Through the Seasons

Oh come on.  Some of you know what that is don’t you!?  It’s racin’ lingo. 

The past 2 weekends Jonathan and I have enjoyed watching Nascar races.  No, we didn’t get Satellite TV.  My dad (thanks daddy!) has been recording the races and putting them on DVDs for us.  Aaaaaaahhhhh… 

So we’ve been a-whoopin’ and a-hollerin’ for our favorite drivers and against our most – well, hate is a strong word – disliked drivers.  It’s been fun! 

I get a little bit disoriented though.  I totally forget for a bit that I’m in Africa.  It seems like we’re in the States because we watch the races on either Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoons (or both).

Hopefully he’ll be able to send some football and basketball when those seasons come around…  And American Idol.  And Biggest Loser.  And What Not to Wear (because that would be so helpful here).  And – okay – maybe we won’t push our luck…

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Okay, so I’ve gotten into this meal planning pretty well.  So does it matter that I have yet to actually stick to the plan?

I’m thinking it doesn’t matter and the reason is this…  If I insist on keeping to the plan that means I become rigid.  I have kept myself flexible (not a normal posture for me) and most of my changes are due to events that I couldn’t have foreseen.

Although…

It seems that my mom always had a meal plan and stuck to it.

Maybe I should try harder.

Although…

Most of my meals have ground beef in one form or another so I’ve just chosen to switch the menu around or create something different with the ingredients I already had out.  There should be room in the kitchen for inspiration and creativity!

And.  Good news, good news.  The “cream cheese man” in town got a shipment of chicken.  Boneless chicken breasts.  And won’t be getting anymore for a while with the shortage problem.  So we stocked up a bit and now can have at least 1 night a week reprieve from beef.

He also had talapia.  Yum.  But.  It’s whole talapia.  From Lake Victoria.  That’s quite a long journey north of here.  And we’ve never seen a refridgerated truck.  How long can fish stay good after caught?  We just haven’t gotten up the nerve to try that out yet.  Nothing like bad fish to ruin your appetite for a few days.

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I just had one of those moments when I realized my life has changed dramatically.

I was sitting at the computer holding Asher when I heard him “do his business”.  I let him finish then got up to change him.  As I put my foot down to stand up I thought, “What is that wet stuff squishing between my toes?  I didn’t even know he spit up.”  I looked down and – oh – that’s not spit up – that’s POO!!!!!!!  Running down his leg, and down mine, and now is not only between his baby fat rolls but also all over my bare foot!

When I dreamed of having a baby this moment never entered my mind…

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This is our local church where Mama Imanueli’s husband preaches.  It sits next to their house.

From left to right:  Baba Imanueli, Mama Imanueli, Ana, Imanueli, Samueli, Upendo.

This is a shot better showing their home.

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Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.  ~John Wilmot

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What’s wrong with this picture?  Can you figure it out?

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On Saturday we went to a friends’ house to celebrate their kids’ birthdays.  She has a little girl who just turned 4 and a little boy who just turned 1.  She invited everyone around town with little kids so it was fun for them all to get together.  I can’t wait for Asher to get to join in the fun a bit more.  Here are some pics from the day:

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I’m telling you, I learn something new here every day. 

When we get our milk it comes fresh from the cow.  Still warm even.  So we have to boil out any unpleasantries that could cause crummies in tummies (ode to Dr. Seuss).  I watched Mama boil our milk last week and she poured it from the container through a sieve into a pot.  I was interested so I asked her why she did it that way.

She said that sometimes when they milk the cow some of its hair goes into the milk.

Blek!

Didn’t really need to know that.  But.  I will always be using a sieve in the future!

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Many people in villages along the main road of Tanzania (the Tan-Zam Highway) sell fruit to make a living.  I believe this is papaya.

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