Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea is the best book I have read in a long time! It is the true story of Greg Mortensen and the inspiring way he has found to promote peace (fight terrorism) in a nonviolent, cost-effective, BETTER way -- by educating children. Here's a blurb from his website:

"In 1993, to honor his sister’s memory, Mortenson climbed Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain in the Karakoram range.

After K2, while recovering in a local village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school.

From that rash promise, grew a remarkable humanitarian campaign, in which Mortenson has dedicated his life to promote education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote, volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan."

It is an amazing, uplifting story perfect for book clubs and a great way to start out the new year. If you order the book from Amazon via the following website some of the proceeds will be used to support his work building schools. Here it is:

http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

Cliff Girls

Our Primary is going to spotlight each child this year, and asked parents to answer a few questions about their children. This is what I submitted for our girls:

Primary Spotlight Questions: KATIE CLIFF

1) Your child’s full name: Katherine Louise Cliff

2) Your child’s favorite food: "chocolate biscotti"

3) Your child’s favorite activity/pastime: "sewing or other craft projects"

4) Your child’s favorite scripture story/hero: "Nephi -- because he obeyed quickly while his brothers murmured"

5) What makes your child unique? Katie is extremely creative! She enjoys drawing, painting, sewing, scultping things out of clay, and would like to learn how to knit or crochet but her Mom doesn't know how to do either of those things!

6) What is a special gift that Heavenly Father has given your child? Katie has been blessed with a loving heart and a desire to do what is right.She is a wonderful big sister and she helps our family a lot.

Primary Spotlight Questions: ANNA KAY CLIFF

1) Your child’s full name: Anna Kay Cliff

2) Your child’s favorite food: "Pizza"

3) Your child’s favorite activity/pastime: "Play soccer"

4) Your child’s favorite scripture story/hero: "I like when Jesus is up in the sky" (Christ's visit to the Nephites)

5) What makes your child unique? Anna loves to go go go -- since she was a little girl she has always been interested in getting out of the house and doing something new. She dearly wishes she could fly.

6) What is a special gift that Heavenly Father has given your child? Anna came with a joyful spirit! She has a lot of happy energy and makes us smile with her enthusiasm and good humor. She is a sunshine girl.

Wii

A few weeks ago I decided to get a Wii "for John" for Christmas. I searched online for a retail-priced console -- but they are out of stock everywhere. Then I called/ visited my local Target, WalMart(s) and Best Buy. At Target the woman told me that they had been in their Sunday circular and sold out within a few hours. Our fancy schmancy new WalMart had them on Grand Opening Day but sold out in ten minutes! Best Buy is completely out, none in the warehouse.

Taking a cue from my Wal Mart source, I thought I'd go early to a Circuit City "Grand Opening" advertised in the paper and try to be the first one in the store. But it turns out the "soft opening" was November 7th and yes, they have no Wii consoles. They have no Wii consoles today.

"How do I find a wii?" I Googled. And oh, the intrigue! The scandal! I read tales of Best Buy employees falsely touting the "last Wii in stock" on the sales floor to push sales. Rumors of an artificial shortage masterminded by the nefarious people at Nintendo in order to sustain demand, dire predictions of price spikes as it gets closer to Christmas. I began to despair of finding my Wii before Thanksgiving and determined that if I hadn't found one by then I would give up my quest -- better to go without than get caught in the holiday shopping craziness that begins the day after Thanksgiving.

I trolled through the online commentary again. One poster's incredulous response (she saw they all the time around her small town, what was the big deal?) inspired me. I searched for WalMart locations in areas farther out toward the hinterlands and called Gainsville, Sanger, and Decatur. Bingo! They'd had two in Decatur this morning, there was one left, and he'd hold it for me for an hour. Approximately one hour later I sidled up to the man in the electronic department of Decatur's WalMart and asked in my quietest voice if they were still holding a Wii? He looked at me, verified my identity, and brought me to my console.

Wheeee!

Little Red Hen

Today it was cold (50s) and gray and windy and even though I made bread yesterday it just felt like a bread day. I have been wanting to try my recipe using hard red winter wheat in place of the soft white wheat I usually use, just to see how it would turn out. So I followed my (Rebecca's) recipe exactly for the dough and watched to see what happened. I'm happy to report that it turned out fine, just required a bit less flour and more rising time than usual -- which is as expected. It has a stronger whole wheat flavor but is still good.

Universal Khaki

The family room painting took two days and one friend on a 24 foot ladder -- and it is mahvelous, dahling. I love it! I was afraid that having a deeper color would bother me with the ceiling/roofline's many angles, but instead it makes it look better. Wish I'd done it sooner.

So, now the dining, living, family rooms, back stairs and upstairs hall are all Universal Khaki. It is perfect. I saw it at Kristin's house, came home and got me to a Sherwin Williams.

Now I just need to get a bit more Latte from Restoration Hardware to finish a tiny bit of the kitchen...

Manners

Last week Anna slept next to me for a few nights, and she talks. One night she proclaimed to the darkness, "I want some cake!" immediately followed by, "May I please have some cake?"

Time Keeps on Slippin' slippin'

So now that both kids are in school, what do I do with my days? Enquiring minds want to know-- I want to know! I've still got piles of laundry, the kitchen was a mess for most of last week, the back needs weeding and the closets silently await my attention. The kids' first 6-week reports came out on Friday so that tells you how long I've had to get to all my projects.

Here's some of what I have done: researched and bought a piano off of Craigslist, weeded the back, painted the front room- living room- back stairs and most of upstairs hall, signed on as VP of Programs for the PTA, found Katie a piano teacher, escorted Anna to soccer practices (canceled and non), 14 hours of Book Fair, literacy volunteer Monday mornings in kindergarten, trimmed and weeded in front, RedRibbonWeek calls to DEA /flyers created/bulletin board designed, school shopping for girls since they will continue to grow, re-installed robe hook in master bathroom, day of loafing at First Mondays Trade Days in Canton, hunted down Halloween costumes for all four of us, the usual Young Women activities and Sunday lessons, trimmed holly and weeded in back, sweated out the State Fair of Texas on Columbus Day, pulled out bloomless lavender and a few other sorry specimens from front beds, lots of Googling.

Did some other things, too.

Tomorrow I'm tackling the family room with a friend and her 18 foot ladder.

Good thing she's cute

I adore my Anna Banana. I love that she loves to cuddle. I love her, "thanks, Mom!" spoken with unbridled enthusiasm, and the sincere compliments she freely gives. I love that she loves it when I snuggle my face right into her neck and how she giggles when I give her kisses.

But how long will she continue to destroy my house?!!??!

She ran an unauthorized bubblebath for herself this afternoon and while I was chatting with a neighbor at the front door I heard a crash from my bathroom and muffled crying. Turns out she pulled one of my robe hooks out of the wall. They've been up for about a month. I put them in after the towel bar was ripped out, replaced, and ripped out again. I am running out of unadulturated drywall.

Sigh.

Many Waters

So I stole the title of this post from Madeleine L'Engle -- just a shout out to one of my favorite children's authors, who died this week.

And did I mention the rain?! It was so fierce at school drop off time the carpool line backed up past the stopsign on Mustang. Apparently when it is raining sideways NOONE walks to school. At one point the runoff spilled back up over the curbs and sidewalk and I was afraid my car might be one of those floaters that ends up on the news while they remind you not to try driving across standing water. And of course I was in pjs.

Still am, as a matter of fact, even though I have been up since 6am. However, laundry is going and bread is rising. The mole guy just called to cancel the front lawn treatment and it feels like a clean-the-closets-out kind of day. Better get dressed so I don't spend the day hanging around like a Carpenter's song.

Picturing the First Day of School

Katie in pink shorts, white tee with pink, purple and turquoise polka dots, lavender backpack. Anna wears an orange tee and shorts, pink Hello Kitty pack on her back.

Holding hands, they walk into school together.

Priceless. Want to remember it forever... where's the camera?!?

I think I'll have to go after school and stage a photo.

Are we there yet?

The summer is winding down. Slooooowly. Last year, school started the second week of August. But stronger legislation pushed the official start date to the end of the month. This year, back to school means Anna starts kindergarten -- Hooray! -- but what really gets me is this idea of "Kate" as a fourth grader.

I remember Katie in kindergarten-- journaling our weekend with the class tiger, Ms. Ledford/Johnson letting Katie bring baby Anna on her special show and tell day (S is for sister), and the trip to the pumpkin patch. In first grade there was a Valentine's day party, our Polar Express field trip to the theater in pjs, and Ms. Mewhinney reporting Katie's great progress the first half of the year. But second and third grades (Ms. Kollasch and Ms. Harvey) are a blur. Two years gone in a flash. Weird.

Time is tricky, though. School doesn't start until the 27th and the next two-plus weeks of summer loom large.

Our hundred-degree Texas heat has finally kicked in, and even a trip to the pool is unappealing. The house leaves much to be desired: the vacuum is in the shop for repair, laundry duty calls, and the projects I want to do are big and messy and easier to contemplate with girls in school. Having the girls here and John working from home somehow makes it harder to do my thing. The day is punctuated with the girls' squeals and arguments. I have contemplated squeezing in another road trip just to get away and fill the days but talked myself out of it again.

I really need to get ALL the laundry done, inventory the girls' shoes and clothes for school, then shop for the tennies/backpacks/ clothing they will need this year. Shopping is not their favorite thing -- I only like it in small doses, myself -- but they really dislike trying on clothes (new or old) to check the fit.

This might take two and a half weeks.

Come Fly With Me

It is 6:55 am and in six days I'll be in Europe.

Yes, again. I asked Mom and Dad if they would like me to come be tour guide for Italy during their farewell tour after their mission. They have never been to Italy, and although we won't be visiting the area in which I actually served my mission, I wanted them to experience the people, food, and culture we enjoy so much. John wouldn't slack off work to go (he did just start this job in February) so I am taking Katie with me.

Which explains why I was up at 6 am this morning. I hope to push that to 5:30 and then 5 am by Sunday, to minimize jet lag. We leave Monday and stop in London (nice and necessary since we are using the last two travel dates available with airline points) then fly on cheapo Easyjet to and from Italy before returning. I have spent WAY too many hours online forming an itinerary with sites, transportation, reservations and food options built in so I can minimize wandering and frustration while traveling with parents and child. I feel an incredible responsibility, maybe compulsion, to make it a good trip since it will almost certainly be my parents' only time in Italy and perhaps the only time Katie goes to Europe.

Sounds glamorous, though, doesn't it? I have been consumed with the particulars and the budget but my plan is to get it all tacked down enough so I can step back and enjoy seeing it through Katie's eyes. Although I started out doing this for Mom and Dad (I've actually quenched my thirst for travel) it's all about Katie now. John and I are hoping this trip will give her confidence in herself and in how much her Mom loves her. We have seen it happening already, which makes the hours and hours of planning worth it.

7 am, blog done, and Katie rolls in, on skates, in pjs to say hello. How cute it that?

Central Market OCD

Yesterday when I ended up in Southlake for the second time I decided to hit Central Market for birthday flowers for a friend. We love Central Market. We have spent date nights and family home evening activities admiring the gorgeous, rarefied produce, prowling the aisles and collecting random things like fresh mandarins, McVities biscuits, blood-orange soda and a lump of Saran-wrapped cheese named Kirkham.

Last night I was exceptionally disciplined and ignored the shortbread, walked right past the baskets of crusty rosemary loaves fresh from the oven, turned away from the bread pudding in the pastry cases (see a theme here?) and was all the way to the floral department before I got stuck. Central Market generally has a nice selection of interesting bouquets, but last night the only thing calling to me was a plain sleeve of vivid orange Gerbera daisies. I should have asked to have them wrapped with a smart bow and left it at that, but no, I thought I could do better. I began to experiment with various combinations. Nothing worked. The store employee aka "foodie" helpfully suggested several options. Nothing worked. Twenty minutes, one antsy friend, and a relieved foodie later, I left with a slender vase holding five vivid orange Gerbera daisies, one hydrangea puff, two blades of lemongrass and a lime green and orange plaid bow.

Next time I hope I have the sense just to take the daisies and run.

And now for something completely different...

To preserve journalistic integrity I am sharing the following e-mailed description as a counterpoint to my Lazy Sunday post. Beware the Ides of May! Some names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Several weeks ago Monkey woke up in the middle of the night, walked to the middle of her room, pulled down her panties, and peed on the floor. I know because I had heard her wake up and had gone to investigate. Caught her with her pants down, you could say. Why??!! This happened approximately 3 days before her fifth birthday.

A day or two after her birthday I found 2 million colored beads (gift-- I would never provide her with that kind of ammunition) and recent clippings of her baby doll's curls strewn around the room. I instructed her to clean it up -- hah! -- I ended up vacuuming the greater part of it, but left the handful of beads not spilled everywhere in a bag on her dresser. A few hours later returned to find said beads all over her bedroom floor. Why??!

Saturday afternoon a guilty looking Monkey came in to me (I was sick in bed) wrapped up in a beach towel. I asked why she was wet and she confessed she'd been playing in the water. I asked where, and she told me the bathroom. So I let it go. But what actually happened was that both girls had dumped glasses of water on the playroom carpet until it was soaked enough to squish their toes in. Why?! "To cool off." Of course I did not discover the new pond in the playroom until Sunday morning. The soaking apparently brought all past carpet sins to the surface and filled the house with eau de putrescence. We closed off the room and left floor and ceiling fans running day and night. Before John left for a trip on Monday we had agreed the carpeting needed replacing.

On Tuesday while I was researching carpet replacement options (just that room? the stairs and hall, too? what kind/color/blah blah blah) and eventually deciding the budget couldn't take it this summer, Monkey aka Master Disaster decided to give herself a haircut to go along with the fine work she did on her baby doll. (See why someone will NOT be getting an American Girl doll like the one belonging to her older-and-shoulda-known-better partner in crime?)

In an effort to stay the appearance of Crazy Mom, I called in an SOS to our friendly neighborhood Needs family. Rich and his boys cut out a large section of the playroom carpet and the thoroughly soaked pad, hauled it down to the side of the garage, and threw in a flood story of their own for good measure. Hooray for heroes! A few days of fans and some Arm&Hammer spray on the carpet and the smell was gone.

Last week I got three large beach mats on sale at World Market and slid them into the space where the carpeting used to be. I think they'll be a good object lesson until we redo the carpet -- maybe next year!

Lazy Sunday (Cliff style)

This morning Anna hopped out of the car at church in flip flops. Aaaaiiiieeee! She had been wearing shoes and sox but had managed to fly that change under the radar. I sent her back with her Dad to change...

After church John decided to make pasta alla carbonara. To the unitiated, the bacon and eggs involved can sound like a horrifying breakfasty perversion, but to quote a friend, "oh, my yum!"

After seeking out the comics page, Katie spent some of the afternoon rolling around on her skates in of John's tee shirts. (The girls got into the habit of changing into sleep clothes when we had late church and although we are done before noon this year, they usually go from dresses to jammies when we get home.) I told her that her days of wearing Dad's tee shirts are numbered unless she quits growing and got the expected grin in response.

Katie gave a talk today in Primary. The theme was how the restoration of the gospel helps her have faith in Christ. Her dad worked on it with her yesterday while I was gone helping my friend Sue with a cookie project. I was surprised and pleased to find that her talk was how work is a principle of the restoration that helps her faith in Christ grow. I am trying to make work a regular part of the girls' life and to impress upon them the concept of work before play, and work 'til the job is done. Katie talked about how Joseph Smith learned to work as a boy and helped his family. She shared part of a story from the New Era about learning to like doing dishes and said she is learning to work when she does the dishes, folds laundry, and weeds the back yard. She said that it is important to believe in Christ, but you also need to work to keep the commandments and make good choices.

Also this morning, Katie lost another of her baby teeth. She is becoming such a nice young lady that I sometimes forget she is still a little girl. She looked very grown up today with her cute swing bob and white crinkle skirt and blouse with embroidered green butterflies. We found the skirt on clearance at Kohl's on Friday -- plus a darling kimono style shirt in pretty blues, some capri jeans, two silky puff sleeve shirts for church, and a pink dress with a handkerchief hem. It was fun to watch the girl who rarely has an opinion about clothes smile and admire herself in the dressing room mirror, and politely tell me one skirt I suggested was not "her style."

But back to today: following a lovely, restorative nap snuggled next to her Mom, Anna pined away for the television. She was not interested in her Sunday viewing options. She patiently explained to us that she wanted to watch things like Clifford, Cyberchase, and Caillou. I asked if we had Clifford on DVD and she informed me that, no, those shows were "PBS Kids on KERA" -- and with the precise quote she unwittingly validated my decision to cut down viewing options by carrying only local channels. We made the change a few years ago and I don't think they realize what they are missing!

Anyway, left to her own devices, Anna decided the best way to while away her time was in tidying up the playroom -- joy! -- and so it was that as I sat downstairs finishing the Willa Cather novel I've been nibbling on for the past week the shout came from above, "Mom! I found my purple flip flops!" and a bobbed-hair girl in red baseball cap zoomed out of the playroom, shoes triumphantly in hand.

While I finish this, the girls have been snuggling with their Dad in our room. I just sent them in to brush teeth and then its time to get them to bed. Anna has celebrated the start of summer break by sleeping in the trundle in Katie's room these past two nights and they have headed in there together again.

The smell of yummy pasta lingers in the air, my girls are headed to bed, and all is well in the world.

Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself... Again

So we took the girls to see Shrek the Third at the movie theater on Saturday. I have to say that I agree with the paper's review that it is a typical third movie (read, not so great). The girls were amused, as were John and I when our sweet Katie told us her favorite part was when Snow White abruptly dropped her lilting woodland-creature-filled song to belt out some Led Zeppelin. Of course Katie doesn't know it was Led Zeppelin, but she did a pitch perfect rendition of those first few bars anyway.

Earlier this evening I heard Anna doing her own Robert Plant impression as she puttered around upstairs. But since it had been a while, I went to check on her -- silence is usually scary when it comes to Anna -- and she had put herself to bed (8:30pm Sunday night). Is there any better gift for a Mom?! She is so yummy when she sleeps... I often tiptoe in and give her kisses. I actually don't have to tiptoe since all the OTHER members of this household sleep like logs, but I told Anna that once and she so enjoyed the thought of it that she often asks me if, in fact, I tiptoed in to give her kisses while she slept.

I am off to turn out Katie's light and tuck her in and tiptoe into Anna's room...