November 4, 2010

• I finally finished that reading nook i may have mentioned a few blogs back. I cut the cushions myself from an old foam mattress and sewed piped covers for them. I dream of doing a before and after house decor entry or two just because it’s apparent to me as i anticipate my family coming again after 4 years since their last visit that lots has changed in the last few years at our house!
  

  My baby is almost 1.
  

  That behind Asher is the quilt i started… 3? years ago which has finally been quilted. I think more than a year ago i made some crack about starting a quilt that would hopefully be finished before the birth of my second child… that was before i was even pregnant. haha.

  
  Sorry, these photos all look alike, i’m posting them mainly for my parents’ benefit so they have more to choose from for their updated desktop photo.

  

  As for the watermark title ‘steaksauce!”, it’s mostly due to the “How I Met Your Mother” episode. It comes from “A 1″ which i thought was apt in this instance.

  

  

  

  

  Before we came to Madagascar i read the book by Daniel Coleman “The Scent of Eucalyptus”, which is his memoirs of growing up as a missionary kid in Ethiopia. In the photos of that book there is a picture of him as a child in the wheelbarrow in some obviously african setting with a gardener or some sort of african worker wheeling it about. I’ve since seen other missionary families with similar type shots and i have come to think of it as the quintessential missionary child photo. Something about it says, here is a child obviously reveling in the fact that they have great people of other cultures in close relationship with them, playing with them, teaching them things they wouldnt get from just their parents. It became apparent to me yesterday as i saw my boys embody this experience that we have graduated to a new level of intimacy with those who work with us at our house. We have grown to trust them explicitly and love them like extended family. It made my heart swell watching how my boys willingly go to any one of our workers and also the day guard Mamonjy to be lifted up or helped with something, judah spends lots of time pottering about the garden asking Solo questions and i am learning to just let that relationship grow rather than stifle it by thinking Judah is being a bother. I totally believe that they are richer kids because of these relationships and after years of wishing for it i do believe we’ve actually arrived.

  

  

  
  In September, before we (re)planted our front grass (for the 4th time in our tenure at this house!) we told Solo that we were really hoping that the grass would be nice by the time Jocelyn’s family arrived – just so that everything looks perfect for their visit . He asked when they would be coming and when we told him December his eyes bulged out a bit. Ha, poor guy, no pressure! But now it’s only the beginning of November and the grass is like a putting green! Josh once made the remark to Solo that we could tell my dad to bring his putter along because the grass was so nice and ever since Solo repeats some comment about golfing every time we stand back together to admire his handiwork. Apparently he asks the cleaning ladies to pray with him for his garden on a regular basis. haha. He’s my kind of gardener, that one. Unfortunately my burgeoning border plants are now taller than the ceder hedge surrounding the yard. Josh thinks it’s better this way so that everyone can see our beautiful garden from the driveway. ha. It’s amazing though that every year i forget in October that once the mango rains start everything just jumps up and grows thick and lush. It’s just so incredible.

  
  Asher with Fanja.

  • 2:33 am
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