Wordless Wednesday ~ Rebekah and a guy named Conrad

Why we're ALL glad to have a stainless steel salad spinner... even though TECHNICALLY, it is not a necessity of life!

Living in a developing country, buying fruits and veggies from the market... well, it made grocery shopping day a bit more complicated because we couldn't just bring everything home and stick it in the fridge until we were ready to use it. 

First of all, our fridge struggled to keep things cold enough to actually keep for more than a day or two.

Secondly, most of our fruits and vegetables had to be washed and then soaked in solution of mild bleach water to prevent bacteria or other parasites from making us sick. Amoebic dysentery is not fun...

That also meant that each leaf of salad had to be first individually washed (at least we did), soaked and then individually dried... It was time consuming.

Then during one of our furloughs, I had a brainstorm. I'd take back a salad spinner. I started shopping garage sales, Goodwill and Salvation Army, looking for one. I found it, packed it and took it back to Niger, excited to try it out.

Shortly after we'd resettled into life in Niger, I pulled it out to show my house helper how to use it. She was pretty excited, too... and informed me that I should have brought one back a long time ago... or had my mother send me one!

Only problem?

She broke it the very first time she used it.

She felt awful... When she was there, she helped prepare the salad as always, drying the individual leaves.

When she wasn't (which was often, since I tended to go do my shopping on Saturdays when she didn't work), I had another brainstorm.

The kids weren't so impressed with this one, however.

Because it involved wrapping the lettuce up in a large beach towel, walking outside and swinging that towel around until most of the moisture was forced off the lettuce by centrifugal (or perhaps more accurately, centripetal force from the perspective of the water droplets on the lettuce and the lettuce itself) and absorbed by the towel.

It worked really well... unless one of the kids let loose of the towel. Then said child had to gather the high-flying lettuce (before the goats got ahold of it), re-rinse, re-bleach and re-swing once again.

Just ask them what they thought of the whole process...

When I saw this...

...for sale on Amazon, I went ahead and splurged. We had enough bonus points that it didn't cost anything extra.

My children are thanking me!

Not to mention the fact that it makes throwing together a salad fun, simple and quick.

first photo credit: LeafLanguages via photopin

Oh! The literalness of he!

Awhile back, Jonathan and I were riding together in the truck. We came upon a construction zone and suddenly, my jabbery little guy became strangely silent.

I glanced over at him; he was clearly deep in thought.

I waited a few more minutes...

...but finally curiosity got the best of me.

"Hey Jon-man..."

"Ummm-hmmm," he mumbled distractedly.

"Whatcha thinkin' about? You stopped talkin' to me."

"That sign," he sighed.

"What sign?" I asked.

"The one at the beginning of when they started working on the road," he answered.

"A road sign?"

"Yes..." after which his voice trailed off. He was still distracted.

"Why are you thinking about a sign?"

"Because I'm trying to figure it out."

"Oh? What's there to figure," I prompted.

"Well," Jonathan said thoughtfully, "the sign said 'Hit Worker Fine. $10 000.'

Why would anyone think it was fine to hit a guy working on the road?

And would they really pay you $10 000 if you did it?"

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Have I ever told you before?

I just LOVE that kid!

construction photo credit:

waitscm via photopin cc

For a Sunday Smile

Poor M&M (although Elsie Mae and a friend are also in this photo). Her mama seems to find it amusing when animals pick on her, forcing her to climb whatever she can find for safety. 

This time, it was a couple of wild geese. I don't blame here. Geese are, quite notoriously, mean... I've been bit a few times now, working with Canadian geese at the animal rescue/rehab center where we've been volunteering.

But back to what I was saying...

This time, a couple of wild geese. Last time? Our billy goat?

Remember?

My Precious... or otherwise known as my Amish rocking chair

One of my friends recently wrote a post at a life overseas... and thus you now know the inspiration for this "true confession..."

We'd only been married for a short time when we discovered that our first child would be arriving in time to celebrate our first anniversary with us. Talk about instant delight with a good mix of terror and "Ummm... God, that's not quite the timing we were thinking..."! However, it wasn't look before we settled into our new reality: WE. WERE. PARENTS.

No, we hadn't officially met Wrightling #1. Not yet. But our lives had already changed and would continue to so, all because we had a little one on the way.

Of course, grandparents on both sides were super excited; hubby's mom squealed and did a happy dance... both grandfathers just looked at us with surprised and goofy grins. My mom promptly purchased a first gift - an Amish rocking chair! I love that chair! It was the one chair in which I could sit after a long day on my feet teaching middle school ...and my back wouldn't hurt. It was my favorite place to be as I sat and rocked my little guy while nursing him or trying to calm the colicky him. It was where we snuggled together on long and feverishly sleepless nights, played peek-a-boo, sang "Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood,..." The list could go on and on.

Yes, I love that rocker!

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I hesitated to write the rest of this one... Wondering who might wonder if I was "a few french fries short of a Happy Meal," as we like to say in our family.

But this is a for real, true story. And no names have been changed to protect the guilty!

So please head on over to Missionary Mom's Companion - and don't forget to answer my question at the end of the post.

Thanks for reading!
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photo credit: 

juliecinci via photopin cc

Better LATE than NEVER ~ Photos from CBA's Spirit Week, Day TWO ~

Thankfully Tuesday and Thursday of Spirit Week only includes the high school dressing up.

Even at that, getting everyone out the door and to school on time that week

equaled a huge challenge...

EVERY SINGLE DAY!

So here we are, at Day TWO...

Can you guess the theme for the day?

And what in the world each of my girlies was impersonating?

This right here, Rebekah's costume, 

just might have been my favorite costume of the week!

Unfortunately, I didn't actually catch Nadia for a photo until she'd partially removed her costume... in the interest of actually engaging academics for at least a few hours.

We forgot that Anna had a dentist appointment this morning.

She went just like this.

The ladies at the dentist's office found this quite humorous...

And Anna? She just smiled and rolled with it!

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Correctly guess the costume/theme for each Wrightling... or be the closest to doing so... and we've got a gift for you! 

We'll even mail it overseas!

(PS This contest is not open to CBA folks... 'cause as my Wrightlings say, "That would be cheating!")

Daddy spoils his teenage daughters...

It had been a hard night...

Daddy had to make a run to the grocery store.

He came back with

MmmURGENCY CHOCOLATE

For immediate relief of: Chocolate Cravings, Lovesickness, Exam Pressure, Mild Anxiety and Extreme Hunger.

Directions for use: Tear open wrapper, break off desired dosage, and consume. Alternately massage into the affected area. Repeat dosage as required until finished. If symptoms persist, consult your local confectioner.

It should contain a warning:

Instantly and immediately addictive. Patients will repeatedly and persistently beg for another dose. May even lead to temper tantrums or extreme behavior. Use with caution.

Answering Spirit Day Questions ~ from last week!

Day 1 for the biggers was "Hero/Villain Day."

Do you know who they are?

Rebekah dressed up as Astrid... from How to Train Your Dragon.

That movie and the Saturday morning episodes you can buy on DVD - well, our kids are a little obsessive about them and that's putting it mildly!

Nadia looked very blue as Smurfette - and those blue pants are now her favorite lounge-around-the-house-jammie pants!

Her face did retain that blue-ish tint for the next couple of days, too.

Anna self-transformed into Malificent, from Sleeping Beauty fame - and I was so glad she won because that girl thought hard, came up with creative solutions using what we had around the house, planned lots and spent much time working on her costume.

She wanted to win... and she did.

Gotta love her determination!

The elementary kiddos' classes worked off of a class color theme.

Tori's class colors were black and white... and we discovered that these days, duct tape is no longer just a boring silver grey. 

Instead, it comes in all sorts of fun, wild and crazy colors and patterns.

Who would've guessed?

Jonathan just about had a melt-down when we pulled out a bright, neon pink shirt for him to wear with his green camo pants.

His class colors were pink and green.

He was okay with it afterwards, though... when he saw that most of the other boys in his class were wearing pink too... and when he saw from the tag that the pink shirt actually did come from the boys' department at Walmart.

Last, but certainly not least, Elsie Mae's first grade class chose light blue and white for their class colors. How's that? About the most perfect choice for winter! They made the hats in class and then it was pretty easy to figure out the rest, especially since she has that gorgeous snowflake covered and super warm sweatshirt and her blue and white flowered snow boots (which she loves) and which were a gift from Missionary Christmas last year..

She had to throw in a Niger scarf, tied and draped around her waist!

And there you have it!
Thanks to those of you who responded via FB, email or commenting!

The winner is cousin Kim Wright... she didn't get them ALL right... but she was purty doggone close!

Stay tuned... next week will bring more photos and more guessing, if you're game!

DO TELL!
Which costume was your favorite from day one... and why?

Look what we found driving around just north of Lansing...

(Yes... She is barefoot...)

Bears of all sorts of shapes and sizes... on parade...

I don't really like the movie Dumbo... yet a refrain from that movie has been stuck playing in (with?) my mind all day.

Here's why... and that fact just might explain the words tagging along with...

Look out! Look out!

There's teddy bears on parade

Here they come!

Hippety hoppety

They're here and there

Those bruins are ev'rywhere

Look out! Look out!

They're tugged around the gym

In boxes trimmed

Clippety cloppety

Brightly displayed

Those teddy bears on parade

What'll I do? What'll I do?

What an unusual view!

I could stand the donkey's bray 

Even try a cuke sorbet.

But technicolor Ursidae?

Is really much too for me

I am not the type to faint

When things are odd or things

are quaint

But teddies plus kids with little restraint?

It can certainly give you an awful fright!

What a sight!

Chase 'em away!

Chase 'em away!

I'm afraid 

Need your aid

Those teddy bears on parade!

Teddy Bears!

Teddy Bears!

(And I just had to include this one. 

Any guesses why? 

It might actually be one of my favorite photos of the bunch!)