Stuff

Here are couple of pictures that we took after we unpacked our suitcases.  These were the things on my parents shopping list.  The things they needed from America.

Photo #1 shows - cinnamon gummy bears, non-perils, rootbeer barrels, zantac, motrin, tylenol, sweat proof sunscreen, crosheen, beads and socks for making cute little bead socks - you know - real important stuff.

Photo #2, 6  one and half pound bags of chocolate chips (a necessity in life), brown sugar, mapleine flavoring, hershey kisses, and the last 3 books in a series my mom was reading - hardback of course.
Photo #3 - A years supply of Avon creams and lots and lots of Leggs brand panty hose.  Apparently South Africa does not make a decent pair of hose so import you must.
I was happy I was able to bring them things that brought comfort and familiarity.  I was also happy I had all that extra room in my suitcase so I could bring home lots of cool souvenirs.

Day 1 Continues

So back to June 23rd - after we left the church offices we headed up to Montecasino.  The Casinos in Africa are more like flashy malls.  There is tight security, lots of shops and restaurants and other added bonuses like amusement parks or aviaries.  There is gaming going on but it's kind of hidden in an area all to itself- you almost have to go looking for it, NOT like here in Vegas where you walk one foot into the casino and there are 100 slot machines with 10 feet of you.

The Bird Gardens were very fun.  It was a good activity to do since we were so tired.  The price was extremely reasonable and since we were there in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, it wasn't crowded at all.  Here is Chase with an uncaged African Gray Parrot.  His feathers were amazing.  We have a close up on video and he just has layer after layer of beautiful white tipped gray feathers.

One of the best parts was their lorakeet cage.  When you purchase your tickets they hand you a little plastic dish of what looks like minced garlic floating in a watery solution.  This is lorakeet food.    You take this with you into the lorakeet cage where the lorakeets are free to fly around with you.  They will land on you - on your hands, shoulders, heads.  They will chirp VERY loudly in your ears and peck and pull at your hair, nibble on your sun glasses, hats or ears and poop when and where they need to.  This experience was not for the faint of heart.  Chase was a bit skittish at first and when he was swarmed by the first 3 or 4 he dropped his food dish and they had to eat it off the ground.

MacGregor was much more comfortable with the birds and had many eating right out of his hands.  Their faces get very messy and sometimes they peck and push each other out of the way.
Daniel had one trying out his glasses and hat and ears.
The admission price (like $4) included a bird show.  It took place in an outdoor amphitheatre.  Again we got front row seats because there were few people there that day.  We saw a wide array of birds that we have never seen.  They did tricks and flew about with prompting from their trainers.  There were a few that were misbehaving and not doing the planned performance but we enjoyed them too.  We have the whole show on video and I will need to watch it again so I can hear what the names of each of these are because I can't remember.  So just enjoy the picture of these unusual and (some of them) endangered birds.
Some sort of osprey or falcon.
This is the South African National Bird.  I believe it is called the Blue Crane and I believe that is is endangered. 
There were several hawks too.  This is one of them.

I thought this picture was funny because the palm tree leaves look like feathers poking out all over.  Like he is the indian chief or something.

Here's a little Barn Owl.  We also saw a giant eagle owl that had a mind of her own that day and the poor trainers were running after her and climbing walls to get her down etc...  
The boys got to have their pictures taken with the little barn owl.
After the show we walked around all the other exhibits and saw many new varieties of ducks and birds.  We mostly got that on video.  But we did get this saddlebilled something or other.  He is very unusual.

We also got the Lilac Breasted Roller.  One of my all time favorites over there.  We saw many of them on the game reserve.  These first 2 I believe are the females.  Their colors a bit more muted.

I believe this is the male.  His colors are much more pastel and bright.  When they spread their wings in flight the colors are wild and amazing.
And here is the Glossy Starling.  They were also all over the game reserve.  Their colors are iridescent and unnatural.  And their yellow eyes are creepy.
After the aviary closed at 5 pm.  We headed inside and shopped a bit. Finding Ainsley the stuffed Hippo she had asked for.  It was a "build a bear" type hippo and we found a T-shirt with the South African Flag that it could wear.  I was a bit worried about buying her souvenir on the first day but later I was glad because we never saw another stuffed hippo the entire trip.  

We then ate some average food at one of the restaurants and headed home to my parents one bedroom apartment to go to bed.  The boys slept on a queen size air mattress in a small space right in front of the front door.  You could not open the door when the mattress was on the floor because it filled the entire space from wall to wall and from the front door to the kitchen.  Dan and I slept on the sofa bed that was about the size of a twin bed + maybe 3 inches.  After no real sleep for about 31 hours, we went to bed at 8 pm and slept until 8 the next morning.  AHHH.... needed that. 

It's In The Mail

CASH PETERSON  JULY 2009

Ok - so it took me two weeks from the time this was completed until I actually sent it.  It was very hard for me to give up.  It's a creation that I made (not too unlike my own children) that I  labored over for many months.  When the creation is completed I like to see it often, constantly admiring it and showing it to anyone who comes to the door.  So when it is sent away - I am left with a hole.  I guess I will have to start another one to fill that hole.

So here's the story on this quilt that I made for Cash Peterson and completed July 2009.  I first bought the 2 darkest blue fabrics independently at two shops just because I liked them.  I then found this pattern that was put out by a fabric company to go with a new line they were selling.  The fabric that they sold came with 4 strips of the same color fading from light to dark - all on the same bolt.  The deal was that you use this pattern with this fabric just buying the 3 colors you wanted to use and you'd have the perfect gradual fade.  I like the pattern but wasn't wild about their color options which were all solids.  I wanted prints since it was for a baby.  So I picked up the pattern, figured out the correct yardage for each fabric while I was shopping (not easy and a lot of math) then I hand picked the prints trying to get the same faded look.  I was really happy with the end result although the yellow was REALLY hard to find in the faded tones and I don't love the middle square.  I've found there is always one fabric in a quilt that I don't love.

Close up - Blue Square

Close up - Yellow Square

Close up - Brown Square

I then took it back to the shop where I had picked up the pattern and had her long arm it.  This is only the third quilt I've had long armed but I absolutely love it.  I now want them all to be long armed but the wait is so long and the expense is pretty high.  My friend is thinking of buying a long arm machine and I really hope she does.  I would love to learn how to do it and maybe she would rush my projects and I wouldn't have to wait so long to get them back.

Back and Binding - Quilting detail

The back is Ultra Soft Minky - Long Arm Detail

Detail - Yellow Fabrics

Detail - Brown Fabrics

Detail - Blue Fabrics

Here's one last look.  I love the geometric look and how it appears to be layered one square atop the other.  Hope Cash likes it.

Leave of Absence

Sorry for taking such a long leave of absence.  My time has really not been my own for quite a while.  Baseball ate up our spring.  Planning all that goes into an international trip (including the shopping lists of your parents who can't get their favorites over there) and the planning that goes into leaving half the family behind and all that they'll need while your gone, hosting visitors, refinancing the house and a fairly demanding calling has eaten up most of my time lately.

So I will try to post bits and pieces as I can squeeze it in.  It's also a bit overwhelming to have hundreds of photos and have to try to narrow them down and figure out what you want to say in each post.  I'll do my best.  It's also hard because we took both video and still photos so some of the things we did or experienced are only on the videos and we are still working to learn how to up load those.  Our videos are always too big to post.

These pictures are from our first day there.  We actually left our home around 5 pm and drove to Queens, NY on Sunday June 20th.  We got to our hotel around 9 pm after driving through lovely Staten Island traffic and quite a rain storm.  We stayed at the DoubleTree which allowed us to keep our car there for 14 days with no parking fee.  The cost of the room was cheaper than leaving it in long term parking at JFK for the 11 days we were gone and we didn't have to wake up at 3 am and drive 3-4 hours never knowing if you'd make it time with traffic on Monday.

Monday, June 21st, we got up early and took the shuttle to JFK.  We were there by 8:15 am and checked in.  Our plane left at 11:35am.  We met the cutest "almost 3 yr old" twins while we waited for our plane.  Inilay and Zinzilay from Botwana.  We have very cute video of them.  They were on our plane but not in our area so we didn't see them again once we got on.

15 hours and 15 minutes is a long time to spend on plane.  We flew South African Airways which was a very nice airline.  The best part was that each passenger had their own personal video screen in the seat in front of them.  You also had your own remote so you could watch one of 25 movies, play games, watch TV shows, listen to an array of music or watch the flight plan with constant updates of where you were, how high you were, how fast you were going and what the temp was outside, etc...  We gave the boys benadryl but Chase didn't sleep at all.  I took a WHOLE sleeping pill, which I never do - I usually take 1/4 and still didn't really sleep - I would doze off for 20 mins here or there but nothing lasting.  Didn't help that the last 4 hours or so we felt like we were on a boat.  The turbulence was constant - not scary but very bouncy.  Many people on the flight were getting sick.  MacGregor was one of them, poor guy.  Dan also assisted a mother traveling alone with 3 children all of whom were getting sick.  I felt very nauseous but never threw up.

We landed at around 8 am local time ( about a half hour early) but our bodies only felt like it was TWO IN THE MORNING.  Yep - great way to start the day - in the middle of the night.  We got through customs, found our sweet missionary couple and got in the rented Mercedes Vito van. The most plain jane, most uncomfortable Mercedes you ever saw.  We made a quick stop at the apartment to drop off the luggage and headed straight over to the Africa Southeast Area Office.

Here we are looking so alert.  We are on the office grounds which overlooks a large portion of Johannesburg.  Looking up from this point you can see the temple.

Here is the garden of Eden, that's what they call it there.  If you look very close you can see a bee inside this perfectly formed, naturally growing calla lily.

This garden grows right on the grounds of the office.  It was so lush and beautiful even in the middle of winter.  Yes it is winter in South Africa right now - this was their December.

I love my little MacGregor even when he's beyond tired and sick from the airplane.

Here is the picture of the Area Presidency's offices and home.  There are apartments for the couples on the second floor and their offices and meeting rooms are on the first floor.  The other departments have their offices in a building adjacent to this one but I only got that building on video.  That building includes Perpetual Education, Employment, Humanitarian, Medical, Public Affairs, Travel, Finance, etc...

Sorry so much detail but I need to try to remember everything for my own sake.  Hopefully more to follow soon.

And We're OFF on our big adventure!  Will write in a few weeks!

Africa Here We Come!!

Snip Snip

We were tired of tangles, tired of screaming and hurting heads and hurting ears every time we brushed hair.  I was tired of hair in her eyes and always looking like a rag-a-muffin.  I was tired of the fight!  So we got a summer haircut!

Before

After

It is so much easier now, has more body and shape.  The best part is - NO MORE TANGLES!

This one had to get in on the attention as well.  I recently cut her hair and it was a challenge to get her to sit still.  Even so - It's better than it was.

Bike and Helmet

Ainsley recently learned to ride her two wheeler.  Piper has wanted to ride a bike too....really bad.  So I pulled out her "ride-on" toy that she got for her birthday last year from Aunt Nantha and Gloria.  We started calling it her bike and she would ride it up and down the sidewalk.  One day she grabbed this pink bucket out of the garage and said, "I want to ride my bike with my helmet."  She put the bucket on her head and off she went.  (She knows that Ainsley is NOT allowed to ride her bike without a helmet, even though she does all the time and we are constantly grounding her for it)

You gotta love this stringy stringy hair.  My poor girls.  Piper's hair has since been cut and has a little more body and shape but golly - we gave them bad hair genes.