We have just traveled back to the USA.   This week Bob graduates with his MBA.  He has had a full scholarship for distance education because of the work we were able to do in Brazil.  He has been working on this for 3 years now and I couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments!!   He has worked so hard and diligently for this degree!!     The trip back here was by far the worst trip I have ever been on!   I got sick from Germany to DC – I cannot sleep on planes and I was exhausted, I have a difficult time being in crowds and I started vomiting the last hour before landing in the USA.   I continued to be sick through 2 airports and as we were boarding our last flight, we were almost not allowed to get on the plane because I was THAT sick.  Thankfully we didn’t lose our kids  …  and our luggage was only lost for a few days.    It took me a full week to recover but after that I was ready to walk through WalMart!!     It is such a culture shock going to different countries and it is also a culture shock coming back.  Seriously!!!   My  husband and I were at Target this morning and two women were complaining saying, “They just don’t have any selection in this store” – how SHOCKING to our ears!!!

We will be spending the next 2 months visiting family.  We have been enjoying visiting with Bob’s parents – it has been 2 years since we last saw them!   I am just thrilled that our kids have grandparents that adore them and love them.   A couple of days ago we helped Bob’s parents move from Florida to Alabama as Bob’s dad has taken a pastorate here.

Sophia and Papa.

Bob’s parents and our three kiddos in the front of the church here in Alabama.

Fishing with Papa!!

I cannot believe my Sophie-girl is 5!!   We had a wonderful Mother’s Day this past Sunday.

I am so in love with my children.  Samuel just brought me a flower from the yard and he said God made it just for me.  He is the sweetest little boy God ever made!!

We will be going to Bob’s grandma’s family reunion.  I am so excited to visit with Bob’s amazing cousins and his aunts and uncles and sweet Grandma.  South Dakota is absolutely breathtaking, is it not??!!    I am also looking forward to visiting our loved ones in MN.     My blog is going to be getting a new look soon …  the snowmen have got to GO!      Blessings to you and yours this day, I pray.

Pretending to be “Fancy Nancy” going to school after she just had a tea party in Paris …

creative minds …

instilling correct grammar and spelling skills …

And this is the reality picture:  complete silliness.  Often times I will say “Enough is Enough!!” and separate the three because they feed off of each others jokes and giggles and silliness.  There have been more times than I can count when I have tried desperately to be firm with them about their silliness during school only to completely give in with my own uncontrollable laughter.   And then the kids are separated. 

baking lessons …

love teaching my son how to cook and bake – he made chili by himself last week … love teaching fractions in the kitchen, too..

bubble baths at noon …

siblings learning to be best friends ( as it should be! ) …

night school …  the beauty of homeschooling is that I am free to relate to my child’s style of learning.  Sarah does much better in the evenings with her phonics than in the morning.  So, we will pop some popcorn and snuggle in and do her phonics curriculum before bed.   And, that is Samuel behind me trying to secretly throw popcorn on the top of my head. 

I am NOT making my child iron clothes – you ask her what she wants to do when she grows up and she says “iron for real” – so, I have been letting her iron for real with the iron set at a low setting.  I love teaching my children how to do things around the house.

morning walks in the Botanical Garden …

how can I not be in love with this one??  …  ( Poor Rosebud?? )

and this one?? …

and this one??

While homeschooling is not my highest passion,  people are.  My children are the littlest people in my life.  I struggle with selfishness throughout our homeschooling days because there are things that I much rather be doing.  I miss the days in Brazil when my kids were 3 and under and I spent my days making visits to needy people, bringing them food and milk, cradling a baby just born to a 13 year old girl, helping to rescue those in true need.  That is my ultimate passion – and my heart beats just a little faster as I remember what we were able to do in Brazil.   But, here I am in a new chapter of my life and my kids are in a new chapter, too.  Elementary school.  Learning ABC’s and 1,2.3’s.  And I am learning to be content and rise up to what I need to do for them.       God’s blessings on you and yours, I pray.

So, Sarah wanted another puppy themed birthday this year.  Sophie wanted a kitty cat birthday cake.  Our friends, Matt and Denise,  helped me with the doghouse/puppy cake.  I cannot take much credit for it!  God bless her!  I cannot make a gingerbread house like the one she made.   Isn’t it cute?

Bob suggested we have a birthday party for Sarah and Sophia  at the big play land here.  Unfortunately, I am horrible when it comes to crowds and I have “psyscho moments” ( as Bob calls them ) if I cannot keep track of my kids in such a large place filled with a lot of people.  So, I asked him if I did crafts and such if he wouldn’t mind if we had a party at our home.  I made a pot of broccoli/cheese soup, a pot of chicken and wild rice soup, sandwiches and a big Cesar salad.     I ordered 10 bobble head dogs from the USA and the girls had so much fun painting them and decorating them with bows and jewels and glitter.

Okay, I am not a great cake decorator, but it is my tradition to make a homemade birthday cake of my child’s choice.  I stay up late the night before and when they wake up, they run to see how it turned out.   So, last night was a very late night.  Between Sophie’s cake and frosting the doghouse/dog cake … well, it was rather time consuming.  So, maybe you understand what was running through my mind when Sophia said, “Mommy, I want to eat the kitty’s nose and mouth” and Sarah said, “Mommy, I want to eat the dogs head”.  You know how you spend a good two hours on making a nice dinner for your family only for them to sit down and scarf it down in 5 minutes flat??  Well, that’s a little how I felt … but it was worth it!  Have I said yet how much I adore my sweet girls???

Sarah and Sophia have been wanting Bitty Babies for a long time.  Sarah named her baby Lucy.  And Sophie named hers Ruby and Robert.   We watched the story of Ruby Bridges a few weeks ago – the first African-American girl to go to a “white” school.  What a moving story!!  The name Ruby kind of stuck in Sophia’s little mind.    Oh, and Sarah lost her front teeth, as you can see.   She said the other day, ” I lost my bunny teeth and now I am going to get big beaver teeth like Samuel!”      My babies are growing up.

Well, tis the season for yummy food and gatherings and decorations.  Thought I would share some pictures from our service last night.  We had a Christmas buffet and it turned out really nice.  We were missing a couple of families but had a wonderful time.  It snowed all afternoon yesterday and it was as if we were driving in a snow globe.

These were some of the kids from last night at church.  ( They also happen to be my Sunday School kids – I just LOVE them to pieces! )  We were missing three faithful children – them and their parents were in a car accident on Saturday and thankfully, they were not harmed but their car was.  Pictured from back left to right and then front:   Elisa, Sonna, Sarah, Samuel, Emma, Eliise, Roselyn, Sophia and Ella.

Singing Christmas songs.

The older kids played Monopoly while the younger ones played with play dough.  Poor Samuel is the only big boy.

I snapped this picture of Sophie during the service.  She is such an angel face, if I do say so myself. 

Sarah Grace, my other sweet angel girl.

A few of us ladies after church.  I guess I should have worn red!

This group of ladies have been the biggest blessing to me personally.  We are all Americans except, Anyah, who works with the Salvation Army and her husband is American.  We meet every two weeks and it is a source of light while it can so dark here – dark in many ways.   We had a cookie exchange on this day and we also shared some homeschooling things and kids books and such.   We are in the middle of a Bible study called Experiencing God.   I look forward to every other Monday morning because of these ladies.

Homemade peanut butter cups!!   Thought I would throw in a recipe to this post.  I used butter instead of shortening and doubled the chocolate and used creamy instead of crunchy peanut butter.   These were SOOOO fun to make!   My son who does not like chocolate or peanut butter even liked these.   They are a hit!

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

My sweet girls and me.

Daddy’s girl!

Sarah, my love.

Getting sillier as the day wore on …

My intelligent husband gave my blog a new look at my request.  I told him what I wanted and he did it perfectly!!  I told him today I wish I could just transplant his brain into my head for a few hours so I could be highly competent when it comes to computer design.  His response??  “UUHHH … would that mean that I would have to get your brain during those few hours?  I’d be scared.”   Funny guy, right???  : )    Samuel snapped this picture of us – not too bad for an eight year old.

My favorite out of the whole bunch!

I am so thankful for my family.  My children are absolute gifts.  They are not perfect; they are still very much in training; but God gave them to Bob and I.   Tonight I kissed Sophie’s feet and said more to myself than to her, ” I wonder where God will take these feet …”   Sometimes I envision what my kids will be doing 20 years from now.  I envision my children serving God and others.    And as I write, my feet are so cold, and I wonder where God will take my feet in the next 20 years.   I pray that God will use me more in the years to come than in the years that have passed.  I desire to help people and be a blessing and minister to those that have physical and spiritual needs.   I have so much to learn and realize how much of a work in progress I am.  I think that the year 2010 is going to be life changing for me.

Blessings to you and your families, this day, I pray.   May God bless each and every person that reads this blog.   Whether you are my friend or you just stumbled across this blog doing a search on Estonia …  God wants the best for you.   He loves you.     (Pass it on to the little people in your life!! )

This is the best I could get of all of them … it was BLACK outside.

Just had to add this one because I think my mother-in-law will love it.  : )

Now for the onion rings …

Old Fashioned Onion Rings

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk, or as needed
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• seasoned salt to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

It seems like our small group over here consists of mostly girls!  Poor, poor Samuel!!  ( Bob took Samuel to our favorite Italian restaurant, then out to bowling and then to Meg’s apartment to watch football with her husband, Josh.)    So, I decided to have a girls party and it was a huge success!   I think we had 21 ladies/girls at our house.   We had face painting, polishing nails, and a scavenger hunt for necklaces.  Of course, there was plenty of food – pizza and pop and rice crispy treats, bean dip and chips, cakes and candies.  Healthy, right????    We ended the evening with the movie Dog Hotel.  ( Not sure if that is the name of it but that is what translates in Estonian. )

It was Sana’s birthday so I made her a cake and we sang happy birthday to her.  Her mother, Siiri, is on the left in the blue sweater.  My friend, Wendy, is in the red.  My friend, Jennifer, is on the right in the blue striped shirt.  She was such a great sport and let her daughter paint her face so she was a cat all night long.

My cheerful little butterfly and Eliza.

Sweet Christian ladies – Siiri, Andrea, Megan and Shera.

What is a girls party without nail polish??

Isn’t it amazing the influence we have on the little girls in our lives??  Not just our little girls but the girls around us.  I am thankful for the influences in my girls lives.  My friend Denise came over last week and gave my girls art lessons.  I enjoy her so much.  My friend Jennifer is a gem – such a gentle and kind woman and above all, honest.  My friend Wendy is a strong, godly woman that has the kindest eyes I have ever seen – she is remarkably nurturing and I love it that my girls have been influenced by her.  The young 20 year olds are so much fun and taught my Sophia how to ride a bike without training wheels last summer.

Lets do right by the little girls in our lives today!!   Hug them ( even if they are your neighbor girls or friends of your daughters or girls in your childrens church ministry ) – tell them they are valuable – tell them they are precious and that God made them.   Every girl needs to know that they are valuable and loved and then shown.     I think I will go kiss my little girls as they are in dreamland.       Blessings to you and yours this day, I pray.

#1  I have started homeschooling.  It has taken me a little bit figuring out the schedule that works best for us.   For years I have been a morning bird.  I love getting up early and having my quiet time before everyone gets up.  Since we have moved to Estonia, though, our whole family has become night owls.  So,  even though I had every intention of getting the kids out of bed at 7 am, breakfast and girls hair done pretty by 7:30 am and beds made, teeth brushed, dishes done, everyone dressed for the day, sitting, smiling, ready for a great school day by 8 am  ….  well, it’s just not happening!  : )    I have found that my kids cannot be rushed in the early morning.  A lot of mornings I will make a nice breakfast – pancakes, french toast, eggs with toast, oatmeal and fruit – and then we will all eat together. (I am not much of a breakfast eater so I usually have half of an orange.)  I love having meals together as a family.  As I clean up, Bob will have devotions with the kids at the kitchen table.  We have been memorizing entire chapters of the Bible.  We have memorized Psalm 23 and Psalm 1 so far this school year.  Bob also sings with the kids and he tells a Keys for Kids Bible story.   By the time he is done, the kitchen is cleaned up and I have done the girls hair.  I canNOT teach if my kitchen is a mess or if my girls hair is a mess.  : )  I then send the kiddos upstairs to make their beds and straighten up their rooms and have their own Jesus time on their beds … brush teeth and get dressed.   During this time is when I sit with Bob and we drink coffee and I read my Bible.   And then we start our day : Bible, Math, Language Arts.  Then they have an outside break and play.  Then it is a story time and onto history and spelling and writing.   YEP, we have found a  schedule that works for us.   But, I must admit that I am a spontaneous person and at times I become weighed down by schedule and routine.   So, it is at those times that I say, “lets go on a bike ride and explore the woods”.   We started school on July 13th so we can skip the book learning every now and then ( without guilt ) and go nature learning.

Samuel’s best little buddy arrived back from the USA a couple of weeks ago.  They were in acrobatics last year together and I think they are going to be doing indoor soccer this year.  His friend’s name is Chad and his mom, Wendy, is a wonderful homeschooling mom and missionary wife.

#2 Reason I have been MIA:  Personal reflection.  A friend of mine sent me  a book called Lord, I Want To Be Whole written by Stormie Omartian.  I have read her book The Power of a Praying Wife – very good book.  I will be the first to admit that I don’t have it all together all the time.  I think if we are all honest with ourselves and each other, we all struggle in certain areas.    I so desire to live an obedient life – to be free to be who God created me to be.   So, this past month I have been on a little journey of grace and healing … searching and finding.  ( Actually, I think I am always on this journey but I have been pursuing it more lately. )   Very soon, another missionary wife and I are starting a ministry to street women here in Tallinn – women who sell themselves.   It is not enough to tell a woman “I will pray for you” as I walk away to the comfort and safety of my home -they need salvation but they need Biblical counsel and direction.   They need healing.   I do believe that if Jesus were here in the flesh in Tallinn, Estonia, He would be ministering to those that feel they have no hope.  I ask that you pray for this new ministry.  Andrew and Sarah Bunnell left yesterday for the USA to have their second boy.  We are blessed to have sweet Estonian friends in the church as well as wonderful Americans, too.  We realize that whatever is done through us is because of Him.  Where would we be if we did not know Him??   Pray that God’s light will shine through us in this dark and oppressed country.

Blessings on you and yours this day, I pray.

Look at all the beautiful colors!!

A lot of different sights and smells.  These fish are NOT in my meal plan.  : )

Nectarines and cherries and blueberries and zucchini are in full produce right now.

My sweet little helper.

On Sunday I made  Zucchini Herb Casserole

• 1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
5. 
   

Okay … so Sarah is not too enthusiastic about this Veggie Week.   She is not my vegetable lover.  The rule at our dinner table is that if anyone utters a complaint, they get an extra scoop of whatever it is they are not thankful for.  Well, she may not have said a word, but her expression cannot deny her disapproval.  Every morning Sarah prays for “the little boys and girls that don’t have a mommy and daddy – and for those kids that don’t have food to eat”.  Bob told her those little boys and girls would love the meal she was eating.  ( She didn’t have much to say about that! : ) )    This zucchini dish was really good and devoured by everyone else.  I added 2 cups of rice to this dish because my family loves rice.

NEXT ….

So, this is my own little invention.  I made this Cream of Broccoli soup …  Doubled it.  I doctored it up with fresh garlic and fresh parsley and crushed red pepper  I steamed a bunch of broccoli and put it in the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  I cooked cubed chicken in a little bit of olive oil and some lemon pepper seasoning.  I then put the chicken on top of the steamed broccoli.  I then poured the soup over the layer of broccoli and chicken.  I sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese on top and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes.    I served it over fettuccine noodles with some warm bread.

Cream of Broccoli Soup:

• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pinches paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Place broccoli in a medium saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Remove broccoli and reserve cooking water.
2. In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions and celery in butter until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in flour, milk and cream. Dissolve bouillon in 2 cups reserved broccoli water. Stir into soup. Season with Worcestershire, paprika and salt. Stir in cheese and cook 10 minutes more.

A much happier Sarah.  : )

Today I made a recipe that we saw on the Travel Channel last week.  We like a show called Chef Abroad and last week he was in Greece.  So, I wrote down the recipe as he made it in Greece …  an eggplant dish … with some potatoes and cream sauce ( made from milk and natural yogurt ).  Bob hates eggplant ( I love it!! ) but he really liked this recipe I made today.  It was quite time consuming – about 2 hours to make/bake.    I will have to share it at another time, though.           What a beautiful day it is here in Tallinn, Estonia!  This entire summer has been gorgeous.   This morning my son and I biked to the supermarket for milk and fruit.  When I got home, Bob said my backpack weighed 30 lbs!!   WOW – it was a struggle going uphill!!   I was thinking as I was peddling hard how good it was going to feel when I arrived home and lay the backpack down.  I then thought about how there have been times ( and still have times ) when I carry a heavy burden that just weighs me down and I keep carrying it around when I could just give it to God for Him to carry.   It was a good reminder for me today and just thought I would share that thought I had in case some one reading this may need the reminder that God is right there, with arms outstretched, wanting to take our heavy baggage.        God Bless!!!

I made Samuel his own coupon book.  It has about 18 coupons in it … like staying up late with Daddy to play a game,  lunch date with Daddy, ice cream date with Mommy, no school work for a day, his choice of what he wants for dinner,  etc, etc.  He loved it!  I  am going to make this a tradition at birthdays from now on since the girls are begging for their own coupon books.

We spent the later morning/early afternoon at the zoo.  They have a petting zoo with goats and a pig and rabbits that the girls just love.  We fed the ducks and just enjoyed being together.

We went home and Samuel opened up a couple gifts.  He got a Transformer from his Mama and Papa in FL.  And a Spy Watch from his sisters.  AND …  a new bike from Daddy and Mommy!  Bob found bikes on clearance for 50% off – probably because in 2 months there will be snow on the ground.  His nice bike from the USA got stolen while our container set on the dock here when we first arrived.   Samuel said yesterday that he is the luckiest boy in the whole world!!

So, we went for a bike ride last night.  And we ended the day with a famiy movie night and Samuel got to talk to his friend Nathanial which was a treat.

Just an added picture … we love our Rosebud!!   Westies make such a great family dog!!