SNOW! Kind of...

Growing in up IL/MN snow was a yearly thing - happy at first, then annoying as I had to scrape my car everyday. Here in TX it's a rarity, but I got to use my scraper today! My kids were thrilled over the flurries we had (not really anything I would consider full-blown snow, it was more like sleet that couldn't decide WHAT precipitation to be) and their eyes lit up. They lit up so much they were almost unable to concentrate on the songs we were singing! And I do not have a window in my room. I do not envy those with a window - nothing got done today in the classrooms. Though the teachers figured it out... "If you're good and we work hard for the remainder of the period we can go out side for the last 2 minutes of class". I couldn't bear the thought of herding children when the bell rang (not unlike herding cats), especially when they would have been enjoying this rare phenomemnon - I would feel guilty. So instead I made them stay in. I know, I'm the kind-hearted teacher you've always wanted. =)

Happy Birthday Mom!

I want to wish my mom a Happy Birthday! I did wish her happy birthday on her actual birthday but I thought I would post it here too in case you want to send her birthday wishes through comments, calls or whatever.

I was celebrating her life yesterday and rejoicing that I have such an incredible mom! Thank you to you all for being such a huge impact in her life and therefore all of our lives. She gives us many reasons to celebrate!

Love you Mom!

Family Photo History

Family -

I am currently working on scanning family photos to have a digital copy. Here are a few that I have found that are fun to look at. Enjoy!

Patrick & Alicia

The Blogging Bandwagon

Soooo... several of us have taken cues from KatyO and her genious mind and created our own blogs for our friends, our families, and ourselves! Heidi's you have been made aware of. Now Alyse and I each have one. If any of you lovely family members have your own blogs, please let us know! I know I love checking up on everyone on the links to the Mueller Blog, Super Connor, and all the other links that "link" us together (HAHAHA - punny teacher comment there). Keep us updated!

Alyse's Blog: http://alyseinaustin.blogspot.com

Kate's Blog: http://keepingupwithkate.blogspot.com

We may take awhile to come anywhere near the greatness of blogging as perfected by KatyO, but we'll take a gander at it!

Fall Pictures of Josh, Angie & Piper

Here are some of our latest photos. Enjoy!!

Dog park etiquette

Since everyone else has cute baby pics and baby stories, I thought I'd share a story about my baby (Indy, the chocolate lab puppy). This is a picture from when I first got her at 8 weeks -- now she's 9 months old!

Anyway, I had quite the time at the dog park the other day, so I thought I'd blog about it. Check out the blue blocker lady story on my blog.

I ain't a playa hata, I'm a playa maker!.It's a Boy!

Team Lindsay,

Alicia and I found out Tuesday that "the player to be named later" in our lives is going to be a boy!

We are excited for this great family he is going to be a part of. The rumor mill has it that Connor is a little nervous now that some of his thunder is going to be stolen (p.s. - he knows he is going to get beat up by this new addition one-day).

The due date is March 16th so be praying for a great continued pregnancy. Alicia is an all-star and is doing fantastic. She is beginning to glow!

Cabo

Are anyone else's parents going to Cabo and as excited as mine? I had no clue they were going until they were arguing over a budget... now they're on the phone (both of them) with Art and Pat and I can tell - they're going to have fun! I love hearing them both so excited about their travels with family. If it's anything close to what Chicago was for the ladies, I am just about as excited as they are to simply hear about the events that will ensue.

Notes from my life... I'm still with the 'rents (if you hadn't guessed from the previous paragraph) but am excited to move on to the next phase of my life - a new beginning. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers, love and support! After hearing from multiple others I can not tell you how blessed we are to have this family that loves us all for our own unique selves and who will stand by us no matter what!

Enough of the melodramatic saga... Have a great night, and parents/aunts/uncles - I expect a not-so-detailed but still exciting report of your adventures upon your return! Love to all!

Josh's Favorite Films

Someone asked a few years back to come up with my top favorite 25 films. I said "OK" and finally stopped at 110. Here's the top 50.

I would like to dedicated #1 to Joe Lindsay for introducing this film to me, #23 to my family because its the best film to get them all laughing and #18 to Matt and Shelly because they hate this film almost as much as I love it.

Enjoy...


1 Raiders of the Lost Ark
2 Shawshank Redemption
3 Babe
4 Life is Beautiful
5 Moulin Rouge
6 Fellowship of the Ring
7 Sling Blade
8 Strictly Ballroom
9 The Usual Suspects
10 Schindler’s List
11 Return of the King
12 Batman Begins
13 Amadeus
14 Chariots of Fire
15 The Mission
16 The Matrix
17 The Prince of Egypt
18 Fargo
19 The Empire Strikes Back
20 The Hunt for Red October
21 The Last of the Mohicans
22 Shall We Dance (original)
23 Waiting for Guffman
24 The Two Towers
25 Braveheart
26 The Truman Show
27 Forrest Gump
28 Edward Scissors Hands
29 Raising Arizona
30 Memento
31 Traffic
32 The Muppet Movie
33 Good Will Hunting
34 Field of Dreams
35 Star Wars
36 Return of the Jedi
37 Dead Man Walking
38 L.A. Confidential
39 Fiddler on the Roof
40 The Godfather
41 Best In Show
42 A Mighty Wind
43 Camelot
44 Unforgiven
45 Big Night
46 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
47 Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
48 E.T.
49 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
50 Fried Green Tomatoes

New blog

So, I know, you must all be thinking, "Wow, another entry from Heidi. She must have a lot of time on her hands..."

I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now since I have friends and family all over the U.S. (and overseas). So I finally did it! If you want to check it out, feel free. There's not a whole lot there just yet -- it doesn't quite compare to the coolness of Katy's blog or superconner.com, but it will fill up eventually. And I promise to post lots of cute puppy pictures. :)

Here it is: thelifeofheidi.blogspot.com.

Enjoy!

Bob & Beth Do the Twin Cities!

So a couple weekends ago, my dad and Beth visited the great north country, and it was really great to see them. Beth looks great -- very fit and energetic. And my dad looks pretty good, too...apparently he's seeing a personal trainer now. Saturday night, we had a lovely dinner party at Stacy and Taylor's place in downtown St. Paul. If you'd like to see all the pics from that night, just click on this link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=18feg6zq.b3dh0cn2&Uy=-8817wi&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=1

More books

This might be getting old for some people, but I felt like reflecting on some of my book history. This is what I came up with....although I feel like there is more than one answer for some of these.

1. Book that changed my life: There are two. "The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path to Loving-Kindness" was a book I read in a spirituality class in college. Interesting perspective on how to live your life in kindness, love yourself, accept things you can't change, etc. The other book that changed my life was "Lady and the Tramp," because it was the first "chapter" book I ever read, and it inspired me to keep on reading. :)

2. Book I've read more than once: "Where the Red Fern Grows." Love it. It was also the first book that made me cry.

3. Book I'd want on a deserted island: One of those survival guide books, of course.

4. A book that made me laugh: "Marley and Me." Highly recommended if you have a dog, have had a dog or are thinking about getting a dog. It's wonderfully written, an easy read and very entertaining.

5. A book that made me cry: Other than "Where the Red Fern Grows," all Nicholas Sparks books always make me cry. I also cried reading "Marley and Me." It's so touching!

6. Book I wish I had written: "My Sister From the Black Lagoon," because I feel like the author ripped off a bunch of my own childhood stories--not from my sisters, from my brother.

7. Book I wish had never been written: Really not sure on this. I'm thinking there were probably several books I never finished reading that were required in school. One that pops out in my head was "The Broken Cord," about a kid with fetal alcohol syndrome. The author turned out to be an alcoholic or something, and he was the one telling the story of his son, I believe. After that, I think Woodbury High School didn't require 10th graders to read that anymore.

8. Book I'm currently reading: "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates," a book given to me by Stacy and Taylor. I've only just started it, and so far it's pretty good.

9. Book I've been meaning to read: "1984" since I borrowed it from my brother about two years ago. There's many more on my shelf that I need to read, but that's probably the next one.

If you made it all the way to the end, congrats! :)

COUSINS!!!!

BOOKS

A while back Katy laid bare her feelings about all sorts of books- after some time, I am finally following her request to do the same.

1. One book that changed your life; ummmmmm....tough question... but I will have to say What so Amazing about Grace and A new Kind of Christian. Both are books that helped me gain insight about extending grace to others as well as myself, not to mention the never ending lovelyness of the grace of god.

2. A book I've read more than once; Franny and Zooey. Love this book and cant really tell you why. Its hard book to get through for some, but others, like me, just eat it up.

3. One book I would have on a deserted island; I'm going to rip off Katy on this one- my bible. I'd finally have time to read those slightly obnoxious books like Leviticus. Also, I tend to keep lots of odds and ends, pictures, letters, and doodles I created during boring sermons, that would bring me, and I believe any conscious human being, hours of entertainment while waiting for the rescue plane.

4. A book that made me laugh; Me Talk Pretty One Day.

5. A book that made me cry; Jane Erye- tears of joy! and if it wasn't so weird to do so I would name my first born son, sinjin rivers- cool name, but its after a character who's a little freaky and seems incapable of real love- yikes. not exactly qualities I want to see in my son.

6. A book I wish I had written; Wild at Heart. So then, after coming to my senses, I could burn it.

7. A book I wish had never been written; Wild At Heart. But to be fair, I never actually read the book :) I read the first 30 pages and could not bear to continue- thats all I can say, my blood pressure is rising ;)

8. A book I am currently reading; 1776, Mans search for meaning, and Lies at the Altar: secrets to a good marriage (thanks to Art and Pattymelt, not sure what that means that they sent it to me... Considering I'm not even dating anyone...but love them for thinking of their youngest anyway) and I truly love Man's search for meaning- maybe one of my favorite books

9. One book that I've been meaning to read; the agony and the ecstasy- My mom has always been an advocate for reading. Since birth she has tried to steer me towards those books with the caldicott awards (I did get my hands on some babysitter club books though, but only because they were a gift from my grandfather.) and other signs of excellence on the covers. So over the years I have collected quite a few books from her reading encouraging hands. The Agony and ecstasy being one, and I WilL read it. :)

Thats it! This has taken much concentration and Katy is now in the background trying to get me to pay attention to her (she is banging on pots and pans, literally). I better go ~ Love to all my book loving family!
R.I.F!

Fall

Hudson and Tucker come to Springfield and become famous! Last Tuesday, a photographer from the State-Journal Register drove by Pat and Art's house and grabbed a shot of the mueller boys playing in the leaves! They were the cover of the city/state section :)

More Visits to Chicago

Check out the most recent visitors to Chicago! We had a great time and I can't wait to host even more people!!!! Hint, Hint. Come visit!

Chicago, Chicago...

What an amazing weekend! Check out Katy's blog for her side of the story. Which, actually, coincides with what I remember.
Meeting with the "sisters" for a fabulous downtown Chicago gathering was the best thing that we'd done in a long time. So many fun conversations. And you'd be amazed at how little was said about husband's and children!
Katy's show, Bathroom Talk, was a hit. VERY late at night, but our afternoon nap and a very funny show kept us awake and laughing. It's amazing what she does!
Shopping, eating (we ate surprising healthily, dessert only once!), more shopping...and LOTS of laughter all along the way. The Menopause show was hilarious, great characters, great music, and written just for us. And we all went down to the stage at the end and danced arm in arm! Can you imagine? And with no wine beforehand. We're crazy, bold gals. Katy, Jessie and Angie stayed in their seats, realizing it was "our moment".
Katy took us to all the right places and, I'm certain, truly enjoyed herself. So what if she's 25+ years younger than all of us! She fit right in and we loved having her there to share the weekend.
Another trip? You bet. And here's hoping that Pat and Nancy can join us on the next one. How about June, at our lakehouse? Does that sound like a possibility??? I don't want to wait a whole year!
I love my sisters more than they can imagine...and delight in their presence and their personalities. Thanks, Mother and Dad, for bringing us into your family. We're forever grateful.
Carol

Proposal

After picking up my mom and Carol at the airport and thoroughly enjoying their entertaining stories - and watching them start laughing at memories of the weekend they just shared with the other Lindsay women - I've decided I want to hear about it from the ALL the women who lived it. So come on Lindsay women who were in Chicago! Tell us your tales! Or is it more along the lines of 'what happened in Chicago stays in Chicago'? And Katy, make sure us cousins get your side of the story. I'm excited to hear about it from a cousin's point of view. =)

Grey's Anatomy

So there I was, laid out on the couch suffering from a cold on last Thursday night. Angie, healthier and stronger than I at the time, had control of the remote. I had no choice but to watch what she wanted. And what golden morsel of television programming did she choose? Yes, it was “Grey’s Anatomy.” I was too weak to protest or even move myself to the other room. I was doomed to a night of TV hell.

But as I watched, something happened. Something unexpected. I became… inspired. As I watched these debauched yet sexy doctors get lost in love and lust and death and sex I began to crack the code to the perfect television show. When the program was over I had it. I knew I could produce the next popular prime time television show for the American masses. So here it is. The secret code:

First, I will study the habits, communication styles and love lives of teenagers. I will use their words and actions to create the relationships for our characters who will be adults placed in very importance roles such doctors. Of course, I will spruce up the dialogue with thoughtful and deep scripting, but it should only take me about 7 minutes per episode to come up with some really good clichés.

The actors must all be sexy and have the ability to stare into space with a serious and thoughtful look upon their face. Their acting ability really doesn’t need to go beyond that. Now, if the character is over 40 then they can be frumpy or just cute or maybe distinguished looking. This will give the show the much needed credibility that the sexy actors can’t provide. I will have one token “fat actor” so more people can relate to my show.

Once each episode is written I will direct. I have given a lot of thought to this already. Let me give you a taste of my directing style. When one of my actors asks, “What is my motivation in this scene?” I will simply reply, “Why, it’s sex, my dear.” Every character’s driving force will be sex.

ACTOR: “I’m a doctor in surgery trying to save the life of a patient. What’s my motivation”
ME: “All you can think about is: I must hurry through this brain surgery for this gun shot victim who is holding a live grenade and is also my wife’s mother, so I can have sex with my mistress as soon as possible.”

ACTOR: “I’m dying from a plague from the 17th century and I’m trying to find something to eat. What’s my motivation?”
ME: “You’re upset because you’re hungry. Hungry for the sex you’ll never get if you die.”

ACTOR: “I’m married, yet I’m obsessing over another woman. What’s my motivation?”
ME: “You’re just not getting enough sex. Reach deep inside of you and imagine what that must be like.”

Here’s the best part: There won’t be any need to develop the characters because I’ll simply get the audience to care about the them through lots of death and popular top 40 songs. Watching someone cry over the death of a lover while Rob Thomas sings a sad and sweet ballad is the key to great television. During the singing and crying we’ll splice in scenes of the other beautiful and sexy actors looking sad or serious or looking for more sex. This formula is rock solid, folks.

I’m also thinking of casting a washed up 80’s movie star to make his comeback with my show. I was thinking of Corey Feldman or maybe Pauley Shore. I’ll have to see if they’re booked already.

By the time Grey’s Anatomy goes off the air I will be ready with my show to pick up a lost audience. That should be in about two or three weeks. Wish me luck.

Is Anybody There???

YooHoo. Where is everyone? I guess we've all been a bit busy. Just wanted to let everyone know how GREAT it will be for the "sisters" to be together in Chicago to see Menopause. And, of course, Katy's Bathroom Talk show. And shopping on Michigan Avenue. And having pajama talks at night. And dining out. Lunching out. Breakfasting out. Wheeeeeee!
Andrew will be 16 years old Tuesday, Sept 19th. Can it possibly be? No more carpooling for this mama. Instead I'll be at home on my knees praying for him to use good judgement and to be safe.
All is well at our house. Hope it's the same at yours. I look forward to reading YOUR blog!
Love to all,
Carol