Sweet Potatoes on the Ceiling

Notes for making a successful sweet potato soup.

1. If the blender doesn't seem to be mixing the sweet potatoes well enough, do not insert the wooden spoon into the blender while blending. Doing so may cause the spoon to split and sweet potatoes to be spewed onto the counters, blinds, cupboards, your hair and the ceiling.

2. Even if you're short, flinging the sponge at spots of sweet potatoes in aforementioned locations will not clean them, and in fact may result in the dirty sponge landing squarely in the middle of the crock pot.

3. When washing out the offensive blender, do not empty the water from the blender in haste in your frustration, it may result in dirty water splashing up out of the sink and over the countertops.

4. Recommended dessert: humble pie.

On Being Mrs. Robinson

I am 40. For more about that, see my birthday post. I really don't mind being 40, but it does feel different than being 39. I really hadn't thought much about my age until we moved to our new ward (a ward is what the LDS Church calls a geographic area which indicates which church group you attend).

David and I live in a four-plex in the middle of a bunch of other four-plexes. Our ward is made up primarily of young couples just starting their marriages and families while still in school or while just starting their professional career. Consequently, I am one of the oldest people in our church group. People seem a little surprised when they find out how old I am. They seem even more surprised when they find out how old David is - that's to be expected since I am a cradle robber. I'm choosing to believe that they're surprised because I look so great for my age and not because they're shocked to have such an old woman in their midst. (Please do not shatter my illusion.)

One thing I love about being part of this ward is that I'm getting to participate in things that I missed while I was working: sewing group, Music Makers class with Baylie, being friends with other stay-at-home moms. It's great.

I'm also inspired by other 40-somethings who I think look dang good and many of whom are new moms: Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, Halle Berry and Jennifer Anniston. I'm especially inspired by Demi Moore who is 46 and married to Ashton Kutcher who is only 30 (for those of you doing the math, that's a bigger age gap than mine and David's). Now if only I had the money of all of the above!

Curtain Call

I am not good at sewing. I have a sister and sisters in law that are so talented and can sew circles around me. I have gradually improved, starting with table cloths, then pillow cases, then pajama pants and now curtains. They're not fancy, but I'm quite proud of them. They are for Baylie's room. Next project: a quilt!

Love or Child Abuse?

From before the time we decided to adopt an African American child, I have been warned about the hair. I've been told how important hair is to a little black girl, how expensive it is to care for, how I need to do it right, etc. I was so relieved when Baylie was born and her hair was soft and wavy instead of tight, curly and coarse. How naive I was. Her hair has gradually become more and more curly and more and more coarse.

I love Baylie's hair. I love the tight ringlets all over her head and the little ones that frame her face. I love how soft it is and how tight the curls are right against her scalp. I have already spent more on Baylie's hair product than on my own. We have experimented with several different products and hair dos. It's kind of fun for me to try and learn. The only problem is, Baylie HATES getting her hair done. She sees the pick and starts to scream, even before I touch her head. We have tried Disney Channel, suckers, Daddy playing with her while Mommy tortures her, all with limited success.

Here are some of our hairdos so far. I also love her hair just froed (not sure if that's a word) out over a headband.

Midnight Madness

Baylie often wakes up sideways in her crib.

I am a night owl. For some reason, sometimes I go on a run where I just don't want to go to sleep. I'm usually in the middle of some project or reading a book. I remember one run in college where I went nine days on nine hours of sleep. The problem now is that I still like to stay up, but my body doesn't bounce back like it used to. I end up tired and sick the next day. (Ironically when I was a kid I'd always get sick the day after sleep overs, so maybe I'm reverting.) Problem #2 is that I get the munchies when I stay up too late. Fortunately, tonight I've only eaten grapes.

David is the exact opposite. He can get eight hours of sleep and still be tired. He can fall asleep anywhere - sitting down, standing up - and anytime. He's such a good sport to put up with my horrendous sleep habits. Sometimes he'll try to stay up with me, but he never makes it (unless we're watching a movie, then he stays up and I fall asleep).

It makes me feel guilty because it means we don't pray together or cuddle before going to sleep. For example, it is now 2:00 a.m. David went to sleep at midnight and I was supposed to follow right after. But first I just checked Facebook and then all the blogs I follow and now I'm posting this. Crazy! I'll be so tired tomorrow.

So, I guess I'll go slide into bed, try not to wake up David and get ready to get up whenever Baylie wakes up ... or maybe I'll just finish watching this show.

By the way, our baby is a WILD sleeper. She sleeps 10-12 hours, but she does laps around the crib and the blankets never stay on.

Transracial Adoption Conference

In Conjunction with the Utah Adoption Council Conference, BYU is holding a Transracial Adoption Conference. I am so excited about this. David and I are both going and I'm hoping we'll learn a lot.

When: March 17, 2009
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Where: BYU Conference Center (770 E. University Parkway, Provo)

The conference is free and open to the public. To register, send an e-mail to transracialadoptionBYU@gmail.com.

Keynotes I Want to Hear:

• A Twenty Year Study of Transracial Adoption
• Where Race and Family Meet

Workshops I Hope to Attend:

• White Parents of Black Children: The Development of Biracial Childrens' Identity in a Racialized Society
• Straddling the Fence: Understanding the World of a Transracial Adoptee
• Race Socialization of White Parents

The speakers/presenters are experts from across the U.S. and I think it will be very informative. I know it will be good info for us since we basically know nothing.

i DON'T LIKE getting tagged

Tag, you're it.

First, I beg forgiveness for those I am going to tag. Feel free to blame my sister for tagging me first.

Here are the rules:

1. Post rules on your blog
2. Answer the six '8' items
3. Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 favorite TV shows (I don't think I watch eight shows):

1. Lost
2. Monk
3. Psych
4. Ellen
5. Crossing Jordan (reruns)
6. NCIS
7. CSI (all versions except Miami - can't stand that guy)
8. College Game Day (football)

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Got up at 4 a.m.
2. Flew from Dallas to Houston to Salt Lake City
3. Wrestled with a wiggly baby onboard an airplane (actually David did most of it)
4. Watched "Errand of Angels" with David
5. Washed travel laundry
6. Had a nice conversation with my husband
7. Took a shower
8. Watched True Beauty (very interesting show)

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. Watching Baylie walk (that may change once she's getting into everything)
2. David's graduation (Masters, but especially Doctorate)
3. Baylie's first birthday party
4. The millenium (hopefully that will get rid of Nancy Pelosi)
5. Getting our tax return
6. Summer vacation to anywhere fun
7. David coming home in an hour or so
8. Finishing the afghan I've been knitting forever

8 favorite restaurants:

1. Ruggels
2. Le Madeleine
3. Jason's Deli
4. Pizzeria 712
5. In-n-Out
6. Cafe Express
7. Via Emilia
8. Saltgrass Steakhouse

8 Things on my wish list (whoops, I had to change things I'm looking forward to, I guess they were mostly wishes):

1. Selling our home in Houston
2. Losing 100 more pounds
3. Getting a stamp in my passport (I had to get insert pages added and haven't gone anywhere since then!)
4. Adopting another baby
5. A read job and no debt
6. For Baylie to have a long and happy life
7. Finish Baylie's curtains
8. Seeing Josh Groban, Brad Paisley or Josh Turner in concert

8 people I tag (don't hate me):

1. Kelli
2. Kellie
3. Sara
4. Janelle
5. Chari
6. Dayna
7. Heidi
8. Michelle

Everything's Bigger in Texas

Lexie, Baylie, Teryn and Mamaw

When I first moved to Texas, I was surprised at how much advertising uses phrases like "as big as Texas," "as strong as Texas," "as wide as Texas," "as strong as a Texan needs it to be," etc. David, having been born and raised in Texas never even noticed this until I pointed it out to him. Texas is a unique place. I loved living there and I love going back. I miss it a lot. Unfortunately, everything's bigger in Texas, including my appetite, sigh.

We spent the long weekend with Mamaw, David's grandmother, in Dallas. She is a classy lady. I really enjoy being around her. She is a true southern belle with a soft accent and gentle manners. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She has been undergoing chemotherapy for several months. Ironically enough, her only sibling was also diagnosed with cancer - but a different kind. The two of them are the best of friends and do everything together. Now they are even battling cancer together. All I can say is "cancer sucks." I was relieved to see both of them looking as beautiful as ever (they really are striking women). They have such great faith and optimism. They are inspiring to be around.

I wish I had been able to spend more time around David's grandfather. He died the year after David and I were married and I only got to meet him once. It seems that David's character is very much like his grandfather's.

I know a lot about my ancestors. I was raised surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles and my grandparents. David doesn't know as much about his side of the family and I have sort of developed a passion to find out as much as I can about them. Mamaw gave us some pictures of David's great grandparents as well as a towel that his great grandfather used when he was a barber. It has his name embroidered on it. These things are treasures to me.

I wonder if Baylie will be satisfied to just have our family history be her family history. I wonder if she'll want to explore her biological family history. I wish I knew more about them. Hopefully it's something we can explore together. My primary concern is that she not feel anything is missing in her life. I want her to feel complete. For me, I wouldn't be able to feel that way without this knowledge I have of my extended family. For David, it's not as big of a deal. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how Baylie feels about it.

Continental Flight 3407

For those of you who don't know, I work for Continental Airlines. I take reservations phone calls from our home. I was working last night when I learned about the crash of flight 3407. I have had a heavyness in my chest ever since I first heard about it. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash and for the individual who was sitting in his own home. Each passenger has their own family, history and realm of influence. So many lives are impacted by something like this.

As an airline employee, everytime I hear about a crash, the first thing I listen for is whether or not it's one of our flights. Then, of course, I listen to hear if there were any fatalities. In this case, the news on both counts was very sad. I didn't have to wait for the news to tell me about it. I received an e-mail telling me to sign out of the phone and call in to our office in Salt Lake. They briefed us on the crash. As employees, we don't learn much more than what you can learn by watching CNN. The hardest part was when I started taking reservations phone calls again and had to assist passengers who had no idea there had been a crash. I had to continue being upbeat and friendly, pretending like nothing was wrong. While on the inside my stomach was churning.

It always hits close to home since so many of my friends and coworkers fly on a regular basis. I also used to fly at least once every other month. Since adopting Baylie, we have only flown twice. Ironically enough, we are scheduled to fly out today - Friday the 13th. Even as an experienced flyer, I'm a little nervous since there have been three airline crashes in such a short time frame. I think my anxiety is heightened because of Baylie. I wouldn't be so nervous if it was just me and David.

I should mention that airline travel is still the safest mode of travel. I don't have the exact numbers, but on CNN this morning they mentioned that the chance of dying in a car crash is 1,600+ to 1. The chance of dying in an airplane crash is 500,000+ to 1.

I should also mention that the airplane involved isn't actually a Continental aircraft. We market with Colgan air for them to operate some of our regional flights. It's painted like a Continental plane and marketed like our plane, but it is actually owned and operated by Colgan. That doesn't lessen the impact we feel as a company, particularly since in the public eye it is a Continental flight.

Again, my first thoughts are for the lives that were interrupted and the families that are impacted. I'll be thinking of them all as we travel today.

Be sure to hug the ones you love today and let them know how much you love them.

Elikya Dancers

Our family had the most amazing experience last night. We went to the Provo Public Library to see the Elikya Dancers. Per the local paper, "The Elikya Dancers are a group of children and teens who seek to celebrate their African American heritage. Directed by Jennifer Stott, they perform high-energy cultural dances in traditional costumes." Because it is Black History Month, this particular program also featured quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Beecher Stowe, Barack Obama and others.

These girls don't just dance. They also discuss their self worth and heritage. They learn how special they are. They are all different sizes, shapes and shades of black. As I sat there watching these beautiful girls dance with confidence, energy and pride, I was embarassed to find myself getting emotional. I got teary eyed and choked up. I wanted Baylie to have this same experience. I wanted her to throw out her arms and dance, confident in herself. I felt better about my emotional weakness when we got to the car and David said that he cried during the performance (I hadn't told him about my crying yet).

For those of you in the area, I think they'll be performing at the Orem Public Library Friday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. (I couldn't find it on the library calendar, but I think it's a go.) I highly recommend it.

Uh, Oh, Baby's Getting Mobile

I think we're in trouble (and one bonus shot because I love the velvet pants Grammy bought Baylie).

Love the Leggings!

Baby Aerobics

My sweet friend Dana made the cutest leggings for Baylie. I have looked for leggings and never found them. Well Dana made these out of women's socks. She cut the feet off and sewed the bottom. They are so dang cute!

I have to add that Baylie has figured out that when the camera comes out, she should pose. It's pretty funny.




















Note from the picture below that I need serious little black girl hair help. I'm calling in all the promises made to help me with this. I thought her little pigtails looked cute, but the parts weren't very even. She's only 10 months, so maybe I need to wait awhile till she can sit still.

Crazy Sports Weekend

I don't think my poor husband knew what he was getting into sports-wise when he married me. I went to my first football game when I was eight weeks old. David went to his first game after we were married. He didn't even know what the Heisman was! (I made sure he didn't tell my dad that until after the wedding.)

This weekend has been an awesome sports weekend for us. I really like tennis and have been staying up until the early hours to watch the Australian Open. Friday night we stayed up to watch Serena Williams play Dinara Safina in the women's finals. Unfortunately, we fell asleep and missed it. Fortunately, it was replayed again Saturday and we got to see Serena win.

I set my alarm for 1:30 a.m. this morning to watch the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal men's final. My alarm didn't got off, so I didn't get up until 5:30. Fortunately, the match wasn't over and we got to see the last set and a half. Unfortunately, Federer gave away the match with too many unforced errors and had a minor breakdown after. It was pretty sad. I think Federer is a class act and wish there were more professional athletes like him.

And then tonight we went to a blast of a superbowl party. I didn't get to see much of the game, but had a great time getting to know some of our neighbors better. (Thanks to Josh and Kenna for letting us trash their house.) I don't think I've ever had more fun watching the superbowl. And thank goodness it was a real game and not a blowout.

(And now we're watching a hilarious double episode of The Office - great weekend!)

p.s. We didn't just watch t.v. We also went miniature golfing at Trafalga and out to dinner at Jason's Deli.