Revitalization

We found some rockers at a yard sale and borrowed a sander from a friend. I started with the 80 grit paper, but it just wasn't doing the trick. We upgraded to 60 grit, and I noticed an immediate difference. A couple hours of work, and we've got the beginnings of a beautiful pair of chairs. Our neighbor, who is everything wonderful anyone could wish for in a neighbor and who will hereafter be referred to as Mr. Neighbor, brought over his detail sander for us to use. It fits between the slats. Joy!

There is something so soothing about sanding off the old layer and revealing the beauty underneath...and the feel of a power tool in my hands is nice, too.

Pioneer Woman Recipes

I had a brilliant idea to cook and blog all of the Pioneer Woman recipes. But since they are added so frequently, that creates a moving target. So I'll just start making at least one per week and see where that leads me...to the gym.
Two weeks ago, I made the pot roast. It was the best pot roast I have ever made. May potatoes and onion soup mix never grace my crockpot again. The juice poured over the mashed potatoes was sublime, and the whole meal made my lunch guests wax poetic. It was a promising start.
Last week, I tackled Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich. My man said, "You could make this every week!" The meat was a little tough for me, but I sliced in a hurry, so maybe the meat was sliced parallel instead of perpindicular.
My husband is now noticing friends' fb posts about her recipes, and I have been granted free rein cook any PW recipes.
Tonight, we had tacos. He cooked the meat, so I'd have plenty of time to make Pico de Gallo. I went ahead and made some guacamole, too. It took about twenty seconds. The plastic cup method has revolutionized my guacamole making forever. I used leftovers to make the Mexican Layer Dip.
I'm well on my way. :)

Two Different Worlds

Growing up, I was educated in proper grammar, elocution, good manners, and the like. Apparently, I even coerced my college buddies into using perfect manners and required them to use different forks for each course. People thought I was a snob, but surely I wasn't...I just didn't approve of anything I considered to be low class or coarse.
And then I met my husband and knew that life would never be the same without him. We were engaged, and as we prepared to spend Thanksgiving with his family, he left me with the following gem...
"You know how your family uses china at Thanksgiving? Well, we use Chinet." I politely laughed, and then saw his face and understood that this was not a joke. And my world shifted. And ever since, I have been trying to reconcile the proper Southern belle with the fun-loving country girl. And I've decided I prefer a healthy dose of both.

Let's Glide, Not Plod

Years ago, I walked around the house balancing books on my head, always conscious of my posture. Now, I plod on in a hurry, paying no mind to proper positioning, and then wonder why I'm not pleased with the reflection in the glass.
A recent experience caused these memories to surface, and today I walked taller and straighter. I sucked in, lengthened my spine, held my shoulders back, and rediscovered how to glide.

Tuna Croquettes

I am a food snob. My husband and daughter are not. I created this dish tonight, and the response was, "Can you make this twice a week?" Um, probably not. But's it's a great option when I haven't thawed any meat and don't have other plans for dinner. And it's much cheaper than fast food. If I make a salad, I can pretend it's a spa lunch. Until someone asks for more tuna fish patties.

Lemon Pepper Croquettes (Fancy Tuna Fish Patties)
1 6oz can Safcol Lemon & Pepper Tuna
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed... See More
2 eggs
2 T vegetable oil
Heat oil in a skillet until sizzling. Mix ingredients together and form into palm-sized patties about 1/4-1/2" thick. Pan fry a couple of minutes on each side. Pick your favorite condiment and add a dollop, zigzag, or monogram to make it fancy. :)

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow

...singing, "Just thinkin' about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs and the sorrows 'til there's none. When I'm stuck with a day that's gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say,..."

Hope comes in waves, and especially with the upcoming holiday, it's tough. Yet still we wait, hoping and praying that God will move on our behalf.

Colors That Make Me Happy

So, I've been told the colors I like are like Easter eggs. I pulled all the colors I like, and sure enough, they do. Happy Easter!

Heirloom Tomatoes

There will be heirloom tomatoes this summer. We purchased an Upside-Down Tomato Garden, and I needed to buy the plants. After a little research, I discovered that Houston Plant and Garden carries Chef Jeff's Heirloom Tomatoes.

These varietals have been grown for generations and are not GMO. They also taste better, look cooler, and cost less than I expected. Each plant was a dollar and some change. That certainly beats $5.99 at the grocery store or highway robbery at a foo-foo restaurant.

Unabashedly Pink

I like pink and flowers, and that's okay with me.

Mikey

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the story. I've told the story myself more times than I can count, because it's funny and ironic.

Mrs. Glockson was Nicholas's teacher. She called him "Nick". When my mom insisted that he be called by his given name, she said, "Well, he'll just have to get used to people shortening his name." Years later, we were in Colorado on vacation and ran into Mrs. Glockson in the store. She told my mom she had a son named Michael.

"And how is little Mikey doing?" my mom asked.

Mrs. Glockson indignantly replied, "It's not Mikey, it's Michael."

The perfect response would have been, "Someone once told me, 'He'll just have to get used to people shortening his name."

Instead, she combined a "Hmmmmm" with an eyebrow raise, and assumed Mrs. Glockson got the point.

Guess who I accidentally found on Facebook today? Michael Glockson

The Multitasking Merry-go-round

It is fun when it first starts spinning, the world floating by like a cloud. Then the spinning gets faster and faster, objects start to blur, and it by the time you realize it's going too fast, there's no way to safely get off. So you hold on tight to the cold metal, close your eyes, and feel your stomach start to churn...

When will I learn to say "no"?

Still Waiting...

It is easy to get frustrated when we think about the amount of time it is taking, but then I think about my daughter. She is somewhere in Texas, going to school every day, wondering if someone will choose her to be a part of her family.
“Hang in there, Princess, we’re doing everything we can. And your grandmother is already making your Christmas stocking, just in case.”

Burt's Bees

My Burt's Bees order arrived today, and I am aglow with excitement.

Endless concoctions involving sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, and olive oil mixed with various other glorious oils from nature. So many different products that nourish your body with real ingredients.

I'm not sure why I'm so romantic about it all. Perhaps it's the smell. Growing up, when we went to the Barretts' to help harvest apples, it smelled like apples. When we walked along the fencerows cutting asparagus, it smelled like grass. When the sky clouded over and began to rain, it smelled gloriously like rain.

What do I smell these days? When I walk downtown, I smell the lack of public facilities for the homeless. At work, I smell my designer perfume, the institutional pink soap found in all bathrooms, and the last bit of coffee someone left that is now burning onto the bottom of the pot.
At the grocery store, I smell nothing, because all the flavor, smell, and nutrients have been bred out of the produce to maximize profit.

Why do I love Burt's Bees? For the same reason I love Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products, going to the farmer's market, and getting raw milk. Because it's real, and it's honest, and it gives me hope that a smidgeon of those qualities still remain in our fake, sterile world.

We're expecting!

We're expecting! We'll find out in a month or so the gender, exact age, etc. Right now we are excited, making plans, and trying to prepare ourselves and our families.

We want to expand our family, and God has led us in this direction. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I have always wanted to be a mother, and anyone who really knows my husband has seen his compassionate heart. There is no other route to parenting that fits us better.

Just as any parent expecting their first child, we know there will be trying times and sleepless nights. But in time, when our child looks at us with trust and says "I love you" for the first time, it will be a moment we will forever remember.

I pray that our family and friends will support us as we become parents and welcome this new addition into our circle with open arms, hearts, and minds.

Away too long

I dreamed about hula last night. In my dream, I was in the dressing room, getting ready for this week's impact skit for children's church, and I heard Hawaiian music playing, so I started dancing. You often don't know how much something means to you until it is absent. The next few weekends are full, but I'm hoping to start back the first week of July. Three months may be a relatively short time, but it feels like ages.

Aloha

It seems like forever since I've posted and forever since I've been to hula. 2008 definitely has been a different year from the start. JT switched to full-time school, and I added part-time school. It was quite the challenge for me after so many years of mental atrophy, and I had to cut tennis, biking, German, and hula. I stopped shopping for groceries and cooking, so I put back on the fifteen pounds I had worked to take off.
The semester is over, and it is purely God's grace that has brought us through. Now comes the summer, and I am doing my best to not add too much to my plate. When stuff gets piled too high, eventually it all comes crashing down.
There are so many things I want to do! I must proceed slowly with caution and pray for wisdom.

Hilo morning

The weather this morning reminds me of my first day in Hilo...
We arrived in Kona the previous afternoon and awoke at 3am, ready to face the day. It was Ironman, so all the roads on that side of the island closed at 5am. It sprinkled off and on all the way over to Hilo. We speculated through the dark what the area would look like in the light. We saw the stop signs in Waimea that read, "WHOA". It struck me as funny. Most people would probably imagine Texans having signs like that, since we all wear cowboy hats and ride our horses to work. Preconceived generalizations are a powerful thing.
Anyway, we pulled into Hilo and headed for Ken's for breakfast. The banana mac nut pancakes were delicious, and we tried all the different syrups on them. The portugese sausage was absolutely fantastic, as well. And, of course, POG to wash it all down. It was sprinkling and overcast when we went in. It was pouring when we left. My sweetheart pulled the car up to the door so I wouldn't have to be absolutely soaked. I had originally planned on watching the sunrise from Coconut Island, but it was too overcast. We drove over to Lili`uokalani Park. The rain had stopped, so we walked around. There were several people out for their morning walk or jog, all with umbrellas in hand. The bay was gray, but it was still beautiful.
So as I sit here at my desk, listening to IZ, looking out at the hazy, drizzly sky, I can almost smell the air. Hey, let's go to the produce market tomorrow and pick up some mangoes and orchids.

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Looking back on the past, I see God's hand of protection. One should be cautious about those individuals acting as mentors. Sad about a perceived missed opportunity, I was ready to sign up for this year's event. The price seemed higher than I would have thought, so I googled the name and was shocked at what I found. I do not care to financially support someone who has injured the soul of a child. Yes, God forgives, and we should, too. However, true repentance must be offered in order to receive that forgiveness.
How much is talent worth? A teacher would have been locked away, but famous personalities throw lots of money at the problem and have it swept under the rug. I will save my c-note and spend it where it will produce good fruit that preserves the culture and the dance with no child casualties along the way.

January 21, 2006 - a day of firsts

Last Saturday was amazing. Everyone was uniformly attired, with flowers in our hair, and it felt like a dream. The pain in my legs from dozens and dozens of `amis assured me that this was indeed real. No pinch needed. It certainly was a wakeup call for me to practice more. I could barely climb the stairs when I got home. But the exhaustion came with a satisfaction that I gave my all.

We learned three songs.

Aia I Moloka`i Ku`u `Iwa - We used the ku`i step that looks nothing at all what most people think of when they hear the word "hula." Imagine combining Riverdance, the Virginia Reel, and a high-step Robinson Block (marching band formation). It is definitely high energy. Once the steps are solid, it will be a lot of fun.

He mele he inoa nou e Kalâkaua - Instead of the pair of `uli`uli, this uses only one, in the right hand. I had never even held one in my hand until then. Needless to say, I was quickly overwhelmed trying to learn the steps, gestures with the left hand, and how to make my `uli`uli motions look like everyone else's. Frustration seeping out my pores, I decided to learn the feet and left hand and tackle the `uli`uli later. That seemed to help it stick in the memory a little better. Still, when we broke for lunch, I fled upstairs and ducked into a hallway to shed a few tears. One of my sisters noticed when I came back down and gave me a hug. The support and encouragement helps more than she knows.
Perhaps I'll ask one of the alaka`i to show me how to use the other implements. That way, when the time comes to incorporate them into a song, I won't be trying to learn both at the same time. I had the same problem when I tried to learn my first kahiko with pu`ili.

3rd song (Auana) - A couple of us stayed around and watched the more advanced group learn a new song. After awhile, Kumu told us we could learn it as well, if we wanted. We hopped up and formed a line in the back of the room. I did not catch the name, but I will get the info at practice tomorrow.

The plumeria went over well. At first, I was worried, because there didn't seem to be much interest. Some of the flowers were made into leis for two friends from the office who were moving on to other companies. Others contributed to the leis for the officers, so that helped, too. The whole flower deal was not quite as organized as I usually am, so I hope no one was left out. Next time, I will definitely take orders and money ahead of time. This time, though, I felt it was important to have real plumerias for our first hâlau meeting.
God orchestrated it well, because there was an extra lei, made with the most dainty blossoms, and that was given to Kumu Pua. I didn't know ahead of time, but as soon as Kumu called her to the front and had her sit in the chair, I knew. What an honor! The tears fell in awe at this culmination of years of dedication and sacrifice. Witnessing this 'ûniki, we all saw that it is possible. It is a goal for which to strive. While some, like myself, cannot even see it on the horizon, for others it is closer, and the thought spurs us on.

New Beginnings

Well, I can't remember the password to the blog I set up last month, so here we go again. My goal is to basically document my journey, starting as a blank slate. My first entry is http://keahula.blogspot.com/, but that was before I became a haumâna and before I received my Hawaiian name.