1. Ever have a picture that is just wrong, but you still really, really like it?
2. How many of you have husbands that wait patiently while you shop? Or do they act as if some wet, slimy creature is crawling up their back as soon as they step foot in the mall?
Two Questions
Christmas Package
Christmas Eve
This Christmas Eve we had two special guests...all the way from Peru! They are planning on being missionaries here and are on their survey trip. There was food and fun. The perfect holiday components.
Grilling is serious business in our house!
What I learned on Christmas Day. Part 1.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Dear Santa,
This letter may come as a surprise to you, I'm not sure if you have ever recieved one like it, but as a mother I feel it is my duty to write it.
Please do not come to our house on Christmas.
Allow me to explain...My three year old daughter is terrified of you. In her words: "I just can't like him!"
(I think it has something to do with your beard.)
So deep is her dislike of you that her Daddy is under strict orders to punch you in the nose should you attempt to enter the house. For your own safety, I suggest you stay away.
She may change her mind when she is older, but for now she is convinced that you TAKE presents, instead of BRINGING presents. And that is definitly scary when you're only three years old. You understand, I'm sure.
I'm sorry for any extra trouble this may cause you. We have bought her plenty of presents and her grandparents have as well. Maybe next year?
Until then...
Me
Flowers
Addiction.
Blogging Bash
A group of Paraguayan bloggers, (and someone who reads Paraguayan blogs faithfully) got together to eat, chat, and meet each other for the first time.
- Parrots can die from being too cold in 80 degree weather.
- There once upon a time was a car that honked every time it made a left turn.
- Argentines are very friendly in their country.
- Peanut butter Twix bars arrive in Curracao once every eight years.
- I should stock up on the imported Jalapenos in the Stock grocery stores. They won't last forever!
- A french animated film can actually be very interesting.
- The pysche hospital in Filadelfia may not be as nice as it sounds.
- All the imports at Real cost $9.15. (The ones involving chocolate anyway.)
This is all very important information. We should definitly do it again. :-)
Summer Time
A new hobby (sorta)
I recently decided that I wanted to try my hand at sewing. Again. So my sister brought over her nice sewing machine to teach me a few tricks of the trade. Of course, I knew this would not be possible with the littles underfoot, so my other sister came to have a craft time with my girls.
They took the supplies outside. Paper plates, tissue paper, glue sticks and paint. The plan was to crumple of the red and green tissue paper into small balls, glue them on a paper plate and wa-la! Christmas wreaths. The girls however, "were not into crumpling tissue paper" as my youngest siter put it. She ended up doing most of the work.
The snack that smiles back...
I love eggs.
A Royal Decree
Sometimes...
Take it outside
OCD
My three year old has OCD. I'm sure of it.
Life is very neat, tidy and organized for her and when that is somehow disrupted (by say, a younger sister) she emotionally begins to melt down.
I try to encourage creativity and spontanaity with her mainly because I want her to RELAX and ENJOY her life even if it's not clean or organized. We live in South America and organization is not a top priority. Fun is. Noise is. Family is. Closeness is. But organization? Not so much.
Case in point, today I pulled out all the paint and a big piece of poster board for the Frips. She began to paint big blobs of green and white.
Me, "Is that a tree?"
Frips, "No."
Me, "Is that a mango?"
Frips, "No."
Me, "What is it?"
Frips, "Mommy...*insert exasperated sigh*...it's paint."
Oh.
Of course.
We'll keep working on that creativity stuff.
Furlough-itis
In seven months we are leaving for our first furlough. And I can not wait. Both Husband and I have a bad case of the Furlough-itis. Most of our conversations revolve on what we plan to do, buy and shop for while in the US. It's hard to not mentally and emotionally shut down on the present day life and ministry, but we are trying to stay alert and live in the moment.
Having said that, I am going to list the things I am most looking forward to. :-)
1. Taking my daughters to the library
2. Thrift store shopping with my sister in law
3. Black Friday shopping with my other sister in law
4. Eating at Five Guys Hamburgers in Tampa
5. Taking my daughters to a childrens museum
6. Drinking coffee and reading books at Barnes and Noble bookstore
7. Wal-Mart
8. Doing my grocery shopping online.
9. Driving an automatic car on sane roads with fairly sane drivers
10. Shopping at Trader Joe's
11. Going to Michaels and buying good quality craft supplies for my daughters. (REAL crayons that dont snap if you look at them!!)
12. Clothes shopping for myself. Soooo hard to find decent clothes here.
I realize that after a month or two of US life I will be desperatly missing the sights, sounds and smells of South America. But for now, I do enjoy the occasional day dream about Wal-mart. :-)
Tree House...of sorts.
There once were two little girls who lived in a beautiful house with a very big yard. At the very back of the yard was a circle of 5 banana trees which offered lovely shade. The little girls desperatly wanted to live underneath the banana trees and begged their mother to make them a house. A house where they could host tea parties for all their stuffed and cuddly friends.
Their mother (who secretly loved the idea of playing house under the banana trees) built them a beautiful Girls Only Club House...the only boys allowed were, of course, Daddy and Winnie the Pooh. There were pink bed sheets strung over thick string for a cool, shady roof. A soft colorful quilt as a rug, bright blue throw pillows, and a host of special friends. Celebrity friends such as Barny, Tigger, and the Octopus from Baby Einstein.