Fatma Poppins

When women in full burkas run after the bus it looks like they could take flight. Sort of like a Middle Eastern mary Poppins!

My Daddy Done Taught me Well

Tonight before I left to meet with my female co-workers to pray, I pulled out my cell phone. Before I stuck it in my bag I checked to see if there were any messages. UGH!!! It was dead! I plugged it in, and the screen was still black. So I left it to charge while I was gone.

When I returned, much to my dismay, the screen was still black. Broken. As I started to fret about where the money would come from to buy a new cell phone- as I don't like to venture out in this massive city without some sort of life line, I remembered one of the important life lessons my Daddy taught me. So I proceeded to pry the back off of the phone, take the battery out, and smack the heck out of it against the counter. With a quick prayer, I put the phone back together, and VOILA!!! The phone now works!

Certainly not the only, or most profound thing my Daddy taught me, but useful none the less!

Minority Report

It is really weird being the minority. I don't know how, but before we even open our mouthes everyone knows we are foreign. I think we look about the same, maybe a little lighter skin... except for Lucy who is white as snow with blonde hair.

Anyhow, everyone knows us. I feel really bad, because I don't recognize the lady that I talked to at the park a few weeks ago, or the children that we met at the bread store. I even had a lady from the bus come to visit us. We had the basic conversation that we have every day with every one- Where are you from? Are you on vacation? Do your kids go to school? She saw where we got off the bus, and the next weekend she came to visit. I guess she just got off at the same stop and started asking people where the foreigners live.

Its like being the Korean family at church. Everyone knows you whether you know them or not!

Dream Job

This was our conversation walking to school today...

Lucy: ORSE! ORSE! (Pointing and very excited as the gypsies go by)

Noah: I bet that's your dream job, Mommy!

Callie (the realist): That horse is furry, and they're just carrying garbage. I don't think Mom wants to do that!

Noah: But Mommy loves horses!

Callie: Yeah, but that one stinks.

Me: What if my horse wasn't stinky?

Noah: You'd love it!!

Callie: Maybe?

Lucy: ORSE! ORSE! I pet, I pet!

Me: Please do not touch that animal! (Silent Prayer: Thank you, Lord, those women do not speak English!)

Looks like I already have my dream job. It may not involve stinky horses and garbage, but it does involve stinky children and it is quite entertaining!!

Funny Conversation

So I was talking with my Libyan friend today about the HUGE hot topic over here- Israel's invasion of Palestine. He was explaining to me how unfair it was that "his people" was being treated so poorly. He went on and on about how they have no weapons, no this, no that. I am in no way taking sides or offering an opinion on the whole deal, but when my friend said that, I replied...

What?!!? Every Palestinian man, woman, and child has a rocket launcher under their bed.

His response (please say this out loud in your best very deep, manly Middle Eastern accent):
That's not a weapon!

I laughed so hard, remembering that old Crocodile Dundee movie. I almost expected him to follow that statement with- "this is a weapon," and pull some awesome oozy out of his school bag.

CRISIS

We are experiencing a cultural crisis!! Our sweet friend Jennie sent us a package with Oreos in it, and Lucy didn't like them. OH. MY. HECK!!!

Can I just tell you that up until the day we boarded the plane here I am quite sure that half of the consistency of Justin's body was made up of Oreos. His blood had an Oreo cell count!

All that to say, my sweet little Lucy, two years old, was either switched at birth OR all of her American food taste-buds have fallen out. Sweet mercy, what if she doesn't like cheeseburgers, or apple pie, or American cheese? Will America revoke her passport?

FUN

We have a dear friend that forces us to have fun! Well, she doesn't force us, she encourages us. Every now and again she gives us a little bit of pocket money. Since its not our regular budget money, she encourages us to spend it on something non-budget. That usually ends up being something FUN!

For a city this size, it is surprising that fun is a bit hard to find, especially in the winter, and it is costly. So with our sweet friend's money in our pocket we headed over to the huge mall on the other side. There is an indoor fun park. The kids were crazy with excitement. It was the perfect end to our Christmas activities.

First, we had lunch at the Pizza Hut buffet in the food court. Not quite the same as America, but SO yummy! Then we headed down to the action.


Lucy was obsessed with this carousel. She kept running over and trying to get on it. So, we gave in and let her have the first ride. She liked it, but she kept wanting to go from horse to horse, which the boy running it frowned on.

Then we walked around the whole place and let the kids look at all the rides so they could decide which ones they wanted to do. While we were surveying the land we noticed a huge play-place where you could drop off younger children (for tokens, of course). So, we dropped Lucy off for 30 minutes so we could take Noah and Callie to do a few big kids things. I felt a little guilty, until I came back and Lucy would not come out. She was having too much fun! Next time we'll drop her off for an hour!!



These aren't the best pictures because the light was so dark and strobe-y (is that a word?). But Noah LOVED the bumper cars. The Bumper cars here were wild! They were pretty fast, and you didn't have to all go around the same direction. So, you could build up a bit of speed, and then slam into someone head-on. Or, in our case, since Noah was driving, turn the wheel too far and get to spinning in backwards circles until we slammed into the wall! Sweet mercy, whiplash is fun!!





Callie is the bravest kid on the planet. As soon as she saw the roller coaster, she begged to go on it. Once she was on in and locked in, her nerves fluttered a bit, but she loved it. She is a daredevil!



Lucy was driving the 18- wheeler and dancing. It was hilarious! She is so spunky.


We spent most of our tokens at this a huge playground fort. The kids loved it. You could purchase 15 minute time intervals. I think they spent and hour total in that place. It was such a great chance to blow off some steam! Even little Lucy could get in there and play. They climbed, ran, went down the slide, and used up lots of energy! I sure do wish we had an indoor playground like this closer. We'd be there every weekend during the winter!

Christmas Day

While the kids were at school on Christmas Eve, I tried to cook and prepare a yummy soup for dinner (a Leonard tradition), and some special food for Christmas Day. I really wanted to make sure we had a special meal, but certainly did not want to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else was playing with new toys. I made Gorilla Bread. have you ever had it? It is a Paula Dean recipe, and it is sooooo good. It is monkey bread with cream cheese in the center of each little buttery sugary ball. YUM!!

I really wanted to do a big turkey dinner and all. So I prepped the turkey and stuck it in a roaster bag, made macaroni and cheese, green beans, biscuits, and gravy. So, all I had to do on Christmas day was stick it all in the oven at the right time.

Our day was wonderful!!! We begged the kids to stay in bed until daylight. They did pretty well. Noah was up at who knows when, but he was super quiet and patient. The girls got up at about 7:00, and Christmas began!! We started with stockings. Then stopped for breakfast of yummy gorilla bread. Then we opened presents. Each of our families sent packages, and we wrapped every single thing. So there was a lot of fun things to open!



This is our tree all set up late on Christmas Eve. We had finished the wrapping, so we just had to wait for the kids to finally fall asleep. They were so excited.



This was Lucy's present to Noah- an Iron Man action figure. He loved it!



This was Callie's present from us. Two My Little Pony sets. She played with them a lot at first, but hasn't touched them since! Hopefully, she'll come back to them!!



Almost every picture I have of the kids is blurry. I'm not a great photographer, but I think more accurately, it represents how BUSY they were all morning. Lucy is still trying to figure out how to open things.



A sippy cup!! See what I mean, we wrapped everything- even underwear... individually!



Callie showing Lucy that her new toy is a puppet!



We girls showing off our new slippers that Grandma Deb made.



Now we're showing off our matching aprons that Grandma Deb made. She was a busy bee!!


We played with our new toys most of the afternoon. Then some friends came over. The kids had so much fun showing their new toys. Our friends are English and they brought a Christmas cake.

Isn't it beautiful?!?! It is an English tradition. It was like a fancy fruitcake. She started making the thing a month ago. All along, as she was working on it, and then "feeding it" I was fretting because I knew I was going to have to eat it! I don't think I've ever eaten fruitcake, just heard all the jokes about them. And, I knew for certain that I had never eaten Christmas cake- which my friend says is very different from fruit cake. Anyhow, it was delicious!!! It was fun to share in their special Christmas tradition.

After they left, we talked with Justin's parents for a bit on the computer. We watched one of our new movies together, ate a few leftovers, and then talked to my family on the phone. All in all, it was a fun day!

Hard 'Splainin' it to a Kid

At dinner tonight, we were talking about a video game that the have been enjoying. Callie asked something about it. Noah launched into this long and detailed history about Super Mario Brothers (most of it was far from factual). When he ended his long winded explanation with "you know what I mean?" we all just stared at him blankly. He said, "it's hard splainin' this kind of stuff to a kid!" We all died laughing! That boy is crazy!!

Pat A Cake, Pat A Cake...

Callie loves to help me in the kitchen. She is getting pretty good. One of our family traditions is to make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake for Christmas Day. Callie was really excited about it. She practically made the whole thing. I just helped her measure and crack the eggs.




Here she is in my apron, on a stool, mixing away.




This is the finished product. We did a ganache pourable frosting that was killer good. She stuck our little people baby Jesus on top and a candle, of course. This girl is so cute. I could just eat her up!!

Grandma Deb made Callie her very own apron for Christmas. She wore it all day!

Christmas Party

This year we got to have two Christmas parties. Early in the month we had a company-wide Christmas Party. Everyone from our company in this region came into town to attend. It was so fun. We made appetizer-type food and desserts. YUM! We played games, talked, did a Christmas devotion, and (my favorite) sang Christmas carols. One of the things that I miss about being a part of a church body is singing! Of course I can always sing a long with my ipod, but its not the same as joining voices with a room full of like-minded believers!! So, this party was lots of fun.

I made a layered Mexican dip and for dessert a few different types of cookies. The dip was awesome, if I do say so myself! I am getting quite good at making my own Mexican food. We have dried brown beans, something close to sour cream, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, etc here. I brought taco seasoning from America. My friend, Jennifer is my Mexican food sherpa. She always emails me yummy recipes and tips!


Our other party was the weekend before Christmas with our business partners (aka: team). The kids decorated Christmas cookies. Justin led us in a Christmas devotion. We did a secret Santa gift exchange by drawing names, and of course, we ate yummy food! I made baked chicken nuggets and honey mustard dip. It was the first time I have made honey mustard! It was so good! I am starting to build up a little variety in my salad dressing repertoire. For dessert I made fruit dip with fresh fruit and a chocolate trifle. I can find cook and serve pudding here, but it is not nearly as good as yummy Jello Instant pudding. So, the trifle was ok, but not great. We had a really fun time being together.

Without all of the commercialism of Christmas, I think our kids are learning to appreciate and celebrate Christmas is a fun way that also honors Christ. If you read this blog regularly, you know I have been trying very hard to come up with ideas and special traditions to make the holiday special as well as keep it Christ centered. It's not easy when the kids are little and presents are involved. But, for us, we took things slowly, didn't over schedule ourselves, and constantly talked about why we were celebrating. Also, we read the Christmas story from the Bible a lot, and did different things for each of the four weeks leading up to Christmas (advent). All in all, it was a very special time for us.

Here are some pictures from our team party.


Noah and Callie eating and being silly!



Lucy and Daddy eating some yummy food.


Decorating Christmas cookies.









Noah and Callie were very excited about their presents. We opened the presents one by one and then had to try to guess who gave it to us.



Lucy showing off her warm winter bee hat that she received.


More Christmas pictures are on the way in the next few days...

The Christmas Picture

Last year I took a cute picture of the kids in front of our Christmas tree. I decided to do it again this year to try to show how much they have grown. They practically cover our little tree already!!

This is last year's picture:



Drum roll please....

Here is this years' attempts at a decent picture!

More Randomness

I have a bit more randomness for you today!!

My friend from Iraq told me today that I look just like Brittany Spears! I didn't know whether that was a compliment or a slam. Just wait until she sees me with my head shaved, wearing a wife-beater and some booty shorts, and pregnant. Then I'll really look like Brittany Spears!

My proudest language achievement was solving a puzzle on our version of Wheel of Fortune!

Doctors here make $1150 a month! My friend's dad is a specialist in Libya and he makes $300 a month. No wonder health care is so inexpensive here! The thing we cannot figure out is how people live, because the cost of living in our city is higher than most cities in America!

Aladdin

I watched Aladdin (the super cute Disney classic) with my sick-y daughter today. It is the first time I have watched it since we have lived here. It is laced with hilarious Middle Eastern humor that I had never noticed before.

Also, in language class I learned how to take one little three letter verb and add enough suffixes to make it say (in one word) I may or may not be able to come. The end result is a mere 23 letters long and LOTS of fun to try to pronounce!! I also learned how to change the order of the suffixes to show dependence on something- as in, I may or may not be able to come, depending on how Callie is feeling.

It is the rainy season here. We haven't seen the sun in weeks.

Anything else I can tell you.... Nope. Can't think of anything!

Have a good one!

Bye, Bye Mullet

Lucy has next to no hair. It is thin and super white. Only the very back was growing. Not only did it look way too mullet-y, but it was stringy and usually sticky. So, I had to cut it.





For some crazy reason I trimmed above her ears also. So, the end result...


our precious baby boy! HA! At least I didn't shave her head like most moms do here. Anyhow, it was a few weeks ago, and now her hair is evening out and thickening up a bit. I just have to keep rubbing the top front bang area. Not much growth there yet!

No Time Like the Present

Since I am confined to this flat with sick kiddos, but finally feel well myself, I figured I should write a few posts.

I uploaded these pics awhile back, and haven't gotten around to posting them. Late in the fall we were still experiencing beautiful weather. One of the girls in my language class lives this beautiful part of the city. It is right on the water, and has a fantastic square with a very historic mosque. She kept raving about the market in the square each Saturday and Sunday. It is quite different from the regular markets that have fruits, vegetables, nuts, olives, cheese, cloth, shoes, clothes, etc. This one is huge, and it is all handmade goods!! Yee-haw! My momma taught me to appreciate a good craft fair, so I dragged the fam over to check it out. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint! If you ever come visit me, I will take you to this market. it is now BY FAR my favorite place to find beautiful things in this city! Oh so fun!




After a year and a half, I still don't take for granted that we get to walk along beautiful stretches of shoreline like this (even if the picture does not do it justice). The shore is always lined with fishermen and people strolling about.



The historic mosque.



Up close.


The other side.



Another view- I'm trying to be a little artsy-fartsy here.



A glass blower (my favorite) with the square in the background.



Lucy LOVED the pigeons. She observed them for 2 seconds before she started inching toward them and then chasing them all around. Of course it created all sorts of wing flapping and craziness. There is no way I was going near her to stop it. You may not know this about me, but I HATE birds. They are nasty and scary and I cannot stand to be near them or look at them. (Incidentally, this is one of the few proofs that I may be my Aunt Joyce's long lost daughter instead of my bird loving mother's daughter.)





Justin and the kids posing in the square.



Random cute kids eating their baked potatoes. This area is famous for this type of baked potato. They are huge and they put some of the craziest things you can imagine in them. Somehow (I'm thinking magic fairies) the flavors come together to form something delicious. When you visit, and we are milling through the tables at the market, we'll get one and you can see for yourself!



The glassblower and this guy got the most "stare-time" from the kids. They loved to watch and weren't afraid to ask all sorts of questions. This guy was making little model houses. They were designed after the ones in a special village along the northern sea coast. I have heard that this one particular village is a must see! It is like traveling back into Ottoman times.



Love that sweet smile and the kid wearing it!



Callie loves these binocular thingys. We don't even put any money in them. Lord only knows what she is looking at!

An Unexpected Gift

Well... I got my Christmas present from Satan the other day. And the great news is that it is the gift that keeps on giving! Last Sunday afternoon I came down with a cold that turned into bronchitis (self diagnosed, partially in thanks to Web MD). My dear sweet, precious husband worked his tail off nursing me back to health and taking care of the kids, the flat, and the chores.

No sooner did I turn the corner and start to feel better, than the girls both came down with fevers, the snots, etc. And now, today, Noah has started running a fever! Sweet mercy, this is fun! The best part is the cough. You know... the one that only persists when you are horizontal and desperate for sleep. Yep, the one that seizes the kids when it is too early to wake up but feels too late to go back to sleep (to them, al least- for me it is never too late to go back to bed!). And it wakes everyone up.

On the bright side, we got a lot of DVDs from my family for Christmas. They have been keeping us entertained, since I haven't left the house in a week, and Callie and Lucy haven't left since Wednesday! I heard it snowed! I did discover that staring at the computer and TV screen for a solid week makes the rest of the world sort of look blue. My vision is probably permanently scarred!

Justin, beware... it's coming for you!