tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37392783625534547292024-03-13T18:59:19.736-07:00Beans & RiceLiving, working and serving beans & rice style whether here in the NW or overseasRachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.comBlogger1369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-42835920713042600702015-09-13T22:43:00.001-07:002015-09-13T22:43:51.640-07:00When life is unsettled...just dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was reading a missionary friend's blog today and she talked about the struggles of life in another culture, speaking another language, far from friends and loved ones. Another talked of loss and grief and yet another, of transition. <br />
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The Crosby family is now heading into month two of officially being "normal people" and 15 months of life on US soil. Even so, we are not settled and in a way, I can't remember ever feeling "settled" in my adult life. Changing dorms, changing roommates, jobs, ministries, majors and finally getting married only to realize that the life we had chosen was one of constant transition and change. <br />
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Leaving missions behind hasn't changed that. I crave being "settled" more now but know that until we make it to our final destination with Jesus, we won't feel totally "settled". So today I prayed for our friends overseas and friends here (who I realize often feel just as unsettled as I did while in other countries and cultures). In doing so I realized that part of embracing the life God has called us to is embracing the messy unsettled-ness of it all. <br />
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I chose the above picture because it represented the sweet, crazy chaos of life right now. We are about to find out if we are buying a house this week, or starting over again in the hunt. Part-time work starts again for me, but there are fires raging nearby (literally). All the while there are so many things going on...happy things like new babies, sad things like broken families and just plain hard things that make up everyday life.<br />
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Living a life of faith today amidst chaos means casting aside the uncertainty of tomorrow while trusting in the "lifter of heads" to give us the joy to dance again today. For today, I will.<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-26028577501159904582015-07-23T18:23:00.002-07:002015-07-23T18:23:30.010-07:00Free Lamp Re-do and Chair Upholstery FabricThis is the giant cement lamp that you never thought you'd own. And friends, this piece of work is SO heavy that it took me two tries with some major "from the quads" lifting to get this thing in the back of dad's truck. It is <b>heavy</b>. And UGLY. Or it was.
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Here she is after a coat of paint (primer & poly too)...give a new lease on life. The part I finished today was doing something with the stained lampshade. Buying a new one defeated the purpose of getting a free lamp. But I got the crazy idea to cover the shade with "Make it Stone" textured paint in a cream color and it turned out!
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It looks a little weird in this picture (below) but I think it looks cooler in person.<br />
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Here is on of the chalky painted chairs (one of the four matching). I bought the fabric to cover the seats of the other two chairs that have removable seats. What do you think? It has some of the red and green tones of the couch that will be in the adjoining room. <br />
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That's my progress...what are you working on?Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-84033023475896520242015-07-20T14:32:00.001-07:002015-07-20T14:32:20.298-07:00Table Re-do (free!) Part ONEBecause I have nothing better to do (insert light sarcasm here), I thought I would re-do some furniture this summer for our new house. Okay, maybe rather because I want a cute house, but am cheap (er... thrifty?) and have a rather frugal budget to work with:). I am learning as I go, making copious mistakes and leaning heavily on the wisdom gleaned from cher Google and my parents. So far, it has been more fun than I thought, and some things have turned out rather nicely to boot!<br />
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Here is the dining room table we picked up off Craigslist for free. After lots of sanding, varnish and poly, we are looking more and more like an "after". I still have a run to Hobby Lobby (not my favorite place) to make to get more chalk paint for the chairs, and then we'll be in business. In the mean time, here is the progress:<br />
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<b>One sander later (sorry dad!), I have a lovely, smooth-ish table top.
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<b>Here are the legs, well half of them. This is before the sanding and varnish</b><br />
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<b>Legs, after varnish...lookin' hot ladies!</b><br />
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<b>Freshly varnished and poly-ed table top, waiting to meet its long lost legs</b>
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<b>Creamy-colored chalky painted chair. Still needs a wax coat and I need to pick out fabric to re-do the seat. I have two of these chairs and four totally different ones that match each other. </b><br />
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<b>So there you have it...my progress toward a cute, rustic table for almost free (I paid $5 for the two matching chairs and another $20 in supplies so far).</b>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-59924007374777795962015-07-16T08:57:00.000-07:002015-07-16T08:59:32.824-07:00We're from the country...and we like it that way!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The kids were invited to "help" with the wheat harvest in Waterville. They had a blast riding the combine and running through the fields. <br />
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It's beautiful country up there...love those blue skies and rolling fields. <br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-63323733133628230472015-07-13T13:49:00.000-07:002015-07-13T13:49:52.876-07:00Cute clothes from G & G Crosby!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Grandma Karen made these adorable summer dresses for the girls and they fit perfectly! Louis got a cool t-shirt from one of their biking trips. <br />
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Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Crosby! We love you!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-1487508619190086612015-06-28T14:03:00.003-07:002015-06-28T14:03:52.435-07:00Garden firstfruits and freezer cleanout challengeLouis is holding our real first fruits from our garden (besides the random leaf of lettuce and sweet pea here and there). We "think" the white thing is a spagetti squash and of course the green is zucchini. Our zucchini isn't doing very well...this may well be our only zucchini! The spagetti squash is a volunteer plant...we had a ton take over our garden. This has been a learning year for me...next year I'll have my own garden and I'll get to make even more mistakes!<br />
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Since we may very well be moving into our own place in 2 months or so (depending on how things go with the short sale offer) we are working on using up our freezer. This was also motivated by seeing that I over half of Daniel's monthly paycheck at Costco last month...yikes! Something obviously needs to change long term in my grocery spending, but for now I'm doing a no-spend challenge for the month of July! That means using up the contents of the freezers and cupboards and buying nothing but the absolute minimum including Dairy, eggs, and produce. Hopefully our garden will produce a little more so the produce bill won't be huge! We'll be doing some U-picking too, which will go into the freezer so it will be nice to have the space! <br />
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Anyone else clearing out the freezer this summer? Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-32567651106188677262015-06-01T09:02:00.000-07:002015-06-01T09:02:12.417-07:00We got to "touch a truck!"Daniel took the kids to the "Touch a Truck" event in Wenatchee a few weeks ago. They had so much fun. It was a bit of "sensory overload" with all the horns honking etc. for one of the kiddos, but overall, it was a hit. There were tons of different types of vehicles to see, touch and get into.
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Cameo in the background by our neighbor, Al.<br />
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We got scooped! Help us!<br />
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We had fun! (Thanks to their awesome daddy for taking them!)Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-66907588592474436742015-04-04T19:40:00.003-07:002015-04-04T19:40:48.666-07:00First hike of Spring near Leavenworth!Daniel took advantage of get into parks free day and took the kids on a 5 mile hike! They made it to the top after lots of encouragement from passer-byers and (after the suggestion of a stranger) promises of icecream if they made it all the way. The cool thing about this is that all three kids are big enough to do "real" hikes with the hike lover in our family AND that one of our little people would have whined/tantrummed about 5 minutes into any walk a couple years ago and has slowly been getting better. Now this little one made it FIVE miles with barely a whine! So cool! Lots of hard won progress here. The hike was beautiful and everyone is exhausted. Here are some pictures from their adventure:
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-8363242403763006002015-01-11T15:38:00.000-08:002015-01-11T19:18:01.319-08:00New Resolution, S.S. Curriculum and fun at churchA few pictures my parents took this week...not the most flattering picture, but I am loving reading "Farmer Boy" from the Little House series with the kids. My one new year's "resolution" was to read chapter books every weekday to the kids this year. We just hit 100 pages so we are making better progress than I thought (and enjoying it too!).
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We started a new Sunday School curriculum this year too...called "Jesus, What a Savior" from Desiring God's kids' department. It's been a significant amount of work compared to our previous curriculum, but so worth it. I love how packed it is with activities and lesson with truth and the kids are responding really well to the extra structure and material/expectations.
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One of the fun activities we did here in this picture was filling a bowl to overflowing with balloons with the attributes of God written on them.
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Louis is having no trouble making friends at the church...here he is with Mr. John at the mens' breakfast this past week, getting a lift:).
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That, plus once a week swim lessons, Liv's OT appointments, work (this month and next are busy for me (Rachael) at work so I'll be going at least every other week if not each week) are keeping us busy:). Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-33132566334122949962014-12-31T20:32:00.003-08:002014-12-31T20:32:45.564-08:00Highlights from 2014 (part 1, Senegal)We had a pretty big year this year. From finishing up our first term overseas (including almost a year in Senegal, W. Africa) to driving <u>literally</u> across and around the U.S., it was a busy year with a lot of transition. The theme was definitely that God is faithful...<b>no matter what</b>. <br />
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Ups and downs characterized this year in a major way, with wondering why we had been through so many changes and disappointments with our path to missions. And although our time in Senegal was rocky and challenging at times, it was marked with a distinct sense of PEACE. We felt God's hand in our being there and overall didn't struggle with major cultural shock in a the way many people do when transitioning to life in Africa for the first time.<br />
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However, that didn't mean we didn't experience stress...cultural,
marriage and familial. And many issues we had just pushed to the side
during our time in France had cropped up again and again. In His
faithfulness God provided a godly woman right across the hall in our
apartment who also happened to be a counselor who helped us with many
parenting strategies and just listened. Not only that but Daniel and I
both were able to meet on a regular basis for counsel and prayer with
our Wycliffe friends (who also happened to close...right across the
street!). We were also blessed with friends...both Senegalese friends
we were sharing with and expats as well.<br />
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During these first few months of 2014 Daniel worked at the Wycliffe/SIL
center in Dakar repairing motorcycles and other vehicles. He enjoyed
the work for the most part and learned a lot. Including....that
everything takes SO much more time to get done in Africa! A wise
missionary friend told us that if you get one thing accomplished each
day, you should choose to feel good about your day and we try to remind
ourselves of that often:)<br />
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One of the major highlights of our first term in Senegal was a visit
from the Daniel's parents, George and Karen! It was so encouraging and
fun to introduce them to our life in Africa...plus they blessed us by
bringing many care package type gifts from the US from our
partners...thank you!<br />
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Another fun trip was a family trip up to Beersheba (farming God's
way...an SIL project in a nearby town)....we avoided the pythons that
live near the lake and met some fun people. We even got to see a pig
escape out of her pen and saw firsthand how to re-capture a pig! Just
today Marianna was asking when we could go back there. <br />
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After a while we started to dream about possibilities outside of
Dakar so Daniel spent almost 3 weeks traveling first to the southern
part of the Senegal, then the north.<br />
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<br /> Daniel with Pastor/teacher Augustine<br />
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Later our whole family took a short trip up north, to Richard Toll.
That was a lot of fun and we could definitely see ourselves living up
there someday. We'll see what the future holds!<br />
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Visiting Richard Toll, a village, and celebrating Olivia's 5th birthday (in 110 + heat...but thankfully it was dry heat!) We loved the area and the people up there though. <br />
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Louis with new friends and PUPPIES!<br />
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The next month we made the trip back to the USA for our first furlough. Our travels went smoothly (thanks to a lot of prayer!) and we spent a month adjusting in WA state before starting two months of cross country travels to visit friends, family and partners. It was an exhausting, but worth it, trip. <br />
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This fall we starting homeschooling, celebrated my (Rachael's) dad's 60th birthday, attended School Psychology and expositional preaching conferences, Daniel completed a welding course and completed half a dozen home improvement projects (pictures and details to come next post).<br />
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Although I am exhausted thinking about this past year, I (and our family) are thankful for the many ways God has provided for us and for the ways difficult things have caused growth and drawn us closer to Him!<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-58503114348677392472014-12-11T10:17:00.000-08:002014-12-11T10:17:06.505-08:00October Fun!Two of the most "fall" things I can think of are leaves and pumpkins. As you can see, we've been making up for lost time in both departments!
One of our homeschooling activities for recess has been raking leaves every few days for several weeks. Gets those "wiggles" out!
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We granted Grandpa's wish to carve pumpkins with the kids. Our one request was that the design be fun and not creepy...so he found mickey mouse! The kids had fun and we ate lots of yummy pumpkin seeds afterwards! <br />
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Working hard on scooping out the pumpkin "guts!"...but save those seeds--they're yummy!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-70296181260414148042014-10-29T13:07:00.004-07:002014-10-29T13:11:08.607-07:00Our first year in Senegal (video)Daniel put together a short video (5 minutes) with highlights from our first year in Senegal and how to be involved. Here is the video: <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HjgQ7tX_0EI" width="560"></iframe><br />
Enjoy! Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-25788473347908189012014-10-07T15:10:00.000-07:002014-10-07T15:10:55.912-07:00Fall fun: apple days and cider pressingSome pictures of our recent adventures the great Wenatchee area with friends and just enjoying frugal fun around town.
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The kids got to ride a horse for the cost of a donation! They loved it!<br />
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Wenatchee youth circus. I almost donated my children to the cause but then thought better....<br />
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Cider pressing at the Smith's...so fun!<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-89080150193315842092014-09-20T21:05:00.002-07:002014-09-20T21:05:22.478-07:00Menu Plan (Trim Healthy Mama Meals)Working on a menu for the next couple weeks for Trim Healthy Mama with lots of their "Fuel Pulls" incorporated since my weight loss has stalled after a good start on the plan. <br />
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Make for Dessert:<br />
<a href="http://bromabakery.com/2013/04/37-calorie-brownies-and-no-im-not.html">37 cal brownies</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thelaundrymoms.com/nighty-night-custard/">Hot Custard</a><br />
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<a href="http://sherigraham.com/trim-healthy-mama-chocolate-peanut-butter-chia-pudding-fuel-pull">Chocolate Chia Peanut Butter Pudding </a><br />
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Muffin in a bowl<br />
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Breakfasts:<br />
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<a href="http://www.rippedrecipes.com/recipe/veggie-egg-white-cups-2051.html">Veggie Egg White Cups</a><br />
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<a href="http://creativlei.com/2014/cake-batter-frappa/">Cake Batter Frappa</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.muffin-topless.com/2012/11/08/strawberry-vanilla-power-breakfast-bowl/">Strawberry Vanilla Breakfast Bowl</a><br />
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Cookie Bowl Oatmeal<br />
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Lunches: <br />
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<a href="http://fruitofhands.blogspot.com/2013/08/oat-fiber-bread.html">Sandwich on oat fiber bread</a><br />
Leftovers<br />
<a href="http://www.mythmcookbook.com/archives/399">Quick Tuna Medley </a><br />
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Dinners:<br />
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Meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, salad<br />
Baked Chicken, Quinoa, Broccoli<br />
Stir Fry (over rice for the family)<br />Taco Salad<br />
Cheeseburger Pie <br />
Marinated Fish, vegetables<br />
BLT Soup<br />
<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-11099236361745418752014-09-20T19:09:00.001-07:002014-09-20T19:09:15.544-07:00Our first "run" (we walked a 5K)!Today I conquered an item on my "bucket list" for during our furlough...Dad and I complete our first 5K. It was fun to "train" for it (we walked almost every night this past month or so) and just to complete it. The weather was perfect and hey...we did something active and fun together:) We are planning to do another one, a longer one around Thanksgiving. Both of us are needing to lose a few pounds (yes, our doctors told us!) so this is good motivation. Here are some fun pictures of our time this morning:
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-81904432846023398942014-09-01T22:21:00.002-07:002014-09-01T22:21:42.317-07:00Visiting with the Trimm familyWe had the pleasure of spending several days with the Trimm family. The kids had so much fun (the adults too!) that I needed a whole blog post of the pictures of their fun together. And indeed, they had lots of fun.
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Thank you again for your hospitality and friendship Trimm family! We miss you!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-32899432518918175952014-09-01T13:33:00.002-07:002014-09-01T13:33:50.109-07:00Back home and starting homeschooling!We're back from our cross-country roadtrip! I have more photos etc. than I can reasonably catch up on at the moment since my last post, so I'll start where we're at...back in WA state and homeschooling!
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Here is the three "pupils" doing their first "science" experiment. Last week was our first week of K (for Olivia) and 1st (for Marianna). We are doing My Father's world 1st grade, with some K mixed in and a french lesson each day. I have other workbooks that we are doing for a little supplement and just for fun because the kids like workbooks. Louis joins in when he can but he has a "busy box" with puzzles, toys, playdough, books and workbooks for each day of the week.<br />
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So far it is working pretty well for all of us. The science experiment above was really fun for the kids...we mixed soil with water in a bottle and let it sit to see the layers form. This kind of thing is a bit of a stretch for me, but the kids loved it so much I think I will too. To get through everything with everyone seems to take no more than 3 hours, but usually closer to 2 1/2.<br />
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We are doing phonics, Bible, basic math, handwriting, science and french...I think that is about it (which is plenty for me/us!) Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-19659404340293380662014-07-25T16:33:00.001-07:002014-07-25T16:33:48.917-07:00Back at JAARSHere's the car completely FULL of boxes and tubs (17 to be exact!) that we had packed intending to ship them to Cameroon. Great idea...except we went to Senegal, not Cameroon! :)
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Daniel had a big helper for unloading. This suburban is our sweet ride (a rental that Wycliffe helped pay for) for our road trip.<br />
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The disaster that ensued after starting to unpack the 17 tubs. The kids thought it was fun at least:)<br />
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The JAARS pool has been our favorite destination as always!<br />
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Catching up with our friend Sarah, whom we've now spent time with in Orlando FL, Senegal W. Africa and at JAARS! She made us a yummy lasagne! Thanks Sarah!<br />
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Marianna spent 3 days at "Safari" for elementary aged MKs. She had fun!<br />
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Catching up with friends from France (our french studies overlapped with theirs and we lived in nearby apartments) the Hays. Fun to see them and their new addition to the family!<br />
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Our friends the Sanders had us over for great food and conversation. They have been a huge blessing to us as we've made our journey overseas and back. <br />
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Louis and Liv at the MK station. <br />
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Marianna and Louis went up in Henry's airplane today!<br />
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Henry with the kiddos. They are ready with their lovies/doo doos to snuggle during the flight.<br />
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Too much snuggling of their "doo doos" resulted in this during the flight:<br />
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Don't mind the drool...yes they had fun!<br />
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We love staying at JAARS and will be sad to leave, but our next adventure in Florida is a debrief conference at the Wycliffe headquarters which we are looking forward to. Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-86715645149038073042014-07-25T14:47:00.002-07:002014-07-25T14:47:26.539-07:00VBS fun in Indianapolis at Grace!We were blessed with good timing while we were in Indianapolis in that one of our supporting churches was running VBS! The theme was Jonah and this was our kids' first experience with VBS. Not only did the kids get to participate but I got to lead a little group of cuties. I had Louis, Olivia and three other kids ranging from 6-9 years old. I (we) loved it!
Walking through the belly of the whale!
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Whale Crafts!<br />
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A quick pic of our cute little group:)<br />
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We had fun and thanks to Grace Evangelical Church for letting us join in the fun!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-38897705277065522242014-06-25T15:54:00.000-07:002014-06-25T15:54:51.309-07:00Back in Washington (fun in Cashmere)Mowing with Daddy
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Swimming Lessons!
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Grandma looking awesome in a Senegalese outfit we brought back!<br />
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Cuties with their new goggles for swim lessons, courtesy of grandma and grandpa gregory<br />
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We are BUSY, but in a good way. Really enjoying our time back in the states and reconnecting with everyone!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-51043215413491940112014-05-25T08:15:00.001-07:002014-05-25T08:35:55.940-07:00Conversations I'll be having soon...<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our oldest child has memories of the United States, but the other two...don't. I can only imagine some of the conversations we'll be having after 3 years out of the USA when we arrive in a few days....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This my friends, is a picture of a ....snowman. What? You didn't guess? Olivia made it. Signs we've been in a country with no snow for awhile....</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes honey you can really drink water from that tap AND you can brush your teeth with it! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What? Mom knows how to drive? I don't believe it... (I haven't driven since we left 3 years ago)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What's a drive thru? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How come we have to wear seatbelts ALL.THE.TIME?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mom look...there's someone from Senegal! No honey, they're probably not from Senegal. Mom, yes they are, just wait I'll ask them "D'ou tu viens?" (where are you from) No honey, they don't speak french or wolof....</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No, this 7-11 isn't the big grocery store in the city...just you wait for Costco or WalMart kids!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mom, why are things SO cheap here (a quick trip to buy three things costs about $10,000 cfa in Senegal) which amounts to about $20.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">THIS children, is a movie theatre. :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">THIS children is a McDonalds (no, I actually wish I could hide these from the kids because it will be harder to bring them back to a place without them afterwards...;)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why do people dress so BORING here, where are the colors!?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where are the taxis?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">LOOK trees! (Louis already yells with delight whenever he sees them here, they are pretty rare where we live)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why so many yards have no fences and do have lawns</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where are all the people (you literally can't leave your house without running into people every 20 feet)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are so many garbage cans here mom!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mom, where are all the (insert: sheep, cows, goats) on the roads here? </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's only the tip of the iceberg. A lot of them will be funny, but I realize that the kids are going to be experiencing some serious culture shock when we return. There are so many things we are looking forward to, but I need to remind myself to TAKE IT SLOW for the kids' sake and so I don't burst out crying in the isles of Target or Wal-Mart when we first arrive (which I hear is a coming occurrence for first time returning overseas workers;). </span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-69236542019139853412014-05-17T14:36:00.001-07:002014-05-17T14:38:55.662-07:00Dakar waterfront in our Senegalese dudsWe took advantage of our time with a vehicle (Daniel drove and picked up a family at the airport and in return he was able to borrow their truck for the week!) and went to icecream, the waterfront and took me out to a mothers' day lunch. We really enjoyed the freedom of being able to GO places that a vehicle affords. Yes, taxis work, but are so much more stressful and less convenient for a family with little ones! Plus the drivers can be...a little scary at times. It works, but man, having a car was nice! Here we are on Mother's day after church followed by a lunch out, then a walk on the Dakar waterfront. We had fun:)
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-52392611822318945342014-04-19T11:36:00.000-07:002014-04-19T11:36:04.392-07:00Resurrection rolls and painting eggs!Since we are still working out our own family traditions around Easter, we were thankful to be able to tag along for some friends' traditions this year. They invited us to make "resurrection rolls", paint eggs and read the story of Jesus' resurrection out of a kids' Bible. It was fun!
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-10803901795976723612014-03-28T14:33:00.001-07:002014-03-28T14:42:11.306-07:00Daniel's trip through S. Senegal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the way they had some adventures...a flat tire...<br />
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They saw a termite hill...<br />
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The radiator overheated...<br />
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And finally...the New Tribes Guest house (whew!)<br />
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Some of the things they saw included classrooms for literacy...<br />
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Lots of small villages (and lots of grass roofed huts)<br />
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The Gambian River<br />
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Another classroom<br />
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Daniel outside of the one of the "guesthouses" he stayed in<br />
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Mosquito nets ...a normal and necessary part of our life here<br />
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Yes, these are the bathrooms. Don't be worryin' none about turning on a fan!<br />
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And after you use the bathroom...you might see some goats or sheep?<br />
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Yep, you know what that is:)<br />
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Daniel and Augustin, a new friend (and pastor)<br />
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Daniel rode down with Jim and his daughter, and here they are reading a Bible story in these kids' heart language.<br />
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The crew coming back up to Dakar (including one of our Senegalese colleagues and family)Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739278362553454729.post-19898730887070422042014-03-17T02:11:00.000-07:002014-03-17T02:11:00.712-07:00Daniel hard at workSince Daniel started working at SIL again in January, he's done a number of different maintenance type projects, but his favorite is working on vehicles/motorycycles that need repair. Since he doesn't have automotive training (officially anyway!) he's been doing tons of research as well as just "figuring things out". One of the big hurdles/skills is needing to be creative/patient everyday since there are not the correct tools available (its not a full shop where he is currently working) and getting the parts is often a half-full day process and that's often just ordering the part. Life is certainly different and more challenging in Africa, but we are learning and growing in our new "roles". Here are some pictures of Daniel hard at work:
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One of the challenges you might notice is that everything is always covered in a thick layer of dust. Often the skies are brown from the dust and within a few hours of cleaning something there will be a new layer. <br />
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Daniel will also be taking a break from this role for a week and a half starting this week to do some traveling here in Senegal and look into possible projects for our future here (as well as seeing more of "rural" Senegal). We are excited for this opportunity!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267207987959168538noreply@blogger.com0