Asian Bluegrass

Glazed Jewels

2010-03-27T19:52:00.003+03:00

Mike and I went out of town this week, and we brought some glazed jewels home for the kiddos. Some dear friends watched our kids for 5 days, and though Krispy Kremes couldn't show our entire appreciation, it was a good place to start. So, here we are in Central Asia getting the jems, and then here's the video of the kids and their friends receiving them.

Best way to drink a diet coke

2009-10-25T16:19:00.004+03:00

In honor of the college basketball season gearing up, I will demonstrate the best way to drink diet coke. Drinking it this way has a bit of nostalgia. My grandmother used to keep these little coke bottles in her cellar. In the 70's and 80's my sister and I would run with excitement to get our very own bottles of coke. First, grandmother would put a little sweat band on the bottom of the bottle so it wouldn't leave a mark on her furniture. Then, grandmother would give us a bendy straw, and we'd slurp it dry. We'd take the glass bottles to the grocery and get money for turning the empty ones in. They sell the little bottles of coke here, and from time to time I buy them for sentimental reasons.

The only bottle opener I have here is the one I packed in my suitcase. My dad gave it to me for Christmas one year, and since he's no longer with us, I especially enjoy using it and thinking of him. So, as the old saying goes, "Have a coke and a smile."

And the winner of the bookmark contest is NOT...

2009-10-21T09:02:00.003+03:00

Annie came home with this bookmark she made at school, and it cracked me up! You gotta hand it to her for the creativity and urgency associated with reading, but it lacks a little on the politically correct side of things, especially if she had attended an inner city school. Anyway, this bookmark's a keeper. I may even get it laminated.

In case you can't read it: "Bust into Reading like a Police on a Case"

Stray Soccer Dog

2009-10-20T17:54:00.005+03:00

We have a new stray puppy on the street! Since dogs usually run in packs here, they don't get near people. However, I'm wondering if this dog was either strategically placed here since there's a dog-loving family here (guess who?). Or, he was the runt in the pack and the mom left him. Regardless, our kids have been loving on him. Since most nationals see dogs as dirty creatures, they are rarely played with. So, I know it's counter-cultural to love on this street dog. Because he waits outside our apartment each day, it kind of gives away the little secret that the American family has a thing for dogs. His name was "Peaches" and then the kids changed his name to "Corey" because he was eating an apple core. Here he is showing off his soccer skills. So, do any of my canine-loving friends want to come over and adopt this sweet thing...Peaches Corey the Stray Soccer Dog?

Emma cruisin'

2009-05-29T23:22:00.003+03:00

Here's a video of Little Miss Independent to go with what I wrote 2 posts ago. She's riding a friend's bike at Abby's soccer game.

SPF zero

2009-05-24T14:43:00.002+03:00

No training wheels for Emma

2009-05-22T23:52:00.004+03:00

I remember where my first born learned to ride his bike without training wheels. We'd been contemplating for weeks when to take them off. We picked the least hilly spot in the neighborhood. It was in a cul-de-sac of small town Kentucky. Mike unscrewed the training wheels, and we headed out. I carefully held onto the handlebars to stabilize the bike as David pedaled. Then, I'd let go and run alongside him for a few feet, and then I'd grab the handlebars when the bike looked too wobbly. We repeated this numerous times until he was steady and secure.

It was pretty much the same story with Abby and Annie, and then came Emma.

Emma has asked me for 2 weeks to please get the training wheels off her bike (that has an un-inflatable flat tire that hasn't made it to the bike shop). Since the bike is unable to be ridden due to the un-inflatable flat tire, I haven't bothered to take off the training wheels.

Now I know she's been a little bothered about the training wheels thing. She has 3 siblings who don't need training wheels. And, gasp, she has a friend a year younger who does not need training wheels. And she has good-for-nothing parents who won't get her blasted bike repaired!

Today I was at a friend's house visiting in the kitchen. Emma was outside playing. After a few rounds of tea, I looked off the balcony to check on Emma. I saw this cute little child riding a bicycle. I did a double take. It was EMMA on a bike without training wheels. Riding like a pro. Not even wobbly. First time ever to try a bike without training wheels. I nearly jumped off the balcony to congratulate her!

Hopefully my first 3 kids have fond memories of hearing mommy's voice from behind yelling, "You can do it! You're riding! Keep pedaling! Keep pedaling! I'm not holding on. Oh no, I'm coming, honey!" Not Emma. That little independent, determined kindergarten kid took matters into her own hands (or feet). She will remember a voice calling from a balcony above, "Oh my WORD, Emma, you're riding a bike! You taught yourself!" Sometimes you just gotta "do it". I'm proud of that little kid. I like her style.

P.S. We'll post pictures once the good-for-nothing parents get the bike functioning (with good tires and NO training wheels).

Just To Make You Think

2009-05-15T09:53:00.003+03:00

Because we all need to stretch our minds and think a little more each day, here are some quotes from the man who explains the complicated in a simple and understandable way, Yogi Berra. BTW - these are great to ask a kid to explain to you as well! Enjoy!

A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.

Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.

Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.

Even Napoleon had his Watergate.

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.

He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.

How can you think and hit at the same time?

I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.

I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?

I never said most of the things I said.

I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.

I'm a lucky guy and I'm happy to be with the Yankees. And I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.

I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be.

If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer.

Kimbob

2009-05-03T18:53:00.012+03:00

Going to an international school has given us opportunities to enjoy international foods. One of our favorites has become kimbob (sushi minus raw fish). A while back a Korean friend taught me how to make them and gave me the bamboo mat and essentials. It is one of Annie's favorite foods, so we made them one night. We had kimbob and tomato soup. Here are some pictures of our Korean masterpieces complete with chopsticks. There are also pictures of everyone (well, almost everyone) enjoying the kimbob.

The Shoe or The Boy?

2009-05-03T18:44:00.004+03:00

David had these shoes for 2 weeks...

They now have a nice ope-air element for summer, but that's not the look he was going for.
So, we got him a new pair.

2 weeks later...

How can the "heel" just fall off a shoe?

So I wonder what the problem is - the shoe or the boy?

A Night to Remember

2009-04-22T09:41:00.002+03:00

On Monday evening, 6 men came to our house at David's invitation. This June, he will be 13 years old (and shortly after that, his Dad will hit the big 4-0, but we will save that for another blog). To honor and challenge him as he moves into a new phase of life, we sat down and made a list of people who he knows, respects and wanted to learn from about some the biggest issues in life. He chose 6 men here and 15 family and friends in the US. They each were asked to write a letter about what it means to be a godly man. Each man was given a second topic about one of the big issues, such as: money, balancing time with all of life's demands, friendship, girls/dating/marriage, how to grow in your daily walk with the Lord and finding your calling in life.
These men came to encourage David to seek out His best in all areas of life. I challenged him to realize that as he gains more freedom in his life, he will also be given greater responsibility. I will move more from being a teacher to being a coach in his life. I had told David several times that I hoped it would be a milestone in his life that he would always remember. As he went to bed that night, I told him I never thought it would be a night I would always remember too! One of the last things I told him was, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased!"

Morning Rush Hour

2009-04-22T09:30:00.002+03:00

As I stood on the bus and drove to the center of the city, I experienced
another "first" in life overseas. While the bus inched its way through
the morning rush hour traffic, cars are literally inches apart!

No worry, though, because the first rule of thumb on the road is simple: the bigger the vehicle, the more right-of-way you have. Thus, you would think a bus would be given first passage...unless there happens to be a taxi going the same way at the same time. The bus was turning a corner and the taxi wanted to make sure he was right behind the bus. The only problem: he was! And we dragged the taxi about 4 or 5 feet. Then, the fun began as the two drivers met at the scene and discussed why they were right and the other driver was wrong. After that, people on the bus started defending their driver and asked how they were supposed to get to work now that their bus couldn't take them. Horns honked and honked and honked and honked longer and in unison. For a little culture lesson, I wanted to stay but since I am having a lunch date with the prettiest lady in the city, I left to finish what needed to be done so I could enjoy lunch with my best half of the last 15+ years!

elevator fun

2009-04-16T19:11:00.003+03:00

We've got an extra 5-year old, 3-year old, and 1 1/2 year old while their parents are out of town for 3 days. So I went to get them from their apartment, and we crammed into a small elevator to go down 7 stories. At the 4th story the elevator stopped and a young twenty-something guy hopped on. Hair slicked back. Cologne splashed on. And on. And on.

Once the elevator door closed and we were trapped with the cologne fumes, the 3-year old piped up. "EWWWWW. What's the smell?" Her brother added, "Yeah, it stinks."

Can you say awkward moment? We can only hope he didn't know English.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

2009-04-13T15:52:00.003+03:00

For those of us who love golf, this past weekend was the one we most often look forward to enjoying as the Masters takes place. For me, Augusta, GA, is the one golf course I'd most like to see. And for those of you who cannot understand, we golf lovers even enjoy watching it on television. No, it is not liking watching paint dry or watching a chess tournament! It is exciting and worth every minute.
To prove my point, I told Lisa that I would be "staying up late". As I watched a Kentucky guy lead for most of the day (Kenny Perry) and another northern Kentucky boy who actually played on his high school golf team while I played on my high school golf team (Steve Flesch), I could not turn the television off. Unfortunately, 11pm became midnight, Sunday became Monday, 1am became 2am, 18 holes became a 3-man playoff for 2 sudden death holes and I finally went to sleep at about 2:30am local time. I DO hope this becomes a tradition unlike any other...because I hope I never have to do it again....at least until it is on TV again next April!

Top 10 Excuses for not blogging

2009-04-12T22:55:00.015+03:00

Has it REALLY been nearly 3 months since my last post? I am shocked that anyone is still checking this blog, so count yourself as a REALLY good friend for continuing to check in. Here are my top 10 excuses for not blogging:

10. Been taking care of sick kids during the winter months. Some create their own reading spots in unusual places in the house. Some have good quality reading to keep them busy; others don't. I'm ashamed to admit I actually bought that book here.

9. Been wrapping rice, meat, and spices into grape leaves.

8. Been selling girl scout cookies. You thought they were popular in the states? Try selling them to people who haven't have access to American sweets. It's good to be a hero.

7. Been to a first dance. Sniff sniff. By the way, this is proof that Mike still remembers how to tie a tie. It's been a while, but he's still got it!

6. Been doing schoolwork with the kids. This one is CLASSIC! Emma brought it home in her backpack. I'm framing this proud piece of kindergarten work! She had to write something she does that's fun, and she explained, "WrEst2ing DaD" complete with a picture of her celebrating in victory over her dad flat as a pancake on the floor.

5. Been making friends with shepherds.

4. Been eating our new favorite vegetable. Brussel sprouts are rocking our world right now. I'm not kidding! I used to boil them to death and then put butter on them, but no one ate them. I found a new recipe, and our kids are now fighting over who gets the last ones. It was an amazing transformation. So, the basic jist is this: cover the bottom of your skillet with a thin layer of olive oil. Slice your brussel sprouts in half (you may need to take off a couple of old tattered outside leaves). Fry in skillet until nicely caramelized (fancy lingo for kind of brown). Flip. Saute just a little longer. Add salt. Wah-lah. They should be just a tad bit crispy. These are so delicious you won't believe they're brussel sprouts!

3. Been saying hello to spring.

2. Been saying hello to ice cream (ok, we never really said good-bye).

1. Been celebrating Easter!

Bus service

2009-01-19T19:49:00.003+03:00

This morning the bus was late to pick up the kids. David used the intercom system to ask if I'd drive them to school if the bus didn't come soon. I told him to wait 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes transpired, I looked out the window and the bus must've come because they were not there.

Tonight at dinner I found out what happened. The bus driver came to our street driving a taxi. He told the kids, "My car broken" complete with hand signals. My = pointing to self. Broken = 2 hands together and pretend to break a stick. So the kids piled into a small taxi. Then he went on to complete the route in his taxi. He loaded 8 kids in the taxi and headed to school. So the kids went to school squished in a taxi driven by the bus driver because the bus was broken. I had no idea.

Christmas Eve Snow

2008-12-24T12:57:00.005+03:00

The past few days have been cold and rainy. It's been hovering at 33 and 34 degrees. I selfishly prayed that the temperature would drop just a few degrees. There are very few signs of Christmas, only what's in our hearts and homes. So I knew God could make a little snow and give us a beautiful decoration.

With school out I've been sleeping in a bit (thanks to my sweet hubby). The day finally came that I thought would never come - the kids are learning the art of sleeping in, too (until 8:00 anyway). This morning I woke up around 8:00. I stayed in bed and whispered some morning prayers while under the cozy covers. As Annie bounced in my room around 8:30, she slung open my curtains. While we were sleeping, about 2-3 inches of snow covered the ground. It wasn't long before the kids were rolling around in it. Here are a few pictures of our first snow...on Christmas Eve nonetheless.

Jolly Lotto

2008-12-24T12:47:00.004+03:00

Jolly Saint Nick. He adorns a lot of stores here, but the only "live" Santa to be found here is in the city's largest mall...passing out lottery tickets. No center stage where kids line up to tell wishes. Only waiting in the middle of the mall for those seeking lottery tickets.

You can see the stack of lottery tickets in his hands.

The kids wanted their picture with Santa (truth be known, I wanted their picture with the skinny Santa), so he was kind enough to pose with them.

Really Green Tea

2008-12-22T20:12:00.004+03:00

For Christmas break the kids have an entire month off of school. We are on week 3, and cabin fever has officially struck. We had to do something to mix things up. We found a store here that sells a lot of pranks. This one cost 75 cents. Mike loves tea, so we fixed him some authentic green tea!

Emma's tooth could cause 2 special people to meet

2008-12-12T23:17:00.002+03:00

Dancing with the Stars...kind of

2008-11-29T11:56:00.001+03:00

3 guesses on who created this and posted it.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

In Our Spare Time...

2008-11-26T21:32:00.001+03:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-11-19T15:31:00.007+03:00

Lisa here. It's time to try my online wit once again. So, I'm going to tell the story of our Pumpkin Carving Party through a series of pictures.

A fun thing about living overseas with other Americans is you feel a unique bond when American holidays roll around. Some friends of ours who have access to the base commissary hosted a Pumpkin Carving party. They bought over 30 orange pumpkins for us to carve. We can get pumpkins here, but they're a grayish-green color. So, here's our Pumpkin Carving Party.

Doesn't Mike look in the fall festival mood in his beautiful orange coat? Lookin' good, honey!

The best part about pumpkin carving.

Annie and a buddy with her "Angry W Eyebrow" pumpkin.

David and his buddies and their vomiting pumpkin.

We can't get Dr. Pepper or Root Beer here, so this refrigerator was a rare sight for us. Yeah, I took a picture of soft drinks.

After the pumpkin carving, we played a game. Each child received a number, and he/she got to pick an American goody. Our friends who hosted the party have access to the base commissary, and they stocked their home with American goodies.

Good choice, son! David picked 2 cans of icing, orange extract, food coloring, and pumpkin tins for baking cakes. Wow. I was impressed with his choice. The next day we made 2 pumpkin cakes with orange-flavored icing!

Abby's choice was a jumpy spider. Didn't she see the Boo Berry cereal??? Or the Franken Berry cereal??? Where have I gone wrong? A jumpy spider?

Once Annie and Emma saw how cool the jumpy spider was, they BOTH chose jumpy spiders as well. That's a total of 3 jumpy spiders in our house. Didn't they see the fruit roll ups???

After the game was over, Annie changed her mind. She traded her jumpy spider for the Ooz'n Eyeballz. Did I mention there was brownie mix up for grabs, but they chose the jumpy spiders?

After lamenting my girls' poor choices for jumpy spiders, a friend brought me a box of Boo Berry cereal the next day. I don't deserve such friends!!!

Mike's Book of the Year

2008-11-17T12:04:00.003+03:00

Thanks to some dear friends here, we have received a copy of the book pictured here. In case your eyes do not work as well as you'd like, the book is entitled In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day.

If you are looking for something to read and don't mind books that confront you and make you uncomfortable, may I recommend this one to you? In short, it talks about how we can be lion CHASERS!

Let me know if you take the plunge and dare to read it!

A Different Kind of Protein

2008-11-11T09:07:00.002+03:00

Last night, I (Mike) was craving some walnuts. Thankfully, they are in abundance here and we had some waiting in the pantry. As I opened the jar, a MOTH flew out of the jar and barely missed my mouth!! I quickly squashed the moth and put the lid on the jar. Then, as I looked at the jar, I saw another moth flying inside the jar as he/she/it tried to escape. That is a little more protein than I am needing at this point in life. BTW - in case you are looking at the photo next to this and asking, "What does that have to do with walnuts?", I could not find any pictures of a nut and so I found a picture of 4 nuts!

Worth The Wait?!?!?

2008-10-30T17:19:00.002+03:00

I was at the local bank branch this week and picked a number to wait in line like everyone else. (By the way, what are those machines called that spit out the numbers, anyway?!?!?!?!?) I was waiting to add credit on our gas card to heat our apartment this winter, so I had to pick a special number between 800 and 899. I was given 807 by the machine, but noticed that the last number called was 869! So, I figured I was 37th in line and decided to be productive and do some homework while waiting. After about 40 minutes, we were at 898 and 899. But, instead of rolling back 800, the board read "700 and 701".

Confused, I started asking a few people waiting if they were putting credit on their gas cards. When I found someone who was, he had number 713!! I showed him my number and he just smiled and laughed. After thanking him, I did some quick math in my head and realized I was not 37th in line, but 137th in line!! That equated to about 2-3 more hours of waiting...and I did not have that much time, patience or homework!

After meeting with my teacher to check my homework, I realized that it was NOT worth the wait because my homework was about 137th out of 137 students! HAHAHAHA!! The moral of the story: if you don't laugh while trying to learn a new language, you will cry!!

Cologne Clones

2008-10-21T14:23:00.003+03:00

Sorry for not writing much as of late!!! We have had busy days and nights with lots of stuff happening. Thanks to those of you who faithfully check in. For all of you, here is an experience that is one of my (Mike's) strangest yet in a new culture:

I was at the bank one day waiting for a friend....no big deal. While there, I watched the bank security guard greet another man who he obviously knew...no big deal. As they talked, the guard opened up his desk drawer and the man pulled out a bottle of cologne....no big deal. They joked, laughed and smiled...no big deal. Then, as the security guard took the bottle of cologne back, he started spraying the other man with cologne!! He was not joking around or playing a trick on his friend: the man was quite pleased as he raised his arms, sprayed his hands and wiped it on his face and neck...no big deal?!?!?!?!? Weigh in with your opinion................

Daisy

2008-10-03T22:20:00.009+03:00

Tonight we went to the park to let the kids ride bikes and eat dinner at a nice, cheap restaurant with outdoor seating. We took our seat at the restaurant and the kids noticed the lady beside us holding an object in a towel. At first I thought it was a newborn baby. Then, the kids (in their loudest English) started yelling that it was a dog! They were so excited, and the owner let us pet her dog. She explained that the dog was really old (15 yrs. old) and that's why he/she was wrapped in a blanket. When I asked the dog's name, to my surprise, it was Daisy, but the owner knew no English. She pronounced Daisy perfectly, though. I think Daisy is the no.1 dog name in America. I know 2 dogs in my old neighborhood named Daisy. Now I know one here as well. So here are some pictures of Daisy, the 15-year old, cradled, hair-cut-too-short, doggie in a blanket.And here's Emma and Abby riding their bikes at the park...

And David throwing a football...

Residue

2008-10-03T22:11:00.004+03:00

I've got this little petpeeve about sticky things on the windowshield of cars I drive. I don't like them. I had a parking sticker thing in college, and it took me forever to get all that sticky residue off the windshield. Well, last school year at Emma's preschool I was required to have one of those sticky things on the windowshield of our car. Without it we would not be allowed to enter. So, I had no choice. But I DID have a choice on how much sticky I'd allow on the windshield. I had a brainchild. Instead of peeling the back off the sticky thing, I took some packaging tape from the house. I placed packaging tape on the back of the sticker and then applied it to the windshield. I figured once the school year was over it would peel right off and I'd have no sticky residue to mess with. So, here's a picture of our windshield now that I took the packaging tape off the windshield. Notice the nice clear square where the sticky thing would've been. Any suggestions?

Reservations

2008-10-03T22:06:00.003+03:00

Last week Mike and I went on a date to a restaurant that only seated by reservation. So Mike went by the restaurant earlier in the day to make the reservation (easier than the phone, or so we thought). When the hostess asked Mike his name, he said, "Michael." So the lady wrote down "Michaels." The lady went on to ask Mike his first name. Knowing it would take too much energy to explain that Michael IS his first name and extra brainpower and energy to explain why his last name sounds German but he's an American, Mike very quickly and confidently responded with "John." Mike came home and told me our reservations are under the name "John Michaels." I thought it was so hilarious. He said John was the first name that popped in his head when he was asked. I'm glad he didn't respond with George.

Fireproof

2008-09-26T09:12:00.002+03:00

I don't think this movie will make it overseas, so go see it for us! We've heard about it on various podcasts and the internet. Let us know what you think of it!

Linguistic Thoughts

2008-09-22T14:45:00.003+03:00

Languages are interesting. I'm not a linguist, but I am really curious about how much a country's language reflects its values as well. For example, right now in my language study I'm studying cause and effect. In English I would say "I'm wearing a jacket because I'm cold" or "I'm eating lunch because I'm hungry." However, in the language I'm learning I would reverse the order and say "Because I'm cold I'm wearing a jacket" or "Because I'm hungry I'm eating lunch." It has been very difficult in my mind to think in reverse order while also thinking of the correct vocabulary, verb tense, etc. So as I've been thinking of the cause and effect order of sentences, I think why Americans say the result first is because we like the Bottom-Line-Up-Front. Just tell me what's going on, and then give me all the reasoning. Just tell me the main idea. Whereas here, one would probably give you a lot of reasoning and explanation before you get to the bottom line. Maybe I'm overevaluating things, but I'm just trying to reason these languages out.

Another big difference is how we address strangers. I've been called "aunt", "big sister", "dear", and "sister" by complete strangers, almost daily. In the states I wouldn't address a stranger by any of those titles. I prefer the sweet titles I'm called here, as opposed to ma'am or misses.

So that's it for my linguistic thoughts for today.

A Kentucky Moment

2008-09-11T09:01:00.002+03:00

Many of our friends here like to send us weird stories of people in Kentucky who make the news. For example, do you remember the lady who "won" the Charmin toilet paper contest and received a free wedding in New York...with a dress made of 100% Charmin toilet paper?!?!?!?

Well, last week as I was heading to a different area of town by bus, I saw a first for me here - a red convertible Corvette SR-1!!!! I have seen a Porsche, Ferrari, Viper, Land Rover, Hummer H3 and other less-than-common vehicles, but none of those lesser cars are made in the Bluegrass. I knew the only place in the world where those are made are right in Bowling Green, KY! I had flashbacks to the Corvette Museum and the manufacturing plant you pass on I-65. And for a moment, at least, I forgot about the toilet paper wedding!

REAL popcorn

2008-09-10T22:05:00.003+03:00

While in the village over the weekend, we hit the local open-air fruit and vegetable market. Beside all the fresh jams made by the village ladies (I bought some strawberry jam made from little mountain strawberries...yummy yum) was a bag of popcorn. I had never had real popcorn from dried corn before. Hmmm. I asked a friend if she thought it was popcorn, and she said yeah, it looked like it. So I paid a dollar for a bag of popcorn. I got in the van, and the kids were pumped that we were going to have popcorn that night. We were already planning on a movie, so I was thrilled to have found real, totally from scratch popcorn.

We got the kids settled in for a movie, and I grabbed a kettle to pop the popcorn. We put the oil in it, added some salt, and then we poured in the real popcorn. Mmmmm...smelled like popcorn. 5 minutes later simmering in hot oil it still smelled like popcorn, but no pop. 10 minutes later it had a nice aroma, but no pop. 10 more minutes, and I'm pretty sure this popcorn ain't gonna pop. It started to have that nice burnt smell with some dark smoke and no pop.

I'm pretty sure I bought chicken feed. No matter how long you cook it, it won't pop.

friend of a friend of a friend

2008-09-10T21:35:00.006+03:00

A friend of a friend of a friend let us use his beach house this past weekend. We took off for 4 days with another family with 5 kids, a family with a 6-week old, the grandmother of the 6-week old, and our family of 6. We squeezed into 3 bedrooms and shared one shower and one squatty potty. It was all squatty all the time, my friends.

The house we stayed in was in a village, about 5 miles from a beach. The cow next door mooed throughout the day, and the kids climbed trees for the first time in 1 1/2 years. Growing up in KY I never lacked a tree to climb, but in a modern city of millions, our kids aren't afforded that opportunity. So they spent the majority of their time climbing trees, picking fresh fruit from the abundance of trees in the house's backyard, and taking trips to the beach. The trees in the backyard consisted of fresh figs, quince, walnuts, and apples. A fresh fig just plucked off the tree is really delicious! It doesn't taste a thing like a fig newton, but that's the only thing I knew of figs before moving here.

We hit a beach in a really small village the first day, and the water had at least 5 shades of blue. It was the most beautiful beach I've been to. The second day we tried a different beach in a more touristy area, and we were welcomed by a swarm of jellyfish. At least I think they were jellyfish. Their tentacles were itty bitty, and they didn't sting. However, it did sting when Annie got hit in the face by one in their jellyfish tag game. The kids collected them, squeezed them, and played jellyfish tag.

So thank you, my friend of a friend of a friend who let us use your beach house. I am so refreshed. Even though most all the kids slept in one room camped out on the floor, we heard the little 6-week old throughout the night, we were squeezed in tight quarters, and we shared one little squatty, I feel absolutely refreshed from my time away. It's amazing how good friendships do that to you. I feel strengthened.

Emma-isms

2008-08-31T20:30:00.003+03:00

My baby starts kindergarten tomorrow. After 12 years of being blessed to stay home with our 4 children, a new phase of life starts for all of us. So tonight as I was tucking Emma in bed, we had the following conversation:

ME: Emma, you're starting kindergarten tomorrow, and I will be praying for you all day. Is there anything special you want me to pray for?

EMMA: Yeah, I have this problem. When I blink I can't see.

ME: You mean you can't see when you blink? That's what you want me to pray for?

EMMA: Yeah, I think I may need glasses. But I don't need surgery.

ME: How about if you just don't blink?

EMMA: No, that's too hard. Good night, mom.

This conversation reminded me of 2 other recent Emma-isms. Just the other day we were going out on the town and we were going to do a lot of walking. I wanted the kids to wear good shoes with some socks. So, Emma came out of her room sporting her crocs. I know crocs are comfortable, so I didn't mind, but I thought socks might be a good idea since pebbles get lodged into crocs. Here was the conversation:

ME: Emma, we're going to do a lot of walking. You should wear some socks with those crocs.

EMMA: I am. They're invisible.

ME: Emma, without socks your feet will hurt after a while.

EMMA: Mom, I'm wearing my invisible socks. You just can't see them.

That response was so quick and witty that I actually let her get away with it. We went out, and she did not give one complaint the entire day. The invisible socks were amazing!

Emma said one other thing recently that cracked us all up at the dinner table. We were discussing the possibility of going to London one day. Emma's response: "If we go to London, do we have to use that English accident?"

See why I'm going to miss having my baby around all day???

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-08-30T22:12:00.004+03:00

Well, back into the frying pan.....we need to pass on our Congratulations to the big winners: TinaK was first to respond and BrendaM was first to carry out past the decimal point on the Fahrenheit conversions!! Where are the men, I ask?!?!?!?

Anyway, on our return trip, it was a delightful 21.5 C when we left the mountains. 20 nauseating minutes later as we were at the bottom of the mountain, it was 28 C. About an hour later as we were driving, the temperature reached 33.5 C. Then, an odd occurrence - a dark cloud loomed and strange dots appeared on the windshield. After consulting wikipedia (the internet's most reliable source of all information that anyone can edit from anywhere in the world!), I believe we saw rain drops!! Whatever the alien invasion was, the temperature dropped quickly to 28 C. But, fear not..when we hit our street, it was 35 C.

For those still wondering what it all means: Fahrenheit = 1.8 x Celsius + 32. Happy Computing as we keep dreaming of a white Christmas!

Beating the Heat

2008-08-26T15:45:00.002+03:00

For the last couple of weeks, we have been sleeping with wet wash rags, ceiling fans and oscillating fans to deal with the summer weather. I (Mike)even used a "Blue Ice" pack from the freezer...it's quite relaxing if you sleep on your side: simply place under your arm and your body temperature drops immediately! Any other helps are gladly welcomed!

Well, our best way to beat the heat is to retreat to the mountains. We are about a mile high, though not in Denver! When we arrived for a few days of rest and focus, I noticed the temperature outside was 33 Celsius. 20 minutes later as we climbed out of the car, it was 23 Celsius. Lisa and Annie actually wore jackets this morning because they were cold!

For your homework, I am curious who will be the first to correctly calculate the celsius temperatures to fahrenheit!! I'll be waiting!

commitment

2008-08-14T14:15:00.002+03:00

Many of you know that my mother has Alzheimer's Disease. Many of you, too, have a loved one who is affected by this disease. I want to share a clip with you about a man named Robertson McQuilkin. His wife also had Alzheimer's Disease, and the following clip is a small part of his story. His story is being told by Dennis Rainey, host of Family Life Today.

Rain

2008-08-12T20:02:00.003+03:00

Yesterday showed promise of rain. It was mid-morning, and the dark clouds gathered and the winds picked up. It hasn't rained in months, and what a relief it would be to the sun-soaked land and to our souls as well. So we watched and waited.

It was early afternoon and the weather still held promise. The winds were telling us of a change, and doors were slamming all throughout the house as a sign. I studied the sky, and it sure looked like some other parts of the city might be getting rain, so we eagerly waited for the drops to fall in our neighborhood.

Late afternoon came, and I was still holding out hope. The overcast sky remained, a much-welcome change for this mid-August day. On my occasional trips to the balcony to enjoy the cooler breeze, I anticipated and begged the heavens to pour upon this dry and dusty land.

In early evening, just before the sun set, a few drops fell right on our street. It was a silent rain. You could barely see it, you definitely could not hear it, but if you stood in the open you could feel it. I held my arm off my balcony and felt five drops sporadically hit my skin. And that was it. The rain evaporated from the street as quickly as it fell. Ten minutes later there was no sign of rain. Just overcast skies.

The rest of the evening brought in a little cooler weather, but the people and the land are still crying out for rain. All day we were teased with hope but only received a drop of relief. This is where I live.

Let. it. rain.

The World According to Emma

2008-08-07T21:20:00.004+03:00

Emma is getting so excited about starting kindergarten in a few short weeks. To impress us as parents, she is showing off her ever-growing vocabulary. For example:

1) While recently having a friend spend the night, she was trying to explain how they were going to sleep on the love seat which folds out into a double bed. Well, when Emma explained it, she said, "Guess what?? We get to sleep on the love couch!" Not to be outdone, only a few days later....
2) It was a Sunday and I was shaving before we headed out the door. Emma walked by the bathroom and saw me. She asked if she could watch and quickly got the stool as I was splashing water on my face. Once as close as humanly possible, she asked me, "Dad, when are you going to put the whipped cream on your face?" I asked, "What whipped cream, Emma? I don't shave with whipped cream." "Yes, you do, Daddy! You know, the white stuff that you scrap off your face!" she replied.

Well, as you can tell, Emma is well on her way to becoming a Fulbright scholar........though we are sad that our baby is going to school!! :-(

uncle, eggs, and heat

2008-08-06T23:06:00.006+03:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? To my faithful friends who check this blog, I'm impressed that you checked in again that by chance you might find something new. Here we are!

Here's a basic recap on the past few weeks. The highlight is that Uncle Brad came to visit. That would be single, bachelor Uncle Brad that the girls are perpetually trying to set up with one of their teachers, neighbors, or any cute girl in the 30-something range. We did some sightseeing with Brad, fed him lots of local food, and took a 3-day trip to a more villagey location.

Other than Uncle Brad visiting, the rest isn't very exciting. Our refrigerator broke down completely (yeah, the brand new one we bought in April '07). When that happened, I had to distribute my food in 4 different refrigerators at friends' houses. The repairman came, looked at it, and said he couldn't fix it that day. We survived on pb&j, and he returned the next day and got her up and running again. I recollected my food and now it's nice and cold. It's really nice and cold in the back where it actually freezes the food. Like ice on my veggies. Should I call the repairman again?

Did you know that if you get eggs at a market (they are not refrigerated there), and you put them in the fridge where they get cold, and then your fridge breaks down and the eggs get warm again, that no one gets sick if you eat them once the fridge gets repaired and they're cold again? I had a local tell me they'd be fine to eat. I took her word for it, and no one got sick. It was risky, but everyone was fine (eggs are not cheap here).

Other than Brad visiting and the fridge breaking down, I guess the only news (which really isn't news), is that it is just blazing hot! I daily have to remind myself why life is better without air conditioning. I'm reteaching my body that heat is good. I'm actually learning lots of tips on how to stay cool. So, here are my summer tips for staying cool:

Don't open your windows if it's higher than 80 degrees outside. Opening a door or window on a hot day is like a blast of heat from the oven. No kidding! It's actually cooler with the windows closed.
Wrap a blue ice pack in a washcloth and sleep with it like a little teddy bear.
Spritz sheets with cold water before going to bed.
Avoid the oven or stove! We have a gas stovetop, so when it's on there's an open flame going in our kitchen. We eat salads, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. About twice a week our dinner is sandwiches and a fresh smoothie (juicy fresh fruits from the market mixed with yogurt).
Go to the air-conditioned food court in the mall...linger for a very looooong time.
Eat outside in the shade. It's cooler than inside the apartment.
Have lots of squirt gun fights.
Fans are your friends.
Reminisce about summer camp and how much fun it was to be in that cabin without air conditioning. Just think...our kids get the same experience without the expense of camp.
Reminisce about your freshman year in college in the only dorm without air conditioning and relive all those precious memories before graduating to the other side of campus.
Know that sweat is cleansing your body from toxins.
Have contests on which melts faster in the kitchen...a piece of ice or a tablespoon of butter. Time the results and the loser buys ice cream.
Keep a positive attitude and know that fall's around the corner.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

2008-07-16T18:45:00.004+03:00

Annie wrote 2 songs for her dad's birthday, and as a present she wanted to post them on the blog and surprise him. We'll show them to Mike on his birthday. So, here are 2 original songs for her 39-year old dad. I love the name of the first one...gotta love the kid's honesty. Happy birthday!

So Many Years Ago

Life Can Be So Hard

Instinctive love of water

2008-07-06T14:06:00.009+03:00

Do you know what happens when you take a golden retriever to a park with a lake? There is an unusually strong magnetism between the two. My friend was dogsitting, and we thought it would be nice to take my kids and her dog to the park for the day. We underestimated the power the lake would have over the dog. The police warned us more than once to keep the dog out of the lake, but Sophie (the dog) didn't care if we landed in jail. The third time the dog overpowered my friend, at least it was in a spot where the police could not see. It was a hot July day, there was a nice lake to swim in, and golden retrievers were made to swim! So here is my friend "swimming" the dog on a leash.

I just looked on Wikipedia, and it states that the golden retreiver has "an instinctive love of water." Yes, I'm well aware of that. Tell that to the park security!

After Sophie's illegal swim in the lake, here is Annie rewarding here.

Explosive Airheads

2008-06-24T20:00:00.004+03:00

Did you know if you put Airheads candy in your carry-on baggage, every time it goes through a scanner the airport security will think you have explosives in your bag? Neither did we...until today. Yes, it's true my friends, and I'm posting this to save you the trouble. Some friends came to see us today, and before they came they asked if there was anything the kids wanted. The kids said they wanted Airheads, the taffy-like candy. So this sweet friend of ours bought a Cosco-sized box of Airheads candy, and he put it in his carry on. Evidently, Airheads looks a LOT like the putty that is used for explosive material. This sweet man was taken by security in two separate airports over the Airheads candy! He eventually got here safely, and so did the Airheads! Our friend's advice to other travelers is to put Airheads in your check-in baggage. Who would've thunk it?

the coveted toilet chore

2008-06-22T22:14:00.003+03:00

Summer break started last week, and so did our summer chore chart. We sat down last Sunday night and handed each child his/her chore chart. We talked through each child's responsibilities, and we had a most unusual and unexpected response. We started with the youngest and went over Emma's chores...things like watering flowers, sweeping the balcony, and making her bed. With each child, the chores became a little more complex. Last but not least we came to David's chores. One of his chores was scrubbing the toilets. When Abby and Annie heard that David got this responsibility, they said, "No fair! I wanted to do that! Why does David get to scrub the toilets? Why can't we do that?" Since Emma saw that this was a coveted job, she began to beg to scrub the toilets as well. Mike and I were completely bewildered. We quickly reassured the girls that we would switch the chores around every couple of weeks so everyone got a chance to scrub the toilets. This made everyone very happy. I'm still perplexed!

David is 12

2008-06-22T21:02:00.008+03:00

David turned 12 last week. In honor of his birthday, I'm interviewing him:

1. Favorite food - "Steak, the kind in America."

2. Most boring thing to do - "Nothing."

3. Favorite fruit - "Star fruit"

4. Favorite sport - "Football"

5. What do you think about Michael Jackson? - "Do I have to answer that?"

6. Morning or Night person - "Both"

7. Food you miss from America - "Steak"

8. Favorite subject - "Math"

9. Favorite ride - "Vortex at King's Island"

David is short and to the point on most things. Since he did not elaborate on his questions and gave such vague answers to a slew of other questions I asked but did not print, I thought I'd make a few observations of my own. David is a saver. He saves his allowance and calculates carefully before buying. David is a builder. He creates magnificent things with legos. David is a neattie. He does not have clutter in his room and I rarely have to ask him to clean it. David is a chef. He has cooked entire meals and really enjoys working with me in the kitchen. David is a writer. He has written a novel that is over 70 pages long. David is easy-going and goes with the flow. We rarely hear a complaint from this sweet son. At the age of 10 he moved across the world, and he rarely ever complains about the vast differences or inconveniences. He's easy to love and quick to smile. And even though he said the word "Elmo" before he said "Mommy", I love him with every ounce in my being.

For David's birthday we took him and 9 friends to a local park. They rode go karts, played soccer, had a picnic, played football (which drew admiration from onlooking nationals), and then rode some rides similar to ones at a county fair. Here are a few pictures from the big day.

Life is just a ...

2008-06-22T20:43:00.004+03:00

Life is just a ...

Sorry. I just couldn't resist. The cherries are now in season, and we are fully enjoying them. I've learned the hard way that there are 2 kinds of cherries: the sweet kind you eat right off the stem and the super duper sour ones that only the brave at heart eat raw. We have been enjoying both, and the kids' faces were priceless when they unknowingly bit into the sour ones.

The picture above is the super sour ones that are unbelievably delicious when cooked with twice as much sugar and placed in a pie, cobbler, or jam. I went to the open air fresh fruit market today and bought 2 kilos (I'm telling you how many pounds that is...waa haa haa haa) for about 3 dollars. Cha-ching! Last week I made a bunch of cherry jam, and it rocks! Now before you think I'm just really ambitious, I'll have to tell you the jam thing is mainly inspired by my pocketbook (as my Grandmother Tuggle would say). Jam or jelly is around $6 a jar, so even the simplest of minds (yours truly) can do the math on that.

Emma is carefully holding the sour cherry. It's not coming near her mouth.

Happy Father's Day (A Poem by Annie)

2008-06-15T16:20:00.002+03:00

With a house full of bookworms, Dr. Seuss happens to be a frequent
favorite book to read. So, partly inspired by Dr Seuss and partly by
Shel Silverstein, Annie decided to wax poetic for my Father's Day
present. Enjoy!

Father's Day, Father's Day, it used to be on the way.
But now I'm really glad to say that Father's Day is today!!

Father's Day is super cool, we might even go to the swimming pool!
The only other rhyming word is mule! (spelled "muel" by Annie)

Father's Day, Father's Day, it used to be on the way.
I'm really glad it's not in May 'cause I'm glad Father's Day is today.

squatty potty laundry room

2008-06-11T16:15:00.008+03:00

Almost every home here has a squatty potty bathroom. We have one right off our entry, but we also have 2 western toilets (BIG smile). Because we have a bathroom off our hallway and an itty bitty bathroom off our bedroom, we took the advice of some other foreigners and made our squatty potty bathroom into our laundry room. Otherwise, our washer and dryer would've been in our main bathroom.

Doing this feat required fine electrical skills provided by our American friend several blocks away. Since there are no electrical outlets in the squatty potty bathroom, he made the light fixture serve as the electrical base. Somehow he rigged up the electrical flow through the light fixture.

So we have a power strip dangling behind the washer and dryer, and that's where we plug everything in. It all worked so well for several months. Then, Mike changed the lightbulb. Tragic mistake! Things started to get interesting.

We've had to try various things to get our washing machine, dryer, and light fixture all to function at the same time, but it's quite tricky. We never know what mood they're going to be in, so we have tried a variety of things. The light fixture went out all together a few months ago, and it refuses to give us light. We continue to do laundry in the dark because we can't figure this one out, but we have managed to try a variety of things to get clean clothes...

The washing machine and dryer typically don't like each other. If they're both on at the same time, they'll flip the breaker so nothing works. So, we only run one machine at a time.
The washing machine and dryer's relationship has so deteriorated that not only do they not want to work at the same time, but they don't even want to be plugged in together. Now we have to unplug the washing machine if we want the dryer to cooperate (and vice versa).
The washing machine and dryer like the dark. They will not allow the light fixture to work, and sometimes they will not allow the entry hallway light to be on. Sometimes we have to turn off the entry light if we want clean clothes.
The washing machine is picky about its water. Sometimes it won't add water to the wash unless you manually reach your hand behind the washer and turn the water knob.

Has anyone seen The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars? The cute little toaster goes to Mars where he meets the angry appliances. The evil Wonderluxe appliances devise a plan to blow up earth, led by the Supreme Commander who is a huge refrigerator. My washing machine could've easily been cast as Supreme Commander, with the dryer as his top aid.

I've included some pictures of our electrical wiring and our washer and dryer. Sorry the pictures are so dark...the appliances like the dark and refuse to allow the light fixture to work. I had to use a flashlight to get some sort of light, thus the spotlight.

Emma's Doctor's Visit

2008-06-11T09:15:00.002+03:00

No, this is not a horror story from the doctor's office. It is simply Emma trying to talk her way out of treatment!! I (Mike) took her to see the dermatologist last week because she has a wart on the palm of her right hand. She actually wanted to go because it is getting painful. We met the doctor and she offered only one real option for a small child: freeze it off. We explained it to Emma and she was happy to let the doctor "spray her hand and make it cold." That was...until she actually did it!! We told Emma we would count to 5 while the doctor sprayed her hand. After that, we would do it a second time while she counted to 5 and she would be done! Well, after the first time, she was ready to leave. Her hand hurt and was cold, so she pulled out every excuse she could think of and made up some new ones. With big, sad, blue puppy dog eyes, here were some of my personal favorites: "Can my Dad spray it this time?", "I'm thirsty. Can we go to the store and get something to drink?", "Can't we just use an ice cube at home to make it cold?" and "Can I come back with Mommy?"

After running into the doctor's next appointment, we finally had to coax Emma and her juice box into my lap so we could spray her palm a second time.

The real bummer is that it looks absolutely no different! She goes again on Friday - this time with her Mommy!! :-)

Elvis lives

2008-06-10T11:52:00.005+03:00

Emma's preschool had an end-of-the-year production. We had no idea what she'd be doing, but we figured it would be singing and dancing. The classes before hers performed some dances from songs of this country. However, when Emma's class took the stage we were surprised that she was dancing to Elvis! Her class did a few other numbers that weren't in English, but we thought you might enjoy watching Jailhouse Rock from Central Asia.

I only posted half of the production to save you the download time :-)

another trip to the grocery

2008-06-08T15:32:00.005+03:00

Today I tried a new grocery store. Annie was at a birthday party at an indoor kid's play place, so after I picked her up I went to a new grocery store because it was in the same mall.

Annie wanted to ride in the cart, so I lifted her to ride in the big part. As we entered the store, the security guard stopped me. He taped up my bag from a previous store. Then he handed me the blue cloth thingies we always get at doctor's offices, museums, the preschool, and other public places that allow you to wear shoes as long as you cover them. I looked around, and no one else had the blue cloth thingies on. Through our Tarzan-speak and hand motions, I realized that Annie needed to put them on because she was sitting in the shopping cart. It was completely fine for me to wear my dirty shoes throughout the store, but since Annie was placing her feet where food would go, she had to wear them. Once I finally figured out who was supposed to wear them and why, I put them over Annie's flip flops (which was an awkward fit). The security guard was happy, and I was allowed to proceed. I just smiled and said, "Sorry, we're foreigners." Nothing like stating the obvious.

The trip got even more interesting when we got to the check-out counter. I had enough groceries to last our family of six for a week. After the cashier rang up everthing and I bagged it, there was a problem with the register. After calling two supervisors, I had to take all the food out of the bags and let her ring it up a second time. She did so, but again when it was time to give the final tally, there was a problem at the register. She consulted her two supervisors again, and she explaining to me a lot of things I didn't understand. I just knew she could not finalize the bill yet. So, for the third time she didn't make me unpack my bags, but she took the old receipt and entered every singe item by typing in the bar code number. Abby, Annie, and I sat there and ate the very rare find of donuts ($2 a piece). I offered one to the cashier to lighten things up for her, but she refused. After she entered every single bar code number of every single item in my cart, I was able to pay. However, she was not finished.

At this point, a friend of mine who knows the language very well showed up (I love small towns of 6 million and little run-ins like this). She translated and said there was a problem with the register and the juice boxes. The cashier then had to ring up one juice box at a time, finish each transaction, watch the money drawer open, and then close it. She repeated this action about 30 times. Then I paid her the total sum for the juice boxes.

I think I was at this one register for around 45 minutes.

Annie still had on the blue cloth thingies over her flip flops, I had my 30 juice boxes -each individually transacted, and we merrily went on our way.

KY in The News!

2008-06-04T09:09:00.003+03:00

Here is a link from a dear friend who visited KY last year and has not been the same person ever since. He is always up to date on what is happening in the commonwealth!! Here is a link to a great story: http://usatoday.feedroom.com/index.jsp?fr_story=FRdamp275343

In my (Mike) personal opinion, this still does not top the story my brother told me a few years ago. One day while coaching basketball in Bracken County (rural KY for those who do not know), he had 2 players who were unusually late for practice. They were very apologetic, warmed up quickly and joined practice. During a break, Brad asked if everything was OK. They said it was and he asked if they were OK as well. Then, the punch line, "We're sorry we were late, Coach, but we had to help our dad catch the cows that got out when the fence was left open." Oh, I miss the commonwealth and days gone by!! If you know "My Old Kentucky Home", please sing along.........

Mama Midnight

2008-05-27T16:49:00.005+03:00

Our street has enough cats to populate a small town in Kentucky. Most of these are street cats, but our neighbors across the street have a really sweet cat that our kids call Midnight. Several weeks ago Midnight, who the kids always thought was a boy, had kittens. The kittens stay inside the house, but they've just recently worked up enough courage to peek outside. I love the first picture of the curious kitten and the second picture of Midnight being a good mama and watching her baby.

With the birth of the kittens the usual barrage of questions has begun..."Daddy, why do you have to be allergic to cats?" "Can we keep him? We promise we'll keep him on the balcony." And on the upside of having the Stray Cat Strut lived out on our street, I've yet to encounter one rodent anywhere. Go, cats!

Are they me?

2008-05-27T16:37:00.009+03:00

Are the new earrings me?

I was walking on the street with Annie today when I ran into a really sweet teenage neighbor. She's as cute as a button, and she always dresses really trendy. Today when I saw her I commented that I liked her earrings. They looked really great on her. I asked her where she got them, and she told me she got them in a city that's about 6 hours from here.

About that time she started to take the earrings off, and she handed them to me. I insisted that she keep them, but she insisted that I take them. It was a battle of wills, and she won. She would not take no for an answer.

Now I have to confess that when I admired the earrings, I was saying they looked good on her. I'm not sure how they will look on me, but now I own them. For years I only owned 2 pairs of earrings - 1 set of gold hoops and 1 set of silver hoops. However, I'm happy to say I've expanded the collection and have several pairs with additional color, but they're almost always hoops because that's the most comfortable. So these new earrings will really stretch me (not to mention my lobes).

These are by far the largest earrings I've ever owned. There's a small circle encompassed by a large circle with a total of 10 dangly things attached. I have 2 pictures below to demonstrate how different these earrings are than my usual ones. On the left are my new earrings. On the right are 2 of my favorite pairs of earrings. The silver loops are comfy. The pink dangly ones are the longest ones I own (until now, of course).

So how do you think the new ones will look on a 36-year old mother of four?

Dangerous Man

2008-05-23T19:03:00.003+03:00

David takes Tae-Kwon-Do on Fridays after school. Mike picked him up, and when they entered our apartment building one of our favorite neighbors was there and hopped in the elevator with them. This was their conversation:

Neighbor: (noticing David's outfit and intimidating yellow belt). Oh, David, where have you come from?

David: Tae-Kwon-Do.

Neighbor: Oooooh, you are a dangerous man.

elevator beeps and door opens

Mike: (as he exits the elevator) Yes, a daaaaaaaaaangerous man.

This neighbor of ours has a good sense of humor, and I'm thankful to have some fun neighbors.

Emma the Photographer

2008-05-14T21:21:00.013+03:00

Today I was downloading some pictures from my camera, and I discovered a whole slew of mystery pictures. Soooo, this is what happens when a 5-yr. old gets ahold of a camera.

Emma needs to learn some sneaky skills...the self-portrait and 5:17 p.m. made solving the who and when too easy.

World's Best Hummus

2008-05-13T19:52:00.003+03:00

Yesterday my 11-year old son said to me, "Mom, would you please make some of that hummus?" A couple of years ago I never thought I'd hear those words from my son! So, I'm going to share the world's best hummus recipe right here on this blog. Kid approved.

WORLD'S BEST HUMMUS

2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas (I used fresh)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup water or liquid from can
salt to taste
1-2 T olive oil
paprika (sprinkle on top before serving)

Chop chickpeas in food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients (ecept paprika) and puree. Stir in more water or oil if needed until smooth.

We like our hummus with crackers or pretzel sticks. It's also a good dip for raw veggies.

Together at Last

2008-05-03T18:43:00.005+03:00

We've heard this song in our home, oh, maybe 600 times. The girls take turns with the roles. So, here's Daddy Warbucks and Annie in Together at Last.

Little Girls performed by Annie

2008-05-03T18:19:00.003+03:00

Meet Miss Hannigan as an 8-year old.

Theatrical Debuts

2008-04-29T21:51:00.003+03:00

The kids' school recently did the musical production of Annie. It was the theatrical debut for both girls! Abby was part of an orphan chorus, and Annie was Sandy the dog.

Annie had three shining moments in the play. She sang Tomorrow with the character Annie, she wandered alone across the stage, and in the grand finale she was presented to the character Annie as a Christmas present. She loved every single moment.

Abby's debut was singing Hard-Knock Life as part of the orphan chorus. This was a great experience for both girls, and Mike and I are personally looking forward to the day when they get tired of singing or listening to the songs from the musical!

Cleaning for the Cleaner

2008-04-29T21:48:00.003+03:00

I'm procrastinating. I have a new housecleaner and I need to clean my house before she comes. Really. I have stacks of "stuff" on my dresser and night table and kitchen counter and...well, you get the point. So I need to go clean since my cleaner's coming tomorrow.

The Three Little Eggs

2008-04-29T21:29:00.006+03:00

When I go to the outdoor fruit and vegetable market, I always benefit by taking a kid with me. Vendors are typically kinder to me, and the kids get all sorts of free samples. Most recently I took Annie with me. At the fresh egg stand, the vendor asked Annie if she liked eggs. When Annie said yes, he gave her a free egg. In fact, he was feeling very generous and he gave her a total of 3 raw eggs. ..just for being cute and speaking his language.

It is typical for the egg vendor to give 1 egg to each child, and my kids usually carry a raw egg through the market. About half the time the eggs make it home whole.

On this particular day, Annie was very careful with her 3 raw eggs. She cradled them and loved them all the way home. When we got home, the first thing she did was get a Sharpie and label the eggs. Midget Moe, Tiny Tim, and Bouncy Bob now reside in our refridgerator. How can I possibly crack one now that they have names? It would be inhumane. I just know if they accidently got scrambled Annie would notice and never eat eggs again.

While Mom's Been Away

2008-04-20T14:27:00.004+03:00

It really has been encouraging to have so many of you writing while Lisa has been gone this past week. You have offered advice, recipes, answers to parenting questions and a few laughs to make our time without Lisa go smoother. I am really blessed!!

Others of you have been curious to know how the kids are doing. YES, they are eating (at home and not fast food!!) and doing great. They are keeping up with school, David started soccer season and no one has missed the school bus or any class time thanks to some friends here who are helping out. We even had one family with more children than ours bring us dinner last Wednesday evening. The kids, always willing to help, offered to clean up, run the vacuum and straighten the kitchen for me. Another blessing!! Below is a picture of the family room and the kitchen. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

As they told me AFTER cleaning up, "Yeah, but you should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it up, Dad!"

Seasonal Allergy Sufferers UNITE!

2008-04-15T09:38:00.003+03:00

If you suffer from seasonal allergies like I do, this picture will probably make your head hurt and you feel like sneezing. It seems that the worldwide flower is the dandelion. It has followed us here and they are blooming everywhere. Emma still will not believe they are anything except a beautiful yellow flower. She also cannot accept that they make me sneeze. She told me yesterday, "Dad, flowers don't make you sneeze; cats DO!"

NOT Such a Smart Idea, Part 2

2008-04-15T09:28:00.003+03:00

So, it's Sunday night at 10:30 pm. You just remember your homework assignment for Monday morning. Should you go to bed and get your needed rest or stay up and do your homework? Well, in case you are wondering what child forgot their homework, it was me, Mike!

Like a good student, I started writing out my homework. Like a bad student, I turned on the TV for "background" noise. In a series of unfortunate events, I somehow stumbled upon the sports channel. And on it was LIVE coverage of the Masters! For those who do not follow golf, there are 51 weeks in the year and then there is the week of the Masters. I stayed focused on my homework for the next hour and finished. But, once done, I had the not-so-smart idea of staying up to watch the back nine of the final round at the greatest course in the world. Try as I might, I did not even make it to the end of the tournament. I will not divulge how "much" (read "little") sleep I got Sunday night, but let's just say I went into Starbuck's on my way to school Monday morning just for help staying awake!

Smart Idea, Part 1

2008-04-15T08:46:00.002+03:00

As parents, we are often given "teachable moments" if we will take the opportunity to teach our children. Since I (Mike) am not the sharpest tool in the shed, a few fries short of a Happy Meal, and not playing with all 52 cards in the deck - I was given 2 opportunities in 15 minutes so I would not miss out on sharing.

It was an ordinary afternoon of paying bills and running errands. We have learned you are always treated nicer when you have a child with you, so I took Annie on this particular day. First, we went to pay our internet bill. I did not realize it, but I handed the lady an extra 20 dollars. Because Annie and I were talking with the office manager, I had no idea what I had done. But the lady was kind and honest - and promptly handed me back the extra money with my receipt. Second, Annie needed a new light for her turtle tank. We went to the store to buy a new one. The store owner remembered me (who can forget such a face, right?!?!) and was surprised I needed a new bulb so soon. Rather than selling me a new one, he went to his work station in the back of the store, asked Annie and I to come with him and checked the light bulb out with a gauge. As he expected, it was not a bad bulb. He told me to go home and try it again. When we did, it worked like he said it would!

20 dollars for a bill and 10 dollars for a light bulb would not have been the worst thing to ever happen to us, but Annie and I were able to discuss how we were treated and the kindness extended to us. Then, we went to find someone we could extend kindness to as well......

Golden Girls

2008-04-03T19:16:00.003+03:00

We recently visited a nearby city, and these golden girls were sitting on a park bench. David's digging for gold, and Annie's looking for some. No such luck.

Fav Meal

2008-04-03T19:05:00.006+03:00

This is one of my all-time favorite meals. It is comfort food for me. As a kid when my mom fixed our favorite meal for our birthdays, I chose meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed peas. On my sister's birthday she chose chicken livers...with a gizzard and heart thrown in for good measure topped off with gravy. Do you think we were raised in the south? Anyway, now the meatloaf meal is one of my kids' favorites. We always create a hole in the potatoes and top them with the creamed peas. Here's a picture. Bon appetit!

The ketchup was given to us by someone who loves us and cares for our well-being.

In defense of my sister, at least she chose a good dessert. It was chocolate fudge cake with chocolate chips in it, fixed in a bundt pan.

2 Firsts in 1 Day!

2008-03-28T14:41:00.002+03:00

Well, I was going to write a book but someone beat me to the title! There are days when it feels like we have been here for a long time. And then there are other days, like today, that remind me how new we are to our new home!! For example:

While at language school today, I needed to visit the necessary room. As I was walking through the door, a kind gentleman stopped me and pointed above my head. Alas, there was a sign saying this was the LADIES" restroom! It has been a men's restroom for 10+ months but no longer evidently - oops!!! Thankfully this gentleman saved me from any further embarrassment.

Then, after school I was hopping on my bus to come home. A man in front of me was waiting for his change. The man working on the bus said he had not given him any money yet. The passenger-to-be said he put $20 down. The worker said, "No you didn't!" Passenger-to-be replied, "Yes, I did!" Then, the worker started speaking at about 190 mph and I couldn't understand all he was saying. But, when he jumped out of his seat and came around to start pushing the passenger-to-be OFF the bus, it was a common universal language we could all understand. Then, they started yelling louder and continued with a mutual shoving contest. As they took turns seeing who could push whom harder, the passenger-to-be was getting shoved right off the bus. He tried to swing and kick the worker, who started saying things that I am pretty sure should not be said in any language while in public or anywhere else!

So, to sum up: I knew enough language to understand the fight on the bus but not enough to keep from walking into the ladies' restroom. Would anyone like to evaluate my language skills at this point in time?!?!?!

eggs au natural

2008-03-23T21:45:00.005+03:00

PAAS doesn't export to Asia. Still wanting to color Easter eggs, I resorted to the au natural dyes. Pomegranates, purple cabbage, tea, spinach, carrots, and plums were a few of our dyes. I first boiled the items in water for 30-40 minutes and then added vinegar to the water. Then, we added the boiled eggs to the chosen colored water. The purple cabbage and pomegranates gave the best color. The spinach water left a nasty slimy film on the eggs. The carrot mixture was pretty slimy as well. Green tea did nothing to the eggs. We had to leave the eggs in the colored water overnight because they took so long to stain (definitely a downer for kids who want to see quick results). The nasty vinegar spinach water left a nice smell in the fridge. So that's about it for the egg experiment. I miss PAAS! Hello, egg salad!

To explain the eggs on the left: the ones in the back are nasty, slimy spinach and carrot eggs. The decent green/purple one in the middle is the one David brought home from school (made with PAAS). The purple and blue ones are cabbage and pomegranate. The brown eggs are from regular tea. The stripes on some of the eggs are our feeble attempt at rubberbands and a tie-dye egg. These eggs look nothing like the ones we saw on the internet...the beautiful pink, yellow, and blue ones made from the same ingredients we used. Ours have character, though.

Mike's Bracketology

2008-03-20T18:15:00.002+03:00

Well, my favorite time of the sports year is here, though the Masters holds the 1-A slot. Since I have actually BEEN to see tournament games and a Final Four, it ranks ahead of the Masters for now. Estimated time until I see the Masters: FOREVER! In response to Lisa's comments below, here are some nuggets of wisdom from the old man in the house:

1) Even living on the other side of the world, I am trying to figure out how to avoid listening to Billy Packer at all costs! Give me Dickie V at the Final Four, please!!! In fact, I'd really prefer Tom Leach, who is the most biased "homer" calling games! He's great to listen to and we have enjoyed him numerous times this year on UK football and basketball broadcasts.

2) Even though you KNOW there will be upsets, it is almost impossible to make your pen write them down. So, of course, I have overreacted and picked too many upsets this year. Go Cinderella!!!

3) I still hope to see the day when a #16 beats a #1 seed (provided the #1 seed will not be UK).

4) When filling out a bracket, I always pick SEC teams and always pick against ACC teams.

5) I never thought I'd see the day when Drake (still don't know where it is or that they even HAD a basketball team), Davidson, Butler, Oregon, BYU, Purdue, Gonzaga, Miami, Texas A&M, Kent State, West Virginia and St. Mary's (isn't that a catholic girl's school?) would all be higher seeds than UK.

6) I never thought I'd see the day when UK football and UK baseball were ranked and UK basketball was not! (BTW: UK baseball was 19-0 and ranked #2 in the country this week!) And the football team will have a head coach named Joker in the near future.

Well, for what it's worth, my Final Four includes: UNC losing to Kansas and Memphis beating UCLA. In the final game, Memphis beats Kansas so we can all hear that horrible "One Shining Moment" song again!

Lisa's Bracketology

2008-03-20T17:55:00.004+03:00

I am filling out my bracket, and as I was doing so I realized I follow a certain pattern every year. It struck me that I do it year after year. Here are a few things I do:

No matter how bad UK is, they always make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
No matter how good Duke is, I never put them in the Final Four.
No matter how good Louisville is, I never put them in the Final Four.
If EKU or WKU makes it to the dance, they always win their first round.

I don't care if I ever win the big pot or glory for having the winningest bracket. I have to be true to self.

We will be watching the UK game live tonight via the internet. Hooray for technology! I'm glad it's an early game in the U.S. so we don't have to stay up 'til 3 a.m. to see it. Sorry for those of you who will miss it due to school or work.

DISCLAIMER: To my Lousiville and Duke friends out there...I like you; it's your teams I don't like. I'm stealing that line from the people here who say, "I don't like Americans, but I like you."

technologically challenged

2008-03-16T09:46:00.004+03:00

I've got a technological question for my computer gurus out there. I have been taking some video shots with my Kodak Easy Share camera. I want to put those videos on a DVD to watch on my tv. I use Pinnacle or Windows Movie Maker to make DVDs, but both say they won't accept a .mov file. The Kodak Easy Share only records video in a .mov / Quick Time file, so how in the world do I convert the file? Also, what do I convert the .mov file to in order to make it work? I tried some program called "Super" to convert it, but it's not working for me. I need to put these videos on a DVD for grandma, so could someone help me out?

P.S. There are probably two people who will solve this: Mike's great-grandfather or someone's 10-year old kid.

translating pranks

2008-03-14T10:39:00.002+03:00

Note to self: If you share stories about pranks you did in high school (like toilet papering a house or putting a cracked toilet on someone's porch), it totally gets lost in translation.

philadendron

2008-03-14T09:22:00.002+03:00

I have a new plan for learning this language. I recently aquired a list of some of the most common phrases used here. I'm going to choose a phrase off the list and keep it in the forefront of my mind and use it in a real-life situation that day. I'll have a "phrase of the day." Some of the phrases on the list include: "Is that your lowest price?" "How much is that all together?" "I am uncomfortable." "Are your parents living?" (and if the answer is no I respond with "May your life be spared"). So if I'm serious about this, and really want to use it in a real-life situation (which will help cement it in my brain), I thought that it may sometimes feel forced.

This reminded me of the John Candy movie Who's Harry Crumb? that was constantly rerun on TNT. There was a really funny scene that Mike and I still talk about. John Candy is a detective, and there's a lady in his office. After she explains her problem, John Candy wants to appear intelligent and competent, so he wants to use a big word. He has a word-of-the-day flip calendar on his desk, and that day's word was philadendron. So he says to the lady, "Your husband...he's quite the uh, philadendron."

So having my phrase-of-the-day reminded me of that scene. I wonder if I'll be thinking about my phrase and use it totally out of context. I'll let you know.

The Potter and the Clay

2008-03-11T14:00:00.005+03:00

We recently went to a village and met a nice potter who let our kids try their hands at the wheel. As we watched them create, mess up, try to center the clay, listen to the master potter’s instructions, ignore the master potter’s instructions, smooth, and smile at the finished product, Mike and I were reminded of how much we are like the clay on the wheel. Some of the lessons Mike recently wrote about the clay and potter are as follows:

1) The potter knew exactly what he wanted BEFORE he started. He knew the right amount of clay he would need and wasted nothing. He knew the proper amount of water to use and put it on his hands to make them softer for the clay. He used only the tools required for what he was making. He used different speeds on the potter’s wheel, again knowing how fast was too fast and how slow was too slow. And most of all, he knew the amount of time the clay needed to be on the wheel. When finished, the clay came off the wheel.

2) At different times, more shaping of the clay was more visibly obvious. At times it looked like nothing was happening. But in reality, he was applying the finishing touches! At times, more pressure was needed and at times he gently held the clay to smooth away the rough spots.

3) He ALWAYS had his hands and eyes on the clay. He didn’t walk away. He wasn’t doing work on something else. He wasn’t thinking about his last piece of work or his next one. He simply saw he piece of clay he held in his hands. If he had left the wheel while it was still spinning, the clay would have been thrown off the wheel. But the potter would never let that happen.

4) The finished product looked NOTHING like the lump he started with! Everything he made was pottery, but he had things in every kind of shape and size.

Consider this: He is the potter and we are the clay. There is also the wheel. What is “the wheel” in life? It’s what the potter used to SHAPE the clay. For us, that’s our life and the experiences He allows into them so He might shape us into exactly what He wants. The wheel is our individual set of circumstances that He fashions. Nothing wasted. Everything with purpose. He knows exactly what He wants to make of you! At times, it may be more obvious for you to see than other times. But, fear not, because He never takes His hands or eyes off of you. And when you are “finished”, you will look nothing like you did when He started. Aren’t you glad?!?!?!? I know I am!!

Speed Bumps and Post-Its

2008-03-11T13:54:00.002+03:00

While out walking this morning, I noticed something rather odd. The speed bump I stepped on was made by the same company who produced the post-it note I wrote on before leaving! Living in a new country where not much is familiar, things like the "3M" logo stands out more than usual. What is more strange was the thought running through my head: I wonder if the speed bumps are made out of the same things as the post-it notes or if the post-it notes are made from the same materials as the speed bump?!?!?!?

Arm-chair psychologist anyone?????????

snips and snails ...

2008-02-29T23:09:00.005+03:00

Since we have 3 girls in the house, sometimes having a boy is a breath of fresh air. Ummmmm, bad choice of words. Perhaps an 11-year old pre-adolescent boy isn't quite a bed of roses, but often I do think my boy is my sanity. Nonetheless, I thought I'd share this picture of David's school clothes. He played football at recess, dove to catch the ball, and he landed in a mud puddle. David has a magnetic attraction to mud puddles, so I wasn't too surprised at the clothes. He got to wear them like a trophy for the rest of the school day. And, oh yeah, he caught the ball! (The reason he's holding up the clothes is because he'd already changed into comfy sweats when I had the idea for the picture. When I asked him to change back into his muddy school clothes, his reply was "Moooom" (2-syllable mom with the first syllable being a higher tone than the second syllable). So at least he held up the clothes, but you can't see as much mud.)

traditional oven

2008-02-28T19:00:00.013+03:00

I just got an interesting email and have no idea what precipitated it, but it went like this:

"Hey, Lisa, You have a traditional oven, right? - K"

I'm not quite sure if my oven fits in the "traditional" category, but I believe it is well above average. First of all, everything must be converted to Celsius before baking. If I put something in on the 250 degree setting, it'll be char-broiled. That's good to know when I cook most things at 350 (Fahrenheit)! One must take note it's in Celsius. So after I have one of my kids convert Fahrenheit to Celsius for me, I can cook.

Then, I have to choose a setting. I've never had to choose a setting before. In the states it was either "Bake" or "Broil". To this day I have no idea what my settings mean. The oven knob has pictures, but since we can't read the instruction booklet, we don't know what the pictures mean. Here's a picture of the knob, and you can help me figure it out.

At the very top, the picture with the two lines is the "off" setting. I'm not sure how the picture represents this, but since the light goes off and it's cold on this setting, I'm pretty sure it means "off".
Going clockwise, I have no idea what the picture means. It's a fan on top with a raindrop underneath it. Does it mean there's moisture in my oven?
The next setting is the one I always use. There are 2 lines (like the "off" setting), but they're spaced apart. This is the one I always use and just figured it out by trial and error. I don't know why there are 2 lines since there is only an electric coil on the top of my oven. The bottom of my oven has no coil.
The next setting has 2 squiggly lines with a fan in the middle. A fan runs when I put it on this setting, and I think it makes my oven a convection oven. Ooh-la-la. I haven't tried it yet because I know convection ovens are fancy and I'm a little intimidated.
The next setting is for when I want prepare a rotisserie chicken. I can put a metal spit in the oven, and the chicken will revolve as it cooks. In the picture there are 3 triangles above the line. I guess the triangles represent heat? However, can you imagine the nasty greasy mess if I prepared a rotisserie chicken in the oven? I can buy a rotisserie chicken around the corner from our apartment for 5 dollars, so I'm avoiding the mess.
The last setting is oddly similar to the previous one. It's another rotisserie chicken with a weird geometric shape above the line. Does this mean it'll set my chicken on fire? I'm not about to find out.

It's bad enough that I can't speak the language, but I can't even read "universal" pictures. All I know is that I can cook on the one setting that has 2 lines spaced apart. So, is that traditional?

Greeting Grandma

2008-02-14T16:58:00.003+03:00

Mike's mom and stepdad came to visit, and after a loooong journey of two missed flights and some rerouting, they finally made it! It's Valentine's Day, and the kids just got home from school. Here's the video:

More lists

2008-02-12T12:52:00.000+03:00

Since I admitted my list obsession, I thought I'd make a few fun lists.

THINGS HERE THAT WOULD GO OVER WELL IN THE U.S.:

The man who comes to my door every day at 4:30 to ask if I want fresh bread or anything else from "7-11"
All gas stations are still full service. You get the windshields washed and gas pumped by a freindly service man. Shout out to Ann Routt who, to my knowledge, still has yet to pump her own gas. Way to go, Ann!
Hot tea given out for free as you shop
The man who comes to my door every evening at 8:30 to pick up my trash and see if I want fresh bread for the morning
Ordering my groceries online and having them delivered to my door at no extra charge

THINGS HERE THAT WOULD NOT GO OVER WELL IN THE U.S.:

Parking on sidewalks
Stray cats and dogs
The Burt Reynolds moustache
Eating raw meat with tomato paste mixed into it
The exchange policy of stores here

Add haircut to the list

2008-02-12T12:31:00.000+03:00

I'm a list person. I have a lot to do today, so last night before I went to bed I made out my list. There are about 15 things on that list, and I fully intend on accomplishing every one. Well, about mid-morning Mike asked for a haircut. Knowing it wasn't on my list, but also knowing if he didn't get one today it would be a while, we set up the bathroom for a "shave and a haircut 2 bits" (minus the shave). Mopping the bathroom floor was also on the list, but I'd have to do it after the haircut. 30 minutes later when the cut was complete, I'm almost embarrassed to admit what I did. I went to my list and wrote "Give Mike a haircut" and then I put a check mark beside it. I'm not sure about the rationale behind that, but it gave me a sense of satisfaction to check it off.

new favorite snack food

2008-02-11T19:48:00.000+03:00

In our malls here there is basically one "snack food" stand where you can get a treat. It smells delicious, and every time we pass it, it beckons us. Even if it's 10:30 a.m., if I pass the stand, all of the sudden I'm in the mood for corn. Yes, piping hot niblets of corn. Even though I really miss those "healthy" pretzels from Aunt Annie's, this is the next best thing. You can choose from several toppings to put on your corn: BBQ sauce, paremesan cheese, margarine, honey, or lemon juice. Our kids' favorite topping in BBQ sauce. Above is a picture of a satisfied customer.

Corn here is also used on a few items we never used it for in America. No salad or pizza here is complete without corn!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-05T22:59:00.000+03:00

We wish all of you the grandest of Valentine's Days! We went to the mall tonight and took these pictures by Valentine's decorations. The pink boas on the metal trees were my favorite! Mike said they looked like some kind of bad prom decoration, but I'm wondering if I can recreate this in my home for a special Valentine's effect.

Turtle Grand Prix

2008-01-28T19:36:00.000+03:00

super duper trail mix oatmeal

2008-01-26T23:57:00.000+03:00

This month is the time to serve this traditional cultural dish. We've had 2 neighbors bring it to our door, and it was served to me at a party today. It's part of the local culture and has to do with Noah's Ark. According to the origin of the dish, when the Flood subsided and Noah's ark landed on dry ground, they wanted to hold a celebration as an expression of gratitude towards God. The food storages on the boat were practically empty, so Mrs. Noah (I'm guessing it was her) took all the remaining ingredients and mixed them together in one pot. Waah-la...a new dish! It can have up to 15 ingredients in it. It's a sweet dessert, almost like a pudding. Some of the items in the bowl include rice, chickpeas, walnuts, raisins, white beans, dried apricots, pomegranate, peanuts, figs, sugar, and cinnamon. It tastes kind of like a trail-mix-on-steroids-kind-of-oatmeal. In all honestly, it's pretty good.

Turtle Cake

2008-01-26T23:32:00.001+03:00

Annie wanted a turtle cake, so this was my best shot at it. The icing was a great reptile color, but it's an awful green for Christmas cookies (trust me). The toenails and shell outline were chocolate chips, so we had fun eating turtle toenails. Annie wore green on purpose...she's crazy about turtles!

Believe it or not, the turtle is not on fire. The turtle is just sparkling. We used the traditional sparklers (at least they're traditional here) on the birthday cake.

Meet the Turtles

2008-01-26T23:20:00.001+03:00

Here's Annie's birthday present! She's been asking for turtles for some time, and so we took the plunge (pun intended) and got her these critters. These little guys are outlawed in the US, but here they're totally legal. So meet the 'lil outlaws. Annie named them Samson, Simon, and Peter. I hope this video doesn't take too long to download. It's just a slideshow of the outlaws.

P.S. For all you concerned ones out there, yes, we wash our hands after each handling. These outlaws have to stay in the aquarium almost all the time. They don't get much free play; they stay mostly behind bars.

Where is Dickie V?!?!?!?

2008-01-21T15:26:00.000+03:00

After being inspired by watching Jimmy Chitwood in the movie "Hoosiers", David started his basketball league (11-13 year olds) this past Saturday. While David didn't have the chance to make the last-second shot like Jimmy, he did score 6 points. He made the first basket of the season by anyone, got a layup on a fastbreak and made the last basket of the game. In fact, he was still talking on the way home about why his last basket was only a 2-pointer. His foot was on the line when he shot, but I told Dickie V would still have been proud of his shot!! He would have been screaming loudly, "Awesome, baby! Get a TO, baby! He's a PTP'er! There's an M&M'er! That kid's a Rolls Roycer! He's a Surf and Turfer, baby! It's Maalox Time! He's playing like Mr. Pac-Man, baby! Eat a Wilson Sandwich, baby! Slam-jam, baby!" I am not sure what some of those mean, but Dickie V probably doesn't either! By the way, when does he return from his surgery because we need him calling David's next game?

Guitar D

2008-01-13T20:45:00.000+03:00

Next week David's going to begin guitar lessons. We bought a used guitar from a friend for 40 bucks. It came with a case, tuner, extra strings, and polish. He's been picking out a few songs in anticipation of his lessons. Here he is with his new prized possession.

Figure 8's

2008-01-13T20:31:00.000+03:00

We've been ice skating twice in the past two weeks, and Abby and Annie have fallen in love with it! As a result they are going to begin ice skating lessons next week, and they are pumped! I'm excited because where they are skating has a Starbucks, and while they're having lessons I'll be having a Caffe Mocha! Mike and I have recently been working on our budget, and um, Mike, I'm gonna need a separate line item for the Starbucks addiction!

rotten tomatoes NOT

2008-01-13T20:14:00.000+03:00

I've been seeing these things at market, and I thought, "Who in the world would buy rotten tomatoes?" A friend recently enlightened me that they were persimmons. There's a chance we could eat them at a neighbor's house, so I bought some for in-house food training. You can tell by the facial expressions what the kids thought of them. In all reality, they weren't that bad. They were actually sweet, but my children have a gift for the dramatic. Although they look like fried apples in the bowl, they are indeed peeled persimmons.

Mike's 180

2008-01-07T16:04:00.002+03:00

I was driving home Friday evening after being out with a friend. Our street was covered with ice and untouched by plow, salt, or anything else which would have been helpful! As I made it up the hill, a funny sensation overtook me. It SEEMED like I was going backwards and sideways. I know my driving may leave a lot to be desired, but I knew it was not that bad!

Much to my dismay, I was right!! By this time, I am halfway down the hill and still going sideways. Fun for a moment, but there are other cars that drive on the same street as me. I decided the brakes would not help, so I turned my steering wheel to the right to see if I could complete my 180 and be driving down the hill instead of trying to stop on it. For once in my life, it actually worked and I smoothly drove off into the sunset..........until the car on my left looked at me like I was one strange foreigner who had absolutely no clue how to drive! :-)
I was not about to let him spoil my fun, so I cranked up the radio and sang all the way home - without incident! Moral of the story: enjoy the little things in life, especially the victories!

First Snow

2008-01-03T20:43:00.000+03:00

We had our first snow of the season today, and since the kids were out of school we were able to kick it off with an all-out snowball fight with several other families. There were about 20 of us in all. It was guys against girls, and now that David is a 6th grader, he and his friends are actually just as dangerous, if not more than adults. My friend received an injury to the chin from a snowball from my son and an another injury to her leg by a dad tackling another boy. I got a pretty good pelt from a 6th grade boy who excels in baseball under my chin. The dads played nasty and put snowballs down people's shirts. We played in the snow for a couple of hours. Then, we went ice skating and made fools of ourselves at the ice rink! It really was a super fun way to kick off the first snow of the season. I need some marshmallows for my hot chocolate!

Magical Atmosphere

2008-01-03T20:36:00.000+03:00

It's not uncommon to have to pay money to use public toilets. This place tried to promote their toilets as something special. The sign stated, "Only 50 cent is enough to feel the magical atmosphere. " Well, we paid the money, and nothing magical happened except it wasn't a squatty. That was worth the 50 cents.

Time away

2008-01-03T20:19:00.000+03:00

We went on vacation for 5 days following Christmas. These are just a few pictures of our time away from the big city!

Christmas morning

2008-01-03T19:59:00.000+03:00

Here are the kids Christmas morning with some Webkinz. Annie actually woke up at 4 a.m. and checked her stocking. She played with those items for an hour and fell asleep at 5 a.m. in front of the Christmas tree. David woke up at 6 a.m. ready to go, and he was surprised to see Annie asleep on the floor, so he woke her up. Time crept by until 7 a.m. when Mike and I forewarned them was our wake up time. So at 7 a.m. on the dot Annie came into our room to announce Christmas morning. After we opened gifts, we had the all-traditional Christmas breakfast - Dunkin' Donuts. It's quite a drive from our home, so we rarely have them. It was a great treat! Later in the day we gathered with some others who celebrated the day. For a first-time-to-live-overseas-during-Christmas family, it turned out to be really special time.

How many ways can you...

2008-01-03T19:37:00.000+03:00

We have a small nativity set in our entry way. I think I paid less than $5 for it at Big Lots. Throughout the Christmas season I noticed that the kids were rearranging the characters every day. Every time I passed by there was a new arrangement. I thought I'd show you some Nativity interpretations from our kids. It pleased me so much to see it rearranged daily that I started taking pictures. Nativity sets are meant to be played with. They are meant to be touched and loved and acted out. It was the best 5 bucks I spent on the Christmas season. My 2 favorites are 1) everyone standing in single file to see Baby Jesus and 2) Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and outside and everyone else is in the stable.