tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7043347328438791952024-03-20T10:43:50.916-07:00American-African MomDeb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-32861749020017676952014-01-15T10:18:00.000-08:002014-01-15T10:18:25.421-08:00First Day of School<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What? A new post so soon? I make no promises for future diligence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what is the occasion of the new post? A new school year! Well, for the boys. The girls are carrying on at home with the work they've been doing. Schools here start in January and run until the end of November. All you northern hemisphere people don't forget that our seasons are opposite so we've just come off summer break. And yes, I'd like to remind you once again that we were basking in the sunshine by the pool while it was freezing in the U.S. last week. You're welcome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look how big my boys are getting! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liam is in grade 2 and Henry is in Reception. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a cloudy morning and when it's cloudy here you're actually in the cloud. This is the new school hall and you can't see it, but there is a mountain in the background. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the girls and I got home the house was SO QUIET. We're going to be able to get so much done this year, but we will miss the boys during the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liam was so very happy after school. He had so much fun and was so excited about everything (including homework!). It's so nice to see him so happy. Henry was very happy, too…and extremely tired. Perfect! </span></div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-60552674176902908162014-01-06T12:07:00.002-08:002014-01-06T12:07:28.672-08:002014 Plans<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a new year and a new post is long overdue. What have we been up to? Oh dear, I was too busy to blog about it then and I'm afraid it would take too much time to write about it now! So…onward to the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">January finds us at the end of our summer break and this week things are getting back to their busy normal. We started the kids in a lot of sports and lessons last year in an attempt to help the kids make friends. That hoped-for result didn't materialise, but they have really enjoyed themselves. They take swim, horse riding, tennis, cricket, and karate lessons. The girls have Afrikaans lessons and art lessons. Rosie is still studying violin, Charlotte has started playing the recorder, and Liam has started playing piano. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As 2013 wore on it became clear that Liam was unhappy. He talked/talks constantly about the friends he had in America and how they used to play together. He has yet to make a friend here. It is mainly for this reason that we decided to have him go back to school in 2014. The private school they attended last year has made many changes, the biggest being that they are now a Cambridge school. The three oldest kids were tested in reading and maths as part of the process of putting Liam back in (the principle was curious about the girls) and all scored very well. It made me feel good as a parent to know that the kids are learning as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">they should. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The girls will continue to be home schooled for now. Both adamantly do not want to go back and both are thriving academically and socially at home. We will continue to do some schooling at home with the boys because the school does not teach all that I want them to learn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I look forward to more study this year as I prepare to teach the kids. I think constantly about how and what I will teach them. And…there is still so much out there that I want to learn! This year I want to mainly focus on languages, especially Afrikaans and Venda. I haven't yet applied myself to a systematic study of either language but I can understand a good bit of each. I also plan on reading more in Spanish as I have no one here to speak it to, and I plan to continue studying Latin. I know…that's a lot of languages. But why not? Anything I accomplish or gain will be more than I started with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another goal for 2014 is to make a bunch of these squares: I'm doing a CAL with some ladies in Cape Town all year where we make one day. My personal goal is actually 5 a week. I've crocheted since I was 9 and imagine my surprise when someone came over and remarked that my (probably-vintage-by-now) chevron afghans were fashionable. It's nice to see some of my "early work" being appreciated by others. I've enjoyed them all along. (I've also heard that selfies are popular these days…does this count?) </span><br />
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-41848182077945512122013-05-31T13:56:00.000-07:002013-05-31T13:59:19.984-07:00My "Scarlet" Boy<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're on day two here with Liam and his scarlet fever. It just sounds so dramatic, but it's really not. There were generations when the name brought fear, but today it's really no big deal. With basic antibiotics and fever reducers there is no danger and he's even up and playing some. Not to say that he isn't miserable, but it's certainly not life threatening or any more miserable than a bad case of the flu. <br /><br />Today my mind turned to those previous generations as his fever was still high after both tylenol and ibuprofen. Even still he was running around and torturing the girls. He alternates from sitting on the couch playing on his kindle to jumping in circles. I'm convinced that it's just impossible to keep a 5 year old boy still...for long.<br /><br />His rash is still spreading, but we've made a fun game of putting on cream to help with the itching. We sing the afrikaans song "Jan Pierewiet" and he turns around while I keep my hands still, then at the staan stil part he stops and I tickle. And, of course, he gets a soentjie from his mama. :) <br /><br />The words for the curious: Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet staan stil. Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet staan stil. Goeie more my vrou, hier's 'n soentjie vir jou. Goeie more my man, daar is koffie in die kan. (Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet stand still. Jan Pierewiet, Jan Pierewiet stand still. Good morning my wife, here's a little kiss for you. Good morning my husband, there is coffee in the can)<br /><br />Some people have wondered if him catching it has anything to do with our location and the answer is no. It's quite rare here, as in the US. From what I understand it has a lot to do with the person's reaction to the bacteria. The other kids have had fevers and sore throats to some degree so they are probably infected, too. One thing that our location does determine is what we do now. The antibiotics and fever reducers are cheap, but there are a lot of children around here who would not have access to either for various reasons (poverty, lack of transport, etc) so we're keeping the kids home for a week or so. We don't want to risk spreading it to kids who wouldn't get treatment. That is one of the hardest things about living here- knowing that a $2 antibiotic makes all the difference in the world and knowing that it still isn't always available to everyone...even if they live just 20km away. </span>Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-73241293037144304122013-04-25T09:34:00.000-07:002013-04-25T09:34:30.800-07:00Catching up<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where have I been? Boring, mundane, everyday life. Although, as some of you have reminded me, our "mundane" is not so mundane to many of you. We have lots of people coming and going constantly and our guest room rarely goes a week without being occupied (actually, I don't know that it has <i>ever</i> gone a week without being occupied). Now that we are homeschooling the result is constant chaos...rather, let's call it constant controlled chaos. Yes, controlled...in theory. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm still trying to figure out exactly how we want to go about homeschooling. It is difficult to keep any kind of schedule here because the exception is the rule. Every day is an exception. I've also struggled with deciding which grade level to teach them at. The grades they would be in here differ from what they were in in America. For now I'm just teaching each subject for each kid at the level of their knowledge/ability. Imagine that! Finding the limit of their knowledge and expanding it! That is one decided advantage of teaching at home. So...Rosie is in 6th grade spelling, 3rd grade grammar, 2nd grade maths (in fairness to her, the math I've chosen is rather more difficult/advanced than the one she was doing in America and probably matches up to 3rd/4th grade). Charlotte is doing 1st grade grammar, 2nd grade spelling, and 1st grade maths. Liam is nearly done with what I am going to call Kindergarten or Reception. He's starting to read well and his handwriting is improving even though we haven't started a handwriting program. He's also doing grade 1 maths. (a note here: in South Africa the subject is called Maths and not Math. The kids picked up on the difference while in school and we've kept the "s" in our daily usage. Saying "math" sounds funny to people here and a little childish...which is, of course, how "maths" sounds to Americans). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of the children are learning Latin, Afrikaans, and Venda, though we're not requiring written work yet. Most people here are bi- or trilingual and it has given me the confidence to say "why not?" about the languages. It is truly amazing to watch children here switch from one language to the other seamlessly. It is quite common to see an adult carrying on a conversation with 2 different people in two different languages simultaneously. Several friends have been surprised to know that most Americans speak only one language ("That's so weird!"). Our kids haven't gotten good at separating the languages yet so we end up with some funny phrases like, "Dankie mater." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But enough of the homeschooling news...I'm sure I've bored the non-homeschooling readers to tears. Pictures? But I am going to be that way and start with pictures of our homeschool on a "typical" day (meaning today). Actually, the very first picture isn't from today. It's from a mythical day of ages past when the house was perfectly clean. I thought it would be nice to give perspective on what the room looks like as a whole. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The girls doing their maths lessons. I was eating my breakfast...and taking pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they have work to complete on their own they take it to their desks. Here's Rosie working on handwriting this morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lunch time! Henry was being extra cute. Ok, ok, he's always extra cute.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXWCGrLMdDZcaFl_t68BJq_ARaQZOx7CGiQnic_YBIIw7DgHOb3m5E07h1abtjzbNFlS6L_5P6kpBCeGG3iG8dFwmhAIww7JelZXBaugcalYx64orFDpp6Mb1MxTtTjbBuSCg3GeMSF4/s1600/DSC_0205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXWCGrLMdDZcaFl_t68BJq_ARaQZOx7CGiQnic_YBIIw7DgHOb3m5E07h1abtjzbNFlS6L_5P6kpBCeGG3iG8dFwmhAIww7JelZXBaugcalYx64orFDpp6Mb1MxTtTjbBuSCg3GeMSF4/s640/DSC_0205.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The middle of our day is usually quiet reading time. Henry falls asleep most days and the girls read in their room. Liam...well...in theory he reads books on his bed. Now that he can read more I think the reality will catch up to the theory. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This afternoon the kids decided to make a restaurant in the side garden behind the koi pond (no koi...really more of a mosquito breeding pond but we do try to keep it drained)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charlotte sweeping the ground in the rockery. Yes, this house has a rockery. Just go with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perspective. I was standing in the rockery and looking toward the front gate when I took this picture. The front door is to the left.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhZPegGVR_c1u-_walo9PrxVagaEwQil1ZFAQ5JcJ5MZjz2dLzopJoMkj7jjHJvjyO1OH-UkuuUUlSOs8x9qv4wmqeHw8-s3f3vKW9ilM4j7-9d3uFST_S4-MJskZdJF5XayYcxI89OU/s1600/DSC_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhZPegGVR_c1u-_walo9PrxVagaEwQil1ZFAQ5JcJ5MZjz2dLzopJoMkj7jjHJvjyO1OH-UkuuUUlSOs8x9qv4wmqeHw8-s3f3vKW9ilM4j7-9d3uFST_S4-MJskZdJF5XayYcxI89OU/s640/DSC_0315.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Welcome to the Magical Restaurant! Perry is your maitre d. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX0kjB5JPxNLEkL5pCc3tO-t3sLdfYf_-vQaq8RLTXRSGpbv-swRDc9zKwmDwTxuRFeveAgrfOySbbSslQV_U6Ax-c6xQ4k2xpOmZlxcL7cBo58DPHi1OLp82as9oHd7zS2TDGBAzwE8/s1600/DSC_0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX0kjB5JPxNLEkL5pCc3tO-t3sLdfYf_-vQaq8RLTXRSGpbv-swRDc9zKwmDwTxuRFeveAgrfOySbbSslQV_U6Ax-c6xQ4k2xpOmZlxcL7cBo58DPHi1OLp82as9oHd7zS2TDGBAzwE8/s640/DSC_0352.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On staff we have one of the finest African chefs of our time. He spent his early years studying in America at the famous "Midnight Cafe" near Nashville. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxl5axRkNsBf1o65Kr3G3tS4vAL1oH2IHdOGqlbM2UODrfSS_1LNASzdHYoAfrOPH2ngUW-AqWASzMVMmmAQrfivyLMXQiJtT_ypsiwiCCpPjqa_Mnn1oxLoq7bKYHZPB1dmf9t3hY7o/s1600/DSC_0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxl5axRkNsBf1o65Kr3G3tS4vAL1oH2IHdOGqlbM2UODrfSS_1LNASzdHYoAfrOPH2ngUW-AqWASzMVMmmAQrfivyLMXQiJtT_ypsiwiCCpPjqa_Mnn1oxLoq7bKYHZPB1dmf9t3hY7o/s640/DSC_0364.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chef discusses the menu with another satisfied customer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the other side of the garden the girls were digging a hole. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1W4Kwem4t_Jchp6VSegdD2_u5ZV6LzGYuhm88TfMkwVuIHA_78eRREhxU2O8DluONeZgkIoQ7Td9Su7aloZOOkr8asuccLltQU-qBPWZWMkZsy4gZyvCUotVbV6Ma9M6kCHe9kONFFY/s1600/DSC_0384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1W4Kwem4t_Jchp6VSegdD2_u5ZV6LzGYuhm88TfMkwVuIHA_78eRREhxU2O8DluONeZgkIoQ7Td9Su7aloZOOkr8asuccLltQU-qBPWZWMkZsy4gZyvCUotVbV6Ma9M6kCHe9kONFFY/s640/DSC_0384.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now it's 6:15pm and dinner is cooking and the kids are playing outside with torches. Winter is coming, so it gets dark just before 6 now. James will be home late so we'll be having a late dinner and late bed time. </span></div>
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Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-77011356636163473902013-02-26T11:36:00.002-08:002013-02-26T11:38:09.250-08:00A trip to Kruger<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been going through pictures from our recent trip to Kruger park and trying to pick out the good ones. I took surprisingly few pictures...maybe I was too busy gawking. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The animals are great, but living in Africa can be a non-stop photo op. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the non-sequitor nature of Africa. So often you see signs and say, "What?!" Or someone walking down the street in a Georgia Bulldogs sweatshirt in the middle of summer. We saw this sign on the way to the park:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lpo8q_xx3toKLcyc8_dvRLp6S4MxDlGWA77MIR5oL4km5uWNdHTunVdda0fQ127b_u1j7wq7XQX6CO9nFnTFDF-GUGg4BQ_vwiRZDZWwbCTBEhlAEYWnf68x3pKeO4DvAId2xlArKwI/s1600/DSC_0473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lpo8q_xx3toKLcyc8_dvRLp6S4MxDlGWA77MIR5oL4km5uWNdHTunVdda0fQ127b_u1j7wq7XQX6CO9nFnTFDF-GUGg4BQ_vwiRZDZWwbCTBEhlAEYWnf68x3pKeO4DvAId2xlArKwI/s400/DSC_0473.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yes, you too can go to computer college, get your auto parts, and buy beauty products all in the same building! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as long as we're being random...how about a squirrel in Africa? Ho-hum and common you say? Many of the people I meet here can't imagine a place where squirrels run everywhere and there are no monkeys in the trees. When I tell them about squirrels being in our yard they are amazed...much like my reaction to monkeys in their gardens! This was the first squirrel I had seen since moving here 6 months ago.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinC3G4dMjH0_7u7m06U8j25x99HEycANX_wdu7hL6o_Q_WPEF_MJSCvaPCPGtkCYHhewlwdh_Wv1gJ5tOZFXcptuBPLN_AuepF4NPpq8KPwEzc1JkROQj3KXl2bTQ694k2HkJgj_D2yXg/s1600/DSC_0628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinC3G4dMjH0_7u7m06U8j25x99HEycANX_wdu7hL6o_Q_WPEF_MJSCvaPCPGtkCYHhewlwdh_Wv1gJ5tOZFXcptuBPLN_AuepF4NPpq8KPwEzc1JkROQj3KXl2bTQ694k2HkJgj_D2yXg/s400/DSC_0628.jpg" width="267" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And yes, there were the typical African animals, too, though we didn't see too many and most of them were too far into the grass or trees for me to get a good picture. This guy, however, came out for a better look. First we saw him in the trees just off the road.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwN5qw6IrNTypFVGS7cFB5zqtHwp71RtQjO9L7ftINmk_S5kV8Okn6e3E6iNSTHtzU6ASVlIbWntqIpvdIn33j1S2m81zvS429Vnd0WUOEHwHxM02eIZYplzLDjeyHpSueir6NI7EFrM/s1600/DSC_0686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwN5qw6IrNTypFVGS7cFB5zqtHwp71RtQjO9L7ftINmk_S5kV8Okn6e3E6iNSTHtzU6ASVlIbWntqIpvdIn33j1S2m81zvS429Vnd0WUOEHwHxM02eIZYplzLDjeyHpSueir6NI7EFrM/s400/DSC_0686.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then he turned and headed our way</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4E15hXDB2Kr-UBfV34GvrkRXdyn2lLoveeE_WEQPEKITkpclfrB7Wljq-SfM5u-M7NeshmB_MUuVrVBwlBQBXsVbmkjuifEwPlTl_Vt9hPI6Vm-tKkNxRw9WL1wHPOay4IsgDHY7mKI/s1600/DSC_0693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4E15hXDB2Kr-UBfV34GvrkRXdyn2lLoveeE_WEQPEKITkpclfrB7Wljq-SfM5u-M7NeshmB_MUuVrVBwlBQBXsVbmkjuifEwPlTl_Vt9hPI6Vm-tKkNxRw9WL1wHPOay4IsgDHY7mKI/s400/DSC_0693.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, he got downright nosey. We actually had to reverse to get out of his way...and as I was not driving I took pictures. The birds on the dash are wooden- I bought them from a guy on the side of the road on our drive up. There are people everywhere selling all sorts of crafts. The birds cost me about $5.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_GRiMbdCzkVFnQxSX-HXpVV6tUIAbmXGD7b91qIyh9DrnTU-lzkYdiJUsbCfBHr8AEWfd4yuSqx8KzQl0ABHmyiNu21_H6sPEybCvaMEJ7k80UBJWpjPpvqP369RCGc7NYWws_R9KKQ/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_GRiMbdCzkVFnQxSX-HXpVV6tUIAbmXGD7b91qIyh9DrnTU-lzkYdiJUsbCfBHr8AEWfd4yuSqx8KzQl0ABHmyiNu21_H6sPEybCvaMEJ7k80UBJWpjPpvqP369RCGc7NYWws_R9KKQ/s400/Image.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of birds...we saw a few.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrwIH_JaWaqvO0thAzRfmGAvxcpaUVkfYXp3LnXL4wSFxIhq4J3rvybcpqdx7z25p3PQ3yF4IWwhFgpxyXkHM-abqV-G9Txbg54fIX_N-BcV_0ULH82134oDU1Aj2ZneU4z6pqoRo9GU/s1600/DSC_0576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrwIH_JaWaqvO0thAzRfmGAvxcpaUVkfYXp3LnXL4wSFxIhq4J3rvybcpqdx7z25p3PQ3yF4IWwhFgpxyXkHM-abqV-G9Txbg54fIX_N-BcV_0ULH82134oDU1Aj2ZneU4z6pqoRo9GU/s400/DSC_0576.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VhBSdVm87SOz1Cy3r7h1tmFeCV5kQgHEuA_cLqQBEgEBR1m7yVqxe4IS7zVUXDcsQhQmoMy57I7EwhQVdE0SfvgHmCuh2b8CDlpKq-g9tf9H3xEvb6Rwp5BzXlIQajdjB85JU7o4MyM/s1600/DSC_0607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VhBSdVm87SOz1Cy3r7h1tmFeCV5kQgHEuA_cLqQBEgEBR1m7yVqxe4IS7zVUXDcsQhQmoMy57I7EwhQVdE0SfvgHmCuh2b8CDlpKq-g9tf9H3xEvb6Rwp5BzXlIQajdjB85JU7o4MyM/s400/DSC_0607.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids' favourite part was actually drawing in the sand at one of the camps. As fun as seeing animals is, they preferred drawing in the sand to driving around being quiet for hours looking for them. I wonder why? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They also enjoyed eating ice cream on a termite mound. Seriously. That whole hill is a termite nest. The kids didn't believe us until we took them around to see the information sign. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At that same camp these two birds got very close as they scavenged for scraps. "Common" birds, but exciting for us.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> One of my favourite things that we saw wasn't really an animal, but a spider. We were trying to see some rhinos in the far distance when this little guy distracted me. Ok, not so little. It looked to be at least 5" long. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And finally, the talking impala. I wonder what it was trying to tell us? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GeUV0vwLka8g18ak8qUFKWI2AgikeUrGluMCpGFKz6bB1SRxznRNLw7n1at8hCBeZQNbV6vmWiqCrizs5JJ-SVLY8EQ7-ZLQJpiDLY202ji1WuH9MnQu6id_Su_hclI4JHMHtsP3K3s/s1600/DSC_0798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GeUV0vwLka8g18ak8qUFKWI2AgikeUrGluMCpGFKz6bB1SRxznRNLw7n1at8hCBeZQNbV6vmWiqCrizs5JJ-SVLY8EQ7-ZLQJpiDLY202ji1WuH9MnQu6id_Su_hclI4JHMHtsP3K3s/s400/DSC_0798.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-30317778865580555262013-02-19T11:34:00.001-08:002013-02-19T11:34:59.869-08:00Not fickle, just figuring it out<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Big change for our family this week: we started homeschooling the kids. Eek! What a giant leap and an uncertain one. At first we were very happy with the school and it seemed like such a great thing. The environment is amazing and the kids had made a few friends. There were a few unexpected bonuses- Henry came home speaking a little TshiVenda he had learned from friends and the kids generally picked up on the different English. As a matter of fact, some things have been seemingly set in stone for them. "Z" is now "zed" and the word "been" is pronounced "bean" by all of them. An eraser is a rubber and bandaids are plasters. Also, jello is now jelly and the stuff you spread on bread is jam. Instead of 2nd grade it is now grade 2 and Math is now Maths. We wanted them to be able to adjust and blend in and thought school was the best way to do that. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indeed, school is the best way to do that, but it isn't our only goal for their education. At first we just waited and watched to see how things were going. Then one day Rosie brought home her grammar "book"- it was really no more than a little booklet and had no organisation, but rather seemed a collection of unrelated exercises meant to fix grammar problems rather than teach a system. Not long after that Charlotte stayed home sick one day and her school work came home with Rosie. I had seen the homework but didn't know what was being done in class. The math instruction is a lot of rote memorisation with hardly any practice with the concrete or with learning the concepts. They had learned place value in one day and one lesson in Grade 2 and were expected to apply the knowledge immediately. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we started asking questions we found that the school was not on the Cambridge system, but rather used the government curriculum and Cambridge resources to supplement. So disappointing! (They advertise that they are on the Cambridge system and told us that when we started) They start children much later and Liam, in grade R, was learning the same things he had learned in pre-K before we moved. There was still another year before the school expected him to start learning to read, but every day he was coming home and asking for a reading lesson. Rosie had not learned anything new except for Afrikaans and it began to feel like we were paying for her to play all day. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know that there is a lot to be said for them adjusting and making friends, but academically they were going to end up years behind. Our children love learning and reading and academic things. They were craving knowledge and we were spending 1 to 2 hours a day doing extra lessons at home (their choice). I am not a big fan of homeschooling in general. I do not think it is always best and up until now I did not think I could do a better job than the school they were at. Now, however, I do think that homeschooling is the best thing for our kids. And I want to give a big shout out to <a href="http://agathosschool.com/" target="_blank">Agathos Classical School</a> because our experiences this last year have shown us what an amazing school it is. Academically Agathos is great, but more than that the environment and people that make up the school make it exceptional. So often I wish the kids could still be there, but at least the older ones got to be there for a few years. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're still trying to find ways to fill the social gap for the kids. There is no homeschool group here...yet. I have met one other homeschool family and have been connected to some other possibilities. Information on the internet just isn't available here so you have to find things by word of mouth and it takes a while. The 3 older kids will be starting karate classes tomorrow and they seem excited about it. It's very different from the US (or at least from our experience)- bare concrete floor, open windows and children with bare feet (I know that's normal in the US for classes, but here the kids were not wearing shoes to begin with- most kids here do not wear shoes most of the time). Charlotte has started recorder lessons and we're hoping to start horse riding and swimming lessons soon. One happy surprise here has been how cheap services are. For all 3 kids to take karate twice a week comes out to about $50 a month. Recorder lessons are $12 a month and swim lessons about $10 a month. Now if only my groceries were less expensive...but I suppose it all has to even out somehow. :) </span>Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-56051529002199534502013-02-07T12:01:00.001-08:002013-02-07T13:47:26.409-08:00February is here<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">February 7?! February?!! Already?! Time is just flying by in leaps and bounds and is carrying us along with it. Other than a few sniffles and some minor head injuries we're doing well (seriously...the same child got a nasty gash on her head <i>twice</i> since I last wrote). The kids started school on the 15th of January and it's been nonstop dirty uniforms ever since. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grandma sent new back pack for the boys for Christmas and they were SO thrilled to be sporting them. We took these pictures for Grandma. :) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone on board the Buchanan Taxi! See all the dirt? The kids' school is on a dirt road and when it rains that road becomes an adventure slide! The first day of school was actually cancelled because of heavy rains and the road was difficult to drive. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On this particular day Charlotte was sick and asked to stay home. I'm sure she was well enough to go to school, but I think she needed some time at home so we let her stay. At one point she popped out of her room dressed like this:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And a snapshot of a weekday afternoon: girls doing homework, boys playing Candyland, me sipping coffee (or, rather, I would be if I weren't taking pictures), and Fern treating Severus as a chew toy. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of Fern...she's still the cutest dog ever. She's showing herself to be clever, too. It took one day to teach her how to sit and at almost 3 months old she is house broken. We've had to start locking the front door when we want her to stay outside because she's figured out how to open it. And, of course, if we leave the back door open she quickly runs around the house to sneak in that way. I wish I had a recording of her yawns...SO CUTE.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tomorrow we start Venda lessons with a professor from the University of Venda. I'm really looking forward to learning more. On Monday Charlotte starts recorder lessons and she is really excited about that. I've been having a lot of fun with my knitting and am working on a test knit for the first time. I'm also working on a lacy yellow cardigan. I'm sure some would disagree, but I consider myself a beginner because I still have so much to learn. Every project that you see me post is a new skill and a challenge for me. I'm not the type of person to be content making the same things over and over again...or even doing the same things in life over and over again. I love trying new things and gaining new skills whether it be in knitting or life in general. Onward and upward! </span></div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-45664228146303101872012-12-19T10:45:00.001-08:002012-12-19T11:07:11.049-08:00A new day, a new dogWhat a fun day we've had! First off, we got a call from the doctor and Henry's arm isn't broken after all! There is not a single radiologist in all of Louis Trichardt (population 270,000) and the one in the nearest city was on vacation and only looked at the x-ray today. The doctor and the x-ray tech had thought they had seen a fracture but were waiting on the official report before putting on a real cast. As soon as we took off the temporary cast Henry was swinging from the jungle gym. <br />
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We had 6 young men over for bible studies all morning and James took the opportunity afterward to fire up the braai. We had a fun afternoon grilling and hanging out. The guys started singing at some point and it was so nice to hear. <br />
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In the afternoon the girls and I went out on a secret mission. After Butterscotch died we promised the kids we'd get another dog...after we moved. While searching for a kitten to surprise Charlotte for Christmas I saw this sweet thing:<br />
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The girls named her Fern and she is SOOOOO sweet. Have you ever seen such a cute puppy?! </div>
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The kids gave Fern a stuffed dog to play with and she's been playing with it and sleeping on it all day. I can't get over how tiny and cute she is! Cute overload! The shop said that her mother is a jack russell terrier and her father is unknown. A pure cuteness dog is what I suspect. </div>
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In the meantime, we're still working on settling in. I almost have the living room put together how it is going to be for now (all of the factories are closed and so I can't get furniture until mid January...same for a dining room table). I'm hoping to get our bedroom entirely put away tomorrow (this includes our giant closet that is storage for the whole family, too). It's fun, but tiring work and I look forward to doing it.</div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-89470989891508239102012-12-15T12:52:00.001-08:002012-12-15T12:52:55.528-08:00Happy Birthday, Rosie! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crazy busy. That's the only way to describe what this last week was like. Every morning (for me and the children) was filled with travelling to Dzanani for their youth bible lectureship and every afternoon had some weird random "emergency" that wan't too bad but just increased the stress and chaos level. One day Liam threw a shovel at Rosie and caused a head wound...lots of blood, but not too bad of a cut once we were able to see it properly. The next day Liam locked one of the bedroom doors...for which we have no key...when all of the windows were closed and no one was in the room. Adam Kendall-Ball (who is visiting) was able to get it open for us eventually. Thursday James and the guys ran into a fork lift that was parked on the side of the road with the forks raised and sticking into the road...mixed in trees so it couldn't be seen. Who parks a forklift like that?! It opened the Condor like a tin can and smashed the windscreen and front and back passenger windows. God was really watching out for those guys because no one was hurt- not even the guys right next to the windows. The day after that one Henry broke his arm while playing on the kids' new swing set. I still have no idea how that one happened. He says he was climbing and "then it happened" and he adamantly insists he didn't fall. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But today was Rosie's 8th birthday and we ended this weird week with some fun. We had a pool party and braai (cook out) to celebrate. How strange to have a pool party for a December birthday! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Playing in their pjs early on Rosie's birthday. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQ0nfyQbYR7tZkTNqiSxLkykGhCRhdooII_dajzJXRZeHj35eB2wUmXMWc8zC9aQEuRo-RsojyiE7Z7ImobeuKgOwaZ7hNfgDsqj009KTP6Eo02ng_YjQqiZZnBuWLMtshI51oY2iPWM/s1600/DSC_0346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQ0nfyQbYR7tZkTNqiSxLkykGhCRhdooII_dajzJXRZeHj35eB2wUmXMWc8zC9aQEuRo-RsojyiE7Z7ImobeuKgOwaZ7hNfgDsqj009KTP6Eo02ng_YjQqiZZnBuWLMtshI51oY2iPWM/s400/DSC_0346.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found pirate costume making kits on clearance the other day<br /> so we've had some fierce pirates hanging around. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCQO3Zz0Aj_Qcs0oojSTawNCXpn04OyxsuWKncvgh4PKzmdftw3x_e2NObyJLpTLL343i65g3NoSFrmIir9bpsNmzulog90ZRqOLe-o6wzkUG0vdE6mq9Fzky5ovXTAb5SDv4qiP2weY/s1600/DSC_0484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCQO3Zz0Aj_Qcs0oojSTawNCXpn04OyxsuWKncvgh4PKzmdftw3x_e2NObyJLpTLL343i65g3NoSFrmIir9bpsNmzulog90ZRqOLe-o6wzkUG0vdE6mq9Fzky5ovXTAb5SDv4qiP2weY/s400/DSC_0484.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pool party at our house! The thatched area behind the pool is called a lapa. <br />You can see James working on the braai (grill). <br />Rosie requested steak for her birthday dinner.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Poor Henry was so upset about not being able to play in the pool, <br />but Mama planned ahead and got a little fishing game for <br />him to play with...in a bucket. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pool seen from inside the lapa. The room behind the glass doors is James' study. <br />You can see my washer machine in the dark space to the right. It's outside, but so <br />far that hasn't been too big of an issue. It's kind of nice to have a <br />rainy day as an excuse to not do laundry.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Henry decorating Rosie's cake. <br />He insisted on the chef hat because he could not find an apron. <br /> I guess you have to get in character. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoYHICQ5sqGz0bi6678Yk5ybsWv1WAgTdbzbTjLVOdQiHWcJoiDyVA17EqiaqeytNZOgo2OKDM0nyrnKqV2V17uVNAMx_r2Pt7xRSHMr6khyphenhypheno3-cXjzpRrP2S_NanrK5NDUMfOwf6FJA/s1600/DSC_0531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoYHICQ5sqGz0bi6678Yk5ybsWv1WAgTdbzbTjLVOdQiHWcJoiDyVA17EqiaqeytNZOgo2OKDM0nyrnKqV2V17uVNAMx_r2Pt7xRSHMr6khyphenhypheno3-cXjzpRrP2S_NanrK5NDUMfOwf6FJA/s400/DSC_0531.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sampling the wares. And I thought you'd like to see more of the kitchen.<br />Yes, Tammy, those are the pots they decorated at Macy's birthday party! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDTRwUMZxqz51wX72s5H7EZdMIqW8gQZhbjxcZxC_ZOb89PiHjAD2rIKq7b0oletYQDAH2oxif9xJRD2F4rqaefAitZaJ_qA9dqSN4PD4xC-Huelk21unrZtrD6gcpC3rXlEdmlFVwHs/s1600/DSC_0561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDTRwUMZxqz51wX72s5H7EZdMIqW8gQZhbjxcZxC_ZOb89PiHjAD2rIKq7b0oletYQDAH2oxif9xJRD2F4rqaefAitZaJ_qA9dqSN4PD4xC-Huelk21unrZtrD6gcpC3rXlEdmlFVwHs/s400/DSC_0561.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Birthday girl fresh out of the pool...in December! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha84ATfpHmVvsAMRBcpfhJWrqTyu3kWFkduVyWIkMgbAiwLNL1_NTgYi8kpuWYaKZqK9CImNzsQDBxetULKfu4JfxnH6wuoZyFq3JubUMrbfk6TN8VhaQC7pfYopTHmjGj7xvDEfMe0YU/s1600/DSC_0567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha84ATfpHmVvsAMRBcpfhJWrqTyu3kWFkduVyWIkMgbAiwLNL1_NTgYi8kpuWYaKZqK9CImNzsQDBxetULKfu4JfxnH6wuoZyFq3JubUMrbfk6TN8VhaQC7pfYopTHmjGj7xvDEfMe0YU/s400/DSC_0567.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LOVED seeing the look on her face when she saw one of her presents. <br />It was a book on the flags of the world. And Henry, photo bombing as usual. </span></td></tr>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-85242700739767732492012-12-04T11:39:00.001-08:002012-12-04T11:39:21.092-08:00The container arrives!!!!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The container has arrived! The container has arrived! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week we finally found a house to rent and it is more than we ever expected. It has 4 bedrooms, a giant study, 3 bathrooms, a pool, a lapa, and even a sewing room for me! We had a bit of fear yesterday when the shipping company told us that a roof had leaked and some of our things had gotten wet, but it turns out it was only 2 or 3 boxes and my glider. They are going to try to clean/repair the glider and will replace it if they can't. All of the other things that were wet/mouldy were not important or overly special and will be replaced by the shipping company. Not a single dish was broken and everything was present and accounted for. Big sigh of relief! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizi_lVtvszy-c2BSyK_BHXk8ilQUJRl11jXTLDCZTD8DMxLX0BpOGJrtKjj0u0wSFzCoinbRoouYPhQP1O96e_azwE7LT2SiD1W6bYg70tlh6laFKyrBPBFhJ8GggaL9TaSYTqMUIouT0/s1600/DSC_0296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizi_lVtvszy-c2BSyK_BHXk8ilQUJRl11jXTLDCZTD8DMxLX0BpOGJrtKjj0u0wSFzCoinbRoouYPhQP1O96e_azwE7LT2SiD1W6bYg70tlh6laFKyrBPBFhJ8GggaL9TaSYTqMUIouT0/s400/DSC_0296.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The truck arrives!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHCoXujKZDreDhyphenhyphenvg6-JfCUewAJQZcnQisr1PnjXVBwRIcARxYyMop7sbbCOvw6CjvWtFDspzyY6msEX438szX-yg9sZYyojQJQPnmNm9-pRjfnQMvT5bKOa5IEgZHTdn1HqiKokgngs/s1600/DSC_0282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHCoXujKZDreDhyphenhyphenvg6-JfCUewAJQZcnQisr1PnjXVBwRIcARxYyMop7sbbCOvw6CjvWtFDspzyY6msEX438szX-yg9sZYyojQJQPnmNm9-pRjfnQMvT5bKOa5IEgZHTdn1HqiKokgngs/s400/DSC_0282.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the boxes that got wet was my shopping bags, but after an hour in the sun they were dry and smelled fine. LOVE the clothes line at the new house! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUM7bFeTlvCno43g-7MmG7ISIYFKNmElkKrEc1s6bqZLeuh8Nsyzost22KRGA3kquEnbIq1mW4yIQuSYnRNi5TElPlV5OW9pJLcQz07z2DE7FfOLrYZ0DtVIDHKZFAUbnwCWQ2GQHRdI/s1600/DSC_0300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUM7bFeTlvCno43g-7MmG7ISIYFKNmElkKrEc1s6bqZLeuh8Nsyzost22KRGA3kquEnbIq1mW4yIQuSYnRNi5TElPlV5OW9pJLcQz07z2DE7FfOLrYZ0DtVIDHKZFAUbnwCWQ2GQHRdI/s400/DSC_0300.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Movers unpacking the kitchen. They unpacked and checked the contents of every single box and hauled the rubbish away.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk-vbIGNveKrS18_6jJRVJBk-YNsnCLObS-F0yFQgFL1HSo96LMSyDXY2SC2I2f0VyObWb5s-0moq6pIQtLS3a87C0DgX-fZLW9MAcwBMCMYWiGeVmQP3wMQ8t13Hx6BRWFTqCJJFM3o/s1600/DSC_0303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk-vbIGNveKrS18_6jJRVJBk-YNsnCLObS-F0yFQgFL1HSo96LMSyDXY2SC2I2f0VyObWb5s-0moq6pIQtLS3a87C0DgX-fZLW9MAcwBMCMYWiGeVmQP3wMQ8t13Hx6BRWFTqCJJFM3o/s400/DSC_0303.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids rediscovering their play kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74RIEl8vJTBjMLckPdSiChx5SIILR8rNj6D0tZPzTtXDp9rKsMD1y_E9gs-G7VI11fziXjzLMIfo55tXV989Fk4WMGMAYJrHG4vQotrx4REgp2cc7b8CL3NKe7NRWfggLpRklCgd-EKc/s1600/DSC_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74RIEl8vJTBjMLckPdSiChx5SIILR8rNj6D0tZPzTtXDp9rKsMD1y_E9gs-G7VI11fziXjzLMIfo55tXV989Fk4WMGMAYJrHG4vQotrx4REgp2cc7b8CL3NKe7NRWfggLpRklCgd-EKc/s400/DSC_0308.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"New" toys in the driveway. </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The movers unpacked all of the boxes, but there is still much to be done. They stacked everything on counters and shelves and now we have the task of sorting it all out. We spent the day going through things and oohing and ahing over everything. The kids were SO happy to see their things...and so was I! I'll post pictures of the house once we are more settled in. :) </span></div>
Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-81993359315920060082012-12-04T11:11:00.000-08:002012-12-04T11:11:19.973-08:00Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is one of the ironies of life that when life gets interesting enough to blog about you don't have time to blog about it. Such has been the last two weeks for us. We had quite a crowd here for Thanksgiving- The Baizes, Maydells, Williams', and Loeto. But that wasn't the only thing happening...the kids' school year was finishing up and on Thanksgiving morning the boys had their end of year program. The weather was amazing and *almost* felt like fall...even though it was late spring. It was rainy and the kids' school was in the clouds. The boys were SO cute, especially Henry. He kept dropping his dickie birds during the recitation. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh6bEoUeBeYHJODOwiZJrkfaTJKvFSElUO52qeu0UysATcNsLqU_XBMLfXapLar6w_dJuNC5k009X-SgIzCxC4EyR4UgXywK7aQhVHs0EVt9A8TGhqJnQiBW_4KQU9cHLJg3dtjVCkB0/s1600/DSC_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh6bEoUeBeYHJODOwiZJrkfaTJKvFSElUO52qeu0UysATcNsLqU_XBMLfXapLar6w_dJuNC5k009X-SgIzCxC4EyR4UgXywK7aQhVHs0EVt9A8TGhqJnQiBW_4KQU9cHLJg3dtjVCkB0/s400/DSC_0273.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grade R kids on the way to the stage in the clouds</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22B2DRG5Qp9aH00UFeyI5BwVD9PUfJOdLrOoTSnjqT0euF40lKFHALwG7ZFB8U7V1on7pvlPjTcof7936PjxZdBrjoVHu9yCtQby8WI6b8v_WXeiUBCW-pqJIp_2Fe6XAAtyNmWmjW1Y/s1600/DSC_2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22B2DRG5Qp9aH00UFeyI5BwVD9PUfJOdLrOoTSnjqT0euF40lKFHALwG7ZFB8U7V1on7pvlPjTcof7936PjxZdBrjoVHu9yCtQby8WI6b8v_WXeiUBCW-pqJIp_2Fe6XAAtyNmWmjW1Y/s400/DSC_2826.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Henry dropping his dickie birds...again</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrcE8gPNwQXAGS7fEXxxozTN4U8xO4dIlDeSx3tTDzte5xeE_6Ge1oMkp-r7np9J1eYYmHVQL3ujkTUu_qmpji-WWNaaCVJOZXVU-D4JCQpsPwDoVYjYMTIMkPRlKcMovi4i1MyjItKs/s1600/DSC_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrcE8gPNwQXAGS7fEXxxozTN4U8xO4dIlDeSx3tTDzte5xeE_6Ge1oMkp-r7np9J1eYYmHVQL3ujkTUu_qmpji-WWNaaCVJOZXVU-D4JCQpsPwDoVYjYMTIMkPRlKcMovi4i1MyjItKs/s400/DSC_0277.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Liam and his dickie birds</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvhu4qfVxjIaA-_k7rleIRo4VBksHe0UfVNKQHHE_3reKlg42Lzi_gvDx9QbfBmjD2gbFEtetGuK5k2e3IDFa73EOR0-HQqQUpYULJjSrllqjmuGN0SQJt_Cn0vUeSUSfpQiZCEpBGk8/s1600/DSC_0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvhu4qfVxjIaA-_k7rleIRo4VBksHe0UfVNKQHHE_3reKlg42Lzi_gvDx9QbfBmjD2gbFEtetGuK5k2e3IDFa73EOR0-HQqQUpYULJjSrllqjmuGN0SQJt_Cn0vUeSUSfpQiZCEpBGk8/s400/DSC_0330.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My boys loving on each other</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there was cooking, cooking, and more cooking!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO9B6DUbMQ0Sw1IvlfnzD2iaP1D5ICp7QHFZWUvhY0bWDY2rk-BUP7NSBBhTr4wgUXkH-ejMjFCu2-nozizqS7hQd-ekSdPP2DoGwMkZNDxB_3j-PELcc4c2r4g6jpPqGQv1JumY7lks/s1600/DSC_2861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO9B6DUbMQ0Sw1IvlfnzD2iaP1D5ICp7QHFZWUvhY0bWDY2rk-BUP7NSBBhTr4wgUXkH-ejMjFCu2-nozizqS7hQd-ekSdPP2DoGwMkZNDxB_3j-PELcc4c2r4g6jpPqGQv1JumY7lks/s400/DSC_2861.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dough for dinner rolls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basting the bacon-wrapped turkey with the "turkey baster". </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo959BDnZl5SCbMyXwWzOaMHE4r-fGxyPmf13_OhCHlQw7ZE-Xj3XhcY0526yIkChmGmKUDhvLhdC1v5c4TRZxJ-ogUfTPDrT0QKSWcMFsxh9mknr8-gn7DBkipcYB1WGSRIWkius-gwg/s1600/DSC_2890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo959BDnZl5SCbMyXwWzOaMHE4r-fGxyPmf13_OhCHlQw7ZE-Xj3XhcY0526yIkChmGmKUDhvLhdC1v5c4TRZxJ-ogUfTPDrT0QKSWcMFsxh9mknr8-gn7DBkipcYB1WGSRIWkius-gwg/s400/DSC_2890.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Antics</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there was food with friends</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPoCxYpeyFb02TWQMJcKaxpVg9ioCMXojdfdxT44Z5eDsBG_MNlxmE34ypWO-PojqaBo1qEwUJke347Y_sCLlJJ_4ytSbKX1ngSyxlrvIFIHAcGt3tFCujj6e4NXquG-TbYTajPC3B5U/s1600/DSC_0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPoCxYpeyFb02TWQMJcKaxpVg9ioCMXojdfdxT44Z5eDsBG_MNlxmE34ypWO-PojqaBo1qEwUJke347Y_sCLlJJ_4ytSbKX1ngSyxlrvIFIHAcGt3tFCujj6e4NXquG-TbYTajPC3B5U/s400/DSC_0352.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All gathered</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwG_e2nnyVwUhUjoyCvAc01kdH_TnxOpb1Vjd5619aKH3sdyqNfF31RXYVIxX4EMS7A3WpMwQD8FQ5hZaamfBKFZMsBtbQ_jRxowJoBs_NEw421wBCPkAtfneTExTvVWXAF9Bladw_sU/s1600/DSC_0350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwG_e2nnyVwUhUjoyCvAc01kdH_TnxOpb1Vjd5619aKH3sdyqNfF31RXYVIxX4EMS7A3WpMwQD8FQ5hZaamfBKFZMsBtbQ_jRxowJoBs_NEw421wBCPkAtfneTExTvVWXAF9Bladw_sU/s400/DSC_0350.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Young men's table</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49QB8DAkkwYKao7T-t_hHDYdY4uEWjUAIUXVzBmCWobFqsVmZZ_1qKP-_Z72z5qN5YECH4ugtlfO_Hshve1dRPvG9JmZvhmUg2wLL6ZBBOOK0UhkDXVMk5jaTg8O_IDujXA9_o__OW0M/s1600/DSC_0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49QB8DAkkwYKao7T-t_hHDYdY4uEWjUAIUXVzBmCWobFqsVmZZ_1qKP-_Z72z5qN5YECH4ugtlfO_Hshve1dRPvG9JmZvhmUg2wLL6ZBBOOK0UhkDXVMk5jaTg8O_IDujXA9_o__OW0M/s400/DSC_0349.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lBvphOPWInIJR_H20wP0-w0nhNFPC4I8Qm5UkziBqE67Y5cD1O0b_esSLdbMsh13YHylf6BlwgQ6FH-jazvXnbmHkGhLplRfAo3_kF6ydL8444IEpaOfPaZkkCmdKNMO6v_W1ErrPRs/s1600/DSC_0355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lBvphOPWInIJR_H20wP0-w0nhNFPC4I8Qm5UkziBqE67Y5cD1O0b_esSLdbMsh13YHylf6BlwgQ6FH-jazvXnbmHkGhLplRfAo3_kF6ydL8444IEpaOfPaZkkCmdKNMO6v_W1ErrPRs/s400/DSC_0355.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mkhulu and Auntie Helen break the wishbone<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we weren't cooking and eating we were playing.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnMxjRIBD_erIQSP158PPGjTLYZa-nhmmOhdU_IBWpeveZ47R0g0x4dWJ7UNfXeUk0u5r4_PyUSYDgRdp2RrYnYYof1aoRlnXr_007lqcm3evYb6sc4-7BIbrZv_bMifbx46dLk5d0DM/s1600/DSC_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnMxjRIBD_erIQSP158PPGjTLYZa-nhmmOhdU_IBWpeveZ47R0g0x4dWJ7UNfXeUk0u5r4_PyUSYDgRdp2RrYnYYof1aoRlnXr_007lqcm3evYb6sc4-7BIbrZv_bMifbx46dLk5d0DM/s400/DSC_0273.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Playing the South African edition of Monopoly late into the night</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmumEeikKaHaPzrif_P56h-jEsWtMdi9kTMljSUm6DIfzOQ2VJuh3vpa_nmuUZNlFuCXyfc5JlMNcpVKK4Vv9A1VjA1t6f30sb9IY4rnzKG_Jogt1cjV_QymzPOPMLcOuoyL3v41lOg8/s1600/DSC_2898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmumEeikKaHaPzrif_P56h-jEsWtMdi9kTMljSUm6DIfzOQ2VJuh3vpa_nmuUZNlFuCXyfc5JlMNcpVKK4Vv9A1VjA1t6f30sb9IY4rnzKG_Jogt1cjV_QymzPOPMLcOuoyL3v41lOg8/s400/DSC_2898.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've all learned to take Rosie seriously at chess. When you let your guard down and think you are playing a 7 year old she sneaks up on you and...checkmate! </span></td></tr>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-15507787745907930972012-11-21T04:38:00.001-08:002012-11-21T05:15:33.790-08:00Wanna run with me?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9bQH-4cjClf0bE9jSaf4RcvdtMRMlc1xEVT1qzEIrHGWRrJMrPbLH7Aro46688v44Lob4ZyyaTGLULHGl6NufWCCaVUqGXM5qJ4S_9crQdK8HqGNxFh_5XErXMyxF8cBQ6_f5lUY82w/s1600/DSC_0306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9bQH-4cjClf0bE9jSaf4RcvdtMRMlc1xEVT1qzEIrHGWRrJMrPbLH7Aro46688v44Lob4ZyyaTGLULHGl6NufWCCaVUqGXM5qJ4S_9crQdK8HqGNxFh_5XErXMyxF8cBQ6_f5lUY82w/s400/DSC_0306.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lately my favorite running route is Leeu Street (Lion in Afrikaans)...and it is a beast of a run. It's only 4.5 kilometers but it feels like 10. We sit at the foot of the Soutpansburg Mountains and sometimes Leeu feels like it goes all of the way up. Why don't you come with me? I like to run from the house down to the bottom of Leeu. That's the easy part, though there is one little hill (that little hill turns into a nice little break on the way back). At the bottom you turn around and are rewarded with this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dnCockUV0aGasCLzg4hjYPKWRsZFEUlaLQkXyBm_n1e2kFW__kz9n5ETIpd4M55UgQkzm1q3iYKAlUFmLYAU4BkIfo8k630MxalSBI8xh3pHZN7K9ZpRdDZcnr9lWhvX0riFfVkt_Ak/s1600/DSC_0291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dnCockUV0aGasCLzg4hjYPKWRsZFEUlaLQkXyBm_n1e2kFW__kz9n5ETIpd4M55UgQkzm1q3iYKAlUFmLYAU4BkIfo8k630MxalSBI8xh3pHZN7K9ZpRdDZcnr9lWhvX0riFfVkt_Ak/s400/DSC_0291.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See the top of the hill in the picture? That's just half way, but I try not to think about that. In the meantime, there is a slight uphill and we pass Ridgeway College. This is the high school our children will go to if we still live here.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnU28WG1crp76FegdIbHt58SZup8fI12G6zepdErQmPTsQ_D4b3GW7YqtfXfcV5yazToVVnaN5bIl5hpd3Xlyhz54iX6w8KI75QwONe1qjVBBdBDnM3wVpgw4FjZO6Mkn8LZQZx5uD4mM/s1600/DSC_0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnU28WG1crp76FegdIbHt58SZup8fI12G6zepdErQmPTsQ_D4b3GW7YqtfXfcV5yazToVVnaN5bIl5hpd3Xlyhz54iX6w8KI75QwONe1qjVBBdBDnM3wVpgw4FjZO6Mkn8LZQZx5uD4mM/s400/DSC_0294.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just past Ridgeway on our left is a neighborhood and on the right is the velt (the "v" is pronounced "f"). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl01SihtsjfeeG6ZCrvA7ir6HDPBBWaq4Yd2AYdbUcVm0pg0GhoXCp5-hdIEPvCZ6_ZR8GZlF3fz-U7UFjeDIbfE4cjdS10lA3Bd4Y3bxdZ-YgzMMBZ_ROC45l5NuR3OWCJS6htCyunWs/s1600/DSC_0280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl01SihtsjfeeG6ZCrvA7ir6HDPBBWaq4Yd2AYdbUcVm0pg0GhoXCp5-hdIEPvCZ6_ZR8GZlF3fz-U7UFjeDIbfE4cjdS10lA3Bd4Y3bxdZ-YgzMMBZ_ROC45l5NuR3OWCJS6htCyunWs/s400/DSC_0280.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And then, out of breath, you reach the top of that first hill and see this. Do you see that house right in the middle with the orangey-red roof? That's where we're heading. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt9usntVc5b2o21rPF44kKXMiBFT3qB1lZRjTcxM84phbZxGaOK_BVY2PJeNKvnn65b8zNUv2S5_p8HFg6MfP2lNhHv1hbCV5n7-YBG47BT32XD4ZCsS1LLqnPbBZ4HaU4IuGOBsHLow/s1600/DSC_0311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt9usntVc5b2o21rPF44kKXMiBFT3qB1lZRjTcxM84phbZxGaOK_BVY2PJeNKvnn65b8zNUv2S5_p8HFg6MfP2lNhHv1hbCV5n7-YBG47BT32XD4ZCsS1LLqnPbBZ4HaU4IuGOBsHLow/s400/DSC_0311.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But first, turn around and see how far you've come!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68Fj6f5EY5Vxge5wQAQ9sSvz4-oUx8Xjk3wB4HslO80mDbb3V6NwgPoOVKqbjWbT5IKbzqWr3mx6z29I5_k-gQWw8n9-Cp53ovCQcAiCOm8cpAqvqqV_KDR3UL_SMVVG34uVH7uXTKto/s1600/DSC_0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68Fj6f5EY5Vxge5wQAQ9sSvz4-oUx8Xjk3wB4HslO80mDbb3V6NwgPoOVKqbjWbT5IKbzqWr3mx6z29I5_k-gQWw8n9-Cp53ovCQcAiCOm8cpAqvqqV_KDR3UL_SMVVG34uVH7uXTKto/s400/DSC_0309.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First that little break (remember the uphill on the way down?), then a slow uphill the rest of the way. This part is mostly in shade and there isn't much of a view because of all of the houses and trees. And I have to confess that the end of the route is not so triumphant as the beginning. You stop here at the stop sign. They're still building in this area so there are workers all around that cheer you on and chat when you stop. Some mornings that's a lot better than the view. Remember the orangey-red roof? There it is behind the half-finished house. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxk8edgTvSxNJqK0zUH5pwUReGINLYPkMW9R-SYI8cqpBoZJyb5_cMaQx-rfptNTIBdPO77bGGetItdhLX1OUtMn00KzywcpinzJE0G_0DHnH7eWO_1xUa_bnynqPAsk5QI-i6e41_k8/s1600/DSC_0304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxk8edgTvSxNJqK0zUH5pwUReGINLYPkMW9R-SYI8cqpBoZJyb5_cMaQx-rfptNTIBdPO77bGGetItdhLX1OUtMn00KzywcpinzJE0G_0DHnH7eWO_1xUa_bnynqPAsk5QI-i6e41_k8/s400/DSC_0304.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was a bright, sunny day, but the best are the ones that are cloudy because the clouds come down on the mountains and you run in a mist. Feet on the ground, head in the clouds. </span></div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-23337219089840329822012-11-16T10:46:00.000-08:002012-11-16T10:46:14.624-08:00Summer fun<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Summer is starting to heat up around here and what better way to enjoy it than with an ice cream cone? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscMyT_BIUlhHXaqNZUb-pfXagYTjhU0ukf6GT_FIEiSq7G9Osh28FGSZTYnUNsbVCmZ0IZYirAKu9A_Noh55JLmlg2hzmBjqkH7cpfJSV7I1JPskAhT20UonvRwbGgJ6XEPkq8puH-XY/s1600/DSC_0292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscMyT_BIUlhHXaqNZUb-pfXagYTjhU0ukf6GT_FIEiSq7G9Osh28FGSZTYnUNsbVCmZ0IZYirAKu9A_Noh55JLmlg2hzmBjqkH7cpfJSV7I1JPskAhT20UonvRwbGgJ6XEPkq8puH-XY/s320/DSC_0292.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While at the store buying the ice cream cones (well, we went to buy eggs and accidentally came away with ice cream) a woman came by selling these tractors. The wheels are made of wood and the tires are scraps from real tires.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HLiQvYXNy_PSIWhUyNyGyOwYOm4KofsiwNrbPFRTweFWUJjq7y_2_TQmmTEDyemcT37dUknoVm6bcgWNMJ593aeroSPIveHItuvivMsGDnIG3Q_XVqGel5oCG4oPLCmHxTjxkaKt3YE/s1600/DSC_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HLiQvYXNy_PSIWhUyNyGyOwYOm4KofsiwNrbPFRTweFWUJjq7y_2_TQmmTEDyemcT37dUknoVm6bcgWNMJ593aeroSPIveHItuvivMsGDnIG3Q_XVqGel5oCG4oPLCmHxTjxkaKt3YE/s320/DSC_0308.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favorite things here is tea with friends. I just love the cute tea trays everyone puts together. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got these green dishes the other day and the girls and I just had to try them. Want to come over for tea? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1C3r51gHl7PrZjJRDLXrERV0Rl6_cwlcKvugaQZ-TpX9NrBUsQXbNb0tHz9LiKnImuVwuGzW70w5zWCqzAjNo6NIc3Ej7z3tTyDM8oSxScMvF3g3aTMKvorHkO2Chj0UUFCYjBHyVeoc/s1600/DSC_0322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1C3r51gHl7PrZjJRDLXrERV0Rl6_cwlcKvugaQZ-TpX9NrBUsQXbNb0tHz9LiKnImuVwuGzW70w5zWCqzAjNo6NIc3Ej7z3tTyDM8oSxScMvF3g3aTMKvorHkO2Chj0UUFCYjBHyVeoc/s320/DSC_0322.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-13903550942754117392012-11-15T11:07:00.000-08:002012-11-15T11:10:41.309-08:00Moth v. Mantis <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3ZlaZqWw0dsstU5v9XJU7I0aEyjsyrKAz5_2mhZJCGg7nVsTZqphqJhj3L5pA14_ohpBS7DlZAWsBc54ZZ6rOvJMarTqikeZo5yM3ZWB75LZXDePEsSu8PhYi4VhvwpmD8s1wlvwElM/s1600/DSC_0282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3ZlaZqWw0dsstU5v9XJU7I0aEyjsyrKAz5_2mhZJCGg7nVsTZqphqJhj3L5pA14_ohpBS7DlZAWsBc54ZZ6rOvJMarTqikeZo5yM3ZWB75LZXDePEsSu8PhYi4VhvwpmD8s1wlvwElM/s320/DSC_0282.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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A couple of weeks ago the kids found a large moth outside. A happy hour was spent examining it and picking it up. They thought it might be dying, but every time they made plans to bury it, it would flutter its wings. Then we spotted this guy nearby:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-RHF4MjlBYm32MHjTtXA41Ezp7tMGAiLCRv9i7bZNYXalSmZulip92YY-aFyZouvAH-mi6VZOhHZDEAwmdVz0SKKk8ZTVr3gExN6p9R8RmFNdFTXj4ZOWl6JtFx-9lMwYiMfEsR6vn0/s1600/DSC_0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-RHF4MjlBYm32MHjTtXA41Ezp7tMGAiLCRv9i7bZNYXalSmZulip92YY-aFyZouvAH-mi6VZOhHZDEAwmdVz0SKKk8ZTVr3gExN6p9R8RmFNdFTXj4ZOWl6JtFx-9lMwYiMfEsR6vn0/s320/DSC_0297.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMUMSHGhu1D1P-FcYhi5fn7ef_pSZpGGVmJy-8IBub9hfmpZx2qbqRc4TfOUu1bUr5gv-wiLS4eRu8Fo7fMeVxWNVMI43Vugy3eybLCGI1jW-TDma7ChKhNqctP1Zvve34d_QCP8Q9Vk/s1600/DSC_0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMUMSHGhu1D1P-FcYhi5fn7ef_pSZpGGVmJy-8IBub9hfmpZx2qbqRc4TfOUu1bUr5gv-wiLS4eRu8Fo7fMeVxWNVMI43Vugy3eybLCGI1jW-TDma7ChKhNqctP1Zvve34d_QCP8Q9Vk/s320/DSC_0308.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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And the kids *might* have been encouraged to see what would happen if the moth should meet the preying mantis...and the moth *might* have been put on top of the preying mantis. We got to see both the moth and the preying mantis fly. The moth escaped its own funeral and flew up into a palm tree. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLOo02ujsFc3gIvsqGl5h4A8CobM2Nh6xKtkp2iTCQo58XE1jtLUzLTYcslAgK-AabfFPtmhrkB4Owv5q0RAfWz2tgR1hDzeY0MVu5Hw-az9mkMXTRSKMxZrRq8OUD1KaQPahg9xW1Hk/s1600/DSC_0310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLOo02ujsFc3gIvsqGl5h4A8CobM2Nh6xKtkp2iTCQo58XE1jtLUzLTYcslAgK-AabfFPtmhrkB4Owv5q0RAfWz2tgR1hDzeY0MVu5Hw-az9mkMXTRSKMxZrRq8OUD1KaQPahg9xW1Hk/s320/DSC_0310.jpg" width="309" /></span></a></div>
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In knitting news...there's this:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcKperySUhlTFkzL9oasjPtKFB_wocRgIr_N7BxktfKi61CMz0ggKud9_1oTxHMJ6skkHFTTq1KIJtedEdBYwgtUTsMVAkFo8zMoL8SWJu4Ueap_JgbY7jO6bsxSjGo9NYD9W3BnPca0/s1600/DSC_0349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcKperySUhlTFkzL9oasjPtKFB_wocRgIr_N7BxktfKi61CMz0ggKud9_1oTxHMJ6skkHFTTq1KIJtedEdBYwgtUTsMVAkFo8zMoL8SWJu4Ueap_JgbY7jO6bsxSjGo9NYD9W3BnPca0/s320/DSC_0349.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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Ok, ok, it's not an oversized hat. It's a poof, footstool, large ball to throw at your brother...and perch for Perry the platypus. I've been seeing stools like this in stores here selling for about $200. Craziness! Total cost was about $29, but I think I can do it for less next time. The stuffing I used was too squishy, but it works for the boys. I want to try one in red with firmer stuffing. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiceSss7jnHlvGPWz2aAz6XFM-Yd5EZwoOD_LF8Xaa9aG3HcstVyuVgcVvf6EB-CbWWI3B5Iz453hfIqyf8XEbtrgrXV2hWpgQblBaDpV6FoWIdxqOw1SUFuYI5UdpV7byDHydtmCtLGk/s1600/DSC_0427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiceSss7jnHlvGPWz2aAz6XFM-Yd5EZwoOD_LF8Xaa9aG3HcstVyuVgcVvf6EB-CbWWI3B5Iz453hfIqyf8XEbtrgrXV2hWpgQblBaDpV6FoWIdxqOw1SUFuYI5UdpV7byDHydtmCtLGk/s320/DSC_0427.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-76261684580466456602012-11-01T11:05:00.002-07:002012-11-01T12:39:22.310-07:00Come with me to Tshithithuni<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every Thursday morning Joanne teaches a ladies' bible class in Tshithithuni (pronounced "Chit-ta-tooni"). The Beckleys are leaving for the States on Monday and so today was the last Thursday class at Tshithithuni for the year. I'll be teaching it starting in January until Joanne gets back in March. Being the last of the year, all of the ladies brought food and provided us with a feast! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The church at Tshithithuni meets at the house of one of the members in a converted garage. The Thursday ladies' class meets here as well. This is the house and the open door at the left is the garage/meeting room. Also notice the blue barrel positioned to catch rain water. Much of the valley has no running water and the people rely on water trucks...or rain water, but more about that another time. Sorry about the oversized pictures, but I wanted you to be able to see them properly. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt2wrsoIs79G7mg69UCGUJaU3_Ldy-yDWKt8XtfQXZrU3AdFDblenAQJriOELs4I58deRSlbvY6fPRRG0vbQjWeOk5TILYV5pt7f8m7y55CA4LtejLCi29oqmA1y4B1YrKowz3kbv5Rs/s1600/DSC_0362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt2wrsoIs79G7mg69UCGUJaU3_Ldy-yDWKt8XtfQXZrU3AdFDblenAQJriOELs4I58deRSlbvY6fPRRG0vbQjWeOk5TILYV5pt7f8m7y55CA4LtejLCi29oqmA1y4B1YrKowz3kbv5Rs/s640/DSC_0362.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TWgy4d2G-nFEZSBoQmNlvVYsYTM7TchlAkdSFN7dZLRLTEt2xfOXbtS1Kzad9TKop0V-PYgEwLf0fohdThN6OBRVMis6gvqKeNIhUVOjdCD1DCLaAm0f5rVd2MuSKAmIk7n40L6NK7Q/s1600/DSC_0336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once you enter that door this is what you see. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TWgy4d2G-nFEZSBoQmNlvVYsYTM7TchlAkdSFN7dZLRLTEt2xfOXbtS1Kzad9TKop0V-PYgEwLf0fohdThN6OBRVMis6gvqKeNIhUVOjdCD1DCLaAm0f5rVd2MuSKAmIk7n40L6NK7Q/s1600/DSC_0336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TWgy4d2G-nFEZSBoQmNlvVYsYTM7TchlAkdSFN7dZLRLTEt2xfOXbtS1Kzad9TKop0V-PYgEwLf0fohdThN6OBRVMis6gvqKeNIhUVOjdCD1DCLaAm0f5rVd2MuSKAmIk7n40L6NK7Q/s640/DSC_0336.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because this was the last class of the year the ladies all brought a dish and we had a little party. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcNYvtBS6i0-cGFAKLDve9617hxSCMkomS5dvGFKpaP0JkOgt6IbNqxJSBSLt0cRQBDNwWu_dAApaNUpQs6DaS9QzFatU-vVLbdghsJQ_vMu3glCwFycstEt3c8wkhToR6hyphenhyphenz03-TjpA/s1600/DSC_0344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcNYvtBS6i0-cGFAKLDve9617hxSCMkomS5dvGFKpaP0JkOgt6IbNqxJSBSLt0cRQBDNwWu_dAApaNUpQs6DaS9QzFatU-vVLbdghsJQ_vMu3glCwFycstEt3c8wkhToR6hyphenhyphenz03-TjpA/s640/DSC_0344.jpg" width="427" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be sure to wash your hands before you eat, Joanne! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOP6Ld6lm_4uLUW2yvFgQTHzJ_bXczDPSJZ1uwrDUPiAy3PVNdNiXvz8fMdXEbvhEQRBr5a8mPHef0gTSdzqawQYDh4AQ5OtWSDeu_CgK-afr5ZWNzajwGlIA_roRPa91TwZiRRowxDo/s1600/DSC_0346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOP6Ld6lm_4uLUW2yvFgQTHzJ_bXczDPSJZ1uwrDUPiAy3PVNdNiXvz8fMdXEbvhEQRBr5a8mPHef0gTSdzqawQYDh4AQ5OtWSDeu_CgK-afr5ZWNzajwGlIA_roRPa91TwZiRRowxDo/s640/DSC_0346.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ladies of the class with all of the good food. And me...feeling conspicuous. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuVXyOLl3bTDqYVjivSAE399ArT9kQrF3i5hPP6a0KLbk7rYuTHrt1GRa_Zn_GgQ7SZwfjG9a7jMnMagqm-TlCG65SuLP7WL7bDY1Kxrz25shRPgjo9404D0SgZrt9DF02HJVObFgiPs/s1600/DSC_0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuVXyOLl3bTDqYVjivSAE399ArT9kQrF3i5hPP6a0KLbk7rYuTHrt1GRa_Zn_GgQ7SZwfjG9a7jMnMagqm-TlCG65SuLP7WL7bDY1Kxrz25shRPgjo9404D0SgZrt9DF02HJVObFgiPs/s640/DSC_0348.jpg" width="427" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the view as you leave the building. Pictures just don't do it justice. Such beautiful land.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr321G_4aRcD_smO3senKv9WBca3SaQ5JWQbH4MOUFZCJmQjOe6ZXlGXk9e7koonKAxMgHZi2eE7CmETaqpLqVfKiQJUUPnL2_O2UBZe2FK1nQafuCvLi1ohysyfOQpckJ_4YPiDfYjQ/s1600/DSC_0361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr321G_4aRcD_smO3senKv9WBca3SaQ5JWQbH4MOUFZCJmQjOe6ZXlGXk9e7koonKAxMgHZi2eE7CmETaqpLqVfKiQJUUPnL2_O2UBZe2FK1nQafuCvLi1ohysyfOQpckJ_4YPiDfYjQ/s640/DSC_0361.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time to head home. Anyone need a chicken? Just R50! (About $6) You'll have to do the killing and plucking, though. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfKHDueEfhyphenhyphenj9k422NNo1ry_tIN8xTlAfCybgYrnke5OCVjk2EzMGVeahVtz1s2JxFdDmUKgQKT217GuKf7vECvkgb52IfRbeH0zWC80tkJg0S2u3VtyTfWCn67_1VGy0Vpw5Dhslut8/s1600/DSC_0371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfKHDueEfhyphenhyphenj9k422NNo1ry_tIN8xTlAfCybgYrnke5OCVjk2EzMGVeahVtz1s2JxFdDmUKgQKT217GuKf7vECvkgb52IfRbeH0zWC80tkJg0S2u3VtyTfWCn67_1VGy0Vpw5Dhslut8/s640/DSC_0371.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast food, anyone? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerYOhYk3GcaV2y86TNHmf8TD87iMm2aQveisH6iR4pKmMGxLjuq_VDljJ0XS6zE7ON-kt5csmbmtsvyfWfaFyNwQ79xv8_zox9MwlQySR8Yny6U_4qkl_AsEQJn1gh9lKoPvipmFg2Kc/s1600/DSC_0373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerYOhYk3GcaV2y86TNHmf8TD87iMm2aQveisH6iR4pKmMGxLjuq_VDljJ0XS6zE7ON-kt5csmbmtsvyfWfaFyNwQ79xv8_zox9MwlQySR8Yny6U_4qkl_AsEQJn1gh9lKoPvipmFg2Kc/s640/DSC_0373.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just had to take a picture of this one. "Lefty's Driving School"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3whj-cjwDfK_pMNv859zPZwYCGi-e8vNBXeh1kAtI-Ckcp7V90bTtyUVoPvVvT6t_jmp7TP9r7nuydFgXjZ_TPtDTyyiowEul7G0In2g7EXoas8Q92zzKJKlFex463-m3BZO95sgBI3g/s1600/DSC_0382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3whj-cjwDfK_pMNv859zPZwYCGi-e8vNBXeh1kAtI-Ckcp7V90bTtyUVoPvVvT6t_jmp7TP9r7nuydFgXjZ_TPtDTyyiowEul7G0In2g7EXoas8Q92zzKJKlFex463-m3BZO95sgBI3g/s640/DSC_0382.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A primary school. It is difficult to pass this school (and many others) on my way to pick up our children from their school. It's two different worlds an hour apart. You want to help and make things equal, but you can't. Time and development are the things that will really make the difference. So you do what you can to help whoever you can, always being aware that some help can be harmful, and trying to find the right balance. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sM35IRO1KKBB3_IzE_Blx9eufVovLepFn57iT6uS6eftK8cl8FnXv5oEfHX71j5SLTITJRcCl5LuWaSKNW0NbV3WUVam1iN3aAlH8Aiy4n39bkzW4J_p2hseDz-DUgeqegHiJpJNG9c/s1600/DSC_0387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sM35IRO1KKBB3_IzE_Blx9eufVovLepFn57iT6uS6eftK8cl8FnXv5oEfHX71j5SLTITJRcCl5LuWaSKNW0NbV3WUVam1iN3aAlH8Aiy4n39bkzW4J_p2hseDz-DUgeqegHiJpJNG9c/s640/DSC_0387.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The children call this Silver Lake. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHUL4NSEw0l27305rfL73eewH1zHqRYBugVwrdzlCZs9vPLdOq0NvLzfcob9FPfhvJh8j0zjyvIbOKmbDY8Y_vfi_4P7wyFeuk69kfj3auKYRb2dikaj-rT7g1wyBUh1NVTgMmj8o5pY/s1600/DSC_0397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHUL4NSEw0l27305rfL73eewH1zHqRYBugVwrdzlCZs9vPLdOq0NvLzfcob9FPfhvJh8j0zjyvIbOKmbDY8Y_vfi_4P7wyFeuk69kfj3auKYRb2dikaj-rT7g1wyBUh1NVTgMmj8o5pY/s640/DSC_0397.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like looking at this road every time we drive home. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkGR0qiQ3vOFLnmtCpn7uO4VosSdcBvZpyba3OWNwJ-NqBqhBS_tAlMkPseL6PeQMHyak-UfhFXyLEGGY3mKrT5AltgQ_chfQws2uk8i848RuzPd-HNIWLrJ3AOQJFsL9OzJ-2n-ZPkE/s1600/DSC_0441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkGR0qiQ3vOFLnmtCpn7uO4VosSdcBvZpyba3OWNwJ-NqBqhBS_tAlMkPseL6PeQMHyak-UfhFXyLEGGY3mKrT5AltgQ_chfQws2uk8i848RuzPd-HNIWLrJ3AOQJFsL9OzJ-2n-ZPkE/s640/DSC_0441.jpg" width="427" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coming back into town on the N1. </span></div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-60858375884150668092012-10-29T13:06:00.002-07:002012-10-29T13:08:56.225-07:00Chess, a Sweater, and a little more Charlotte<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Chess has become very popular in our house lately, mostly due to the influence of school. Every Thursday afternoon the kids play chess after school. Chess in the classroom, chess on the lawn, chess everywhere. Rosie already knew how to play and Charlotte wanted to learn so at home we've been reading through "Gary's Adventures in Chess Country" by Igor Sukhin. Wonderful book! Each chapter introduces a new piece in a fun way and teaches kids how to use it. There are puzzles at the end of each chapter that help reinforce what they just learned and also teach basic strategy. We do fun things like using sweets for the "mines" in some of the puzzles and using legos for others. When they solve the puzzle they get to eat one of the "mines" (well, not the lego ones). Charlotte has learned how to use all of the pieces except for the pawns and the king, but she's still an easy target for Rosie.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhlkRLHlo9TvW8iSM2GJn1uLEvu7lt9KgsVaf3A4rsKLggllanN-g9dxYWl1fN2NHd0L7P10_f9XBQUs_MCiJqg7asykbYOY4pae276-lRCEfLaLiqjVrYK5Xd8br0PTS2emJ4wfVF8k/s1600/DSC_0174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhlkRLHlo9TvW8iSM2GJn1uLEvu7lt9KgsVaf3A4rsKLggllanN-g9dxYWl1fN2NHd0L7P10_f9XBQUs_MCiJqg7asykbYOY4pae276-lRCEfLaLiqjVrYK5Xd8br0PTS2emJ4wfVF8k/s400/DSC_0174.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rosie has been learning to be more careful and check for danger, as well as using a little bit of strategy...but she's still an easy target for Loeto.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Remember this? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s320/DSC_0213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has become this: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-9GGsx7G9kuHcBJ-5G7gZPVeGdtis-0fQ0iyT2id6gDrZ8MOtBfnRo3HgZeK-GRaapQBse82R9UT8le58-y0bH-HMicjxQ-4c0s8BgQ_XVdJ-KiXcRT8Ene6V57Tjijxbp1gbJoTAbY/s1600/DSC_0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-9GGsx7G9kuHcBJ-5G7gZPVeGdtis-0fQ0iyT2id6gDrZ8MOtBfnRo3HgZeK-GRaapQBse82R9UT8le58-y0bH-HMicjxQ-4c0s8BgQ_XVdJ-KiXcRT8Ene6V57Tjijxbp1gbJoTAbY/s320/DSC_0198.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TuVuaChVI2XHFmuC_pdJXWQq-ADMtaO96Brym-CN6TGbXBtPNlXC3TKfCN79teUeJ4pa1sErDjWE7tZ289XegLxF7dkPdXaNbcIM-0TtiD-dLDXNCncmugP2-IZhsbm7tXPANHjOD_g/s1600/DSC_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TuVuaChVI2XHFmuC_pdJXWQq-ADMtaO96Brym-CN6TGbXBtPNlXC3TKfCN79teUeJ4pa1sErDjWE7tZ289XegLxF7dkPdXaNbcIM-0TtiD-dLDXNCncmugP2-IZhsbm7tXPANHjOD_g/s320/DSC_0212.jpg" width="214" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, I jumped. Yes, I look silly. Remember that you asked to see the picture.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> My poor Charlotte came home from school sick today, but as soon as she got some medicine in her it was back to being fancy. "Mommy, take a picture of my hair and post it on Facebook for grandma to see!" It was nice getting to spend an unexpected day with my Charlie (pronounced Sharlie per her request). After the rough first week of school she is just loving it and was very sad to miss out today. Hopefully she'll be better for tomorrow, but I doubt it. Dare I confess that I hope she stays home so we can have another day of cuddling and watching movies? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM0rFZYU4ykdGfJZhyphenhypheneo_E_CXNF5WES6JWi-fDkFev6GTKMEVKWcQM_FMT9Rrw5n1KBT9B1JYm6dw46LXEAoBOYmFwk50yhaX9NOZhY2OaY6eaBomZyswXnpQX6bNNPMNkGYGYQZAkZI/s1600/DSC_0314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM0rFZYU4ykdGfJZhyphenhypheneo_E_CXNF5WES6JWi-fDkFev6GTKMEVKWcQM_FMT9Rrw5n1KBT9B1JYm6dw46LXEAoBOYmFwk50yhaX9NOZhY2OaY6eaBomZyswXnpQX6bNNPMNkGYGYQZAkZI/s400/DSC_0314.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-44775962515919850672012-10-19T06:20:00.002-07:002012-10-19T06:21:47.982-07:00In which Charlotte loses another tooth <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's the end of another week of school and things are going well for the children. Charlotte seemed to have trouble the first week, but this week went much better. This afternoon she came home with a slight South African accent, but three hours later it's fading. I wonder how long before it stays? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In more Charlottey news, she lost another tooth today! When it rains, it poors, and the tooth mouse comes to stay! I took her outside to take a picture and, well, how can you take just one picture of Charlotte?! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why, yes, that is a tooth rose. Thank you, Charlotte. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And always take time to stop and smell the roses.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still no news on a car or house. We're trying to raise the 50% down payment and are waiting on news of loan possibilities from the States to make that happen. And the car. Well, we're probably going to have to wait 3 more months until we can qualify for a car loan because cars here are just too expensive for us to buy outright (and we have to use our savings for a house). I have to admit that that is one of the most difficult things about this move- lack of mobility. SO thankful for the Beckleys' car that we can use, but really eager to have our own...especially one with an automatic transmission. </span></div>
<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-61491228712362953462012-10-13T00:09:00.000-07:002012-10-13T00:09:30.787-07:00Shongololo! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Look what we found on the driveway this morning!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFisidwkZHhWMsrCFSV0l1dN2CikGgb3Av4VRYoT1FCslKw6C3O3ogbWwEA-oUOwBySOHOxCyj0gR4ruN4dM7t_vjbA-_ErNJey5H_sBowKDYfhCgGzjEFNjwijuhLQagSDcAwY1iXZ8/s1600/DSC_0173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFisidwkZHhWMsrCFSV0l1dN2CikGgb3Av4VRYoT1FCslKw6C3O3ogbWwEA-oUOwBySOHOxCyj0gR4ruN4dM7t_vjbA-_ErNJey5H_sBowKDYfhCgGzjEFNjwijuhLQagSDcAwY1iXZ8/s400/DSC_0173.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVAdQiOS1qNrkZOkSeuxLyg0oIJQzJlNMqpU65iwrIAZmmHwJMUm36CRNd-z-9u8b_ZoYWFpiM6uyAxzEyF9RKj0xrKQbf1UwISCFJcHHpY1Y_I-D5tqloluphMs1Bx3pMSShcfI3WqA/s1600/DSC_0214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVAdQiOS1qNrkZOkSeuxLyg0oIJQzJlNMqpU65iwrIAZmmHwJMUm36CRNd-z-9u8b_ZoYWFpiM6uyAxzEyF9RKj0xrKQbf1UwISCFJcHHpY1Y_I-D5tqloluphMs1Bx3pMSShcfI3WqA/s400/DSC_0214.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A millipede! Otherwise known as a shongololo. Shongololo just sounds so much more fun than millipede. Who will touch it first? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsICAyL62_C2GMseBC06DiYR0pjphWB5IwZLa5riSiiz8D3c-ZQo68-n8CffJP4FpkmNhSQ-nN3vWGQlD5M1U9vjcqzlFa5Ox8EnHQghXe6bSlL_wrHDXLgQzLo_0k4zeOFfXeOa2fRU/s1600/DSC_0231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsICAyL62_C2GMseBC06DiYR0pjphWB5IwZLa5riSiiz8D3c-ZQo68-n8CffJP4FpkmNhSQ-nN3vWGQlD5M1U9vjcqzlFa5Ox8EnHQghXe6bSlL_wrHDXLgQzLo_0k4zeOFfXeOa2fRU/s400/DSC_0231.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Charlotte, of course! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss8yo-VpKrhlhdTu_jYJqEy8OJE1pB5vgKjLc6mPwXB-F2I9I-DcQO5AlxBUVHYIO6C38ZdTGUKHUGfivyd5_LXA6zO8t4vfD7QNa77AD8K4Q8fcOcTHOHpZTWI8eTyvxGZnfKitBhKY/s1600/DSC_0263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss8yo-VpKrhlhdTu_jYJqEy8OJE1pB5vgKjLc6mPwXB-F2I9I-DcQO5AlxBUVHYIO6C38ZdTGUKHUGfivyd5_LXA6zO8t4vfD7QNa77AD8K4Q8fcOcTHOHpZTWI8eTyvxGZnfKitBhKY/s400/DSC_0263.jpg" width="267" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvr-D66d9bvFpVU2JPdziIZludX3uQNP1RR1-7znKfJB_hKz545urJWnJn4yREjY7OytcDDViDB_dX0dOFdQM0FEQkrRfdYImoCa1IBY-RYFN5ssvqlO2Sf2WdgAu4OtiCuaDpjqYd2g/s1600/DSC_0274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvr-D66d9bvFpVU2JPdziIZludX3uQNP1RR1-7znKfJB_hKz545urJWnJn4yREjY7OytcDDViDB_dX0dOFdQM0FEQkrRfdYImoCa1IBY-RYFN5ssvqlO2Sf2WdgAu4OtiCuaDpjqYd2g/s400/DSC_0274.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The boys poked it and then tried roaring at it, but Mr. Shongololo wasn't too impressed. </span><br />
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-67148276316826554292012-10-11T07:14:00.001-07:002012-10-11T07:16:31.468-07:00A tooth, a fever, and a house.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look who lost her first tooth today!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvyYbuv4ZN6IUtujNDmZwpkUxt-bCVuMYTjsZ_4wKrH-fhee4OJVui_wS-Zaf3iky4OaDQLewV2hJvy7F-GnK9NJ6CGWpR15mQRHTTFbVfI1mXxeZrgdt4FnM1B0ojWuxYexBtLaDZTs/s1600/DSC_0180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvyYbuv4ZN6IUtujNDmZwpkUxt-bCVuMYTjsZ_4wKrH-fhee4OJVui_wS-Zaf3iky4OaDQLewV2hJvy7F-GnK9NJ6CGWpR15mQRHTTFbVfI1mXxeZrgdt4FnM1B0ojWuxYexBtLaDZTs/s320/DSC_0180.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wait, this is Charlotte we're talking about...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Henry's new skill for the day: photo bombing. Yes, done on purpose. Then I asked them to act like they loved each other for a picture. Yup, that's about right. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSJDwgbEMfyeFDKlgMl9SySMz73Zlq4xyIVX9733OQNjm3FOEJ7WrEDmfiCAZZTvAvMGt4r1_k1FmFjVczwrZpEYD4IR1qDzsebZ0vfiuPrMhEsRANC7fMDbvLfcFrndkL-tdGG-JZ78/s1600/DSC_0189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSJDwgbEMfyeFDKlgMl9SySMz73Zlq4xyIVX9733OQNjm3FOEJ7WrEDmfiCAZZTvAvMGt4r1_k1FmFjVczwrZpEYD4IR1qDzsebZ0vfiuPrMhEsRANC7fMDbvLfcFrndkL-tdGG-JZ78/s320/DSC_0189.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday Liam came home from school with a fever and so he stayed home with mommy today. By the time the other kids came home from school his fever was gone, but he's a little tired. As I was taking pictures of Charlotte I turned around and saw this. So pitiful and sweet.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We kind of, sort of made progress toward getting a house today. We made an offer on a house, but now there is the small matter of coming up with a 50% down payment (a requirement because of the nature of our visas). We're also trying to get our car situation sorted out, but it has been frustratingly slow. We do not qualify for a car loan here because we have not been in the country long enough. But...for a car that will fit our family it is at least $40,000 (unless we get very lucky and find one used, but the prices for used aren't much lower). We're hoping to get financing from the US, but haven't heard word yet. So, like always here...we wait. </span></div>
<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-46664466315338217602012-10-09T06:16:00.001-07:002012-10-09T06:16:12.226-07:00First day of school! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was the kids' first day of school! They're jumping in for the 4th term here (school runs from January-December) so Rosie is finishing up 2nd grade, Charlotte 1st grade, and the boys are both in RR. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The kids were all up very early ("Mommy, I got up at 5:42!") and ready to go. Where did these big girls come from?!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU1Ybccg70Zk2c3IW5vyX9WI4S0msfoZZvaoM3UqcPpwoZx7qrLzvBp44VyBXfsj6a6PgsKfBn_Im2zPgpw26GXiz3dmejm7zqFuQblnpoWgI8mCIoo7Oa7_m5_nfBN5Qvpqc_hmOG2E/s1600/DSC_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU1Ybccg70Zk2c3IW5vyX9WI4S0msfoZZvaoM3UqcPpwoZx7qrLzvBp44VyBXfsj6a6PgsKfBn_Im2zPgpw26GXiz3dmejm7zqFuQblnpoWgI8mCIoo7Oa7_m5_nfBN5Qvpqc_hmOG2E/s320/DSC_0212.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All my big kids ready to go!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEDzf5WDZfq681StjClYhJjoehxDrZLc-dYbp-aQZKiCtPj80BRSbRdJPcbVRAcfkV1ZbnKeJnUc88pN7dLOl4gAqKBIap0y-o48IJ6qMgJ2VNJ5eBJRh2xr8y6xVfbz9fCh7FtXH70o/s1600/DSC_0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEDzf5WDZfq681StjClYhJjoehxDrZLc-dYbp-aQZKiCtPj80BRSbRdJPcbVRAcfkV1ZbnKeJnUc88pN7dLOl4gAqKBIap0y-o48IJ6qMgJ2VNJ5eBJRh2xr8y6xVfbz9fCh7FtXH70o/s320/DSC_0230.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> James and I took the kids to school together. It was a cool, misty morning that threatened rain but never came through with it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQq93HSq_tkwYKphVu7Fv1iA5sMeaxZvkjbqjoFF_KtrkBeCNdJL8nbbp6bLa57B3q9lgg2G_42opboLvsP64j3he8B72eBKRGk2OPsg_-m6mZvmJNbIL2uK3n2KaBKDzX-D8W0kHky4/s1600/DSC_0239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQq93HSq_tkwYKphVu7Fv1iA5sMeaxZvkjbqjoFF_KtrkBeCNdJL8nbbp6bLa57B3q9lgg2G_42opboLvsP64j3he8B72eBKRGk2OPsg_-m6mZvmJNbIL2uK3n2KaBKDzX-D8W0kHky4/s320/DSC_0239.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> What?! Your school doesn't have peacocks behind the library?! (ok, ok, peafowl) This is on the way to the R(Reception) and RR classrooms. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eMA5HyvwjTmdziA-PxV-fCSb3Kgjopgb8W5vuRzWLiNHWdQQpvamC4dMe5WNbIT0g60okn89W3obZ-0LkNwjHssX48dIkkw__-unTJWc2tiyAz1_t9hoDVg-chWjrjPWSyTYXSZ5uMo/s1600/DSC_0240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eMA5HyvwjTmdziA-PxV-fCSb3Kgjopgb8W5vuRzWLiNHWdQQpvamC4dMe5WNbIT0g60okn89W3obZ-0LkNwjHssX48dIkkw__-unTJWc2tiyAz1_t9hoDVg-chWjrjPWSyTYXSZ5uMo/s320/DSC_0240.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbYQbJTzy8etABGY0VVR1MhjPyZiM0wvipviyqrxdF2tb-cG5oA_p2kAs7AnEmdPijMXRaGR3UUiferwPCYWtkcqk9DsbFCRV2dTgOb2RfEigBRWSRRg51RW-yxoBbWcYUAAz_1TbFTY/s1600/DSC_0245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbYQbJTzy8etABGY0VVR1MhjPyZiM0wvipviyqrxdF2tb-cG5oA_p2kAs7AnEmdPijMXRaGR3UUiferwPCYWtkcqk9DsbFCRV2dTgOb2RfEigBRWSRRg51RW-yxoBbWcYUAAz_1TbFTY/s200/DSC_0245.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DJOGx8dRkFe7X4vpX0O75yL4LD1S28QXNI2tRCn3W6651NSNlCl9ez5YDWr51lC7qZlo8fGXAPByakROurBp_vb2zWnIHayMLTgFrWkH9_aQ3VKoBnfugtTCv3H0cAmX0Zl55XxrQ98/s1600/DSC_0248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DJOGx8dRkFe7X4vpX0O75yL4LD1S28QXNI2tRCn3W6651NSNlCl9ez5YDWr51lC7qZlo8fGXAPByakROurBp_vb2zWnIHayMLTgFrWkH9_aQ3VKoBnfugtTCv3H0cAmX0Zl55XxrQ98/s200/DSC_0248.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The preschool playground where the boys spend much of their day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KmWAUKN6LcxZrSJKVEcQlINeRdqBr1ulACJIQ69yvYISJOIDP-HmQnxFmKcHzTZpIrYp9i-Cljo2oQzdLSFS73x2G7G_tpiP2Nlcx3kN-JnucT_6Cxu51OFGY_RjhGvc4e_46rL2o-I/s1600/DSC_0251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KmWAUKN6LcxZrSJKVEcQlINeRdqBr1ulACJIQ69yvYISJOIDP-HmQnxFmKcHzTZpIrYp9i-Cljo2oQzdLSFS73x2G7G_tpiP2Nlcx3kN-JnucT_6Cxu51OFGY_RjhGvc4e_46rL2o-I/s200/DSC_0251.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DC4VHPrfMaw4bk48mHH7K_CF_c3ga5D91_tLTfI_z18Dxv4LLsV61AQADSFddtk6qGL4728E3Yq7TwV0t2xRs1ulKC5RslFXDqeHIIB-CwkCnfNk91LR1GAQeZA9Qf3UgjCTGdniMdM/s1600/DSC_0250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DC4VHPrfMaw4bk48mHH7K_CF_c3ga5D91_tLTfI_z18Dxv4LLsV61AQADSFddtk6qGL4728E3Yq7TwV0t2xRs1ulKC5RslFXDqeHIIB-CwkCnfNk91LR1GAQeZA9Qf3UgjCTGdniMdM/s200/DSC_0250.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Charlotte's class(left) and Rosie's class (right). they are across from each other around a common area.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Playground for grades 1 and up. I love the acacia tree- just seems so African. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNKWslQ8sQzNv_uQ0Tzi3C8fpmxMs4FL1DorAXcaqUeYy8PthZVKVpBCJq5-3YunQxc8Kz6i8xIothflQUrTTj1BJzyJH5rJ53lCGwfgLv9KWrRgwX8Wx8IdejAkK5vrVue4xl995Bng/s1600/DSC_0252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNKWslQ8sQzNv_uQ0Tzi3C8fpmxMs4FL1DorAXcaqUeYy8PthZVKVpBCJq5-3YunQxc8Kz6i8xIothflQUrTTj1BJzyJH5rJ53lCGwfgLv9KWrRgwX8Wx8IdejAkK5vrVue4xl995Bng/s320/DSC_0252.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nabNclWs0H8xxiz2rLrA8MJmbfURNehv6nrfGOx4_hVzoSJChXIKOhRuek5ij5ZUW9p4LPRWcxDfPZF3dO6vnRW_GhEMU2-s7aiYc6_cigIVKRzP0G1Be1yyK529UL_6G12d1QB_NNQ/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nabNclWs0H8xxiz2rLrA8MJmbfURNehv6nrfGOx4_hVzoSJChXIKOhRuek5ij5ZUW9p4LPRWcxDfPZF3dO6vnRW_GhEMU2-s7aiYc6_cigIVKRzP0G1Be1yyK529UL_6G12d1QB_NNQ/s200/DSC_0260.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoC_OdhvxcPxD5vwmKTI4kIWrX2D7Y3pJM-aXEa6wBUyJiyAZKJ8CjP_Xv6c0PTrDHGYnyvG9GrYVy7kwNlIdUwz5fNcFFjz_7t1iLH3sNiKPR3-_KIK9RxQVq8_HBZfmBvqAK2Qy_FQ/s1600/DSC_0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoC_OdhvxcPxD5vwmKTI4kIWrX2D7Y3pJM-aXEa6wBUyJiyAZKJ8CjP_Xv6c0PTrDHGYnyvG9GrYVy7kwNlIdUwz5fNcFFjz_7t1iLH3sNiKPR3-_KIK9RxQVq8_HBZfmBvqAK2Qy_FQ/s200/DSC_0254.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Animal house (left) and Peafowl hanging out with the bunnies (right).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "But I thought you were homeschooling?" Well, that was originally our plan because we had not heard good things about the schools here. Indeed, the government schools are not an option and most private schools are run by churches and so are also not options. This school, Ridgeway Independent School, is a private school with no religious leanings whatsoever. It's just a private school. It's also rather inexpensive (well, compared to private schools in the States...here it is considered extremely expensive. Also, there is no such thing as a free school here- there are fees for government schools as well as private). This school focuses on academics, basic good values (honesty, integrity, respect for all men, etc), and living in and taking care of our environment- all things that we care about. As you can see from the pictures, it has lovely grounds and the kids are encouraged to be outside and work with the animals and know all about the plants and birds around them. We thought that going to school would be the best way for them to adjust to a new country and make friends. Certainly it is the easiest and fastest way for them to learn the languages (they will have an Afrikaans class and of course the English is different) and culture. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The first day went really well. Charlotte seems to be the only one who had a little trouble, but that was not much. She is a little behind her class, especially in handwriting and a little in reading (here 1st grade is approximately equivalent to US Kindergarten and Grade 1 combined. She finished Kindergarten in the States but is jumping in at the end of Grade 1 here). Rosie went back about 1/2 a year and so has no trouble academically. Because of the age cut off here, she would have been almost 2 years younger than the kids in her class if we had kept her where she was. That was just too big of a gap, especially when adjusting to a new country and dealing with all of the upheaval. She seems to have made a few friends already (when we picked her up she was walking with one little girl and chatting). The boys were happy as larks. Their teacher said that they just had an easy day and mostly played since it was the first day back from a break. Also, a child in their class had a birthday and so there was cake. Play all day and eat cake? I love school!!!! For now both boys are in the same class but that is because they are allowing Henry to go for the last term where he normally wouldn't have started school until January. Next year Henry will be in RR again and Liam will move up to R. </span></div>
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Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-43478382127997258692012-10-03T12:10:00.001-07:002012-10-03T12:14:05.309-07:00A little thing<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When most people think of living in Africa they think it's exotic and completely different from the States. I suppose that's true in a way when you look at the whole picture, but really I find that there is much more the same. It's like speaking a different language- two languages may have completely different sounding words for an object, but it is essentially the same. Take the words "dog" and "perro". Same animal, same relationship to man, but different words. In the States kids climb oak trees, here my kids climb mango trees. But when it comes down to it they are still kids having fun and climbing trees. The kids used to look out for squirrels and get excited when they saw one from the car (seriously), now they look out for monkeys. The language, the context is different but the life is the same. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGgxcIOqV_LTpUVwu_9alh_ItgRvQw_IdGjM4gJ8Mr3ZrDkEqAz48CdjQ6XrqX_1FhVa7zqT1kQdm1bQzIRY1D-p8L4qR3MJFkuH5hxu1Lwzzb0k-HEauK5Q2_uEPiotEXCeN6gQt6kg/s1600/DSC_0179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGgxcIOqV_LTpUVwu_9alh_ItgRvQw_IdGjM4gJ8Mr3ZrDkEqAz48CdjQ6XrqX_1FhVa7zqT1kQdm1bQzIRY1D-p8L4qR3MJFkuH5hxu1Lwzzb0k-HEauK5Q2_uEPiotEXCeN6gQt6kg/s400/DSC_0179.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One little addition to our lives comes in our bedtime routine: foot washing. The kids roam about the garden all day with bare feet and by bedtime their feet are filthy! I make them wear shoes when going out and about, but many of the children here do not. I'm still getting used to seeing teenagers at the grocery store with no shoes on. I confess I chuckle at the thought of those Tom's shoes. In America it sounds great to send a pair of shoes to a needy kid in Africa, but being here it kinda seems silly. Even the rich kids don't wear shoes all of the time. Even funnier to me are the pairs of knock-off Tom's for sale in the stores here. Oh irony upon irony! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I digress. After the kids have gotten their pjs on and brushed their teeth I line them up in our bathroom. I use a little basin of water and have them step in and then I scrub. It's amazing to watch their feet change color! By the end the water in the basin is orangey brown. The girls like to go last so they can be the one to soak in the warm water. The boys just want it over with. :) </span><br />
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-87917605603485863272012-10-01T13:27:00.000-07:002012-10-01T13:27:03.838-07:00The Mundane<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, I have a lot of time on my hands...in a strange way. Often I'm occupying or watching the children while James and Dave have studies in the house. At those times I can't really get into anything or get anything done...except knitting or crocheting. So, I've been doing a lot of that. Then in the evenings the kids are all in bed and the dishes are all done and what is a mom to do? Knit. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh8uZb3akZE3YMNy6gKUNGseWyM2AVh2mxmCZqAMQy9_279qq8CCybrNd8UORl1N8JW-gadYz-QYdPFUEyrytzoHVu0X7zBtOpNdBOWp5SezTtkeiF8GOkMl3-2Tw1MufMIkBUgXtyzc/s400/DSC_0213.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaq5TX4GSi0djZ7xx1WP8ooS5ntXULYgVy6oc8dRIlNh_WRZWAOgaB_9kG6V31-TVh8f64eYOtK6VZn54zQcz-w6nIl2Ix88d49FEHjHrnjrwtXpsVbJoYTu6PaF5z8OKUr_bohPdwYxM/s1600/beatnikBEAUTY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Supposedly it will turn into this. And yes, if I manage to pull it off then I will take a picture of me jumping like that. Maybe. Probably. We'll see. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another fun thing that we've been doing is collecting books and rocks. At the local book store they have a section of books and magazines with extras that are published every week or two. I've started collecting Agatha Christie books. Mine come out every 2 weeks. The girls are collecting a National Geographic series on rocks. So far they have gold, rose quartz, and amethyst. Theirs comes out weekly and makes for a fun Monday outing. We didn't get the chance to go today so tomorrow morning we'll head to CNA (the book store) and check to see if our new books/rocks came in. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvZM7sC17NRClyiYa13Bi08i8eiTZd4CGrPB_7hrSRVVfyY2obAEASmT0JIeN4hP7qEuqhRYPTjtwqFiY_RDj1kfYq5QQiBS0W5Z6blFclFCdd5DkUg507wOQwWDaaddV2RDvm8Qndl0/s1600/DSC_0200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvZM7sC17NRClyiYa13Bi08i8eiTZd4CGrPB_7hrSRVVfyY2obAEASmT0JIeN4hP7qEuqhRYPTjtwqFiY_RDj1kfYq5QQiBS0W5Z6blFclFCdd5DkUg507wOQwWDaaddV2RDvm8Qndl0/s320/DSC_0200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Both of these hobbies actually highlight things that I miss. It's not so much the country as our location in the country that restricts the availability of products. Louis Trichardt (or Makhado) is a smallish town in the far north of South Africa. Like any small town, there just isn't as much here. We can get everything we need and many things that we enjoy, though. However, books are not as available- I think Rosie has read through every book for sale in her age range in this town. We haven't been to the library yet, so that's a possibility. Still, I am SO glad the kids have kindles! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other thing that I miss is nice yarn. Not expensive or overly fancy yarn, just the ability to choose and get natural fibers. Even though more people here seem to knit and crochet there is less selection on yarn. Nearly all of it is acrylic and some cotton thread. I'd love to get my hands on some soft wool to knit up some cozy sweaters for those chilly African mornings. That is probably something I'll be ordering online and begging one of my friends to ship to me. Tweed. I feel the need for tweed. </span></div>
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Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-75362984936439033562012-09-26T11:39:00.003-07:002012-09-26T11:49:40.695-07:00"Normal" Life?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sorry for the long silence! So often at the end of the day I get the kids into bed and just want to sit down and knit or not do anything at all. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've been settling in...as much as you can settle in without a house or a car of your own. The Beckleys have been so wonderful and have made this experience the best it could be. Still, we look forward to getting our own place and really settling in. We've been looking at houses and there is one in particular that I just love. But...we're waiting on some paperwork on our house in the States to go through and our financial hands are tied until then. Oh, but that house has such a lovely garden! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've also been looking at cars and have narrowed it down to one or two. But...given the condition of the roads here and the unscrupulous nature of so many we really need to get a new or certified used car from a dealership. And what dizzying expense! For a car that will fit our family we're looking at around $45,000 to $50,000. Yikes! And that's not for anything fancy. We knew this before we got here, but actually seeing what you get for the money is still jarring. Even the used ones start at $40,000. Why so expensive? Probably location- no matter which way you do it, imported things are expensive here because of the shipping costs. So, toys in general are really expensive. A set of Legos that would sell in the States for $30 here goes for $100. So yes, you can feel free to send the kids Legos. :) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as long as I'm talking about money, let me explain a little about the exchange rate and whatnot. Right now the rate is hovering at about 8 rands to 1 dollar. So, when shopping I'm forever dividing by 8 to see how much things cost. It's kind of fun to go grocery shopping, use my American debit card, then come home to see what exchange rate we got. Most of the time it's about 8.2 or so, but the other day I bought a knitting pattern online and got 8.49! We've been told that this is a really good exchange rate and it's normally more like 7 to 1, so we'd really like to get our big financial matters taken care of sooner than later. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, the kids continue to enjoy being outside. Dominoes are a favorite right now as are umbrellas for the girls. They have also enjoyed climbing a mango tree and just plain running around. This evening they made parachutes out of paper for their toys and launched them, with varying success, off the driveway ramp.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've had some trouble with Liam being destructive in the garden and have found a punishment that works well for him: work. Last week he ended up spending an entire morning sweeping leaves off the driveway and sidewalks. Why all morning? Because the first hour or two was just too much fun for him. Even after that experience he still enjoys sweeping the brick! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So that's what we've been up to. We're here. We're happy. We really do love it here, even if we do miss everyone back home. I've got a great idea: you can all just move over here and that will solve everything.</span>Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-17405055953280500912012-09-02T14:16:00.000-07:002012-09-02T14:21:16.530-07:00Sunday at Tshirenzheni<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a fun day we've had! Last night before bed Rosie asked me if I would stay up late and finish a shawl that I was working on for her. I said sure, but I thought it was going to be too warm to wear it in the morning. I checked the weather after tucking in the kids and realized that the opposite was true- it was going to be cold in the morning! So, I stayed up late and finished her shawl so the three of us girls could have matching ones this morning. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj-cKdH2PbPl5BzpSq7WRGO6q5Dso0aDRJPQipNDiRzHULbwi7jmPvY0tzjO6Fz67DbDPLIqzCdFbPVRPWPo76meXE3h5g738BLsQlksLmBpBtDS-LMTR9IDM_Vd7TalMzpUfZ3SQoOo/s1600/DSC_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj-cKdH2PbPl5BzpSq7WRGO6q5Dso0aDRJPQipNDiRzHULbwi7jmPvY0tzjO6Fz67DbDPLIqzCdFbPVRPWPo76meXE3h5g738BLsQlksLmBpBtDS-LMTR9IDM_Vd7TalMzpUfZ3SQoOo/s320/DSC_0212.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj-cKdH2PbPl5BzpSq7WRGO6q5Dso0aDRJPQipNDiRzHULbwi7jmPvY0tzjO6Fz67DbDPLIqzCdFbPVRPWPo76meXE3h5g738BLsQlksLmBpBtDS-LMTR9IDM_Vd7TalMzpUfZ3SQoOo/s1600/DSC_0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On this chilly morning we met with </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the congregation at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Tshirenzheni (pronounced Chair-en-gen-ee) for bible class and worship. The drive into Venda was just beautiful with clouds coming down on the mountains and no traffic. And...oh, joy! monkeys!!! Not only did the kids finally get to see real live monkeys, but they got to see at least a dozen. We passed a school yard that was, of course, empty on a Sunday morning and there were about a dozen vervet monkeys playing and running about! We've decided to call it the monkey school. Just a bit down the road were 5 or 6 other monkeys that I didn't recognize. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">And then there were the goats and cows and chickens! The kids so enjoyed the drive...and I did, too! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">The church building at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Tshirenzheni is one of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen. I don't know why, but something about it just appeals to me. This is the view from the side of the building.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfoHY8fYP_tvj96q1MxZgTWQJ8EnV_pnkNmHfDvam-TSmQAT8tWuLiN9zzm0n0FFvFZZhcjnOGBX6PNWLV5sF8M27kLI9KQRbI2BpTzlOUJt9JwNEYOK7ulmmcF4Dz_qLeXQ9sxqvcF0/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfoHY8fYP_tvj96q1MxZgTWQJ8EnV_pnkNmHfDvam-TSmQAT8tWuLiN9zzm0n0FFvFZZhcjnOGBX6PNWLV5sF8M27kLI9KQRbI2BpTzlOUJt9JwNEYOK7ulmmcF4Dz_qLeXQ9sxqvcF0/s320/DSC_0213.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tshirenzheni has a bible class for the children first thing, then an adult bible class (and the children all sit still and quiet for this), then 2 hours of worship (well, depending on how long the preacher speaks). The kids really enjoyed the bible class. It was taught in Venda, but the teacher also translated some into English and asked some of the questions in English for our children. After bible class the boys got to have their first adventure with a "long drop" toilet. Yes, it is what you think it is. "But Mommy, where does it GO?!" Down the hole, son, down the hole. They thought it was great. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It looks like James with be working with the congregation at Tshirenzheni for the next 6 months or so and I'm really looking forward to that. I've already enjoyed getting to know some of the ladies and look forward to meeting everyone else. </span></span></div>
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-704334732843879195.post-76946735674943281982012-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:002012-08-29T11:37:41.083-07:00Happy Birthday, Henry!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzm-M8zoZjqEpk-9PcJCyX6-hmCI6prkO7rSRSsTu-eVbrO_WHsTbw_kObNVL7mrBdScOKqf1VMo0r3G-UD1CIHBGX_QGVDgQmbs7H3fPuV-iXggQYYfNklKbmm46eEsDGZS0P4V3msvM/s1600/DSC_0192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzm-M8zoZjqEpk-9PcJCyX6-hmCI6prkO7rSRSsTu-eVbrO_WHsTbw_kObNVL7mrBdScOKqf1VMo0r3G-UD1CIHBGX_QGVDgQmbs7H3fPuV-iXggQYYfNklKbmm46eEsDGZS0P4V3msvM/s320/DSC_0192.jpg" width="320" /></a>Today is our Henry's 4th birthday! He has been looking forward to this day for months and is so excited to be four. We had a bit of a scramble to get things together (thanks Uncle Joel for helping with the shopping!), but it all worked out rather well. He wanted a Thomas the train cake, but I just couldn't find things to make that happen. I did find Thomas plates and party hats, though, and he was quite happy about that. Instead of Thomas we ended up with dinosaurs in grass and sharks in water...with lollies for trees.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sln9ljyAemCJrQ_eUO4pvKQfnCL0GTKdMT81JLRz9roRPWpfXgNUwtO_9BKd_0Kz6wkflTCG9_uw2cG3qHNBhjOJJo66YcnwvLRkt8FCaRBetV5Q-kTqTP46kxOOdKK6GzY1kuedqJE/s1600/DSC_0203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Sln9ljyAemCJrQ_eUO4pvKQfnCL0GTKdMT81JLRz9roRPWpfXgNUwtO_9BKd_0Kz6wkflTCG9_uw2cG3qHNBhjOJJo66YcnwvLRkt8FCaRBetV5Q-kTqTP46kxOOdKK6GzY1kuedqJE/s320/DSC_0203.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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There were some young men here for a bible study so he had quite a crew to sing to him! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUcMqTPTNbOIcx2pccjllnUycJeXU9L0Ml66U9qdQa5B1YXKK-m_rbvdoFO7fy8qyUarS0B1HXQCYJa7hZccw6bHKTeIJetcVZDN0_l3NYwEDnYY481PJkzuydhaWl_ni_zJi0iIQoUI/s1600/DSC_0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUcMqTPTNbOIcx2pccjllnUycJeXU9L0Ml66U9qdQa5B1YXKK-m_rbvdoFO7fy8qyUarS0B1HXQCYJa7hZccw6bHKTeIJetcVZDN0_l3NYwEDnYY481PJkzuydhaWl_ni_zJi0iIQoUI/s320/DSC_0237.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Here's his face when he saw his new bike and squirrel toy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kcBDQMmpBkrVbSTSSaIZhph5QSFPuJbU6RV-yBsY3gTiM2GDnBagKrBP1en3L06usl0Vy8znj0lZewfGDAhTFG_WwOhHMqIq6thkX602KFsdpFhdrZ1q-PVn9oizyYRhhg01Qcd9q4o/s1600/DSC_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kcBDQMmpBkrVbSTSSaIZhph5QSFPuJbU6RV-yBsY3gTiM2GDnBagKrBP1en3L06usl0Vy8znj0lZewfGDAhTFG_WwOhHMqIq6thkX602KFsdpFhdrZ1q-PVn9oizyYRhhg01Qcd9q4o/s320/DSC_0277.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
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And here is the birthday boy riding his new bike. Hard to believe my little baby is 4! We finished off our evening by calling grandmas in the states using google voice. Nice to hear their voices! <br />
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<br />Deb Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08674413958873999726noreply@blogger.com1