds of thousands of people across the United Kingdom rang bells to celebrate the first day of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in a mass participation artwork by Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed, commissioned by the London 2012 Festival.

This unique London 2012 Festival commission is one of the festival’s biggest nationwide community projects. It offered everyone in the UK the amazing opportunity to be part of a work by a Turner Prize-winning artist and of the historic celebrations for London 2012.”

Big Ben tolled forty times that morning, too, so anyone hoping for a time-check would have been out of luck. And the only Brit ever to win the Tour de France, one Bradley Wiggins, rang the huge bell in the Olympic stadium, to signal the start of the games.

Even yours truly dashed out into me back garden (‘yard’, to you folk. By the way, a yard is something different over here; namely a paved or tarmaced area, usually without plants, lawns and flowers. A garden, however, has these.) Yes, there I was, in my housecoat and slippers, clutching the bell my husband bought me as a joke and dinging it like crazy for all I was worth.

Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt got in trouble as a result of his enthusiasm. He was paying a visit to HMS Belfast when the time came to join the communal ringing, and gave his small handbell a vigorous ring, only to discover that though the ship he was on board was the Belfast, his particular bell wasn’t fast. The handle remained in his hand, whilst the bell flew through the air, narrowly missing several bystanders. Having checked that nobody had been injured, Mr Hunt laughed it off, comparing it with an incident from a UK comedy called Twenty Twelve."
Entry by Penny...

Penny is the lovely lady on the left.
Picture was taken in 2007 at my home.

Back to school

I enjoy preparing for a new school year. One of the best parts of each school year, everyone begins with a fresh slate.  A close second… new school supplies… paper, folders, pencils, markers, crayons, binders, new classrooms, and new students…

Yesterday afternoon, I met students who will be in my classroom. Later in the day, I attended a community workshop, Empowering our Children: A Community Conversation.  I am happy to resume the comfort of school routines. I am back to preparing lessons plans, taking attendance, and reviewing homework.

This morning, I volunteered to pick up International Students at the airport.  The entire community is gearing up for a new school year. 

Back to School Shopping

Remember the thrill of back to school shopping?  New clothes, shoes, backpacks all in preparation for that first day of school.  So thrilling to run into your friends as you were shopping and see what outfits they were selecting.  Now, back in the day, not too far back, we just went where our parents took us.  We rode in the car and wherever the car arrived, we were happy.  I remember a store called Air Way, kind of like a version of Target.  That was a back to school tradition.  Then, there was the mall, we'd spend a small amount of time there, in stores such as JCPenny and the Gap.

Now, fast forward to today.  I have to complete 3-4 rounds of shopping.  We visit at least 8 different stores.  And then, there's the fashion!   Don't get me wrong, I love it, but there is no simplicity in this activity.  The influence of the Disney Channel and all of the other channels that expose our children to fashion. Some parents have told me that they are glad their children have to wear uniforms.  Well,  I prefer individuality to uniformity any day of the week.  I have two little fashionistas at my house, a mix between rocker meets school girl and a edgy want to be goth mixed with edgy school girl.  

After all, the world is not uniform.  There are all different kinds of people, clothing, etc.  Everybody can't have everything.  I figure, better to learn now how to cope with difference, no matter how small.  I always wonder what happens when children go out into the world and realize that everybody is not  just alike, everybody doesn't get a trophy at the end of the game, sometimes, you have to compete, the world doesn't cater to us as individuals, we have to learn to find our own place in this world.  Oh well, enough of my seriousness, this is about fashion.

Oh, and did I mention that the Coach store has backpacks now!  Oh, I wish I was going to school!

Pictures posted later this week.

baby love

Months before my daughter was born, I saw her on a sonogram. Holding her for the first time my heart melted. Seeing her face for the first time was amazing. So beautiful.  Her smooth caramel colored skin was silky smooth.  Her tiny body fit neatly in my arms.  Baby love…

Visiting last week in Omaha, I was struck how much she reminded me of her baby face. It was something… her hairstyle… She still has wonderful smooth skin.  She informs me… it is because she is eating clean… no processed food, no sugars, fresh fruit and vegetables.

 Every night before she was born, I prayed, God please give me the strength to be a good parent. I am blessed. God abundantly provided my every need.  I read books, sought advice, attended Le leche League meetings, and listened.  Check out le leche league here Milk

I was not the perfect parent… no one is…

Although my children are now adults, I still have baby love.

This week marks the le leche league's  20th year  of world  breastfeeding week ... 

Coming Out of the Closet

As with any type A personality, I continuously have a list of some type.  Well, this week, during my week off from work, I have had a household to do list.  Today, I was determined to conquer the linen closet.  Thus, the title, coming out of the closet, the linen closet that is!  I pondered as I reviewed the contents of this closet.  We have one king sized bed and two twin beds.  Then why, do we have over 20 sets of king sized sheet sets and at least 10 sets of twin size sheets.  Those sheets are accompanied by approximately 12 comforter sets and multiple blankets.  Is it because of Oprah?  You know, all those times, when she did shows telling me that I needed sheets that had at least 500 thread counts or more?  Or when I watched those shows that said I needed Egyptian cotton sheets?  Or, was it when they had the white sales at Macys?

All of this linen made me wonder, just how much linen is necessary for three beds?  But more importantly, what else is in the closets of my life, taking up space and for what reasons?  What was the significant event or moment in my life that caused me to put that item in my closet and even more importantly, what continues to allow me to let it remain there?  Do I even know what is in those closets?  Do I have a plan to remove those items and take inventory?  As I removed each piece of linen from the closet, I had to decide what to do with it, and where it would be stored if it remained.

I believe the linen closet is a little like my life right now.  I am removing things and taking inventory of what is there and why some things are the way they are.  Sometimes, I have been guilty of saying, "Well, that's just the way I am".  However, recently, I begun to take things out of the closet and understand why I am the way I am and understand what I truly want to remain in my personal closets and what has seen the end of its time and may be more useful to someone else.

The Cement Truck and Other Fun Things I Learned From My Grandmother

Well, today, as I drove my oldest daughter to performing arts camp, I saw it, the cement mixer truck.  I told my kids, "You better be good, because in that truck are all the bad children that have been picked up along the way.  The driver's name is Barnabas."  That was how my grandmother got all of us kids to be quiet in the car when she was driving us around town!  My kids were laughing hysterically.  What else did your grandmother tell you, my children asked.  I thought about it and as I thought about all of the costly activities that we afford our children, I thought about all of the inexpensive, low or no cost activities that my brother and sister and I did with my grandmother and mother.

I recall my first library book, Anne of Green Gables.  I went with my grandmother to the Plainfield public library and picked out this book, while my grandmother picked out her books.  Then, we took our books home and I sat under the tree and read that book over and over again.  Then, there were all of the local parades that we waited for each year.  There wasn't a Wii or an X-box, an IPOD  or 200 channels to choose from, just family to hang out with and friends to talk to.  I also remember riding my bike with my close friends and not worrying about being abducted by some crazed maniac!

Oh, the sporting activities, my brother and sister and I did the traditional things, cheerleading, football, gymnastics, and baseball.  My children, soccer, karate, gymnastics, cheerleading, swimming and dance.  Of course not all at the same time, but some of it was at the same time and some was at the same time as drama, piano, children's choir, girl scouts and percussion ensemble!  My question here, is do we now over schedule our children and why do we do this?  I understand my logic.  Part of my believe is that the world has become so much more complicated than the world I initially described.  Complicated and competitive.  I wonder, if our children, my children are to compete, how important is it for them to gain exposure to a great deal at a young age and begin perfecting that skill at an older age?

Ok, back to nostalgia!  The simpler life that I believe I enjoyed was one that, while uncomplicated by stuff, still, had its share of difficulties, as I am sure many of your lives did also.  But, as for the uncomplicated days spent with my grandmother, making tents during raining days, sitting in her small house, with no air condition on hot summer days, as she made fudge.  Picking mulberries from the mulberry tree and pretending to make wine for our pretend church communion.  Those were some good times!

I hope I am making some uncomplicated moments and memories for my children, in the midst of all of our over scheduled and hectic days!  Today for fun, we made a money tree at Steak and Shake!  While waiting at the drive thru, we took pennies and placed them carefully on the leaves of the bushes that lined the drive thru!  Now, that was fun!

Penny's First Post

"We Brits are obsessed with the weather. The rest of the world knows that. It’s easily the most popular topic of conversation. You might assume that given what a special year this is for us on this side of the pond, we’d be discussing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and the Olympics, but no, as usual, it’s the weather.

In Britain, we get a lot of weather. OK, maybe it’s not BIG weather like yours. We have the occasional mini tornado, which might lift a few roof tiles or uproot the odd tree. But they’re certainly not five miles wide and totally devastating, like some of yours. And as for hurricanes, well, we know nothing of them. So why the obsession? Well, though we live in a temperate climate, most years, no two days in Britain are the same, so the weather certainly keeps us on our toes, so to speak.

Months which in theory should be expected to be spring-like, quite often are not. And winters are not always wintery.Take March, for instance. We had a fortnight (fourteen nights, or two weeks) of temperatures in the 80s. And the last two weeks in May were the same. As a result, a hosepipe ban was introduced in many parts of the country, to conserve precious water supplies.

 But in case we got too used to basking and relaxing in the sun, Mother Nature had a joke at our expense and brought us back down to earth with a bang. The start of June saw black, threatening clouds and cool temperatures. For three solid months we’ve had nothing but lowering skies and interminable rain. People’s moods have been affected profoundly by the lack of sunshine and day after day of driving rain. Yes, we know we are lucky to have adequate water, unlike millions in the Third World, but you can have too much of a good thing.

 The Jet Stream, which most folk had never heard of six months ago, was to blame; we were informed by the meteorologists. Now, I warrant, not a single citizen above the age of five isn’t familiar with its vagaries. To anyone working in the tourist industry, booking a holiday in Britain or living (as I do) on low-lying ground, the Jet Stream became public enemy Number One.

People living in the picturesque Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge was flooded three times in two weeks, and scores of garden parties, summer fetes and festivals were cancelled due to flooding or acres of mud, making access impossible. So far, three-quarters of the way through July,-2012 has been a miserable summer, or more accurately, a non-existent one. But joy of joy, we are assured that that pesky Jet Stream is moving north, and we can expect more seasonal weather next week.

As I write this, it is pouring down."

Penny