Jenyfer Matthews

And I mean that in the best possible way!

It’s really ridiculous how energy sapping it can be to host a child’s birthday party. I spent yesterday morning baking cupcakes (48), making finger sandwiches (64), cutting up cucumber sticks (???), stuffing party bags (40), and the pinata (1!). DD invited her entire class but many never RSVP-ed and many others were bringing siblings so I wanted to be prepared for masses. (I have no idea how many children attended in the end – I was pretty much on my own and when it was busy, it was madness. But I got rid of most of the party bags so I’m pleased.)

I had the party at her school which has its pros and cons. Pros: they could swim and run around on the playground like hooligans and I didn’t have to spend much energy on supervision or cleanup. Cons: I had to cart all the food and supplies to the school.

It was 100F here in Cairo yesterday and I was very glad to have a shady spot to set up. I kept the food in the coolers for as long as I could and still the frosting on the cupcakes began to ooze and the bread on the sandwiches toasted in the wind. Judging by what was most popular, I might have saved myself a lot of effort and only served Cheetos Puffs, watermelon, and cupcakes! As you can see, I attempted to arrange the cupcakes to look like a soccer ball. It looked much better in my head, but the kids didn’t seem to mind!

Pinata was a hit (pun intended) It was reinforced inside with wire so it lasted being pummeled 2x by each child and then made it back to the beginning again before they finally tore a hole in the top. At that point I just tipped it over and dumped it on their heads!

DD wanted to open her presents as soon as we arrived home. I am always divided on the issue of birthday party presents. So often we get a pile of inexpensive, inappropriate stuff. That’s not necessarily a criticism of the gift-giver – it’s more a comment on how hard it is to find nice things in Egypt that don’t cost an arm and a leg! I’ve toyed with the idea of requesting “no presents” but that doesn’t seem fair to DD who really enjoys the whole spectacle if nothing else.

I have to say that I was truly impressed with the presents she received yesterday. Last year was the year of board games. This year, people really seemed to make an effort to find out what interests DD had – in fact, a few of the parents even called me to ask. (Demonstrating to me that I am going to have to work harder on my own present giving in future!) Among the most appropriate and surprisingly generous gifts were a book of facts about Football (soccer to the Americans), a ceramic bank shaped like a skateboard and 50LE ($10), capri pants and a top that she actually likes (a minor miracle), and a card with 150LE ($30). DD was over the moon and already planning on what she will buy with her cash (a shiny new soccer ball). We’ll be working on thank you cards over the weekend.

Oddest gift – an inflatable rubber raft, 76″x45″. Optional oars not included (thank god!)

I’ll be going out shortly to pick up a couple of birthday gifts for parties we’ll be attending over the weekend – at least I’m not hosting them! Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow – author Amy Corwin will be here with blurbs from two historical romances including her latest release I BID ONE AMERICAN as well as a great article for writers on characterization.

My family always knows that summer is coming when the boxes and packages of items I’ve purchased online start to pile up, waiting for me to retrieve them. Shelley Munro had a Thursday Thirteen post this past weekend about shopping. And it got me to thinking that I need to start on my summertime shopping list for when I’m back in the US.

I do my best to make do with what is available locally where ever it is that I am living. And depending on where I’m living that can work better and worse. It was easier in Dubai than it is in Egypt by far! Making do with local products was what prompted me to learn to bake cakes from scratch when mixes were outrageously expensive or just not available and had me trying food I might not otherwise ever have eaten. But there are certain products that I just need on hand and when a large can of Bush’s baked beans costs $10 and a bottle of McCormick’s Pure Vanilla extract and a canister of Hershey’s cocoa go for $20 each (when you can find them at all!), you can see why I max out my luggage allowance on the way home.

I have a friend who says she goes to the Omaha Steak store and packs coolers with frozen meat to bring back with her. Another friend admits to bringing back bags full of bacon. I’m not quite that ambitious and try to restrict my groceries to specialty / long-lived / dry goods, but I do have a growing shopping list.

My shopping list, in no particular order, so far:

Quilting supplies – good cotton fabric is hard to find and that goes for thread as well. Ironically, Egypt exports most of its cotton to other countries for processing. I bought a piece of white cotton on my last trip to Dubai that was marked “Egyptian Cotton, Made in Japan”. There is no batting available locally at all. I usually have one very large, very light bag packed full of batting! I weight the bottom of the bag down with the next item on my list…

Kids shoes – because the shoes in Egypt are either 1) crap or 2) $$$ . My children are both very sporty and it’s getting to the point where one pair of cross trainers isn’t good enough. They need to specialize! I’ll have to look for all purpose sport shoes for school, soccer cleats, and a smoother bottom shoe for playing tennis on a clay court. (I am hoping for athletic scholarships but I may have spent as much on their shoes and equipment as I would have on tuition at the end of the day!)

Mom’s shoes – because a girl can never have too many pretty shoes

Baking powder – it’s available locally but is sold in teaspoon sized packets!

Baking soda – again, available locally in tiny cans for about $1.50 each. I can buy a detergent sized box in the US for not much more!

Vanilla extract- see above

Ground flaxseed – a wonderful way to pack a few extra vitamins into banana bread, pancakes, etc. Not so easy to find hippy freak food in Cairo.

Cookie sheets and baking trays – $20 is more than I want to pay for a cake pan so I’m holding out for a trip to Walmart!

Food coloring, cake decorating supplies – generally hard to find!

(There seems to be a definite baking theme emerging here!)

Wild rice – so yummy and since I’ll be in Minnesota anyway…

Canned pumpkin – $5/can in Cairo and only available around the holidays

Spices – certain spices are hard to find or aren’t exactly what you expect. “Chili powder” here is actually pure red pepper!

Duct tape – you know, I never really used it when I was living in the US, but it was sort of comforting to know I could get it if I wanted it. I imagine I could practically trade it on the black market here, land where things are repaired and repaired and repaired again.

Christmas presents - if I can leave the children with my mother for an hour or so, I’ll buy a few things for their Christmas stockings that I would NEVER find in Egypt.

That’s what I’ve come up with so far but I’m sure there will be more in my bags at the end of my stay. There are no doubt many wonderful little gadgets in the baking / cooking aisles at Walmart that I’ve not dreamed of. The quantity and variety of items available in the US can be a little overwhelming when you’ve been away from it for a time!

I’m looking forward to being overwhelmed

It’s the end of the school year and in spite of the fact that my children will be under foot for two months asking me for snacks or entertainment, I’m kind of looking forward to the end of the year. It’s not as if I’m getting any peace and quiet with all the events going on.

Today I had to dash out early to pick up some supplies for my daughter’s birthday party which is tomorrow after school. Then it was on to my quilt group – last meeting was today – and from there to a long overdue dental appointment. It was my first visit to a dentist in Egypt. They passed my test so the children will go their first week of summer vacation In about an hour I’ll be heading up to school for end of year teacher meetings to discuss the children’s progress (or lack of) this school year. I’m sure we’ll be given homework for summer as well.

Tomorrow afternoon is DD’s 8th birthday party. Her whole class was invited (24) and so far I’ve only had one child decline. Two of her classmates are pairs of twins so that’s a +2 situation and a few are bringing siblings…suffice it to say I have no idea how many children will actually attend! I’m going to be spending the morning making cupcakes (48) and making finger sandwiches and filling party bags. I have so much stuff for the pinata that I have my doubts that we’ll even be able to hang it!

Birthday parties are a lot of work, but the advantage of this one is that it is at the school – they do the clean-up and it can only last 2 hours. And it won’t disrupt my weekend – which is full of (you guessed it) tennis lessons.

But in spite of all these things going on, I am happy to report that I have indeed finished the first draft of my latest project. It feels good…and not. Because now I have to turn back to page one and re-read it all and do some editing. And some adding. As usual, my word count is a little low – I need to add 10K. That sounds like a lot but then I realized it really only amounted to 500 words a chapter for each 20 chapters. That’s totally doable. (right??)

Party pictures Thursday!

A couple of weeks ago, I took my son to the pediatrician for a couple of booster shots. Because he was a new patient, the doctor started a file on him that included weighing him and measuring his height. The doctor made his notations, consulted his charts and — in the absence of any other information on growth trends in my son — casually remarked to me that my son was 2kg/4.5lbs over weight.

Now you’ll have to take my word on it that my son is not over weight. He’s always been in the 98th percentile for weight. I will accept that he’s heavier than the averages on the chart for his height because he’s very active and actually quite muscular, but overweight? No way! I buy him slim cut pants and still have to take in the elastic waist adjusters.

I got to talking to my husband and a couple of his friends about this, and they too admitted that at one time or other they have been labeled as obese by their physicians. None of these men would strike anyone as being even a little overweight. One man is a lean 6 feet tall and weighs about 200lb. My husband could stand to lose 10lbs, but I’d hardly call that obese!

It’s obvious — to me anyway — that these charts have been created with averages in mind. Doctors should consult them and then really look at the person in front of them. Are they tall or short? Are they large boned, medium or petite? Are they athletic and muscular or soft? What is their BMI? Where are they carrying their weight? There are so many more factors that play into health than the number on the scale. Being thin doesn’t automatically mean a person is healthy. Even thin people have heart attacks.

For the most part I’d put this all out of my mind, except for the occasions I get to tease my husband by pinching his love handles, then I saw this article in The New York Times over the weekend:

Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check.

Now, I suppose I can understand why a country whose government provides health care for its citizens would be interested in how much people weigh, since being overweight can lead to so many health problems. But isn’t this taking things a little too far? How can they assign a one-size-for-all plan? I realize that Japan is probably a more genetically homogeneous country than the United States, for instance, but aren’t there still going to be variances in skeletal size that would make some people naturally larger than others? And are they taking age into consideration? I don’t know about you, but my waist is expanding as I age.

And are sumo wrestlers going to be exempt?? Somehow I think the sport might be a lot different if they didn’t have their giant bellies to bump together.

I’m all for being healthy and fit, but if the government of Japan is really concerned, why not offer free yearly physicals for everyone? They could keep track of a number of variables like weight, blood pressure, etc and look for trends in each individual they examine. Yes, it would take longer than whipping out a tape measure but it would also be more accurate. At it is, I think Japan may find that they start having a surge in other health problems like eating disorders such as bulimia or abuse of appetite suppressant drugs. Not exactly what they have in mind, I’m sure.

With a view like this outside my study window, is it any wonder I’m not getting much done? Beautiful, isn’t it?

It’s been a weird week. Caused in part by the approaching summer holiday. Lots of let’s-get-together-before-summer-vacation social events and all the summer birthday parties people can cram in.

I’ve been doodling with my book a bit, dragging my feet, just editing and tweaking. I feel mildly guilty about it, but not enough to actually get anything done.

I blame it on the end of the school year. Remember that feeling you’d get as a child, when you knew the end of the year was coming and you’d have two months of free time at your disposal? What was the point in learning a new list of spelling words or starting a new chapter in the text book when you wouldn’t finish it anyway? I can recall even the teachers giving up and doing lots of art projects instead of starting anything serious.

I’m not in school but I’m having those feelings anyway. My kids will be off of school in two weeks, we’ll be leaving in a month. It’s plenty of time to get something done. I really have to get over my “what’s the point?” cop-out and get on with things!

Don’t forget to stop by over the weekend when Jean Hart Stewart will be my guest author. She’s talking about love at first sight and her latest release Druid Triumphant – book six in her Druid series. Just think, if you like the sound of this one, you could have a new pile of books to read before you know it!

It’s been an odd week so far. Lots of little details to deal with, lots of social engagements, no real sense of accomplishing anything. My little man has been under the weather and requiring lots of cuddles. I’m in the throes of last minute party planning for my daughter’s birthday party next week. The pinata redecorating is complete.

I have been procrastinating doing any real writing, though I have been been editing the beginning of my latest project. I probably only have another chapter or so to go until I can type “The End” so I’m not sure why I’m dragging my feet on that, but there it is. I’ll have it done by the time I leave on vacation – promise! (which is pretty much exactly a year since I started it. Oi vey!)

This week I’ve been reading a historical romance set in Scotland. I normally stick to contemporary but was given this one as a gift. I’m enjoying it so much that I’m not sure why I haven’t read more historicals before now. I have no idea whether the dialog or the details are accurate and I don’t care. I love the tone and the atmosphere of the story. And it’s inspired me to do something that I’ve been meaning to do for some time.

Read Gone With the Wind.

I have a copy of Gone With the Wind on my bookshelf, given to me by a friend last summer as she was passing on copies of books a friend left at her house. I have wanted to read it for a while but I’ve never gotten around to it. I wasn’t in the mood and it’s a long book. Now that I’m in a historical mood though, I think I’m going to give it a go.

What’s on your agenda this week?

Had a bit of excitement last night. An electrical transformer / fuse thingy next door blew up somewhere around 2am. I peeked out of the window and saw a few men running around what looked like a small bonfire that was popping and snapping. In my sleepy fog, I thought that might have been just a coincidence – perhaps they were just burning stuff or performing a bizarre ritual. This morning, there is a very large generator parked in the street hooked into the charred remains of the fire last night. Guess it was no coincidence.

Since I assume at some point they will have to unhook the generator to do some repair work, I’ve been scurrying around this morning, trying to get my laundry and dishes done before they pull the plug. When the electricity goes, so does the water!

Had a different sort of excitement over the weekend. My daughter’s tennis coach came to me to tell me that my daughter would be a champion one day. Now, it’s not news to me that she is a talented athlete. She could run and kick a soccer ball before she could speak very well, and every coach she’s ever had has praised her skills to me. But most of her coaches to date have been volunteer sports enthusiast dads. Her tennis coach is a professional who has coached many junior champions in Egypt. His own children are in the US on full tennis scholarships. So when he tells me that my daughter has the potential to be a champion as well, I pay attention.

But I also worry. (What do you want? It’s what I do.)

My husband and I have been back and forth over how best to balance pushing our children to pursue and develop their talents and not becoming pushy. It’s a fine line. At the age of 7, my daughter isn’t the best judge of what she should do with her life. She likes to play a lot of different sports and I don’t want to stifle that in her, but to really excel she’s going to have to focus. If I let her go her own way, she might never really develop her full potential. If I gave in to her every complaint and sulky moment, she might one day blame me for NOT pushing her more.

At the moment I’m trying hard to balance birthday parties and free play downtime with lessons and dedication. It’s not always easy.

The tennis coach’s approach is much simpler: Make them love tennis. In addition to praise, he uses bribery. This week that involved lots and lots of cookies.

I’m back home again after a fantastic weekend away with friends eating good food, drinking wonderful wine, shopping, and talking talking talking. It was only three days and four nights but I feel like I was gone much longer. The power nap of vacations!

But now it’s back to real life. Hubby managed to keep the house intact and the children alive (though I heard much complaining about the quality of the school lunches he packed for them!) but the house? Let’s just say I’m going to spend my day grocery shopping and doing laundry. A small price to pay in the grand scheme I suppose, and not totally unexpected.

But it’s not just grocery shopping that is going to keep me hopping, but the children’s school and social life. My phone started ringing while I was in the taxi on the way home from the airport – another mom inviting my son on a play date after school today. Which is great because then I’ll have solo time with my daughter to catch up on three days of neglected homework! Tonight is the last meeting of my book club for the year. I read this month’s selection on the plane and liked it pretty well. Should make for an interesting discussion. And Thursday is International Day at the school. I’ll be making Rice Krispie treats and handing out hot dogs at the food tasting stall.

The glamorous life of an author!

What’s on your agenda this week?

Please welcome author Sandra Cox!

A vegetarian and animal lover, Sandra lives with her husband, their dog and six cats in sunny North Carolina. Sandra is a member of Romance Writers of America and From the Heart Romance Writers. From The Heart Romance Writers has been the source of many treasured friendships.

Besides paranormal romance, Sandra also writes western romance, time-travel romance, young adult fantasy and non-fiction. When she’s not writing, you can probably find her out shopping!

Amulets – Boji Stones
By Sandra Cox

Maureen Sinclair, an independent kick ass woman, has a secret that could rock the modern world. More than just a charming antique set with unusual stones, the copper band she wears on her forearm is an ancient amulet forged by the gods with healing powers.

Her world is turned upside down by danger and betrayal when two men discover her secret, one a scholar, one a madman.

Now Maureen must fight for her very life and that of the man she loves while protecting the secret of the BOJI STONES.

Amulets – Rose Quartz
By Sandra Cox
The sequel to Boji Stones but may be read as a standalone story.

Isabella Tremaine’s credo is always look your best even when you’re running from the bad guys. Bella is the possessor of a primeval amulet empowered by the gods with creativity and beauty. And the spunky blonde has an abundance of both. Unfortunately a madman has discovered Bella’s secret and is determined to gain possession of the amulet, even if he must kill her to do so. It will take every wile in Bella’s formidable arsenal of tricks to outwit the megalomaniac who is after her.

At the same time as the madman is trying to steal her amulet, a ranch hand is trying to steal her heart. Bella is determined not only to stay alive but to keep her size-five stilettos footloose and fancy-free. Who will prove the great danger, the madman who wants her amulet or the ranch hand who wants her heart?

Amulets – Black Opal
By Sandra Cox
Book Three in the Amulets series but may be read as a standalone story.

Sabina Comte has two passions — singing and Adam Morelly. One has brought her fame and fortune. The other just might get her killed. Sabina possesses a power amulet given to her by the gods. Megalomaniac Victoria Price not only wants the amulet, she wants Adam as well. Killing Sabina would give her both.

If dealing with Victoria isn’t enough, Sabina discovers Adam’s uncle belongs to the mafia. She becomes increasingly suspicious of Adam when he keeps showing up right after someone’s tried to kill her. Sabina begins to wonder if Adam and his uncle know about her amulet and are after it too. But even doubt and suspicion cannot alter the growing attraction she has for Adam. When he is badly injured, Sabina puts her heart on the line and races to his side, determined to save him. She is about to find out if love will send her careening toward the celestial heavens or plant her six feet under.

Black Opal, the third in the Amulets series, was released May 22 by Cerridwen Press.
Here’s an excerpt.

Prologue

She stared intently at the computer screen. She’d broken the code and figured out her father’s password. It’d been easy. The warden said her father had written her name and the word amulets in his own blood before he died.

Scanning the screen, she read:

’Legend has it that out of all the mortals on earth five women found favor with the gods:
Sophia whose face was pitted and ravaged by pox,
Pelagia who had the body of a woman and the mind of a child,
Olympia a poor widow with children to feed,
Helen, who lost four of her children to the plague and begged the gods to spare her remaining child, and
Zoe, a young queen whose village was razed and plundered and, she herself taken as a slave.
Moved, the gods created five special amulets in the form of armbands for the women to wear on their forearms.
For Sophia an amulet forged with beauty and creativity.
For Pelagia an amulet forged with knowledge.
For Olympia an amulet forged with wealth.
For Helen an amulet forged with healing and
For Zoe a golden amulet, with a black opal at its center, forged with power.’

The air conditioning in the room was cold enough to leave goose bumps but Victoria Price didn’t notice. The black leather chair creaked in protest as she leaned back, her breath leaving her lungs in a hiss.

The pain in her hands made her glance down. They were fisted so tight the moon-shaped crescents in her palms, where her nails dug in, were filling with warm red blood.

Buy this Book!

moar funny pictures

My children’s school is having International Day next week. Do other schools do this? Basically it is a day where the children can go in dressed in their national dress and the mothers are strong armed into cooking lunch for all the children at school. I will be working the American stall handing out hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies among other things next Thursday. My contribution (other than my presence) will be Rice Krispie Treats.

But it is the national dress thing that has got my daughter in a tizzy. What to wear, what to wear?! There is no true national dress of America unless you count blue jeans and a t-shirt. I suggested her baseball jersey, jeans and baseball hat – which is pretty much her off-duty uniform anyway. That wasn’t good enough though because it wasn’t her idea.

Mommy’s (and Daddy’s) word wasn’t enough. She actually wanted to research America so she could get ideas (a ploy to get on the computer!)

As an alternative, I suggested she could dress in red, white and blue. She then went with jeans, a white Gap t-shirt and a red baseball hat – a decision which lasted a nanosecond I think. Then she announced she wanted to be a Canadian hunter, an outfit which consists of a Canada t-shirt printed with black bears and green and navy plaid flannel pants. Not sure how wearing her pajamas to school qualifies as a national dress, but whatever.

I am going away for a the weekend to visit some friends so I’ll have a break from listening to her obsess over it. I can’t wait! Every mommy needs a little downtime sometimes. There is only one month left of school and then they’ll be my shadows until the end of August. Gotta have some me-time while I can!

And as if the International day angst wasn’t enough, her grade is having a Greek day shortly as well. I have to construct her a Greek tunic and send in a bowl of olives. She’s not happy about the tunic as it is too close to a dress for her taste, nor am I since outside of Halloween I don’t relish costume design. And she did requested an olive wreath crown as well! I’m sure the teachers are getting a big laugh out of all this.

Don’t forget to stop by over the weekend. Author Sandra Cox will be here to give a taste of the books in her Amulet series.