Yep, my baby did it again!  Her team won the Championship at PCBC tonight, this time in volleyball.  Basketball first, now VB!  The team played so well, they pretty much shut the other team down in the second game, I think they won 25-10.  Shelby had a great game, served beautifully and played so well in all positions.  We had 2 girls playing that had not played before this season and they too stepped up their game tonight. A perfect storm situation!   I’m just so proud of Shelby. The team only lost one game and that was because our own coach told our best servers, Shelby & Stephanie, to choke because we were doing so well…and then we lost our mojo and lost to a team who only won one game!!!! (and God help us they had Carolina blue on which drove me nuts). I think our club team would lose if they took on these girls tonight.  That has been my one criticism of the club team…they just didn’t play as a team, they folded every time because they didn’t build up the camaraderie needed to be a successful team at that level of play .  Hopefully the coaching staff will address that in the fall when the teams are formed again.

For tonight, I’ll just savor Shelby’s winning streak. And I’m not forgetting the boys who also did so well this Spring (Jackson won the PCBC BB championship and Clayton’s futball team --soccer is only called soccer in US, we need to join the rest of the world and use the correct name--- won the top spot for U14 and only lost one game) ..I almost forgot I won in my age group in my first 5k…..yeah,baby…. I’m really enjoying these wins for ALL of us as this is a FIRST in the King household and I’d be surprised to see this all come together again any time soon.

You Rock Shelby!    

Today I met Maria Chininis, Asst. Principal at Norcross High School.  I really had to, I just didn’t understand what to do to motivate Clayton for HS.  I wanted to be sure I knew exactly what academic path he would be starting  on  next fall and make sure that it was the right path for him.

Sooooo, when I arrive, she has already printed out the sheet with Clayton’s classes for the fall and she has looked up his test scores.  The first things she said to me was “I think he needs to be in AP classes”.  Oh my, he didn’t get a letter inviting him to take any AP classes like some of the other “gifted” kids at PMS.  Come to find out those letters don’t mean squat. Not with his test scores.  He tests so high that she feels he’s not being challenged enough. Ummmmm, I don’t think that’s the case…come on we all know my Clayton stories.  But she is so enthusiastic about his years at NHS you can’t help but get caught up in her enthusiasm.   (was she a pep squad member or cheerleader as a youth ‘cause she’s good)  Reality, though, is another thing. 

We talked about how he can get plugged in, the different clubs and activities out there for him.  I’ve suggested he try chorus (Glee Club) which before the show Glee would have been a big NO the moment the words left my mouth, but he is considering it. I know shocking, but he’s just “considering” it.   Socially, he can join the Blue Crew which sounds like fun.  He could go totally geek and join the Math Club, but  I have a hard time seeing that, don’t you?  Maria thinks he should try out for soccer, but I still don’t think it will happen for him, it’s such a tough team to make with all the “competition”  from other middle schools.

Maria offered to let Clayton come in next week and sit in on an AP Biology class before his middle school starts.  He said he would like to check it out. Well, needless to say, I was shocked he even considered it, much less said he would check it out.  She did tell me if he takes an AP class this fall, and after about 2 weeks hates it, she will move him into a gifted class.  At first she said he could make up his mind by mid June, then she said even July would be ok.

Here is my question, am I pushing him to take classes he really doesn’t want to take?  It’s not like he does his best at at school to please me, but what if he’s considering this just to make me happy?  That’s not the right reason to take it.  He could wait until Sophomore year and take AP classes then.  Gosh, this is worse than picking out wallpaper!

Now the class schedule Clayton has already been given is all Gifted and it’s a  rigorous schedule.  He is on the hardest Math path available.  Looks like he will take 2 years of French (II & III).  His Freshman elective will be a computer class he wanted to take.  We still have to figure out when to take Health and PE.  But I left there feeling that this could be a whole new world opening up for Clayton if he just takes the opportunity.  Maybe he will finally give in to the “smart side” and allow his intelligence to shine.  Maybe not.  Ahhh, the future is wide open.  I’ll let you know how his visit to AP Biology goes!

I don’t know how your Mother’s Day was, but we celebrated Mother’s Day today, on Saturday, and had a blast.  Of course, the day was dominated by soccer games.  Jackson had his last game of the season and then his team party.  I sent Krispy Kreme donuts and they were a huge hit with the little boys.  Clayton still has soccer games coming up on Mother’s Day, Wed. and the State Rec Cup Tournament next weekend.  But that’s ok, I enjoy watching them play.

The fam gave me a new sports watch for Mother’s Day (how did they know that’s what I wanted!) and took me out to La Parrilla for dinner.  Then I wanted the family to go bowling…and it was such fun.  We really had a good time and I think the last time we went bowling together was when Robbert and Ellen visited from Holland 3 yrs ago.  And even then, H and Robbert didn’t go with us.  So this was great craic. (look it up if you don’t know this word)

Well, let me just tell you up front, I dominated them all!  Hey, it’s my blog so I can brag all I want to. 

My best game was a 146 (way below what I used to bowl) but still decent enough.  I think my weights and resistance training has helped strengthen back up my arms.   We played two singles games (yep won both ) and one X-Y games (me and Shelby v. H & Clay)…yep us girls won with a 111 score.  I think H’s bad knee and C not being able to control his spin helped me/us dominate….along with the fact I’m a pretty darn good bowler (for which I credit that one semester of bowling I took in college).

Shelby has the cutest little skip she does when she starts her swing, she improved throughout the game.



Jackson got discouraged as he just doesn’t have any arm muscle to speak of but thank goodness we played with bumpers and that helped him out.

 

Clayton is more interested in his hair and wearing his new sunglasses to worry too much about his game 

So of course I had to steal those glasses from him….



H really bowled quite well, but not good enough to beat the wifey!    



Silly fun was had by all!



We ended the night getting ice cream for the kids.  Everyone was happy.  Tomorrow they plan on being really sweet to me, but really, I had what I wanted today….a day with my (when they want to be) fun family, no fighting teenagers and ice cream…can’t ask for more than that.  Thank you family for such great evening, fun memories (and photos) …and for my sports watch!!  Best Mother’s Day evah. 

Oh so true!  And I’m not talking about those little girl wanna be princesses, I’m talking about the grown up ones, like me and my princess peeps.  Recently, to celebrate our “princessness” (new word) we took a Sunday afternoon and went to pay homage to our favorite Princess…Diana.  Her travelling exhibit with THE wedding dress came to Atlanta and we just had to go see it up-close and in person!  We headed down to the exhibit in the princess van driven by Princess Paula.  Driving with PP can be fun and an adventure all by itself, but throw in Princess Dawn & Princess Michelle, well it was just a royal good time.

My pretty & SMART princesses brought tiara’s for all of us to wear.  As we were walking to the building a car-load of princesses (from a far off land)  arrived also wearing their crowns and took our picture!  Here we are getting ready to go into the exhibit:

Sooooo, we first must go to the royal throne because PP can’t go more than 20 15 minutes without a potty break ….then we finally enter the exhibit.

The entire exhibit focused naturally on Diana.  Really not much there about her sons or really about Charles (thank goodness…horrid man that he is).  There were lots of personal items of hers throughout her life. Diana was a pretty child, as we saw in pastel drawings and home movies. Earl Spencer raised Diana and her siblings after a traumatic divorce, but in other respects her childhood was uneventful, or as uneventful as someone with that pedigree can have. Diana loved to swim, dive and dance.  On exhibit is an elementary school report that says she had pleasant manners..nothing about her being very smart though.   Her late teenage years were spent as a nanny and assistant kindergarten teacher in London, where she shared an apartment that she owned with friends.

While we did get to see some lovely family jewelry, the main thing we wanted to see was naturally The Wedding Dress.

An ivory mass of  silk taffeta, lace, tulle, sequins and pearls, with a 25-foot train, Lady Diana Spencer’s 1981 wedding gown is the centerpiece of the exhibit.  Up close it somehow looked smaller than I thought it would or thought I remembered.  In photos, the train is being held up so it gives the appearance of being much longer.  We all reminisced about watching the wedding of the century. I remember staying up the whole night to see her arrive at the church.  Even then, the dress was a throw back to a different time and I don’t think it’s style has aged well, but it is gorgeous to see. 

There is a nice room or remembrance for Diana that focuses on her untimely death.  Elton John’s rewrite to “Candle in the Wind” is there and the whole speech her brother read with edits is on display.  Then you walk into the other main attraction, her dresses.  Oh my goodness, they were something to see.  Some were absolutely beautiful, others not so hot.  You can see how her clothing size went down (remember she was bulimic) through the years, but her elegance went UP!  She wore these clothes for special events and she wore them to do her charitable work. Really, looking at someone’s clothing can make you feel so close to them…isn’t that interesting.



The exhibit ends with a wall showing books of condolences from all over the world.  That’s such a testimony on how she was loved, whether she deserved that adulation or not. 

The entire exhibit, like its subject, is intellectually slight, charming, and unexpectedly moving.  As you leave the exhibit you see this famous photo of Diana (oh aren’t those princesses with her awdorable!)  Tiara’s and pearls…simply divine. What a fun outing.

It’s been a pretty unremarkable week since my award winning run!    A busy Tuesday with Orthodontist, Optometrist & Dentist appointments.  Weight Watcher weigh in (-.02 this week), volleyball practice, my 45 min. jog, soccer practice run and then book club.  Book club was just me and Paula this month, Dawn was off on a date with Robin to see Jimmy Buffet (lovebirds), Amy was sick and who knows what the others were doing, but Paula and I had a good time discussing “Alice I Have Been” and got into a deep discussion on child pornography (you had to be there, trust me).  We also decided we would just pick out the books for the next two meetings since we were the only ones who showed up!  Picked “Angelology” (great for me as I’m already reading it) and “The Irresistible Henry House: A Novel”.  I can see this group discussing angels and I already have the Henry House book so it’s win win for me, but Paula actually choose the books.

Today I went down to the Women’s Shelter with UMW to serve the ladies there (Grace UMC).  We made one large and 2 smaller casseroles, and used every drop of food we had.  We had over 50 women show up which was more than they have been having lately.  We found out they are moving at the end of the summer so we’ll have to see where the new building will be.  Heidi feared that it was in a very rough part of town (drive by shooting area) and we were told there would be a guard on duty when we served.  Hmmmmmm, UMW will have to decide if this is going to be the right fit for us.  The ladies at Grace are so wonderful to work with.  It’s a shame they can’t continue in the building they are in now, but it looks like it will be sold due to the financial times we live in.
Tonight I plan on cooking for the kids.    They will be shocked.  H is driving down to Orlando for a frat brother golf outing that lasts through Sunday.  Just me and the kiddo’s for a few days, and just me and Jackson once Clayton & Shelby leave on Friday for their Mid Hi Retreat!  Sweet!  If it rains, maybe I can get some scrapbooking done???  Maybe!

Oh goodness, it’s time to share some summer recipes and this one came to me this week from one of my foodie links.  I love sweet potatoes and this looks like something I would like (minus the peppers).  But I know that most of you like peppers, something I’ll never understand.  (Personally the peppers and onions are out of this recipe for me nope don’t like the taste!) The roasted corn with the sweet potatoes sounds yummy though, doesn’t it?  Let me know if you try this recipe (only 3 WW pts!!) 

Sweet Potato Salad Recipe with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle

SWEET POTATO SALAD with
ROASTED POBLANO, ROASTED CORN & CHIPOTLE

Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes
Makes 4 cups

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 large poblano pepper or green pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup corn

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

• For garnish, additional cilantro or basil

COOK SWEET POTATOES Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until barely soft OR steam for about 10 minutes.

ROAST PEPPER Move oven rack close to the broiler, set oven on broil. Slice the pepper in half vertically; remove core, membrane and seeds. Flatten halves skin-side up on foil on a baking sheet. Place under broiler til skins blister and blacken. Remove from broiler, fold foil over the pepper to form a tight packet; let rest 5 minutes. Lift off and discard skins; slice flesh into strips.

ROAST CORN In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium high until shimmery. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until the kernels turn golden brown. (It’s fun! Some kernels just might pop!)

COMBINE Meanwhile, collect remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked sweet potatoes, roasted pepper and roasted corn. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

SERVE & SAVOR To serve, transfer to a serving bowl to serve at room temperature, otherwise refrigerate to serve later but do return to room temperature. Garnish the salad with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro or a leaf of fresh basil.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Half Cup: 162Cal; 4g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 65mg Sodium; 31g Carb; 4g Fiber; 10g Sugar; 3g Protein; Weight Watchers 3 points

Adapted from a local St. Louis newspaper, The Ladue News from a recipe from The Market at Busch’s Grove, an upscale grocery in Ladue, on Clayton Road just west of Price.

By now, I think most everyone knows I ran my first 5K run on Saturday.  I have been doing what I like to call my “gentle” jog for a couple of months now.  I run about 3.2 miles here in the neighborhood in around 40 minutes.  You have to take into consideration the hills (that feel like mountains) that I have to run up just to get out of my neighborhood!  So when I saw this 5K run up in Johns Creek I figured it had to be flatter than my current route and I should go for it.

Weight Watchers is doing a push this month to get their members to walk a 5K by May.  I think I’ve fulfilled that!  But as is usual with anything I do, there has to be a bigger story than just me doing the run.

The weather was forecasted for lightning storms on Sat. evening, not morning.  I woke up around 4am on Sat. and heard the heavy rain coming down and by 6am there was significant thunder to accompany the rain.  I got up and checked but there was nothing about the run being postponed or rescheduled.  I figured it would be a go if it rained, but the lightning was a whole other thing.  Anywho, I pinned on my number, put my tag on my shoe threw on a long sleeve t-shirt and headed up to the run.

It wasn’t raining at home by the time we left, but as we neared the course, it was raining pretty steady, then it stopped while we waited about 15 min. for the race to begin.  H took a photo of me (dry) prior to the race (he’s a smart man).
 

So, I get ready to run, met some nice girls and talked about the course.  The race started and down the hill we all ran…

Ten seconds after this photo was taken, the heavens opened and a deluge of water poured down on us.  It was horrible.  I was immediately drenched my shoes filling up with water by the time I got to the top of the first hill.  Oh the joy….then all the really fun stuff happened. 

On the first long hill to run down my shoe comes untied.  So I lost several seconds as I had to run to the side of the road to re-tie.  Then I’m off again  with lightning sounding overhead only to have my left ear bud of my iPod die.  Now I keep my pace to the music on my iPod and I’d worked for weeks to get the right mix of tempos to set the pace for my run.  Then about another mile in, I notice my songs aren’t playing in order.  Of course I forgot to wear my contacts and I’d given H my glasses so I couldn’t read what playlist was playing.  I thought I would cry by about then but I keep plugging along.  My shoes felt like each weighed 5 extra lbs. with all the water in them, my shirts clung to me and weighed me down and still the rain kept coming. 

Even with all these difficulties, I felt good.  If I’d known where the end of the run was I would have poured on some speed near the end, but I finally arrived…now here are the “after” photos before getting my hat on and they’re not pretty (drowned rat time):

Crossing the Finish Line

Do not show this to small children, it will scare them! 

But I did it, I accomplished my first 5K and with a time of 31:27.

I was so tired once it was done, but mostly from feeling like I ran with ankle weights on….which in a way I did!  There were 224 people who ran the race, I was in the top 40% of runners and believe it or not, I placed first in my age bracket (50-54) and received a plaque!  I just wanted to accomplish this, never dreamed I’d end up with more than photos to show for it. 

Receiving my award

So now it’s back to my gentle jogs until the next “flat” 5K opportunity arises…with no storms closer than Mississippi in the forecast for start time!  I know I could have done so much better with my times if it hadn’t been for the rain, shoe and iPod issues.  I’m feeling pretty good about this.

Oh, we went to Ted’s for dinner tonight to celebrate and I had some fries!  (just a few along with a veggie burger…mmmmm, mmmmmm, good)!  And I ate a cookie tonight too!  I’m not too thin and I feel great so I encourage you to find the exercise that you feel comfortable with and go for it!  Just do it!  I’ll be your biggest cheerleader!

I found this list of spring quotes online.  These would be great for cards or scrapbook pages.  I thought these pretty little flower photos I took should accompany the spring quotes.  First up are the tulips blooming in the Duke Gardens. (These are just a sampling of the hundreds of bulbs blooming there)

My darling Dutch BFF Ellen gave me beautiful blue hyacinth bulbs back when she lived here in Atlanta.  I think of those fun times every year when they bloom.  I love this photo because the bottom petals seem to be hugging it’s own leaf like little arms.  So stinking sweet….

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  –Robin Williams

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  –Charles Dickens

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.  –Proverb

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.  –Margaret Atwood

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.  –William Shakespeare

An optimist is the human personification of spring. — Susan J. Bissonette

I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face. ” — Langston Hughes

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. — Doug Larson

In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. –Mark Twain

O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind? –Percy Byron Shelley

A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King. –Emily Dickinson

April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers. –Edna St. Vincent Millay

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. –E.E. Cummings