Comfort Food

The boys and I are a little under the weather today.  And, the weather today is, you could say, tumultuous?

How's that for a five-dollar word?

It started out sunny and bright (like most days here) - with the promise of low humidity.  The mountain of dirty clothes that is growing at my house finally looked like it had a chance of diminishing.  I could finally hang my laundry!  Or, so I thought. 

10:30am rolled around, and gale-force winds surprised us, as if out of nowhere!  We looked outside and the trees were like rolling waves.  The rain was at about a 45 degree angle, and was just bucketing out of the sky!

The rest of the day was rainy, off and on.  It is the rainy season.  And, I am glad.  Soooo glad.  Eventually I will find the daily rain showers more than annoying.  But, for now, it is refreshing and cools down the air enough so I can feel like we don't live in an oven anymore. 

What goes best with cool weather and achy bodies?

CHILI!

You people in the States are probably scoffing at me right now...as you start to turn down your indoor air conditioners and whip up tuna salad or something not so steamy for supper.  But we, in our oh-so-cool 77 degrees, are craving hot soup and putting on socks.  At least, I am.

After living here for over two years, 77 degrees is like a breezy Fall day.  Laugh, you may, but I am not at all joking.  :)

Eat some chili this week.

Kyla did.

And she LOVED it!

Just don't spread it all over your body like she did.

What are you cookin' up in the kitchen lately?  This lazy cook needs some ideas!

Jeshurun's Haiku

I love homeschooling!  The sky's the limit!

Here's my 5 1/2 year old's haiku (in my handwriting)  :)

And, here's the poet's own illustration!  So fun!

Lessons From Spiders

Last week, as I began my morning ritual with a hit of the snooze button, an eventual getting out of bed, a turning on of the coffee pot and a quick trip to the toilet, I met someone hiding in my bathroom, ready to give me a heart attack.

As I turned the toilet paper roll that morning, a giant Huntsman spider leaped out of the cardboard middle and raced up the tile wall.  I shrieked (of COURSE!) and took note that Treavor wasn't around to save me as he usually does.  I ran into the kitchen, grabbed the mop and re-entered the bathroom with murder in mind. 

If you didn't click on the link above, I need to tell you that this guy was the size of my hand, hairy, and eerily quick-paced.  These types of spiders move like little crabs, side-to-side, and FAST!  But, this wasn't my first rodeo...the first week in our new house here in the country, we encountered this guy in the same bathroom:

Huntsman spider

The same spider - on the tile wall.  See the shower head at the bottom on the pic - and then the spider on the wall on the upper middle of the pic.  He was huge! 

Treavor fought this guy off with the same mop head I used to attack the spider that scared me last week.  After a couple strikes (these guys are fast, I told you that, right?)...Treavor chopped him in half.  Didn't I tell you he was my superhero?

One half of the spider's body

The other half - with creepy head attached. 

*Shudder*

Back to the story...after more shrieking, numerous strikes from my mop, and a ceiling tile almost falling down, I had my victory.  The spider curled up in defeat, and I was joyous!  As he took a spin in the toilet bowl and exited the house, I shouted "YES!" exuberantly to the air and enjoyed the sweet taste of triumph over my fears and over the disturbed peace that had pervaded my morning up to that fateful point.

There is a point to this story, if not to just make you wish you didn't live with us and our over sized spidery housemates...

Today, I observed this little guy jumping and skipping over my window pane:

He, as opposed the the gigantic Huntsman spider, was about 1/2 inch large.  He does not bother me.  I am sure that he has frequented my piles of dirty laundry, my food cabinet, my sneakers, and has probably tucked himself under our bed covers.  When these pop out from behind things, I do not scream and shout and pray in tongues, I do not run for the mop and ask God for the agility to give it an early death.  He is small, and I feel so much bigger than him. 

Even though the Huntsman spiders that monthly give me a scare and the jumping spiders that inhabit my windowsills eat their fair share of insects, I favor one over the other.  I know there are fewer flies, mosquitoes and creepy-crawlies in my house because of them.  They are both "beneficial" and not a danger to me...and even could be considered a "help" to my life.  But, one is welcome, while the other is shunned and obliterated.  Why is that?

Though I don't usually think deeply about Arachnids, I am reminded of their similarity to trials in my life.  As long as I am not too inconvenienced or threatened, I don't mind a little trial here and there. 

The verse from James 1:2 ^"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..."  

...seems do-able, right?  I don't mind annoying or needy people if I encounter them once a week on my trip to the store.  I can easily forget them when I walk away.  Or, if I endure the trial of a mild cold or headache - it is gone tomorrow or in a few days.

But, what about a needy person who LIVES with me.  I can think of three little people right now... ;)

What about a chronic illness?  A financial debt that seems insurmountable?  A car that breaks down on the way to an important meeting?  Do we find it so easy to "consider it pure joy" then?

Do we treat trials like these (and there are countless more) as something to strike at and drive from our homes or our lives?  Even if enduring them is...dare I say...beneficial?

Today, I am asking God to remind me, and everyone reading, about the mystery of joyfully persevering through trials - big or small.  If you want to read more about this little nugget of biblical wisdom, click here.

Two New Beginnings

Neighbor update: In the last 5 days, FOUR new kids have moved just next-door to us.  God is providing new people, new relationships for us where we have lost dear ones.  The little boy, pictured below with Huy and Run, has come to play a few times and is getting along nicely with our kids.  He's five years-old, like Run, and is pretty amiable.  We are so thankful!

Ahn, with Huy and Run enjoying Popsicles after playing outside and washing Daddy's motorbike!

Gardening Update: Day 8 of the herb garden.  Finally, everything I planted has started at least one hopeful sprout!  The two types of Basil (Sweet and Genovese) are doing nicely!  This planting experience is so much more encouraging than my first one, 4 months ago.  Most of my seeds were stolen by birds and chipmunks, and the Thai Basil that has survived is a daily banquet for the grasshoppers.  There is hope on the horizon!

Day 8 of the seedling adventure.  I added two more pots since the first post: more Thyme and Dill for the next time I'm pregnant and crave homemade pickles.  :)

Genovese Basil sprouts on the 8th day.  Can't you just taste the Bruschetta?

Vintage Bathing Suit

Yesterday on our day off, the Nick and Steph crew invited us to travel down to the coast for a little frolic in the sand.  Oh...and McDonald's afterwards.  How could we decline?

This Bugs Bunny bathing (circa 1983) was what I wore almost 27 years ago!  It ain't classy - but it's sooo cute.  Now, Kyla gets to sport it!

Eating fresh mango - the current favorite.

You wanna take my picture AGAIN?

Jed likes his mango with a healthy dollop of sand. 



Sand-castlin' with Lily, Sam, Huy and Treav





Sally sells seashells by the seashore...



Want one?

BTW: the suit had Babs Bunny on the back.  Can it GET any cooler?

This is the best picture I could get out of these highly-distractable 5 year-olds.  Run and his buddy, Elliot!

What does your perfect day off look like?

Adventures in Gardening

I realize that I'm not very original in this post, having just read in at least five different places about people's budding new gardens (pun very obviously intended). But I just have to share about the newest project I started at our house: an herb garden! 

Check out the spread:

To the untrained eye, these would appear to be simple seed packets; ordinary things easily found in any well-stocked grocery store or back-yard garden.  To someone native to my neck-of-the-woods, most are quite hard to find.  My friend, Stephanie, brought them back from her trip to America, and it felt like Christmas!

To me, these represent creations, meals or memories that have yet to occur: fresh spaghetti sauce, homemade insect repellent, an aromatic table display, or authentic salsa stuffed into naan-bread tacos.

They will birth beauty, nourishment, hands-on homeschooling, and responsibility in me and my children. 

And, it will simply be, FUN!

I'm starting with them all in medium-sized containers to house my seedlings.  Once they are strong enough, the plan is to transplant them into my garden or in various pots all around the porch, especially the ones that naturally repel mosquitoes!  My front door will be surrounded by Thyme for purely that reason!  Here, malaria and dengue is quite common, so it is best to be on the offense against it!

BTW: side note: who knew cilantro seeds were so HUGE!?  I opened up the package and blinked a little in response.

To label these babies, I've been on the look-out for cute little plant-labeler-thinga-majiggers.  But, to my dismay, none could be found!  Instead, I chose the "greener" (is that a legit word now?) route and used some plastic knives instead.  To some, it might be tacky, but to me, it saves a trip to the store and saves money on something that I'd have to find at a fancy home-decorating store (IE: over-priced imports!).

What are you growing lately?  Any gardening tips for novices like me? 

10 Things I Like Today

1.  Anniversary Flowers!  I got two dozen of these babies on Sunday!  They make me smile today!

2.  The Amazing Race Finale!  I know we're watchin' it late...but I can't wait to see if my team wins!

3.  Cheap stuff at the market.  I got a cute little sweater for $3 bucks tonight.  New.  Awesome.

4.  Friends to cry with.  Thanks, View!  She didn't even give me a weird look.  Crying makes Thais uncomfortable, btw. 

5.  My Ergo baby carrier.  Don't leave home without one.

6.  The smell of potting soil mixed with sweet, falling rain. 

7.  Actually finishing the dishes.  In one day.  Not strung out over two or three...or four days.  (Am I the only one who does this?  I sure hope not.) 

8.  Watching a family of crazy lizards/salamanders/snake-like looking reptiles sunning themselves on the back porch during breakfast.  My boys climbed on the counter and watched the backyard like it was National Geographic.  Not a dull moment here.

9.  The moment those boys go to bed. 

10.  Can I hear an "Amen" for quiet, as a result of #9?  AMEN!

What did you like about your day today?