Cracked

A few weeks ago, there it was this beautiful, shiny, red ruby candy dish, sitting full of M & M candies, sitting on the counter, waiting for tempting fingers.  Now when I say tempting fingers, I mean those of my husband and my son (who is just a toddler).  Every week we either fill the dish with just a one serving size bag of M & M's or a full size bag.  Either way it really does not matter because they quickly disappear, as both of them will sneak in the dish and get their fix.

Well unfortunately, one day a few weeks ago, it was my son, who was carefully putting the lid back on the dish, when the base of it shattered.   Poor little guy, he had already fallen in love with this dish, as much as my husband had, when he was a child. You see this dish has a unique story.  This is no ordinary candy dish, this is a family heirloom full of cherished memories. 

My husband, Kyle inherited this dish from his grandmother, Freda's collection of ruby red glass.  And it may seem odd for a grandson to inherit a red glass dish, but this one held a special memory.  Kyle fondly remembers his grandmother storing candies in this jar and sharing them with him, particularly Andes mint candies.  And what Kyle loved was that he was already getting to share this treasured memory of his grandmother with his son.  So when I had to break the news to him that the base of it shattered, Kyle tried to stay in Zen mode of thought and say it was okay, "Sarah, it is just a dish, its silly, I can't take it with me".  I knew at that moment, that he was okay with the fact that things unfortunately happen, and that we can't preserve things forever, but that this dish was special and it needed to be replaced.  Deep down, I also knew the pain of losing your grandparents and trying to hold on to every dear memory you have of them (and often it is linked to an object). For me, I felt like when this dish broke, it was also the fear of forgetting the memory.

So I set forth on this mission, I searched on Etsy and eBay and quickly discovered exactly what style of dish I was in pursuit of:  Viking Red Georgian Candy/Compote Dish 7.5".  And I found two of them on eBay, one which was in auction and one that was available as a "buy it now".  I decided to try the auction first, and I was doing great, until we had to embark on a journey to the hardware store.  During our shopping trip, I kept checking my phone to see how my bidding was going, and wouldn't you know the person bidding against me, purposely waited, as so many eBaying evil bidders do, outbid me in the last 2 seconds. I resolved to just go ahead and order the other buy it now option.  The dish arrived, and I was ecstatic as it matched exactly.

There was just one wee itty bitty problem.  I was trying to be sneaky about this whole thing, hoping to make it the perfect Father's Day gift from our son.  The dish needed to be cleaned up, just a simple wash. And that is when it happened, I was washing the dish, when it slipped and fell into the sink (not a huge fall), but enough that I thought "Oh NO!".  At first, I thought I was in luck, as it was still in tact, but then I ran my hand across the dish and discovered it now had a nice crack running in a "U" shape.  I also discovered I now had a nice cut on my finger from the crack too! So yes, the dish was still in tact, but it would not serve as the replacement or the Father's Day gift I had dreamed of making happen. 

When Kyle came home that morning, shortly after this incident happened, he knew something was wrong simply by my facial expression and my body language.  And there I was a sobbing mess, telling him about the prized present now ruined, and he simplified the entire thing by saying, "That is the most thoughtful gift, and it is okay, because everyday for him is Father's Day".  He was thrilled that I was able to even find one that was the same, because he really thought it would be impossible to find one exactly like it.  And now this cracked ruby red candy dish, has just grown even more memories for our family that we will cherish for many years to come.

My mission to find this type of dish continues. In fact, I now have several people keeping their eyes on the hunt for me.  In the meantime, we have decided that we may just end up with a mini collection of varying styles of ruby red candy dishes.

Welcome to Motherhood: Now Unleash the Warrior Within

Recently I read a beautifully honest and touching blog post on The Naked Momma (www.thenakedmomma.com) by my friend, Katie Yackley-Moore, entitled "I was the best mom before I had four kids".  What she shared was something so raw and from the heart, and something every mother has endured. I read this post as I was in the middle of working on this one before you, and it was hitting every reason as to why I wanted to write this one, so I thought why not include it in this introduction. This is the portion that I want you to hold on to as you continue to read this blog, "It will, in fact, work against you to have it all figured out before you are a parent.  All you really need to approach it is to have an open mind. One of the greatest things that my children have taught me is that life has other plans. Roll with it," Katie Yackley-Moore.

Well motherhood is definitely a life-changing event to say the very least.  As we all know, the journey of motherhood is unique to each and every birth of a child.  For some of us, this means a natural childbirth, for others it can mean a plethora of unforeseen circumstances, leading to our child's birth journey in various ways...but all leading to a special bond, that connects us: mother and child.  What unfolds from that moment of motherhood is the unleashing of a warrior.  A warrior that is going to help her child with every transition as they evolve into adulthood and beyond. 

One woman who has fully committed to and is embracing her warrior motherhood, is my friend from high school, Renee Toth Schlenner.  Renee's journey of motherhood has been a very trying one, and one that has taken her in directions she would never have imagined.  You see, I think it is safe to say that all first time moms go through a few adjustments and transitions, but not all of us are faced with children with exceptional circumstances (disabilities or onset illness that causes delayed development).  Renee has digested, accepted and embraced this journey as a warrior.

Renee is also a blogger, (what can I say, I have friends who like to talk and write), her blog is entitled, Exceptional You (schlennerfamilyof4@blogspot.com) and it was her post, "IEP's, accommodations, oh my!" that grabbed my attention and said, hey, Renee deserves a shout out in the spotlight, and a big thank you for not only being a warrior mom, but a motivator, and also, for all her hard work and accomplishments with being an advocate for disability issues.  So, grab a box of Kleenex, put on your big girl panties (for my men readers, your shit kickers), and be ready to join a "Box", read on, we will explain.

My Q & A with Renee: A Warrior Mom  

Q- Your son, Hayden who is 5, has hypotonic cerebral palsy and your daughter, Julia is recovering from HHV-6 aka Roseola which caused post viral cerebellar ataxia.  I know through reading your blog that this has been an emotional roller coaster, that you would not change for the world.  Can you explain how you digested, accepted and adapted to these "exceptional" circumstances as a mom?

Renee-  It took some time to digest our families circumstances.  When I first learned of Hayden's delays as a first time mom I was devastated, I cried, I leaned on my husband, family and friends.  It took some time for me to heal, to understand I did not do anything wrong to cause Hayden's delays. I think Julia's sickness was the hardest on me, it truly was scary.  I had a beautiful baby girl meeting all of her milestones then one day she can't even lift her head.  I was not prepared for the onset of illness causing set backs.  All I knew was delays from the beginning and what to do, so this caught me off guard.  However, after all the scary testing, spinal taps, CT scans, and MRIs I knew I needed to be strong for Julia.  Immediately, when we were inn the hospital and I heard Julia would need some time to recover I was on the phone calling Easter Seals to start early intervention services.  I guess for me I always think there are so many other families who have it harder than I do.  I know we have circumstances out of the normal, but my children are healthy and happy so that keeps me going.

Q-Bruce Lee once said, "If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life.  There are no limits.  There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them",  How do you think the exceptional circumstances both of your children have faced has changed your outlook on life?

Renee- My world is different now. I see things from a different perspective.  I learned to slow down and appreciate the small things in life and celebrate the little things.  We celebrate saying a three word sentence and waving.  We know how much effort it takes to get up, stand and take assisted steps so we always make a huge deal about these little things.  Outside of slowing down and celebrating the small things in life it has brought out this passion of advocacy and participation in the disability community.  I enjoy travelling to D.C. to speak with our elected officials about disability issues.  I have given public testimony and you can find me organizing disability events with Easter Seals or running/walking in events that support the disability community.  I am conscious now when I go to stores or restaurants if they are disability friendly.  I stop to  help strangers, it just made me realize that there is so much more I can be doing.  I try to be involved and help when I can.

Q- In your most recent blog you discuss the tribulations of IEP meetings and having to remain a strong advocate for Hayden.  When I read how Hayden has fought to use his walker and how he was able to work towards a lighter weight walker, and now you were being told he would have to use a wheelchair, I felt the blow.  I thought, Renee has watched him dream big and achieve remarkable milestones and this would be a set back.  For me it was like telling a child who just learned to walk, "Okay now no more walking, now sit in this stroller"...it would be a complete reversal.  Where did you find the strength to remain strong?  Who motivates you besides your kids?

Renee-  The wheelchair conversation was tough and it is something that I was not prepared to visit right now.  While I do not think a wheelchair would take away his independence I do think it would take away everything we have worked on for five years.  Hayden has fought every step and every therapy to get where he is today.  As a mother, I was not going to let everything he has worked hard for be taken away.  Hayden wants to walk and he wants to be like his friends.  I want to support him in his choices and dreams.  I knew saying no right now was the right choice.  There may be a time we need to revisit this topic but for now I know in my heart that we needed to fight for his simple right to use his walker at school.  My children and husband are my biggest motivators but outside of my family it is all the other children living with a disability.  I think about their struggles and triumphs.  That is what keeps me fighting and motivated.

Q- What advice or support groups would you give for moms and families just discovering their child has a disability?

Renee-  My biggest advice is to tell any mom it is going to be okay.  It is okay to be sad, mourn the child you dreamed of, cry and feel frustrated.  However, all those feelings will pass in time.  You need to surround yourself with family and friends that support you no matter what.  You will lose some friends but you will gain some amazing people in your life.  Support groups vary and depends on your child's disability.  I definitely would encourage any new mom to participate in any association that is specific to your child's disability Downs, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, etc... to name a few.  However, Hayden's diagnosis is blanket under hypotonic cerebral palsy, but truly he is still undiagnosed.  The best thing that I did was participate in Partners in Policymaking which is a disability training program.  It taught me what was available to our family and most of all it brought amazing people in my life.  I was able to meet parents who have a child with a disability which I am now great friends with them.  It is nice to have a group of friends that get it.  So, that would definitely be one of the major recommendations to parents of children with disability. Join Partners in Policymaking and get to know your elected officials.

Q-  You have explained in your blog, "Exceptional You" that crossfit has given you,  "workouts that are challenging and push me to limits I did not imagine I could ever do". Describe why you initially tried Crossfit, and why you gave it a second chance?

Renee-  I started my fitness journey Fall of 2012.  I knew I needed to be a stronger and healthier mom for my children.  My son, Hayden, is getting bigger and I needed to be able to care for him which includes lifting him.  I initially started going to the YMCA and worked my way through a series of classes: Zumba, Yoga, Body Combat, Body Pump and Spin.  I had some co-workers who were participating in Crossfit.  I thought it sounded like what I was looking for so I decided to give it a try.  I contacted the owners of my box (gym) to set up a trial class.  I went to that first private session excited but left feeling out of shape.  I felt a little queasy after my first work out.  However, despite the feeling I decided to take my private on-ramp to see if I truly liked it. After that I was hooked.  It is challenging both physically and mentally.  I love that about Crossfit.  I also love how welcoming everyone is and the encouragement from the coaches.  It is exactly the atmosphere I need to keep going back.  Honestly, one of the main reasons I decided to keep going is how I feel about myself afterwards.  Its amazing the things you accomplish.

Q-  For newbies to Crossfit, can you explain the "On-ramp" ?

Renee-  On-ramp is an introductory course to Crossfit.  The course can be done privately or in a group.  I chose private because I was slightly intimidated about joining the group on ramp initially.  During your on-ramp you learn appropriate technique, form and your box rules.

Q-How often do you train at your box? Where do you train? Can you explain what a box is for those unfamiliar with Crossfit?

Renee-  I would love to say I go three times a week, that is my goal.  Right now I am 1-2 days a week, if I am lucky.  My schedule is so hectic, however the owners Coach M and Coach Jud are wonderful they encourage me and train me if I am regular.  I train at Crossfit First State in Middletown, DE.  A box is a Crossfit gym/facility.

Q- Greg Glassman, the founder of Crossfit describes in his quote of World Class Fitness in 100 words,  "...mixing the elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow," do you think Crossfit provides you an outlet to think outside of the box and know that the only limits that truly exist are the ones we create ourselves?

Renee-  Absolutely, Crossfit allows for me to focus on me and my fitness goals. I learned that it really is about mind over matter.  There are many times I have mentally psyched myself out and for some reason I keep plugging along and trying.

Q-  What is the most common response you get when you tell anyone you are doing Crossfit?

Renee-Ha ha, this is a great question.  Most people respond, "you are crazy", "why would you put yourself through that sort of work out?", "oh you are one of those Crossfit cult people".  I am often shocked at people's responses.  I think people often fear the unknown and Crossfit is definitely unknown to many.

Q-  Crossfit has been described as preparing you for the physical unknown and unknowable, can you explain how doing Crossfit will benefit you and your need to better care for your son?

Renee-  Crossfit is helping me be a better mom and wife by making me physically and mentally stronger.  When I get to go to my WODs I feel refreshed and proud of what I have done. I am also using this to build my strength so I will never struggle lifting or carrying my children.

Q-  You have said that Hayden is obsessed with Crossfit and loves to wear his red Reebok shoes, how excited is he about joining you on his first 5K?  Does he train with you?

Renee-  Hayden has been asking to run with mommy.  He is extremely excited to be participating in his first 5K.  Hayden loves to perform his training at home.  He crawls around fast saying he is running.  He will jump on tall knees and push around a bar we have at home saying he is doing his Crossfit.  Hayden's mobility is limited so he cannot run/walk a 5K with me quite yet, but I believe one day he will. So, for now his training is in a jogging stroller with me.

Q-  How do you juggle your work, all the doctor appts., therapy sessions, Crossfit training and being a wife and mother?

Renee-  I work from home primarily, in direct mail marketing for a large financial institution.  I do go in to the office location physically 2-3 times a month, which I balance those days when my husband can work from home.  Our family schedule is busy but I do not know any other way.  If I was not constantly on the go, I would think something is wrong.  Luckily, most of Julia's therapy is at home, we travel one day a week to A.I DuPont for swim therapy. Hayden also gets therapy in school which cuts down some of our time.  Doctors appointments are every 3-6 months depending on which child.  I try to schedule those in the morning or afternoon so I am not taking a full day off of work.  When I go in the office I have family or friends that watch Julia for me since she cannot be in daycare right now.  Hopefully, that will change one day however, that brings on another topic a daycare that understands special circumstances.  My husband and I try to schedule date nights out every few months.  That is important to us to have time for us to be a married couple.  However, that is challenging as well because there are only a few people we trust to watch our children.  It definitely is challenging, busy and I always don't have everything organized as I like, but I try very hard to manage it.

So now back to what Katie Yackley-Moore said at the beginning of this blog in regard to parenting, "....approach it with an open mind. One of the greatest things that my children have taught me is that life has other plans. Roll with it, baby".  And after looking back at this Q & A with Renee, I think she has done just that, alongside being thankful for every milestone, no matter what the size.  As mothers we need to lift each other up, motivate one another to carry on, show our children we do not give up.

I hope that this Q & A has given you inspiration to see the world from a greater perspective.  And for those of you who have heard of Crossfit, but did not fully understand why anyone would want to physically prepare for the unknowable, I hope that it has seized your doubts, and allowed you to consider trying it.  There is something truly gratifying about realizing your body's fullest potential.  In the wise words of Socrates, "It's a shame for a woman to grow old without ever seeing the strength and beauty of which her body is capable of".

Special thanks to Renee and the Schlenner family for allowing me this opportunity to showcase such a warrior.  If you would like to continue to follow Renee and her family check out her blog, Exceptional You (schlennerfamilyof4@blogspot.com). 



Also  thank you to Katie Yackley-Moore for allowing me to quote from her blog as well.  If you would like to check out Katie's blog, go to www.thenakedmomma.com.

Lovely Lamington Cake

Traditionally this dessert which derives from Australia is made of small 2" x 2" squares of sponge cake, that are assembled together with a jam/cream/or chocolate filling. Then they are dipped in chocolate and rolled in shredded coconut. Lamingtons date back to the early 1900s, when at first like my version of the recipe it was made as a whole cake, it is noted in cookbooks a decade later that the recipe then shifted into the little lamington square cakes. The smaller Lamington squares would have been very popular to serve with tea.  The square cake recipe has remained quite popular, today many school, scout, and church groups use these cakes as fundraisers called Lamington Drives. Australia even recognizes July 21st as National Lamington Day, which is celebrated by Lamington Drives.

I fell in love with this dessert on my first trip to Australia, when my friend's mother and I went grocery shopping and stopped by the bakery on our way out of the shop.  We decided to grab a treat to have with our afternoon tea.  My friend, Emma's mother, Barbara loved sharing Australia's culture and history with me.  So that was the first time I had a Lamington, I have craved one for many years, and I haven't had one since I was in Australia which has been too many years ago, this recipe is very close to the one I had and it brought back beautiful memories. I hesitated making them up until now, because I always considered the dipping and rolling a tedious part of the recipe, so I decided take that portion out, and still enjoy the blissful dessert!

 (*Special Note- I use coconut flour and lots of eggs in place of all purpose flour, because I try to make more paleo/primal friendly cake recipes, which means no wheat/gluten/or grains.  I also try to minimize as much sugar as possible, so instead of a frosting that uses 4 cups of confectioner sugar I use straight chocolate and minimal ingredients). Enjoy!


Cake Ingredients:
3/4 Coconut Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
10 Eggs
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 Maple Syrup
1 cup melted Coconut Oil
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Filling Ingredients:

1/2-3/4 cup Jam/Mush (I prefer a No Sugar Added seedless Blackberry Jam when blackberries are not in season. When blackberries are in season I use blackberry mush where I will take a 1-2 cups of blackberries and use a 1/4-1/3 cup water and cook them down in a small saucepan, using no sugar.  If you want a little sweetness added to them or a sweetening agent to help thicken the mush, I would suggest 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead of straight sugar).  You can also use a cream filling, chocolate filling, strawberry jam filling, plum filling, or a lemon custard filling.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup  chocolate bits (= 1 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar 4.4 oz/1 Hershey's Special Dark Bar 4.4oz/1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips)

1/3 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 325*F.
-In a small bowl, add coconut flour, salt and baking soda.
-In a large bowl, combine eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and melted coconut oil.
-Add dry ingredients to wet and continue to blend.
-Once batter is blended and smooth, stir in 3/4 cup of shredded coconut (save the other 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top of the frosting).
-Grease two 9 inch cake pans with coconut oil (you can use round cake pans or square).
-Line the bottom of pans with parchment paper, it makes it much easier to remove the cakes.
-Pour batter into pans.
-Bake for 35 minutes.
-Remove cakes from oven and let cool.


While the cake is cooking in the oven you can make the frosting. 
-In a medium saucepan, melt 1/3 cup of coconut oil on low heat.
-Add 1 cup of chocolate bits (depending on what flavor you want, milk, dark or semi sweet), and slowly melt with the coconut oil, whisking as it melts to help smooth out the chocolate.
-Add 1 Tbsp of Pure Vanilla Extract, whisk and then pour into a glass dish and set in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes.
-After 30 minutes the frosting should be thickened enough to start putting on top of the cakes (once they have cooled down)

But before putting the frosting on the cakes, you must spread your filling in between the two layers. To do this, I place one cake on the cake plate/dish. Then gently fold a thin layer of the jam over the cake with a knife or spatula.  Once you feel you have enough jam to create a nice even layer, then carefully place the second layer of the cake on top.  Remember when you remove the frosting from the refrigerator to whisk well before using. Now you are ready to gently spread the chocolate frosting over the cake.  You may feel like this amount of frosting is not enough for this cake...remember you want a really thin layer of chocolate (as it sits in the refrigerator it will continue to firm, making it more into the consistency of a chocolate ganache). After you have the chocolate spread evenly over the top and down the sides (push the chocolate frosting across the cake with a spatula).  Now you can top the cake off with a heavy sprinkling of the leftover shredded unsweetened coconut.

 

 
 

Foodpornography= Primal way of life

Many of you have noticed I have been posting several pictures of food on Instagram and Facebook lately and some of you have asked me why, while others just tell me how much I make them salivate.  So the real reason behind all the foodpornography photography, is because two years ago, my husband and I began working towards a primal way of life in regard to diet.  The primal diet aka paleo diet, is often described as the caveman's diet.  For us, and for most followers, the paleo diet looks at what our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on and sticks to that, avoiding grains, eating very minimal to no sugars or dairy.  So I often get the question, well what do you eat? And I think honestly that is what I find so appealing about cooking now, my cooking is more simplified, yet, for so many who see my foodporn photos, they say to me it is looks so good, but I could never make it.  It really isn't that complicated.  At first, we ate really blah and boring, sticking mostly to sweet potatoes and really simple meals.  Which if any of you have tried to do any sort of diet know, that once it gets boring you are over it. 

Well that is not an option for us, we embraced primal living and intend to keep it that way.  I know for my husband, Kyle this came from listening to Angelo Coppola's podcast Latest in Paleo and Mark Sisson's Mark's Daily Apple. For Kyle it clicked right away, made sense and he was working on living primal.  Myself, on the other hand am a researcher, in college I took a course on food and culture, so I am very aware of fad diets and latest crazes and how often they can hurt your body and health.  So I wanted too investigate, and I haven't stopped. I have jumped on board, because after reading Nora Gedgaudas' Primal Body, Primal Mind, so many things made sense.  I think certain things have clicked for me more because I had just been reading so many books on prepregnancy, pregnancy, and child development.  And what I am getting at here is so often we hear in the Western Diet to avoid fat, eat chicken, avoid butter, use margarine, eat egg whites, no bacon, etc.  Well let me share this quote with you from George Bernard Shaw, "No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat.  Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office".  Now, with that said, I will explain why this quote, which Gedgaudas uses in a chapter about dietary fats, got my wheels spinning in my head...you see, all those pregnancy books and child development books, not to mention, the OB-GYN and the pediatrician all stated how important breast milk was for a child's development. You see and this is the Ding, Ding, Ding or Ah-ha! moment...babies/toddlers need a high amount of dietary fat for proper brain development, now, "breast milk" is also said to help the child's immune system, but breast milk is also known for its' fat too. Then there is this thought, if our society has perfected this "low-fat Western diet" then why do we have the highest diabetes, obesity and heart disease.  Does the low-fat diet make sense? We could go on and on about this topic, I encourage you to read Gedgaudas' book, as well as, take a moment and look at the industrialization of food, you will start to make our own correlations. But in a nut shell this is what made me understand primal living. "The fact is that all natural fat has a role to play in our health, and what matters in the end is proper balance.  Artificial, overly processed, or rancid fats, however, are the ones that need be avoided altogether.  Those are the real bad guys"- Nora Gedgaudas.

So for our family, primal living makes sense.  Now, what I will say is that we are still working at it, it is not something that happens over night and it takes time, but we have discovered some amazing foods that until now, never even knew about like, spaghetti squash and celery root.  And once you try spaghetti squash, you will know, its much like the age old question which came first the chicken or the egg?  You will see that "spaghetti" grain noodles had to be inspired by this veggie.

So continue to enjoy the foodpornography photography and recipes and I hope that you are at least inspired to get a little creative in your own kitchen, there is a simple and pure joy in cooking!!! Embrace the journey!

"Your foods shall be your remedies, and your remedies shall be your foods"-Hippocrates

Sassy & Savory Short Ribs

Ingredients:

3 lbs. beef short ribs with bone-in
1 Tbsp Susie Q Seasoning (or Garlic Salt with Parsley)
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp rosemary (or 1 sprig of fresh rosemary)
1 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp of coconut oil (or grassfed butter)
1- 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
                                                                           6 whole dried dates
                                                                           8-10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Directions:

Blend Susie Q/Garlic Salt seasoning, sage, rosemary, sea salt, paprika, black pepper, and roughly chopped garlic cloves. Rub this mixture into the short ribs, place in a ziploc bag and let the seasonings blend into the meat for at least 4 hours (I prefer to let it rest overnight).

Now you are ready to braise the ribs.  In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil on medium heat.  Add the short ribs to the skillet and sear the ribs on each side for 2 minutes.  When the ribs are slightly browned on each side, they are ready for the slow cooker.

Turn your slow cooker setting on low, add the tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and dates, and then add the braised short ribs.  Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.  The meat should be tender and easily shred with a fork.

His Majesty's Hope





Susan Elia MacNeal

Last year while perusing the new releases at my local library, as I so often do, I picked up a book entitled, Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal.  Initially drawn in by the title I decided to check it out and see what lies between its' covers.  You see I am always keeping my eyes open for books on Winston Churchill for my father-in-law who is a passionate reader and has a tremendous admiration for Winston Churchill. This one however, I thought might actually be a good read for my mother-in-law, who so often finds herself patiently waiting in museums as my father-in-law reads the historical notations of each and every plaque. I knew they were planning a trip to England and thought I have got to find a way to help make a trip to Churchill's War Rooms and other museums more tolerable, hopefully even interesting for my mother-in-law.  Little did I know that I would find a book that not only fulfilled that need, but also pulled me into its' page turning, adventerous mystery. I became so immersed in MacNeal's story of Maggie Hope that I quickly found myself checking to see when the next installment was due to be released. Oh yes! not only did I find an incredibly crafted book, but I discovered a thrilling mystery series: A Maggie Hope Series.  And like, Mr. Churchill's Secretary I found myself deeply engrossed in book two: Princess Elizabeth's Spy, trying to slow myself down so I could savor every word.

Now I am pleased to celebrate the annoucement of the third installment enttitled His Majesty's Hope releasing May 14th with a Q & A with author Susan Elia MacNeal. As you read this Q & A I think you will discover why I became so drawn to her writing and why I am such a fan of A Maggie Hope Series.

Q & A with Susan Elia MacNeal

Q- You have said in interviews that the first book you remember reading was Louisa May Alcott's Little Women because of the character, Jo and her strong-willed and tomboyish ways.  What other books have inspired you along the way? As a mother what books do you read to your son, which ones are you looking forward to reading with him?

Susan- I learned to read at age three, and don't think I've ever stopped. I've always loved books with strong women characters, so: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Mill on the Floss, North and South- those are some of the classics that I love.

I've read a lot of the books I loved as a child with my son, including The Water Babies, The Railway Children, and The Secret Garden. Of course, he gravitates more to Captain Underpants and the like! But we're both huge fans of the Harry Potter series.  And he's introduced me to a lot of great books,like Rick Riorden's Percy Jackson series, and Adam Gidwitz's A Tale of Dark and Grimm.

Q- In your Q & A on your website you explain the decision to write about Maggie Hope, stemmed from an ad for the War Rooms in an issue of Time Out London that a friend gave you.  After seeing this ad, you decided to visit the War Rooms (Cabinet War Rooms aka Churchill War Rooms) and felt compelled to write about this period.  However, you knew then you did not want to just write about the soldiers, sailors and pilots, you wanted to write about the civilians with black out curtains and women.  You seemed especially drawn to writing about the women and their transition outside of the home.  How would you compare women of the 1940s in the home and working world to today's women? Do you feel your work helps exemplify the importance of feminism?

Susan- I in no way think feminism started in the 1970s, with Gloria Steinem (as many people today seem to think).  Mary Wollstonecraft was writing Vindications of the Rights of Women in 1792, for heaven's sake! Women were fighting for the right to vote around the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.

While Maggie is in many ways unique because she was raised by her Aunt Edith, who's a chemistry professor at the all-women's Wellesley College and grew up in a somewhat rarified environment, I don't think she's the only woman who chaffed at limited roles and being judged on looks.

If you want to think of a feminist who's a contemporary of Maggie's, you only need think of Eleanor Roosevelt.

I hope that reading about Maggie's experiences in the 1940s might make people curious about the history of feminism and early feminists, the ones who paved the way for women such as Gloria Steinem.

Q- The Maggie Hope series falls under historical fiction, and as a follower of your work, I find that you have done extensive research into the period, including speaking with Churchill's secretary, Elizabeth Layton Nel, and even wandering through old vintage shops to study the clothing and old perfume bottles for smells. Can you explain how this process has helped you create the story? (Do you document the smells, clothing styles onto index cards or notebooks, or do you use it to envision pieces of the story?)

Susan- I really try to tell the story first and foremost, but I admit to being a history geek—
and I love doing things like looking at vintage clothes and sniffing vintage perfume. It makes the time feel very real to me. I can only hope that it makes it real to the reader, too.

Q- What teachers or mentors have inspired you along the course of your career?


Susan- I was lucky to work in publishing in New York for quite a number of years, and was priviledged to work with a lot of amazing authors. For example, Judith Merkle Riley, who wrote such novels as The Vision of Light and The Oracle Glass, became a personal friend and mentor.  She also inspired the character of Maggie Hope. Judith was very much like Maggie— brilliant, funny, and with a low tolerance for willful ignorance.

I also really miss Judith's sense of humor and her guidance. She read Mr. Churchill's Secretary and gave notes on various drafts. She also read Princess Elizabeth's Spy, but by that time was too ill with cancer to really give notes.
She did give me some amazing advice about dealing with being published and all of the craziness that ensues right before she died. I miss her, but she's so often in my thoughts as I write about Maggie, that in some ways I do feel like I carry a part of her with me.

Q- Can you describe what it has been like to juggle being a wife, a mother and a writer?

Susan- In a word:  Insanity! But I love it and wouldn't change it for the world.  You know, a lot of current incarnation of Mr. Churchill's Secretary was written when my son was a baby and then toddler, and my husband would be on really long business trips.  So, I'd try to get writing time in while he'd nap — about three hours in the afternoon.  Of course, when he got to school, things became a bit easier to juggle.

Q- The Maggie Hope Series are not your first published books, you have also written Wedding Zen: Calming Wisdom for the Bride and Infused: 100+ Recipes for Infused Liquors and Cocktails. A reviewer on Goodreads referred to you as a Renaissance Woman covering WWII with Maggie Hope and also being a liquor martini expert, how would you describe your other writing subjects?

Susan- Ha! Ok, that's really funny.  Well, I'm honored by the title "Renaissance Woman," but it's hard to take that seriously, because I basically think of myself as a sort of geeky bookworm who can pass as a competent adult if absolutely necessary. I'll go make a cocktail and meditate on this question and then get back to you...

Q- Winston Churchill Day was April 9th, how did you honor this day?  Did you celebrate by having the famous Churchill Drink? If there is one Churchillism you could share on this day with anyone, what would it be, ie, OMG, KBO or KPO?

Susan- You know, Winston Churchill day this year was also the one-year anniversary of Mr. Churchill's Secretary being published. It's been a wild year, with two books out and a third, His Majesty's Hope, waiting in the wings for May.  Actually, I spent a lot of that day thinking about Judith Merkle Riley, and all the funny things she'd probably be saying, It was, in some ways bittersweet.

(Oh, and here's the "insane" part of being a wife/mom/writer — my husband took our son out that night, so I could finish writing a magazine piece. I ordered Thai food and promptly got food poisoning.  So, by the time my husband was back home wtih champagne, ready to toast both Winston Churchill Day and the one-year anniversary of Mr. Churchill's Secretary's publication, I'd already gone to bed. It's a glamorous life, let me tell you...)

And my favorite Churchillism is KBO — what a great motto.  (And I'm fine with the "B" instead of the "P"!) ***Side note for those of you unfamiliar with Churchillisms OMG (oh my God!), KBO (keep buggering on) and KPO (keep plodding on). KBO Churchill used to when talking to men, KPO he used when talking to women as he felt KBO was not appropriate.***

Q-  Rebecca Lane Beittel has just written the first review on the third installment to the Maggie Hope Series:  His Majesty's Hope, she described you as, "not shying away from showing humanity at its most flawed...but always giving us the element of hope," where do you think this stems from?

Susan- I've gone through, as Mr. Churchill would say, some "stern times" over the years —  and I think there has to be a way that you can absorb them, and learn from them, and yet resist the urge to become bitter, cynical, and closed-off.  To retain your empathy.  It's hard sometimes, it really is.  But I look at my husband, my son, the people I love — and there's no way I could give up hope, not while there's still goodness in people and moments of joy in the world.

Q- Do you have any new books in the works?

Susan- Yes! I'm currently working on the fourth book in the Maggie Hope series, called The Prime Minister's Secret Agent.  It will take place in Edinburgh and the west coast of Scotland, as well as London, Washington, D.C., and Pearl Harbor.

Q-What advice would you give to writers who have been rejected by publishers?

Susan-  I would quote Mr. Churchill and say, "Never give in — never, never, never, never."  And, I'd also add, surround yourself with people who believe in you and your writing. I'd reached a personal limit of rejection (in the midst of health and other life crises) and wanted to pull Mr. Churchill's Secretary from submission to publishing houses and self-publish instead. But when I said that, my intrepid agent, Victoria Skurnick of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, said, "That's fine — but I have just one more editor I want to send it to." Thank goodness she made that last pitch!

Q-In this installment in the Maggie Hope Series you have included children characters, how influential was your own son, in developing these characters?

Susan- In His Majesty's Hope, one of the Nazi programs I write about is the so-called Children's Euthanasia program, later named as Action T4.  It was an absolute nightmare to write, because my son was born with torticolis, literally twisted neck.  In our present day, of course, it was diagnosed and he received physical therapy from age nine months to age five, and he's fine.

But, back then, and in Germany, he would have been considered crippled, and at risk of being murdered.  Also, when I was in the middle of research and writing, I'd look at my friends' kids — some differently abled, some autistic, some deaf, some Jewish or half-Jewish — and think, "My God, if they'd been born in Nazi Germany, they would have been taken away and murdered, too."

For these reasons, writing His Majesty's Hope was difficult. I felt the ghosts of the children and their parents.  I became horribly depressed for a while, just trying to absorb the horrific facts, in order to tell the story.

Q- In His Majesty's Hope you address the issue of "compulsory sterilization" aka known as the controversial concept of eugenics, often when this is mentioned in historical fiction, it addresses young adults and teens, you chose to show how demonstrative this action was on children in Nazi Germany, what led you to take this direction? (As a side note, I was unaware of this sterilization ever being called eugenics until I came across it while doing a research paper in college on birth control in 1920s America, in your research for this, was it referred to as eugenics or just sterilization?)

Susan- You know, history really dictated my using Action T4, as I wanted to set the story in the spring and summer of 1941, and that was the big issue of the time, including the reaction of many in the Catholic Church.

I was horrified by Action T4's link to the Holocaust, and how, in many ways, it was a "dress rehearsal" of sorts for the extermination camps.  The Nazis had to shut down the T4 killing centers (at least publicly), but the lessons they learned about what worked and what didn't were all used in the death camps later on.

What I came away with was, just as a single sociopath starts with small victims (animals and so forth) and moves on, so did a group of sociopathic Nazis, such as Hitler and Brandt and Heydrich, start small and then — convinced no one would question their methods — 
grew in arrogance and evil until they were just killing on an enormous scale.

Q- You are so brilliant in captivating the readers' attention by creating such a grasp of sense of place and with such an intriguing mystery...and I find you do this with concise description that also lends so much important historical reference...is it this concise from the beginning or do you do lots of editing?

Susan- I do a lot of editing. I can always hear Judith Merkle Riley's advice: "Just flick at the historical details, don't bonk the poor reader over the head with them!" So I really do try to find the best detail and go with that.  But it's a struggle, because I love all the details...And it's interesting, some readers respond to a lot of details and some don't.  So I really do try and find a middle ground in terms of historic detail. 

Seriously. I try very hard.


Well her hard work, certainly pays off. Mr. Churchill's Secretary was nominated for the Edgar Award, the Dilys Award, and the Barry Award.  While Princess Elizabeth's Spy was winner of the 2012 Booky Award and was selected as Oprah's Mystery Book of the Week on Oprah.com the week of October 15, 2012. Listening to the advice of  Winston Churchill, "never give in-never, never, never," certainly aided MacNeal into creating a successful series.  I only hope that you take the time to check it out yourself!  A Maggie Hope series is a great selection for a book club or to tote in your beach bag and enjoy a fast-paced mystery all summer long.  

Order all three installments as a Mother's Day gift, there are some really novel ways you could package this gift (think vintage, antiques and clever spies = old typewriter case, purse, or wrapped in a knitted scarf, keeping in mind that you would need to leave a note to say there is another piece to this mystery arriving in two more days...and it would be His Majesty's Hope...because can't we all use some hope?).  You could also gift these books in a nice basket alongside some wartime memoribilia, British teas & biscuits, and a Keep Calm and Carry On tea towel. For ordering options for the Maggie Hope series, see below.

 

Order His Majesty's Hope:

@Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-majestys-hope-susan-elia-macneal/1112126028

 

@Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Hope-Maggie-Mystery/dp/0345536738

 

@IndieBound:
http://www.indiebound.org/product/info.jsp?affiliateId=randomhouse1&isbn=0345536738

@Apple
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&u1=His+Majesty's+Hope-EL--SusanEliaMacNeal-9780345538758&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fbook%252Fisbn9780345538758%253Fmt%253D11%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30

 Order Princess Elizabeth's Spy:

@Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/princess-elizabeths-spy-susan-elia-macneal/1108022870?ean=9780553593624

@Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Elizabeths-Spy-Maggie-Mystery/dp/0553593625/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367869352&sr=1-1&keywords=princess+elizabeth%27s+spy

@IndieBound
http://www.indiebound.org/product/info.jsp?affiliateId=randomhouse1&isbn=0553593625

@Apple:
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&u1=Princess+Elizabeth's+Spy-EL--SusanEliaMacNeal-9780553907575&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fbook%252Fisbn9780553907575%253Fmt%253D11%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30

Order Mr. Churchill's Secretary:

@Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mr-churchills-secretary-susan-elia-macneal/1100643331?ean=9780553593617

@Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Churchills-Secretary-Susan-Elia-MacNeal/dp/0553593617/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367869229&sr=1-1&keywords=mr.+churchill%27s+secretary

@IndieBound:
http://www.indiebound.org/product/info.jsp?affiliateId=randomhouse1&isbn=0553593617

@Apple:
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&u1=Mr.+Churchill's+Secretary-EL--SusanEliaMacNeal-9780553907568&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fbook%252Fisbn9780553907568%253Fmt%253D11%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30

Special thanks to Susan Elia MacNeal for this wonderful opportunity! You are such an inspiration, and I truly hope others see what an amazing character you have created with Maggie Hope. I wait with much anticipation for The Prime Minister's Secret Agent.
Also, I want to thank MacNeal's publicist, Lindsey Kennedy, from The Random House Publishing Group, for providing me with the pictures of MacNeal and His Majesty's Hope, as well as, all the links to order the books.  Thank you!




Avocado Bacon Deviled Eggs

 

 

Okay, so I came across this delightful little recipe via Instragram.    I saw a picture posted, but could not find the recipe.  I wanted to find the recipe as I thought this seemed perfect for an upcoming Cinco De Mayo themed birthday party, and not to mention it just seemed like a fun twist on deviled eggs for summer picnics. So I quickly "Googled" recipes for Avocado Deviled Eggs and found quite a few, so after looking through several recipes, I put together my own version (mind you always keeping in mind my regular deviled egg recipe).

 

Ingredients:

 

9 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

1 ripe avocado, diced

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. yellow mustard

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (*I prefer Olive Oil mayo)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (*if you are not a cilantro fan, substitute parsley)

1/4 tsp. salt

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled into bits

 

Directions:

Slice hard boiled eggs in half, carefully separating the yolks into a bowl and setting the whites on a egg plate.  Mash the yolks with a fork.  In a separate bowl, mash together the avocado and lemon juice, this helps prevent the avocado from browning.  Then add, the mashed yolks, and add remaining ingredients, except the bacon crumbles, mixing them together well.  Then you are ready to fill the yolks, either with the old spoon method, or with a piping bag. Then top the eggs with the bacon crumbles and serve.

 

Special Notes to keep in mind with this recipe:

Unlike traditional deviled eggs, these lil devils should not be made too far in advance as the flavors of the ingredients change drastically over time (even overnight).  So I would only make these right before a picnic.  Now with that said, you could always cook the eggs ahead of time and then mix everything just before hand. I made a notation that you could substitute the cilantro with parsley. I made this notation because there are some people that find cilantro to have a "soapy" flavor, parsley has a more neutral flavor, so if you are not a fan of cilantro, go for parsley! Now why are you boiling 9 eggs, I prefer always when making deviled eggs to make a few extras, because if you are like me, I like to fast before a picnic or large meal gathering.  However, it never fails I always start to feel ravenous an hour before the event, so these are a great snack to help hold you over. Plus I am a firm believer in taste tasting the food you make before you serve it!

 

Chicken, Leek and White Wine Casserole

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend, Emma, who is Australian.  You can read more about our friendship in the blogpost titled The Pleasure of Snail Mail. For paleo readers, I suggest putting this scrumptious dish over some cauliflower "rice" pilaf or some mashed celeriac (celery root).

 

Chicken, Leek and White Wine Casserole -by Emma Reid

4 chicken breasts

3 rashers of bacon (This is Australian bacon, to substitute I would use either Canadian bacon 3 slices, or 6-8 slices of American bacon depending on the cut)

1/2 cup of champagne mushrooms (cut them into quarters)

2 leeks diced

chicken stock to taste

pepper

flour

salt

1 cup dry white wine

 

Cut chicken into quarters (not diced...make large quarters from the breasts)

put in a bag and coat with flour, salt and pepper. 

Brown leeks and bacon in the pan and put to the side

Brown chicken breasts until almost cooked through then throw bacon and leeks back into the pan with the chicken

Add stock, wine and mushrooms. Simmer until cooked through.

 

Once cooked, I put the casserole over a small portion of cous cous (cooked with one chicken stock cube and a tbsp of butter stirred through).

 

The Pleasure of Snail Mail

Twenty-two years ago, I decided to answer an ad in a magazine for a pen pal in Australia. At the time I wrote a letter to Nicole, but it was not she who answered my letter.  Instead, it was a girl named, Emma, who snagged my letter out of a batch of letters Nicole received.  We began as many pen friends do, writing letters, postcards, sending pictures and smaller currency of our country's money (small coins and small dollar notes).  As time progressed, we began exchanging food.  For instance I recall her seeing an episode of Oprah where she had discussed her love of Doritos, but at the time Doritos were not available in Australia (instead they have CC chips, which are just as scrumptious). So I got the mini bags and mailed a few of those with some Kool-Aid packets. In exchange, she sent me Freddo frogs (imagine Harry Potter chocolate frogs, these are Cadbury Australia's chocolate little gems), the infamous Vegemite (food paste made from yeast extract) and "musk" flavored Lifesavers (YES, I said, Musk flavored, yes, like the fragrance of cologne musk, I know, I know, it was bizarre).  We shared our love of music and countless mixed tapes of us being silly with our friends, or just emceeing music compilation tapes.  One of my all time favorites is when a group of her friends sang an acapella version of Guns N Roses' Patience; one because it was just an amazing rendition, and secondly because my dear pal Emma was making really cool sound effects, if I could spell it out this is how it would be "Knock-taahhhhh, duhhh" (but you really had to hear it). Can't you tell we both have a twisted sense of humor?  We discovered we both loved Star Wars, Eddie Vedder & Pearl Jam, and Live. Which only led to more amazing jokes and fun in our letters and tapes. She introduced me to the Australian band, Silverchair and American band Buffalo Tom (which has since become a top favorite of mine, too).

So by the time I was nearing the end of high school, as my other friends were busy checking out colleges or figuring out what other jobs they were going to pursue, I had gotten in my head that I was going to go to work and save as much money as I could and go to Australia and meet this pen pal I had been writing for four years.  My thoughts then, were I did not have the money for college and my family did not have the means to help me through the expense of college, so why not travel now.  I mean most people dream of travelling for years, get bogged down by college and with starting families and have debt that keeps them from travelling until they retire.  I wanted to meet Emma and see this great country before I retired.  I did just that.  As you can well imagine Emma and her beautiful family showed me Western Australia and all of its beautiful delights and hidden treasures (Margaret River isn't much of a secret anymore, but it is still a glorious place- with so many spectacular views and amazing wines).  Emma and I had a grand time running amuck, sunbathing and jumping waves at the beaches, and enjoying a pint or two of Victoria Bitter (because let's be honest Americans think they are "acting like a cool Aussie" drinking Foster's by the "barbie", truth is VB is the stuff). I have had the pleasure of going to Australia not only once, but twice. The second trip, included a side trip of Emma and I lodging at a bed and breakfast in London and traipsing along the English countryside. So as you can see, what started off as two young teenagers writing each other for fun, turned into a lifelong friendship.  We continue to share our favorite things, recipes, books, blogs, but now we also have the added pleasure of sharing the stories of being wives and the adventures of motherhood.  Recently, Emma shared with me that she is going back to school (Uni) to get her Bacherlors of Education and so I thought what a perfect time to share our story.  She is an amazing woman, friend, wife and mother, I know she will excel at her studies.  And how could she not when her kids are cheering her on with so much enthusiasm and support when her books for Uni recently arrived they shouted with excitement, "Mum's books are here everyone! Lets look at them!"  Here is my down to earth Q & A with her, that shows our sense of humor and how we have managed to stay such good friends over the years.

Question & Answer with Emma Reid:

Q-Did you ever think that when you responded to my pen pal letter, that we would still be writing each other 22 years later?
 

Emma-No definitely not. Most of my friends at school who also had penfriends had the friendship fizzle out within a few letters.

 

Q-Had you ever heard of Delaware prior to writing me? (if my memory serves I thought you saw it on Roseanne?)

 

Emma-Yes I had heard of Delaware, but couldn't pin point where it was on the US map at the time. I think I also recalled a reference to it from Wayne's World.
 

Q-What is your favorite book of all time? Are you reading anything currently that you would recommend to others and why?

Emma-To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the ease of the way Harper Lee addresses terrible racial issues against the back drop of Jem and Scout's childhood; gives the awful issues woven into the story more impact on the reader.

 

I have just finished two books by Sara Foster, Come Back to Me and Beneath the Shadows, I would definitely recommend them she is a clever writer who has a knack for writing books the reader just can't put down.
 

Q-What is your favorite recipe to cook?

 

Emma-Chicken, Leek and white wine casserole. (***If you are interested in this recipe check out the post Chicken, Leek and White Wine Casserole***)

Q-When you were told that you were pregnant with twins the first go around, what was your first reaction? (I recall us joking long before either of us were married about how it would be having multiples, so when you first told me you were expecting twins, I seriously thought you were joking).

Emma-I just laughed. I thought it was insane news. I made up my mind to be positive about it because there were so many people with negative responses and I wasn't going to "have that". So many people can't have children, who was I to complain about getting two at once?
 

Q-You are a mega Star Wars fan, which would you say ranks as the #1 episode? If you could play one character in Star Wars who would it be?

Emma-I can't go past A New Hope. If I was in SW I think I would be Wicket so I could live in the Ewok Village at Endor. It looks so nice. Plus I would like to play the drums on the Stormtrooper helmets with them sometime.
 

Q-I have visited you twice in Australia, and upon the ending of the second visit, you and I took a trip to England, if you could meet me there for a girl's weekend, what would you like to see again? or what would you like to see that we didn't get to see?

Emma-I would like to go to Bath again and I would definitely do a Dr Who experience tour there (well we didn't get to see it because it didn't exist at the time :)
 

Q-Did any of my reactions to Australia surprise or shock you?

Emma-No not really. I wondered how you liked having midges fly at your ass in the drop toilets though LOL. Do you even have drop toilets in the US? How gross are they.

(***Side note-Yes. We have midgee flies here in the states (like pesky gnats).  And yes, we also have drop toilets (aka pit toilets, Porto potty)...these were more like pit toilets***)
 

Q-You are a mother of four and recently just enrolled in Uni to start your Bachelor of Education? What is your biggest concern with taking classes and managing a household?

Emma-Ha! ha! the house falling apart! I think it's working my way to finding quiet time, which is available it's just that I'd rather lay on my couch with a glass of wine and a good book and will have to discipline myself to work hard to pass my course and get a degree. Oh plus failing exams and so forth. I think that's a natural thing (fear of failure)

 

Q-On my first trip to Australia, I made the mistake after having a few drinks of calling your dad a "wanker", describe how this has become a favorite family story for your sister to share?

Emma-It's just too funny. I think it's the shock value. We were all sitting around, Dad walks past and all of a sudden you burst out with "GARRY YOU WANKER!" from out of the blue. He even thinks it's funny. I think only you could get away with such a thing with my Dad, but it's because he thinks you are funny. That is the same reason my sister thinks it's funny too.
 

Q-What is the movie that Henry Thomas (the boy from E.T) did that was filmed in Australia?What significance does it have to Aboriginal culture?

Emma-Frog Dreaming. I am not that sure if it has significance for them because I think most of the mythology was made up for the movie. I think the refs to "old Aboriginal burial grounds" would have been offensive to them and I don't think if the movie was made in today's politically sensitive arena, they would have been allowed to make references like that within the script. I think the fact that Aboriginals were shown fishing and living off the land would have been huge for them, as in being depicted at all.

 

 

Q-If you had the opportunity to come to America to visit, and see any of its' sites, which do you think you would like the most?

Emma-There is a lot of history there to explore. I think the House of the Seven Gables. The Lincoln Memorial. I think any of the large museums in the US would be amazing. We just don't have the length of history that the US does here.

Anything to do with the Salem Witch Trials...I am more into history and facts than things like Disney Land (although I would love to see that of course). Ernest Hemingway's house and also Robert the Doll in Florida. I would like to go to Graceland too but I would find it all a bit creepy also. There is just something about Elvis I find really scary.

 

 

Q-If you could have dinner with either the members of Pearl Jam or the members of Buffalo Tom, which would you pick?

Emma-Pearl Jam. I think that's mainly because EDVED loves the far South West of WA and has enjoyed surfing down there and the South West is one of my favourite places on earth (Well I live in the South West, just not the far South West)

 

Q-Do you think George Lucas will ever admit that he created Jabba the Hut while going to the toilet?

Emma-No. I don't think he wants people to know he stares admiringly at his poo and creates characters in his mind from the shapes of it. I also believe he is turning into Jabba, look closely.
(***Side note-this is all in fun, just to show our twisted sense of humor***)

 

Q-Describe one thing about becoming a mom that you did not anticipate? (for instance, Kyle describes the fact that he thought he would love being a dad and love his son, but didn't realize that his son would take ownership of him so early on and love him back).

 

Emma-I didn't anticipate being so tired all the time. I also didn't imagine being vomited, urinated and pooped on.
 

Q-What do you think has enabled us to continue our friendship over the past 22 years and thousands of miles?

I think we really just gelled from the minute we actually met in person. We were comfortable with each other and have similar senses of humour and understanding of things. Similar family back grounds.
 

Q-What is your favorite hot tea to drink?

 

Emma-At the moment I am into Dilmah. Not sure if it's because I love the accent of the Indian man in the commercial saying "DILMAH...do try it" or the tea.
 

Q-As a busy mom, what do you do to make time for yourself? And if you could have one day of leisure, where you could do anything you wanted what would you do?

 

Emma-If I had one day of leisure I would sit in a deck chair all day and have a lychee Martini. When the kids are at school, they go to bed around 8.30 so I have an hour or two (providing they don't come out of bed feigning illness, thirst or a sudden need for an apple). I usually either watch something on TV or read. Sometimes the TV is going and I will just sit there relaxing not actually watching it.

 

Q-How would you describe a quality date time with your husband?

Emma-We try and book into Mindarie Marina hotel if we have enough money for that, have a few beers and tapas at the Indi. If we can't afford that we try and nip out for a coffee together and a walk on the beach. Even window shopping is fun.

So you see what started off as two girls living on the opposite ends of the world, and writing each other snail mail letters, has become a lifelong friendship. We now mostly correspond through email, anyone who has seen me during one of my daily email writing sessions, often responds, "Who are you writing a novel to?" And then I think they must wonder how we have so much to say to one another, but I know I speak for both of us, when I say that we really feel sisters.  We are always there supporting each other, and listening to each other.  I only hope that others can find the kind of friendship we have with someone in their lifetime.  We are truly blessed to have found each other, and are very thankful for it!