I love blogs

I love blogs- I love writing this blog for our friends and family (teamschiele.blogspot.com for those of you following on facebook), I love keeping up with far away friends and family thorough their blogs, I love reading blogs dedicated to educating and documenting… something.

I have a rotating list of blogs that I read regularly dedicated to something that I am curious about, interested in, wanting to understand better. Many of them come and go- today’s favorite may hold no interest tomorrow. I may not have found tomorrow’s favorite. Here are some of my current favorites and why like them.

One Cheep Chick
Lesley Mitchell is a tribune money section writer who keeps this blog of deals and freebees. Of course I love saving money, there is never enough for everything I want, and it is fun to be able to afford things we wouldn’t otherwise. Last Tuesday we went to the spaghetti factory on the cheap thanks to her notice that they were offering 40% off menu favorites. It was a great date and so nice to get out.

Little House in the Suburbs
Tomato Lady and Ivory Soap (not their real names I think) have spent their lives doing all those urban homesteading activities that I spent my life avoiding- only to find that I love gardening, canning, and chickens. Their post on gourds was the deciding factor in the decision to try to grow them. They need a longer season then we have here, but I want to try them anyway.

Rambling Babushka
I would like this blog for nothing other than the name, but Ildie makes eating well look amazing. Her food photos and directions (too simple to be called recipes) make me want to eat better. I can’t tell you how often my efforts to eat better end at lunch when I can’t think of what to eat. She shows what she is really eating and makes it look so yummy. She also documents her workouts- yeah, go Ildie, not following you on that one sister.

Unclutterer: Daily tips on how to organize your home and office http://unclutterer.com/
My most honest resume would say organizer of people, time, space stuff, information. This collaborative effort follows the gospel of a place for everything and everything in its place. I learn new techniques and have fine tuned many ideas from the info found here. Every Wednesday they offer a gag- unitasker of the week. While these are meant to be funny, I find them poignant. My love of shinny junk is barely balanced by my need for neatness. Wednesday serves as a weekly reminder to think before deciding I ‘need’ something.

Growing Girls With Purpose – The Girl Revolution
This is one of my newer blogs. I recently found Tracee Sioux my roommate from my wild and crazy days. We had so much fun together, navigating the single world as young divorced and insane women. She has turned her always strong writing skills, and strong feminist ideals into a blog dedicated to raising girls into amazing women. She is quite an amazing woman herself and I love seeing her and her ideas all grown up and working in the world.

I have been looking for some good blogs on retirement saving/ investing. I understand the basics of stocks and bonds and know that we should be diversified, but how do you figure out where exactly to put your money? I find this subject quickly frustrating so would love to learn in small bites like you get on a blog. Any suggestions?

So what blogs do you follow? Do you find they add to your life or are just a distraction? Are they a good way to learn something new or just another outlet for our voyeuristic/exhibitionist tendency’s?

Healing

Things you forget when you have been sick for a long time:

1. The fresh, live feeling of a clean house.
2. How much work it is to get the house realy clean
3. How nice it is to spend time with friends
4. How you look when you are polished, colored, moisturized and made up
5. The time it takes to do all those things you were dreaming about when you were too sick to do anything
6. What season/ month/ day it is (what happened to all the Christmas lights?)
7. That just because you feel ok does not mean you have the stanima of a healthy person
8. How good it feels to get out for a change of scenery
9. How much your husband sacrificed to take care of you
10. The joy of dancing

One kid, two kid, red fish blue fish....

I was just wondering if I would ever ‘get the call’ from DCFS telling us that they had a child they would like to place in our home. This is not unusual, I think about it at least 20 times a day. So it is surprising that when I answered the phone and the woman on the other end said she was from DCFS my first thought was ‘oh no, what’s wrong’ and not ‘whoo hoo a kid for us.’

We have agreed to one child. She had two and wondered if we would take them. Of course I had to at least ask. The thought of kids in the house for Christmas, the fact that this is the first call after months on the list, and the fear that she would never call again was enough to risk the wrath of Brian. In the past he has all but lost his cool every time I bring up the subject.

No, there are not two little angels on their way to our home tonight, but we have agreed to talk about it. I think two would be easier, and it while it might be fun to grow up as an only, it would be too sad as an adult. He thinks two would be too much time, too many expenses, and while I assure him otherwise, I think he is worried that I will take after my mom and keep going.

So give us your honest thoughts on the subject- one kid or two? What’s best for the child(ren)? What’s best for the marriage? What are the pros? What are the cons?

Thanks for your help!

Vote For Me Please!

During my recent unemployment I had a lot of time on my hands, and during that same period I made friends with a guy who does two blogs, on is called "The Fiberglass Manifesto" and the other "Fishy Kid".
Both are about fishing of course, but this post has something to do with the latter site.
As I mentioned I had a lot of time on my hands, which I filled with some stuff around the house of course, fishing and photography, but I also entered Fishy Kid's "Adult Coloring Contest", where I colored and submitted three pictures.
The creators of the site have decided to put the winners to a vote, so if you could please vote for me.
Use the following link: http://fishykid.org/contest-rules/vote-here
Brian Schiele
Thanks!
Brian

In case you haven't heard....

I know many of our dear readers are also one or both of our "Face Book Friends", so the following maybe old news to you, but here goes....
I was offered a job!
Which I took of course, it's with the VA, where I have wanted to work since my experience on active duty with CBHCO.
I don't know a lot about the job at this time, but it basically involves helping veterans that are first entering the VA health system.
I start in a little less than a month, so I can finish up on a few things around the house and get in as much fishing as I can.
Being unemployed this past eight weeks or so hasn't been all that bad, I've done a few things around the house, and Mirinda and I have gotten a little closer too I think despite the extra stress.
I did a lot of fishing too, by my standards anyway. There were a couple of times for instance, where I went in the late afternoon/evening one day and went again the next day. I also got a lot of opportunities to make some photographs when I went fishing too. I'd say I added eight new photographs to the project I am working on. You can see it HERE if you like.




















One of the afternoons I spent somewhere on the Middle Provo....(Yes I did catch one that day!)



Just me and my shadow.... ;-)


There were several days there where I didn't shave at all.

Anyway thanks for your support during this period Mirinda and I greatly appreciate it.
A HUGE thanks to Mirinda for putting up with me during this time too, as well as being there for me and with me during this period as well as the period before.

Here's to new opportunities!
SALUD!
Brian

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Today is All Saints Day, a celebration of all saints, both known and forgotten. It lands on the ancient Samhain celebration of the beginning of the dark time of the year. It is also the end of daylight savings.

I have been feeling the lack of sun for a few days now. The light which was perfect just a few weeks ago is suddenly not quite bright enough. It’s too cold to expose my arms to those week rays and let my skin drink up the vitamin D. My garden is all but gone to sleep and my fingernails hold no trace of growing soil. The dark time of year has begun, and it is time to remember those who have gone before.

They say Halloween is the day the division between this life and the next is thinnest. I look forward to this day as a time to remember those who have died, passing through the winter of this life into the eternal spring of the next life. But this year I am being reminded of life.
The last few days I have had several reminders that people are most important, and that I have neglected some of my most important people, including myself. As we celebrate the day of the dead, I am being reminded to live.

I apologize for not taking better care of myself. I would ask that you forgive me for not calling you, for not sending you a quick note. I am sorry that I was not there for you when you needed me. I promise I will work to be here. To be in the now. I will do this for you my friend, as well as for myself.

This year instead of celebrating the saints who have gone before, I will celebrate the potential in myself to bless the lives of those I love. I will celebrate the living, and life. I will dance with passion, and light a thousand candles against the darkness. I will live, to honor those who showed me the way.

Marriage sucks - Rebuttal

You might think that that our marriage is a little rocky after reading Mirinda's last blog entry, but I am here to tell you that our marriage is the best it has ever been and is always getting better, simply because of one reason, because we work at being married.
And if you have been married for any more than five years or so, you know this and if you have been married longer than that, you defiantly know this and appreciate the work that you and your spouse put into your marriage.
I remember when Mirinda first told me she felt like this, I was a little taken back by it too, but when she explained things to me It made a little sense to me, but I accepted it, because the last thing she said to me at that point was that, "despite all the lousy stuff about me and our marriage, she loved me and accepted it and was willing to work on our marriage.

One of our favorite singer/song writers David Wilcox, put marriage best in his song "Good Together" on his CD "Live: Songs and Stories, when he was telling a story about a single friend who had had several failed relationships. His hapless friend said to Dave, that marriage sounds like a lot of work, to which Dave replied, "Yeah, it is, but it's good work, if you can "get it." I somehow think that Dave just didn't mean get it as in obtain it, I think he also meant to understand it in that marriage is a lot of work too. Which is that just how we see it, because we've got a good marriage and we understand that it take a lot of work to maintain our marriage.

For those of you who are married, I encourage you to thank your spouse for being married and tell them a couple of reasons why you love them and why you appreciate them. It will do you and your marriage good.

Thanks for loving me Mirinda! You are a great wife!
Brian
;-)

Marriage sucks

Marriage sucks! I have always thought the only thing worse than being married, is not being married.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband and there is nothing that makes me happier than being a wife. But marriage is hard. It is compromise and cooperation and sacrificing for the greater good. Maybe I was single to long and had too many years when the best date was an evening alone.

My husband is making me crazy. He doesn’t know how to not be employed and I don’t know how to get anything done with him home. You would think with both of us at home we would be able to get twice as much done, but the opposite seems to be true. This is especially frustrating as I work from home and this is my busy time.

The fall conference is coming up and I have a million details to take care of, name tags, sponsors, and one last check with the speakers. Not to mention I have a kitchen full of tomatoes waiting to be canned. Of course there is always the usual vacuum, pick up, mop the floor.

Don’t get me wrong, it is so nice to share my morning coffee with my best friend. Not only is the conversation better then with the cats, but he knows just how I like my toes snuggled. But when snuggle time is over, he doesn’t know what to do with himself and I don’t know where to start.

I think that dating is a horrible way to choose a spouse. What does going to dinner and a movie, or bowling, or the opera have to do with being married? It is easy to find someone you want to have fun with, what is hard is finding someone you want to work with. Finding someone you want to go through the good times with is so much easier than finding someone you want to go through the bad times with. I once read that the decision to spend the rest of your life with someone should rest on one question- is this someone I want next to me when my mother dies? I don’t know if I agree with the specifics but the sentiment is right.

My sister will be getting married soon. Sometimes I get to know these things. After years as a single parent she is finally ready for the love of her life. I know that when the thrill of new love has past, and the arguments over toothpaste brands and hard or soft tacos have been settled, she will know what I do- that marriage sucks. And just like Brian and I, I hope they live happily, and unhappily, ever after. Because the only thing that sucks worse than being married, is not being married.

Opportunity?

It’s supposed to freeze Tuesday or Wednesday so it’s time to bring in all the peppers and tomatoes and start putting the garden to bed.

I am busy filling the freezer with stuffed green peppers- my favorite way to preserve them, tomato basil pasta sauce- tastes like summer and must be made with fresh from the garden tomatoes and basil. Latter I will be making Verde and if I can find pine nuts for a decent price, pesto. I will bring the green tomatoes in and can them as they ripen.

I love canning and preserving our garden. I get to think about how good the food will taste in winter when I am hungry for the sun and miss being outside. I feel nurturing, taking care of my family. I feel connected to the generations of women who have put up and put by. And I love the secure feeling of knowing that whatever else happens, we have cans of tomatoes.

I am really clinging to that security part this weekend.

Brian is now a full time job hunter. For those of you who were betting on which would happen first- quit, get fired, find a new job- they asked him to leave Friday.

We are both feeling relieved, hopeful and a bit scared.

I am really proud of him, he has worked for 6 months at a job that made him miserable in so many ways and made the best of it. This job was bad fit from the beginning, but as it was allowing us to pay the mortgage on the Team Schiele World Headquarters, so he put up with all sorts of $%#! and stuck it out.

Things may be crazy between now and whenever it is that he finds a job, but we are in it together and grateful that we have options an opportunities. And we are grateful for those stuffed peppers in the freezer.

What was once white is now....

If you've ever been to any of the two places we've owned, you'll know that Team Schiele, loves color.
So for the last little while I have been painting the front door to the Team Schiele World HQ.
As you may recall the front door was a plain white, really boring I know!
Well thanks the magic of two quarts of paint and a lot more elbow grease I am happy to announce that, that boring while door is now RED!
More specially, it's "quiet red".

The plain white door before:

The "quiet red" door now:

I also wanted to thank everyone that reads this for the birthday wishes. Thanks!
Brian

Happy Birthday Brian

39 things I love about my husband on his 39th Birthday 9/9/09
1. Passion for life
2. Sparkly eyes
3. Great ‘eye’ for photos
4. They way he makes me giggle
5. Love of country
6. He is brave- he goes to a job that is not a good fit for him and makes the best of it.
7. Best barista ever
8. He always kisses my goodbye, even if I am not awake enough to remember it
9. The way he treats my mom
10. He can let me have my way and still be the boss
11. He says I love you in his sleep
12. He gets along with almost everyone
13. Pure laugh
14. He never forgets extra pickles on my cheeseburgers
15. Fun dance partner
16. Cutest grill sergeant
17. Best chili chef
18. He doesn’t do football
19. Fly’s the flag at half staff every time a soldier from Utah dies
20. Creative
21. Listens when I say “I was thinking…”
22. Thinks I’m sexy
23. Gets excited about chickens
24. Knows his way around the kitchen
25. If I forget to lock the door, he worries that someone will steal his wife
26. Better then Google
27. Loves to learn
28. Our hands fit
29. Holga Master
30. He doesn’t give up
31. Loves God
32. Cheesy humor
33. Very romantic
34. He’s fun
35. He married me
36. Great host
37. He is grateful for what he has
38. Quick to forgive
39. Willing to be the father of our child

Vegetarian dinners?

I am looking for quick, easy and yummy vegetarian dinners. I have found that all my vegetarian recipes are either variations of beans and rice or pasta. We have not given up meat, we are still omnivores, but we are now participating in Meatless Mondays.

It recently came to my attention that Brian’s cholesterol is too high.

When I say it came to my attention, I mean that I spent an entire afternoon freaking out that his life insurance was going to cost more than mine, significantly more. Now I know I am not the picture of health, but I always thought Brian was. After all, he was a soldier and had to pass physicals and fitness tests for his ‘job.’ And now they were telling me that his risk of death was so high that we could only afford the ‘minimum’ life insurance. I was sure he was going to die any day and leave me and our as yet to be adopted child, homeless and penniless and living in pioneer park.

I decided that something had to be done. And not just talk about increasing the produce in our diets and decreasing the take out. It was time for a real change. I declared that we were going to start Meatless Mondays and Fish Fridays.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Meatless Mondays is a movement. Whoo Hoo we are part of a movement. There is a website and everything: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ Cutting meat one day a week saves money, your health, and the environment.

One day a week is good for me. I have tried vegetarianism and found that I came to a better understanding of my body and how it works, and mine works best with some meat. But that was many many years ago, and I don’t think I was doing much cooking then.

So anyone have any good vegetarian recipes? If not it looks like an omelet for dinner this Monday.

P.S. we had our black beans in a rice and bean burrito this week. Yummy.

Doesn’t add up to a hill of beans

One of our garden experiments this year has been dry or field beans. We tried a variety of kidney and a black bean. We tired just one square of each, that’s what you do with an experiment, start small and see how it goes. We planted with visions of homemade chili made with our very own beans.


As an experiment it was a great success. I harvested our beans yesterday. They were easy and grew well without much fuss. They dried nicely and are lovely if I do say so.

As a harvest, I have to say I am not sure if this was a grand idea. You can see how well we did. These are quart jars for scale. We may have just over a cup if we put them together.


I don’t know how much space we would have to dedicate to beans to get a real harvest, but at least a 4X4 box, maybe more.


We will have to think about this one.


Our corn is also ready to harvest! Unfortunately because we were not thinking when we planted it, it is all ready now. We didn’t like the frozen corn on the cob we tried last year so I will need to find a different preservation method. Any suggestions?

Good news!

Today has been a really challenging day. We don’t have bad days at Team Schiele World Headquarters- ask Brian. But today came close. I couldn’t shake the blues- I buried myself in work, got a dash of endorphins with exercise, ate some good food with some great company, we even went to a book store. I just couldn’t find the sun today.

Until the mail came.

We are now officially licensed to foster a child! I have the certificate to prove it.

I Want Closure!

I will never read another series until it is complete. Why- the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

I started reading this series in 1991 when the first book in the series found its way into my hands. I love it. For years I would watch the publisher’s website waiting for the next book to come out, only to buy it on opening day and devour it. I was in love with Perrin, the man with the soul of a wolf; with golden eyes, a strong arm, and a soft heart. Of course I loved the main character, Rand who was born to save the world. I loved the fantasy and adventure. I loved to read about the main characters and watch as they grew up.

I gave the book to friends and family and had so much fun discussing plot twists, and character development. At one time I got so frustrated with a plot twist that I threw the book at the wall, scream out loud, then ran to pick up the book and keep reading.

As time went on the books came out less regularly and were less satisfying. One of the main characters has been pregnant for the last three books. Finally, the author died of a rare blood cancer. Augh! Now how will I know how the world was saved? So may questions, with no one to answer them.

Luckily he left an outline of how the story is to end and the last 3 books are being written. The next should be out this fall sometime, perhaps just in time for me to decompress after the fall conference. There is even talk of the first book being made into a move.

But still, current projections have this series at 15 books over 20 years. That is a long time to be caught in a story.

At one time I didn’t want the story to end. Now I just want closure.

Happy Independence Day

I love the 4th of July. We get to become fans of the constitution, freedom, and the armed forces on our face book pages. We gather with friends and family and eat chicken and corn and try to explain to the children what the words of the constitution mean. Flags wave and our inner pyromaniacs come out to play.

Last night we had a small group of family (only 20) to Team Schiele World Headquarters. It was a great time and if you would like some homemade root beer, bring over a pitcher. Brian was an amazing grill sergeant, but has decided d its time for a larger grill. The fireworks show lasted about 20 minutes longer then moms and dads wanted and about 20 minutes short of what the kids wanted. Thanks to some great neighbors for adding their cheers to ours.

We have had the Ohio sharp family here the last couple of days and I have loved it! It was so fun to play with baby Emma and see what great parents Mike and Amy are. We had a lot of fun feeding them and hope they were not too board with us old folk. That baby is so sweet and good natured! Even her cry is sweet. But of course I am a little biased.

It was this weekend that for me spring officially ended and summer began. It had nothing to do with the date on the calendar, but the state of the garden. We finished off the June bearing strawberries and the lettuce is trying to bolt. There are no more flowers on the peas, so what is on those vines is all we will have this year. The first zucchini and the first summer squash should be ready to eat in a few days and the tomatoes and corn are growing fast.

After all the family stuff we needed a date so today we went to the latest X Men offering at the dollar flick. It was a great time holding hands and eating popcorn in the dark. So if you could pick a ‘mutation’ or ‘super power’ what would it be? Brian wants to be the ability to fly, or be able to heal himself and others. I can’t figure out what I want. Any suggestions?

Foster care/Adoption update

Our interview and inspection went well. HOWEVER- we are not finished.

We have 4 items on our new to-do list.

· Smoke Detector on the bedroom level – I swear we had one up there. I crossed it off the original list. Guess I was wrong. (Look Brian, in writing, me admitting to being wrong.)
· New fire extinguisher – as feared, our s is not the right rating.
· Get the cats Vaccinated- Never thought of that. Our poor boys have not seen a vet in an embarrassingly long time.
· Have my doctor call her- she has some questions – I will need to get to the doctor’s office to sign a release first. This is what I get for getting sick all the time.

This list seems very reasonable and short compared to what we started with.

Then this is what happens:
Our licensing specialist writes a report. The report is signed off by a supervisor. Our licensing specialist comes back to check off the above list and then sends everything to DCFS with a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

If we get thumbs down, we will receive a letter with an explanation. We can appeal or make changes as needed (or willing.)

If we get thumbs up, we will be contacted by a case worker who will need to come and visit with both of us for another long interview. This caseworker will be responsible for matching us with a child and be our advocate in the process. A different case worker is responsible for being an advocate for the child.

Once we have met with our advocate, we wait for a placement.

*Sigh*

Tell me a story

I have almost given up reading fiction. For one thing there is almost always something I am curious about. I usually have at least one nonfiction book by my bed. Whether its gardening, health care, self improvement, there is something I want to know more about.

Also, I have too many magazine subscriptions. I can’t read them all, but can’t decide which to get rid of. They clutter my house in various stages of consumption. I have Elle Décor, Entrepreneur and Good Housekeeping in one bathroom, Good Housekeeping and Bette r Homes and Gardens in the other bathroom, Organic gardening and another Elle Décor by the bed, Organic Gardening and Mother Earth News in the kitchen, and a stack of magazines I haven’t started in the living room. This stack in the living room includes a few months of Planning Magazine that I know I will not read but can’t quite get rid of.

So it’s not that I am not reading. Right now I am fascinated with The End of Overeating by David Kessler. I ordered it the first day it came out after hearing 2 interviews with the author. When I finish I will happily share as everyone should read this book. It is a scientific exploration of the way sugar fat and salt affects the brain. Did you know that foods high in sugar fat and salt actually alter your brain chemistry? This book explains my cheeseburger cravings.

But I am left hungry for a good story. Fiction was my drug of choice for most of my life. It provided an escape from whatever, heartache, problems, confusion, or boredom I was suffering. If the book is well written it is a bonus, but it had to have a good enough story to keep my brain focused. And now I find fiction is failing me. It is becoming rarer that I really enjoy a book, even a ‘good’ book. I read two books on my last vacation and while they were both well written, interesting stories, I didn’t love them. The stories were not enough to hold me. They were both more about the emotional exploration of the characters then about the story.

I spent hours at Barnes and Noble yesterday looking for something to read. I finally did pick up something from the discount table on my way to the cash register. (I was buying something for work) I bought Ret Butlers People, the companion to Gone with the Wind, one of the first books that changed me. 0ther books I looked at where too short, too much sap and not enough substance, too dark, or just plain not relatable.

So now I am left to wonder- is it just me? Am I getting old and jaded? Did my earlier reading frenzies burn out the love? Do I watch too many movies?

Or is the art of the story being lost?

What is the last book that captured your imagination?

Five years and 51 weeks ago....

It's hard to believe sometimes, but Mirinda and I are coming up on our sixth wedding anniversary, and come the end of the year we will have been together for nine years.
We've had are ups and downs over those years, but this past couple of years our marriage has really gotten stronger and stronger and I want to thank Mirinda for that.
I know that there is nothing that can happen that could happen to us, that we won't be able to get through together.
We are a great team, and are only getting better with each passing day, week, month, year and so on.
Thanks for being my wife, my lover, my friend, partner and team mate Mirinda!
Here's to the next anniversary and beyond!
You I LOVE!!
;-)

Home Visit, 1 Month Away

We are now down to two items on our to-do list:
Get life insurance – in process
Get new fire extinguisher (We are waiting on this one as we have one that we hope meets their requirement. The licensing specialist will let us know when she visits. )

The possibility of a child in our home is becoming more of a reality. We are now making plans for mid July and later and have to take into account that we may be a threesome at that time. For example, we went to a movie tonight and saw an ad for the new Harry Potter movie; we could have a little girl in our home by the time it comes out. We were talking about the Sharp Family Camp Out and how sad it will be to not have Ian there, and realized we may have a small one to keep out of the fire pit.

It is exciting and overwhelming. I am sure many of our questions are the same as any parent- will we be good parents, can we give a child what she will need, how will it change our relationship with each other, what will she like to do? But we are also afraid of the process. How many placements will we go through before we find ‘our’ child?

I am already feeling anxiety about cleaning the house for the home visit.
For those of you who are actually following this bizarre journey, we got a dog play pen and put it around the stove. I think it doesn’t look too bad, it cost under $100 (one of the cheapest options) and once it is no longer necessary to protect children, we can use it for chickens. (Cross your fingers, the city council is taking general comment)

Here it is.