Some Rambles.

Somewhere in the neighborhood a monk is chanting. I can hear the neighbors next door visiting. The breeze is blowing through the trees in my yard. My men are mowing the lawn.

Last night we had company…like twelve of them or so, and we ate pizza, ice cream, and very flat cookies. Dru mixed them up and I told him to not put that last half cup of flour in. When I do, they have too much flour. Of course, if he makes them, they’re flat. But nobody complained. He even sent the rest of them home with the boys.

I made a fallish center piece with what I had on hand. I think I must have  pitched the fall leaves that Dru’s Dad sent three (wow, three!) years ago. Duh. Anyway, I did okay with some red apples, my doily from Grandma Ruth, and some tall grass that was growing in my yard, and cloth napkins. Oh, and I got out one of my big candles that I bought in the states. Lovely.

We were going to go to Criag’s for Thanksgiving but now it will have to be the day after or so. Dru double booked, not that he had any say in actually. It just so happens that one of the English camps he’s in charge of lands on Thanksgiving Day. I could almost became discouraged about Thanksgiving Day in Thailand. People just don’t have that holiday here—and it’s very near and dear to my heart. Thankfully, we have Craig’s. Even if we have to go a day late.

I’m kind of leaving my bean bag some. I have this dream that the morning sickness is going away already, but I’m quite sure it will return once I decide that it’s gone. So I’m not holding my breath.

I’m supposed to bake some sort of cookies or bars for church tomorrow. Like one hundred fifty of them. Brownies, cookies, something. I really don’t mind, but I wish my oven had more than one rack in it. It’s a slow hot process with my little not-insulated oven.

Jube is climbing and falling a lot these days. Up the green stool in the middle of the kitchen and off on his back. Out of the crib. Down the stairs. Over his own feet. We  like him a lot and think he’s really cute. It’s funny because I thought that I was going to be the “disciplinarian” in the family. I’m the softy actually. It’s Dru who lays down the law much more consistently. He gets by with it though. Jube thinks Daddy is just the best. He doesn’t like when Dru leaves without him and he’s up and running as soon as the gate opens when he gets back. He’s also taking to calling him in a loud voice. “Da-da? Daaaaaaaaaaa? DA! DA!” Or something like that. And Dru obligingly answers from where ever he is in the house. Dru’s a softy too, in his own way.

Ok, I’m going to go get at it. This is all rambley anyway. How long will it take to bake 150 of something?

Dreams from the Bean Bag

So, I’ve been reading home decorating blogs. Lots of pretty whites…I love whites, and antique sort of things that I like as well. The sorts of things that you go to thrift stores to buy. Cheap. Then you “make it over” how ever you like it. I’d love to do that stuff.

It occurred to me just now that I don’t have one single corner in my home that I truly am happy with. None that I glory in. I would be truly happy for inspiration for my kitchen. Right now it is purely utilitarian. Not even overly utilitarian sometimes. Dru says it this way, “What do you do when you want to use the stove top and you have the clean dishes stacked on it?” And for the life of him he can not figure out where I keep some things. It should get easy for him though—he’s been doing a lot of dishes lately.

My bedroom is greatly saddening for me right now. It’s all one color. When we were buying paint we were kind of on a budget so most of the house is painted in a warm cream color. But in the bedroom it looks very close to yellow, and the curtains, which are a brownish gold color, are way to close to that same color. But why does it matter? I can’t even keep my bed fixed anymore.

I have some projects in mind: Decorate kitchen. Make curtains for bedroom. Make curtains for both bathrooms. Recover hideous high chair. Recover cushions on the dreadful heavy wooden furniture. Do something in Jube’s bedroom. I’d also like to paint my dining room furniture white…but I think the land lady would kick us out. Oh, curtains for the dining room too. All the curtains are the same color in this house.

Anyway, I do a lot of dreaming. Not only about my house, but what I’d like to do when I get big. Someday I want to have a little hobby farm and grow my own veggies and animals. A pig or two, a cow or two, chickens, make my own butter, grow my own Thanksgiving Turkey, smoke my own ham…that sort of thing. But alas, my little tiny flower bed STILL isn’t planted. And I wanted flowers by Christmas.

Someday, I will be super woman. Right now the laundry that my husband hung on the line needs to be taken down. He hung it there yesterday. I said one night on the line was enough. I guess having both of my Thai classes this week is about as super as I’m going to get—for a while.

So I guess I’ll lay here on this under-stuffed, green bean bag for the next couple of months and dream. I might not even get my scrapbooking done. Or my comforters pieced. Or the high chair recovered…etc. I’ll just lay here and be miserable. The baby will be here June-ish or so. I might leave the bean bag before that once or twice—to use the bathroom or something. Until then, I will be here in my nausea, just dreaming. Miserable. But over all, happy. I really am happy.

Three Random Pictures

There will be no explanation for these because Jube is even now screaming at the top of his lungs. Later!

Snails, Flowers, and Jube

This was my picture of the snail. Dru has closer ups on his blog.

It was a traumatic morning for the snail.

Ooooo!

 

Look Mom, I found a flower!

More flowers. A flower is judged by how well it will spin between your finger and thumb.

The yellow flower wins.

Not an Angel

This child woke up at six o'clock this morning. I tried to put him back to bed. I worked at it for a whole hour. The only thing that happened was that he hollared so the neighbors could hear him. Pii Phone said so this morning when she came down and visited with the child through the gate. I put him on his dad's shoulders when I got tired of his whining. Once he finally was allowed up, all he wanted was to be held. He's asleep now. Stinker.

So Far Today…

I watched my baby toddle across the yard in his bare feet.

I did the dishes.

I prayed with my man.

I showed the neighbor girl how to make cookies.

I changed the sweeper bag and vacuumed my main floors.

I tidied upstairs.

I stumbled through two pages of Thai reading to my patient husband.

I journaled and read my Bible.

I planted some of my seeds from Mom.

I used up the bag of grass clippings from the last mowing for mulch.

So far, today has been a good Monday—which says something. Sunday was truly a day of rest for a change.

It’s cool outside and there is a very substantial cloud cover. It will probably rain, and Pii Phone says that it’s cold season now.

I am happy.

I’m the Queen, or Not…

Today I get to be the queen. A queen on the day before her birthday, no less. It’s the day before the queen’s birthday that she looks forward to. The day after her birthday is the day that she has to go to all the high society parties in her honor and sit through endless formalities in her honor. But on the day before her birthday she gets to do what she wants, however she wants it.

I want my breakfast in bed at seven thirty on a silver tray. Served with hot garden tea out of very pretty tea things. Then I shall have a shower, no a bath in the hot tub, and then I shall get dressed in my perfectly fitting most comfortable, me-ish , clothing and go down for my interview with the housekeeper whom I will instruct to clean the whole castle from top to bottom just so-so. (She of course delegates to the servants.) Then I go to visit the cook in the huge kitchen. (On my last birthday I gave the cook the day off and cooked myself just for fun. But she made me do all the dishes then too, so I decided that this birthday I was going to do something different.) We menu plan for the week and I give her a check for a monstrous amount and say, “Buy what you need and don’t be stingy.”

I then go visit the nurse maid and my son. The nurse maid is dismissed for an hour and I spend a nice happy visit with my already bathed and fresh son.

Then I go out to the garden and find the gardener and tell him that the lawn simply must be mowed this weekend and please make sure my mother’s seeds from the kingdom across the sea get planted today. And he smiles at me fondly and says, “Yes ma’am, as you wish ma’am,” and gets busy. Because all the servants love me of course. As I stroll out to the carriage waiting for me I stop to admire the huge goldfish in the pond.

And then I go shopping. I suppose that most queens don’t go shopping like this one does. But my whole kingdom knows I enjoy shopping so they indulge me. Of course, I never allow anyone to give back any change, so they all love it when I come shopping. Today I am buying shoes. Any shoes I like and at least three pairs. And if I get tired of shoes I shall look at purses. Sometime during the day I shall bump into a good friend from olden days, or a sister, and we shall finish the trip together, complete with coffee shops and expensive dining experiences. Towards supper time I shall get in my carriage and speed home to spend prepare for my evening with the king.

And I’m not sure what the king and I shall do together but we shall enjoy ourselves immensely.

Thank you for visiting my castle.

What? You mean I have to do my own cleaning, cooking, and gardening today? And be my own nursemaid? Fine, see if I ever invite you to my castle again! Oh, and you would have to mention that it’s the king’s birthday tomorrow, not mine. Fine, I’m out of here…

Odd Memories

I keep thinking about the days of the squirrels in our house. So today I sat down and wrote about it. Here it is. Forgive me for any typos or grammatical errors. I’m quite tired and can’t quite see straight. But here it is.

Squirrels in the Stone House

The first encounter took place between Jenny and the squirrel.  Jenny and I had bravely decided to sleep in the basement on the bed that for some reason or other was set up in the big unfinished part of the basement. We left the washroom light on because the basement really is dark and scary at night. In the middle of the night I was rudely awakened by Jenny screaming and thrashing around in the bed. I wasn’t sure what all the excitement was about but I figured I’d better scream too. Funny what happens to our logic under those kinds of circumstances at that time of the night. So there we clung to each other shrieking. After a bit I saw a small animal disappear into the washroom. Jenny then informed me that it was that animal that had awakened her –it had been “huffling” around under the blankets.

Mom and Dad heard us squalling two stories up and to this day Clark regrets that he didn’t hear it from the next room. Huh, missed that party I guess. Anyway, Mom met us upstairs and tucked us into our normal, much safer bed. But we still couldn’t figure out what the critter was. It looked like a squirrel to me, but it was too small.

A week or so later Mom and Dad discovered that the beast was a flying squirrel. They caught him playing in the coats hanging under the steps.

Over this time we also had borders living out in what is now called “the boys’ cabin.” Dad discovered that they could put rat poisoning in the gap between the upstairs floor and the living room ceiling then shine a flashlight down the register and watch the squirrels eat. Jenny and I were tucked in bed one night and the guys were watching them through the register in the hall. All we could see of the fun was one of their back ends sticking into our bedroom through the open door. As little girls, we made hay on the fun possibilities before us—it was one of the borders we never really learned to know or like very well. But we never would have dared to actually do anything. We sure had a nice giggle party though.

The squirrels always stank terribly when they died in the walls—sometimes to the point of causing occupants to move out of their bedrooms for a while. Dreadful, I assure you.

We were headed out to PA for Lorinda’s wedding at five o’clock in the morning when anther squirrel made its appearance in the living room. Dad roared around with a broom after it for a while but gave up and somehow the squirrel disappeared and that left puzzlement in my mind.

Once we rid ourselves of the flying squirrels, the regular squirrels migrated inside to spend the winter. Mom was tucking us into bed one night when I had to run to the bathroom downstairs one last time. I encountered a squirrel under the dining room table, and being and excitable adolescent at the time, jumped and hollered—not once, but twice. When I got back upstairs and told Mom what I’d seen she said, “I figured, but why two shrieks?” I don’t know. I just remember it didn’t feel “finished” somehow after the first one.

We watched a mama squirrel mover her babies out of the house one spring. She brought them down the rocks outside on the dining room window sill. Mom didn’t have the heart to shoot them. Dad, of course, wondered why she didn’t. The logic was, “she was moving out anyway.”

Today’s Mess

This is why people use baby powder rather than the real ant poisoning to keep critters out of their cabinets.

 

At least he’s happy and healthy again. I love my baby! He’s decided he can walk now too. He’ll be a year old on Sunday and I can hardly believe it.

Our New Toy…

Today Dru went to Home Pro and bought this cute little yellow lawn mower. He even got a free weed eater with it.

 

He said, “It really does feel like  vacuuming your front lawn.” I never saw electric lawnmowers until we came to Thailand. Do you think we’ll run over the cord?

 

 

Jube’s New Helmet…

Because we like our motorbike better than our car—the car not always giving us an overall feeling of trust towards it. The helmet is still a snitch big, but won’t be for long. It’s a panda bear helmet. The first time he wore it he was decidedly against it and screamed fitfully for nearly ten minutes while his mother held her hand over his mouth and his father went driving down the rode. Since then he hasn’t seemed to mind it.

I think he thinks it’s a tad heavy—but he does very well at holding it up when he’s on the bike gawking at everything that goes by on both sides of the bike.

A Quiet Note From Thailand...

We're home. After two long months in the USA and a long flight back, we're home. And it's quiet. Just roosters, birds, the neighbors on their quiet morning walks, and a vehicle once in a great while going by. My yard is all green. My rose bush decided to turn into a vine and start growing on the fence. Which would be fine but now it's not blooming. I think it popped out below the graft. I'm going to extricate my potted plants and put them in the dirt I think. I'm going to plant the flower seeds from my mom too.

Last night neither of my men could stay awake past 7:00. I had taken a nap but Dru hadn't. So they went to sleep. We turned the light out at 7:30 when I gave up on keeping them awake. Jube seems to be the only one with jet lag around here. Dru was awake with him for a half hour last night and managed to get him to go back to sleep for a while. I woke up around 4:30 this morning because Jube did and he's still playing. It's nearly 7:30. He's blinking slowly, so will take a nap here in a bit. Dru slept 'til 6:00. I woke him up because I was hungry and there wasn't any breakfast in the house.

My dear man emptied all the suitcases yesterday while I napped. Now I just have odds and ends to put away today. And there's laundry to do, but not much. I tried to have most of it done up at Mom's. So glad I did. I'm having a hard time operating today.

Jube is crawling around in only a diaper today. When we got in it was hot and humid. They say it was quite cool until a day or so ago. It hasn't rained so it's warming up again.

Now I'm dreaming about how to make this house more homey. It needs some wall hangings and some cushions. It was nice to go back to my Mom's house for inspiration. This poor house seemed rather bare when we got in yesterday. It needs some homeyization.

I'll blog pictures about the trip and stuff later. I don't even have pictures on this computer right now. It will come in stitches and snatches I'm afraid. The idea of blogging two months at one sitting is rather overwhelming.

3rd Post of Jube

I tried doing this collage no less than three times. Every time I did, the finished product had the captions messed up. Grrr...anyway, here it is. This happened one of those days when I needed something different for the dear bored child to do. So I found a watermelon in the kitchen. Ta-da! New toy!

More Jube Stuff...

Out watching Daddy and Jo-jo clean up the yard. This was around seven in the morning. His pamper still wasn't changed for the morning even.

"This light is so cool. It's on Mom and Daddy's headboard and if I jerk on this little cord, it turns off and on. And there are these little dangley things that hang down in front of the bulb and are very fun to run a pen through because they dance wildly."

Devouring Dru's green bread. Yes it's green and no it's not moldy. I think it's just white bread with that green Thai custard stuff in it. It's actually pretty good. Dru likes it because it's different and tastes good. I'm sure it's not a bit healthy.

Some Jube Stuff

Jube goes shopping. He needs to examine the groceries as they come into the cart. So all the damagable groceries must go where he ought to be. We've even taken to taking a blanket along for him to stand or sit on in the bottom of the cart. Before the first groceries come along, he stands and talks to all the people going by.

He takes after his dad. Electronics are facinating. Especially when they sing and vibrate, etc. Here he's helping Dru play monopoly. The other day he was playing with his dad's phone when they were both on the bean bag. Dru had the mp3 player playing on it and everytime it would stop, Jube would start to howl and cry like a spoiled child. My cellphone is losing it's charm because it doesn't sing as well and the screen doesn't have pretty colors, or light up, quite like Dad's.

New discovery! Stair steps! If he climbs them, someone is sure to chase him. (Giggle, giggle!) And if someone says, "No-no," he is sure to, "sob-sob-pout."

He made it all the way up this time! And Daddy's playing with him rather than hauling him down. He is learning to come down, by-the-way, but we're still working on it.

A Fishy Blog

I dreamed about fishing last night. I dreamed I kept snagging a dead, limp, Thai variety of a fish. It was disappointing and unrewarding. But when I woke up, I kept thinking about fishing with my family. I haven't gone fishing for two years. 

There was a summer when Dad bought a big orange-red boat. We discovered fishing. It was one of our last summers together as family before us children turned into adults and went our separate ways across the face of the globe. It was special.

We fit the whole family on that tub of a boat. Not uncomfortably, but not exactly with the greatest ease, either. There were nine of us. The only difficulty was the lack of "hole frontage" from the edge of the boat at times when the boat was inconveniently situated so that one side of it was away from the popular hole. At times like that you'd put a lure on and wishfully cast into the middle of the lake--dreaming of catching the biggest fish of the year.

Either all the fish in Windago were deaf or it isn't true that you have to be quiet when fishing. We had several evenings where the pan fish were biting well enough to bring in fifty fish fast, as though the noise was a lure. After an hour they'd slow down and just as the sun went down the rock bass would start biting. We'd go home late with our bait supply wiped out and our cooler full.

Taking supper with us lost its charm for those who thought worm entrails in the potato salad weren't conducive to a good dining experience. More often then not, we'd eat before we hit the lake. 

We came home late and the men (and sometimes mom too) would clean the fish by the light of the spotlight on Dad's service truck, out behind the house where the hose was. There is probably a whole mine of fish scales back there by now.

I remember one night Jenny opted out and stayed home. I didn't understand that and I neither do I understand Frank's reading a book on board. (I believe Frank had a certain distaste for worms--an overall squeamishness about touching a divided worm, trying to get the frantically squirming thing to stay firmly on the hook.) There were a couple nights that mom read out loud to those of us who were fishing. That was always fun until the light got too dim. 

There are a few rules when fishing with Grabers. Don't cross other people's line with yours. To be more specific, don't cross Dad's.  Don't get caught in the reeds, weeds, or trees--not even the perch actually perch in the trees. As time went on, we actually became more long-suffering with each other for making this blunder. Don't catch people. I did it once. My hook was caught on something, so I just tugged at it to get it come until I discovered that it was firmly embedded in Amy's jaw line. Mom got light headed. Amy was patient about it though. After waiting for an hour in the ER, the doctor had to push the hook around the loop, snip the barb off, and then pull it back. There has to be a cleaner injury than having a wormy hook in your skin. Sorry, Amy.

Dad might put flopping fish down your neck if he wanted to. He did it to Clark once, if I recall properly. I think it was a "baby" fish who needed more life experience or something. Poor thing.

Dru went fishing for his wife's sake. He confessed to me before we were married that he found fishing to be the epitome of boring. He likes it now. I think. He married into the Graber family. It's kind of a prerequisite.

I once asked Dad why we don't fish as much anymore. He said something about a credit card. Not that I'd ask him to go into debt on the credit card--but the fun we had wasn't really something even a credit card could pay for. It was just plain old family fun and we loved it.

So when I get back to the states, I want to go fishing again. Please.

Wash Day

(Photo Credit: Lisl)

It's Hot In This Country!

When I get big I'm going to be a wonder woman. Like I'm going to scrapbook. And clean my house. And do laundry. And paint. And make three meals. All in one day. Right now what I really want to do is go take a nap. Wonder women don't take naps do they? Sigh.

Okay, so today I was going to run around with my man than come home and get the rest of the laundry washed, dried, ironed, folded and put away. I was supposed to go to a meeting with Dru right now. I'm hosting a party at my house this afternoon. Dru's buying food for that. After the party, there's prayer meeting--but to be honest, I wasn't planning on going to that. (Actually there is prayer meeting every night for the next ten nights in a row.)

But my day isn't happening like that at all. I did run around with my man this morning, but the car caused problems on the way home so I was out in the heat and by the time we finally made it home, I needed to get my baby to sleep. Dru's at the meeting himself. I haven't started my laundry. I simply can't bear the thought of leaving this A/C. So I'll try to get Dru's pants on the line before I go to bed tonight. I'm not thinking about the party. It's after 2:30 pm and really I'm not sure when the party's starting. Five maybe? My house will be as it is pretty much.

It's been around 100 F out there the last little while. No, long while; about a week and a half or so. Even the Thai people find it only just bearable. I've noticed this year that right now everyone is praying for good health. The weather wears on the health and people get sick. Dru's been fighting it. It affects him worse than me--maybe because I'm lazy and refuse to push myself.

You know, I don't feel very well right now. I think I shall go take a nap. I wonder what condition Dru will be in when he gets back. 

About being a wonder woman again. Somehow, either I have to learn how to be more self disciplined, or I'm going to have be content with where I'm at now with life. It's not like things are actually falling down around my ears. I'm keeping up. Rolling with the punches. But I have projects all over that need doing. When the rains start...then I'll be a wonder woman. Right now, I'm going to go take a nap.

I guess all of that sounded rather whiny. Funny, that's another thing about this heat. All of the women I've talked to about it agree with me that they struggle with keeping a good attitude in this season. Makes you snappy and grouchy. Through prayer and reading my Bible, having a good man, and simply deciding to be happy--I'm okay. I really do have many, many amazing blessings. My next post will be about some blessings.

Moved In

And I’m still alive. Two weeks of hard work, interrupted by a few days of retreat, but otherwise…work. I’m thankful for the several breaks I got—was forced to take. I’ve decided that everything takes longer when it’s hot. It was torture to come to the end of the day and discover that only half of what I wanted to do that day was done. One day I didn’t have water all day. I was planning to clean. It ended up okay though, I did a lot of tidying and getting ready to clean. On Saturday I was still frantically cleaning. I needed to get ready for the house warming last night. It was around 4 o’clock and I lost electricity. I was dusting this big furniture in the half light when Dru suggested going on a walk. So with floors still grimy and dishes piled high, Dru and I took off for a walk and then supper. We came home from church on Sunday afternoon, rested for a bit and then Dru did dishes while I gave the rest of the house a “lick and a promise.”

The party went well. But to be honest, I was too busy being hostess and flying from place to place, and taking care of a fussy baby to notice. It was nice to have our Thai and furang friends here together though.

And now I get to live. People went home with dirty feet last night, and I’m seeing all the dust that I’d missed and everyone got to look at. But I’m just looking at it scornfully and giving it only a few jabs here and there. This week I’m resting. I told Dru yesterday that today I was going to sleep as much I wanted. And I’m going to bake cookies this week. And have nice meals.

I also told Dru that for one of Jube’s naps this week, I’m going to just hold him and look at him and love him the whole time he sleeps. His babyhood is slipping mercilessly away. My baby is crawling, pulling himself up on the furniture, and the other day he started climbing the steps. Seeing Rachel’s tiny baby reminded me to enjoy my own before all his babyhood is gone. Besides, he needs mom time—we both were cheated the last two weeks.

Jube woke up with a fever this morning. So, after getting up and eating corn bread for breakfast, I put Jube down for a nap and we both slept all morning til almost noon. Lovely.

I think my man is going to take me on a date this week. Maybe tomorrow but it might be pushed off if my baby’s still sick.

I’m very thankful for my new home here. It’s big and rambly feeling compared to our little apartment across town. I’m not sure where we stored everything in that little place. We’re filling this place quite nicely. There is only one room we have that is basically “extra.” It’s got 3 chairs in it and that’s it, but it will become a guest room if ever we need one.

I told my mom a while ago that I was having a hard time trusting the loving kindness of God. But this house is proof of it.

So yeah, the last couple weeks were hard for both of us on more fronts than one, but we survived. This week we’ll find the new normal and live.

Check out the picasa album for pictures. I’m going to try to load them, we’ll see if it works.

New House

In one week I hope to be out of this little apartment to my big rambling house on the other side of town. How I love that house! I can't wait until it's all painted. Pictures later, but not today.

We went over there this morning with good intentions to just clean, hoping the dirt would come off the walls. We soon discovered that that was was a crazy idea and the whole house is going to need painting. So Dru went to buy paint. I was at a loss as to what colors to tell him to buy because I hadn't had time to think or dream over it. But I think that we'll get it all figured out and it shall be beautiful when it's done.

Now for the confession. I strongly dislike painting. Strongly. It's hard dirty work, and in this country it's HOT. I thought I was going to be able to handle the heat, and I can, much better than I did a year ago, but even so, I was ready to take a nap by noon or so. Oh, and I woke up very unsure of the condition of my stomach this morning. It was in knots all night long and overall, my digestive system has been giving me problems the last couple weeks. Perhaps because I've begun to eat more Thai food lately. Anyway, that didn't get me off to a good start.

And now, do you know what I'm going to do tomorrow? I'm going to skip out on painting and go buy furniture--without my man! Those of you who know anything about how Dru and I operate know that that's pretty major. I'm a little scared about it but now you really understand how I dislike painting. Pii Ang and Pastor Kiat are going to go buy furniture in a town an hour away and I'm going to go with them if everything works out. Mostly I need kitchen cabinets and a bed. I already have a huge beautiful wooden table with eight huge beautiful chairs that have beautiful flowers engraved--along with living room furniture a plenty with engraving to match. They came with the house.

So if, in your prayers, you could think of me buying furniture and then trying to keep my sanity and my health as we finish painting and then pack up and move over, I would be grateful. I'm so so so thankful to God for the home that He's given us. I wonder if a lot of people we praying for me, that I would get my house with a yard, because I have plenty of house and plenty of yard. If God can do that for me, than He can also keep me sane and happy for the home stretch.

Thanks to Lee and Joyce, Arlin and Kayla, Nomes, Rosa, Heidi, Pii Ang, Bet and his friend whose name I don't remember because I didn't say it over five times after I heard it, Simon, and Mae Wahn. Who did I miss? Well, thanks to you to, whoever you are. Thanks so much for your help.

Here's pictures of the house that Dru took the other day: http://picasaweb.google.com/druseth/NewHouse#

PS If I ever wished my mom could be here, it's now.

Good People

Mom wanted to see a picture of Lee and Joyce a while back. Here they are. Right now with all the changes we have at hand, we've really been thankful for their listening ears. Not to mention their positive input. They've looked at houses with us. They've looked for cars for us. They've let us talk and talk some more. And so we're thankful for our friends Lee and Joyce. God has blessed richly by sending them our way.

House Hunting and Hot Season

I had a post all written, and in the process of editing and posting, it was lost.  So I'm trying again. I'm going to retype the journal. Dru is singing nonsense to Jube, putting himself to sleep. Something about walruses eating marshmallows, etc. So with that music I'll proceed.

3-8-10

What a day! Or so it felt. We went to look at houses, teach English, then went to KFC in Big C on our way home. Mae Wahn was with us. Poor woman was weeping today because we are leaving. I think by including her she felt better about it.  

She came up and wondered if we could live over there and sleep here at night. Too l ate I realized that she was grieving--I couldn't figure out why she thought such an idea feasible and answered, "Mai Daai!" emphatically. Later I realized she was crying on the veranda and Dru and I went out and talked it out with her--inviting her to come with us to look for a house this afternoon. It's all okay now and she really does seem to understand our need to move.

I think her biggest sorrow is Jube leaving. We'll have to be sure to visit often. Maybe have her babysit. I thought of setting a room aside for her at our new house, but can't decide if I like the idea. I like the idea of having more privacy in a new place. Yet I'm learning that as a missionary my ideals of privacy might have to be altered--if not disposed of altogether. We Americans like our privacy!

Because of a blog I read this morning, I've kind of been thinking of "counting the cost" today. The cost of living on the mission field. The truth is, when I did my cost counting some three years ago, I was counting the cost of not spending the rest of my life with Dru. The idea was intolerable and gets more and more so as time goes on. Yet now that I'm here I realize little by little that it is time for me to learn to be a missionary. I need to let God open, soften, and teach my heart to care for others more than myself. I am such a selfish person!

[End of entry.]

That gives you a pretty good idea of what our lives look like right now. We looking for a house and a car and the right one of each has not come by yet--or not that we know of.  We'd like to be moved next month sometime and have a car soon as well.

My dear baby seems to have thrush. It's for real this time I think. Last time I treated him for it by the time it was all over with I decided that he hadn't had it at all. This time his mouth is full of white patches and he's got a diaper rash. Why it doesn't hurt for me to scrape the patches off, and why he isn't having a hard time nursing, I don't know. He seems a little fussy today too. What can I do to prevent thrush? Is it something some babes are prone to and others aren't? Is there something I can do? Is it diet related or is it something he might pick up somewhere or what or what or what? 

Hot season is upon us here and this year I don't mind it. We're sleeping in the air conditioning at night and Jube sleeps much better down here in the AC at nap times too. My only complaint is that I wake up with a headache in the morning. It goes away soon enough, but still, not fun. Unfortunately, the headache doesn't go away as well for Dru. He does not do well this time of the year because of the pollution in the air. Even with the air purifier going we both wake up feeling not so wonderful. I have a theory that if we get the AC cleaned out, maybe we'd do better. Dru will probably struggle regardless. He said today that he'll probably feel like this for the next couple weeks and will have to figure out how to cope. Pray for him right now in this season. Being under the weather physically can cause one to feel discouraged and effect all other areas of ones life.

I said I'm enjoying hot season. It's occurred to me lately that I am free to grow what ever I want to try growing here. I don't have to worry about frost too early--if anything I need to worry about too much heat. So I'm trying to raise some plants from seed. If anyone has seeds laying around that they aren't going to use, send them to me! I am going to fill pots with flowers and even a few veggies. I really want a very large species of very orange pumpkin to grow. So far I haven't got the seed I need to do so. The pumpkins here are small and green when they are ripe. The funny thing is that when I was at home, gazing at the seed catalogs in the late winter, I was always disgusted that the pretty stuff wouldn't grow in our Wisconsin zones. Now that I can try that stuff, I want to grow the old, familiar flowers from home.  So digging in the dirt is my new therapy for now. Baking was the old one, but my kitchen is warm enough without the oven going these days. And all that aside, I'm also enjoying hot season because although it's warm, I don't find the heat as unbearable as it was when I was pregnant a year ago.

So that's a peek into our lives. Keep us in your prayers, please. We have a lot of decisions to make right now about moving, new car, and in the future, coming home for Melinda's wedding or not. And Dru's health. I think for me that's on the top of the list. Pray too for Mae Wahn over this time. She's coping very well but sad about us leaving.

Outta Here...

Because of our present visa situation, which I'd rather not go into detail about, we're having to make a run to Laos to apply for proper visa-ship. (It's complicated, trust me!) We're leaving at 8 o'clock tonight and getting to a city who's name I don't know how to spell. From there we have another 3 hours to our destination if I am correct. So keep us in your prayers as we globe trot this weekend.

This trip was unexpected but it's forced vacation as well and I'm thankful for that. We'll be gone right over valentines, so it will be a special way to celebrate. Our anniversary is this weekend, or would be if it were leap year, so we'll probably call this our anniversary celebration as well.

Yes, it's an unexpected expense but it seems to be necessary at this point in our lives. It means a little longer to wait for a car, but God knows that. He will continue to protect our going out and our coming in.

God bless you all this weekend!

Baby Question

Have any of you ever had a baby who didn't like to take naps? Jube will sleep for a half hour at a time, but wake up and spend a lot of time being fussy. Today was a bad day for it. Can't blame it on what I'm eating 'cause I watched that pretty close in the last 24 hours. Is this a discipline issue? On the days that he will sleep well he is ever so much sweeter! But those days only come once or twice a week. Ideas? I'm learning to work around it's not like he's constantly crying--but sometimes he is just plain grouchy and will not go to sleep easily.

well...

I was going to post pictures of my birthday, but procrastinated and alas, now my computer is on the fritz so I have to wait until my man can either fix it or get the data off of it so that I can upload pics. Unless I scrounge around and get them off of all of the camera cards again, which I dont think I want to do at this point. so the man has the net book and the wife has the mans old dino and the old dino doesnt have a shift key on the left side. Not one that works anyway.

there in lies the excuse concerning the pictures I said I was going to post...for those of you who wondered over from face book looking for them.

so just for a few random rambles to let you know what were up to right now anyway... drus on the other side of the city for the day with language study and etc. He picked up our package from his family at the post office while he was at it and had to pay 1500 baht to do so...I dont know why and if you want to know how much that is go to google and ask because Im not sure exactly. I think about 45 dollars? that seems a bit much...you better go look it up yourself. anyway, and after hes done with teaching the children tonight, hes going to go inspect a very nice little house that we would love to rent if its possible if we end up moving. It has a lovely yard with a concrete wall all around it and two gates. He already found out what the monthly price for it was by asking chef (capitalize that in your mind because chef is a boys name) to make the first call. chef doesnt have that funny english accent and that stuttering for words effect that a farang might. and now that dru knows the price already the renter cant tell us its 2,000 baht more, or whatever, because were farangs. (It seems that my left shift key is also having issues.) He should be home around seven thirty and by then I shall be very very glad to see him.

Ive been spoiled, being a missionarys wife. Im more used to being with my man for twenty four hours of my day than not. we were cautioned about going on the mission field so soon after marriage but I think that it was the best thing that could have happened, considering our circumstances. Not that any of us knew that at the time, but looking back, Im grateful. Im loving married life. dru is really a wonderful man who spoils me rotten.

a little more about that. I married my friend. Ive been thinking about that a lot lately. Im so glad I married my friend. we can talk for hours because we like to be together. we dont get tired of hearing each other and listening to each other. we really care about each other because were best friends. so for all of you girls who arent married yet, I want to say, marry your friend. dont be waiting for some wonderful person to come riding into your life and sweep you off of your feet. Let your friend do that...someone who really cares. thats true romance. Im so glad the Lord showed me that1 (the one there is an exclamation point) He showed me that little by little until suddenly it really did happen...and the man who swept me off of my feet is still doing it. Please, please, marry your friend. (and Im not offended if you cant figure out how I could be in love with dru because hes mine anyway. I wont be swept off of my feet by your man either.)

and thats enough shift-keyless ramblings for today.

My VERY cute baby…

He was very contented to lay on the counter and watch the world go around for a while.  He did NOT fall off.Do not let Mae Wahn see these pictures…she wouldn’t approve.

A Day With My Men

It started at Wawee. Dru went for his Bible study with Ja-ja and dropped Jube and I off there. I hadn’t been to Wawee since Jube was born. Jube was over all happy but got a bit noisy so I was outside most of the time. He was adored by the man who served me my coffee, the cleaning ladies, who admired him from outside looking in until I went outside and one of them came up and talked to him, and the guard. This is my Caramello coffee.

And here are my two lovely men.  Jube was a very good baby for the day. I think he likes the great outdoors.

               

Up through the tree tops.

 

Dru went to take a picture of the pink pringles on the blue denim and an ant came to visit.  What could be more picnicy than that?

Across the lake.

Eventually we moved to the other side of the lake and took advantage of their little huts, set up for relaxation.

People walk by and try to sell you food and things—and talk to the baby.

              

        This would be my good looking man.

More ants. A little gross but intriguing nonetheless.

Me and my sleeping baby.  He slept for quite a while.

         

My men.

Journaling. Dru even journaled some. Like, by hand, with pen and notebook!

 

What it looked like laying on our backs in the hut.

The whole row of huts.

Children playing in the water. I tried, but it was too muddy for this snooty farang.

   

My dear man took me to the Pizza Company afterwards. Our usual English speaking waitress seated us. Then she took the baby and handed him over the the shyer waitresses. He is quite the charmer!

          

There was some for scrabble tournament or something going on. It seemed like every spare inch had tables with scrabble games on it.  Hundreds of them literally.

   

And then I came home and put my baby to bed and got my house ready for Sunday.

It was a lovely day.