Payin' for Your Raisin'

Isn't that what it's called when you have a child who is so much like you were growing up?  You know,  a snotty, sarcastic, know-it-all lovely, endearing, precocious child?

Well, I have one of those.  Maybe two.  More on one certain child in a moment.

Remember the hamster named Fluffy, who lives in a pink cage, and is a MALE?   He spent a few days this week not doing much at night (they're nocturnal, which made Luci very not-happy since he plays while she sleeps).  I thought, uh-oh, he's probably dying.  Who knows how old he was when we bought him?

Luci began making funeral plans for Fluffy yesterday.  Then we spent the day at the park with friends.  On the way home, I called Bryan and asked if Fluffy were still alive.  After poking the poor beast, Bryan said he was, indeed, among the living.  Luci and I made a detour to the pet store to get tubes to add to the hamster habitat --because you know they don't call it a cage anymore.  It's not politically correct or something.  As if the animal cares.  I had told Luci that we'd get add-ons for the cage habitat on payday.  Payday was three weeks ago, so since the critter was still moving, we got playthings.

Turns out he was just bored with his cage habitat.  Maybe he was rebelling because he was in a PINK cage habitat.  Whatever the cause, he is happy now, and acting healthy again. 

Okay, you stayed with me for the hamster tale so you get rewarded with finding out which kid is like me, the I-wanna-wring-his-neck-sometimes kid.  It's JT.  God bless my parents for letting me live out my teen years. Now I know why they sent me all the way from Idaho to Arkansas for college.  Because their hands could not reach my neck from that distance.

JT knows everything.  I mean, EVERYTHING.  He's read through the Alabama Department of Public Safety's driving manual once, only because we forced him to before getting his learner's permit.  So now he knows all about driving safely, even though he's only gone as fast as ten miles an hour in the local school parking lot.  He corrects me all the time!  Me, Safety Susie!  I mean, I am a good driver and he's correcting me?  (See, we're both know-it-alls.  John is nodding his head.  My parents are shouting, "Amen!")

But the clincher was yesterday, when both boys were trying to be in charge of adding on the hamster's playthings...pushing and shoving and insulting each other as only teen brothers can do (hey, wait, that's what Tom and Charlie were like, why am I getting to pay for their raising??).  Then Luci gets in on the insulting thing.

Don't miss it, now, here's the JT-is-just-like-his-momma part:  He corrected the grammar of one of Luci's insults!

I was rolling on the floor.

This is for Uncle Tom

Yes, there really is an Uncle Tom in this family.  The kids have an Uncle Sam, too.  What can I say?  My parents were pretty creative back in the '50's.

Tom (one of my big brothers) is very good at folding little bits of paper and making something fantastic out of them--also called origami.  So, Uncle Tom, this one's for you.

We got another installment in our Little Passports geography study. (I am not impressed with the contents of this program--way too little for the money.  I don't recommend Little Passports.)  This month's country was Japan, which happens to be where I was born.  The gift included was a little origami set.  These are Luci's first attempts.

Kitty Cat

Butterfly

Not really flattered about this...

Luci likes wearing my nightgowns (those t-shirt looking things, nothing slinky here) for bedtime.  Fine.  I don't mind.  I really think it's sweet that she wants to wear them.

Except for the comment tonight:

Look, Daddy!  Don't you like my nightgown?  

Yes.  Maybe someday you'll be tall enough to wear that without tripping.

Yeah!  But now, if I fall off a cliff, it can be my parachute!

I want to do an Experience!

Um, I think that would be experiment, Luci.

JT peeled the apples with his handy-dandy pocket knife.

One apple was covered with a salt and baking soda mixture.  The other is our control.  In one week we'll see what happened.  Replicating some of the mummification process with these apples.

My favorite line in the experiment's directions:  Set the bowls where they will not be in your mother's way.

Six Years Ago

Six years ago today, we met Luci face to face.   For better or worse, our lives all changed that day.  All adoptions begin with a loss.  Luci may never get to meet her birth parents or know what happened that had her end up in an orphanage.  Since this is the anniversary of her adoption, there are lots of mixed emotions running through her mind.  Happiness that we went out to eat in honor of HER, and sorrow that she is not with her original parents.  Joy that Mommy played video games with her "in celebration, Mama," and consternation that I would not play Disney Princess Wii for more than two hours.

Here are some photos from that trip six years ago.  They are not in any particular order.


Here is a photo that was taken at the orphanage before they traveled to Guiyang to meet us.  Pictured:  Hannah, Luci and Annaleah.  We sent a disposable camera (along with other goodies for the staff, ordered from here) and were thrilled when it was returned to us when Luci was put into our arms.  The shots were all from the morning they came to meet us, probably all taken in about fifteen minutes, but they are the only glimpse we have of Luci's life before we met her.

Bryan and JT with all three Bearden girls.

JT and Bryan with some cigars that John bought at the White Swan.  That bed was supposed to sleep two.  TWO.  It didn't.  But at least it was more cushy than the bed in Guizhou.

JT with Jophy, our guide.

Bryan and JT climbed up a temple.  This was about seven flights up.

Eating with chopsticks!

The boys with their "I'm the big brother" and "I'm the bigger brother" t-shirts on (Bryan's actually says, "biggest."  But it should say, "bigger." The editor in me comes out!) .  Luci has on an "I'm the little sister" shirt.

Happy baby at Lucy's Bar in Guangdong.

On the way to LuiZhi, the city where Luci's orphanage is.

LuiZhi

The back of Luci's SWI (Social Welfare Institute--different than an orphanage, in that senior citizens also live there, and probably infirm adults as well).  I think those folks in the red are exercising.

The first photo we ever saw of our precious Luci.

Answers to that Prayer

Two days after the Rain, Rain post, we got 0.51 inches of rain.  Half an inch!  That was really nice.  Thank you, thank you, Lord!  We got more in ten minutes than we had in the past three weeks all together.

Yesterday we got another 1.19 inches.  Yippee!  And perhaps some more today.

And now, it's our turn.  To have grandchildren here when it's raining.  John's daughter Audrey is in town, and bringing over her three children for some fun.  I'm sure they'll have fun with Luci's bed , which will mean that bed is seeing some action.  Since Luci's slept on the living room floor with me ever since it was built.  (Told ya so.)

So, here we are, with lots of wet ground.  John's out now, scrounging for some dry wood so we can make a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmallows.  It's a fine substitute for going to the big creek with all the girls.  We haven't been able to use the fire pit since the weather has been so dry, but today that is not a problem.

Justice, huh, Lord?  You laughing at me, up there today?  I would be.

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And now I feel really selfish.  Here is Luci's province, Guizhou, in the news because of a severe drought.

Rain, Rain, Wherefore art Thou, Rain?

We've had very little rain in the past three weeks.  Finally, two days ago, some big storms rolled through.  Areas around us got three inches of rain.  Just 15 miles away, in two different directions, THREE inches of rain!  We got...ready for this?  0.15 inches of rain here.  That's right, not even two-tenths!  Arrgh!  Then, today on the way home from town, the rain was so intense that we nearly came to a standstill on the highway.  It was a real toad-strangler.  I was so excited, now we have some rain!  Then we got home...and it was bone-dry.  Not even a drop!  About two hours later, though, we did get some rain.  A whole 0.05 inches. Woo-Hoo! Celebrate!  Not so much.

It is so dry here that I've been praying for rain.

Which is unusual.  Me, praying for rain.

I remember very well one summer that we went to Tennessee to see all the grandparents and cousins.  I was six or seven years old (no older than that).  Here is a photo of my family around that time (Dad was behind the camera) .  I'm the blond girl on the left, in front of the Mother who looks like she's about to pass out from being a mother to five children.  She was exhausted, I'm sure. (Mom, this photo is so funny.  I love it!)

While we were in Tennessee, it began to rain!  Oh no!  The only thing we kids could do in Tennessee was play outside.  Heavens, five children descending upon grandparents who hadn't had kids living in their homes for decades, and what, did you say FIVE kids?  Send those boogers outside to play!  Don't call them in until supper.  After that, send them back outside to chase the fireflies.

We were in our station wagon with Grandmother.  Sandwiched in, up close and personal, getting to know Grandmother better.  Driving through Nashville somewhere, going someplace and under pain of death to be good to our siblings.  And it started to rain.  Rain!  What are we going to do now?


Grandmother, sitting in the middle seat, said how happy she was to see the rain.  "I've been praying for rain!"

I remember just as if it were yesterday, thinking, "What a stupid thing to pray for!"

Now I'm praying that stupid prayer.

Cool Things

Tonight, after working on World Bible School, I made smoothies (love that VitaMix!). 

Luci's gave her brain freeze!

I caved and got Luci some Skechers "Twinkle Toes" shoes.  They are plenty big, so she will get lots of wear out of them.  The shoes are sorta expensive (yipes!) but wow, they flash!  LED lights in the toes of these already-sparkly shoes (they have an abundance of sequins, and then they added the lights) really make them stand out.  Lots of fun for a little girl.

Heard today, I think my hearing is going:

while listening to a Christian CD (Wee Sing):

Luci sang along, and then said:  Jesus likes hearing this CD.  It makes Him happy!


Yes, it does.  I know He loves hearing you sing, too.

 I know!  I am a fish stick!


What?  You're a fish stick?

No!  I said, 'I am a Christian!'

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Also today, Luci told us this story:

One day, when I was in my bedroom with Bryan, I wanted to hit him!

I heard this voice in my head saying, "Don't hit him.  Don't hit him."

That's your conscience, Luci.

Then I heard another voice saying, "Hit him! Hit him!"

But I didn't hit him.

Much.

Our Week

We processed another pumpkin. This latest one weighed 7.4 lbs. I don't think there are any more pumpkins left in the garden. 

I took Luci to our closest splash pad.  That's a fancy term for a place where water squirts up through the ground.  It was lots of fun for Luci.  I still got some sunburn, even though I sat in the shade the whole time.  I also got to visit with a homeschool mom, Sara, as we watched our kids play.  That part was fun for me.

One thing we learned is that a kid can get an accidental enema from these jets.  Poor Luci. I did get her to the bathroom before the explosion hit, and I was able to clean her up in the van.  Good thing there were some extra clothes in the van.  The next night on the local news, there was a story on E Coli contamination in area splash pads.  How timely!  Testing the Waters, Channel 19. 

Thursday, after working at the Friendship Center, Luci and I headed to Huntsville to get a Smurf at Build a Bear Workshop.  They were out of girl Smurfs, so that was a bust.  Except that Luci ended up with a teddy bear instead, which cost half as much as a Smurf, so we both were happy.  We visited Redstone Arsenal to get groceries at the Commissary, so it was not all about Smurfs.  We did some good stocking up, too.

Luci's highlight of the day (since the Smurf was AWOL) was riding the Cow-levator.  What's that, you ask?  It's the elevator at the mall that has a Chik-Fil-A cow painted on the door.  She kept telling me she wanted to ride the Cow-levator...I didn't even remember the cow.  But she did.

When she told me she wanted to ride the ask-a-lator, I figured that one out much more quickly.

Guess Who?

John found a photo album yesterday, and we had fun looking through it.

Here's a photo of me with my Mom and siblings 'way back when we lived in Albuquerque.  You can tell I was thrilled to be a big sister, loving that I am no longer the one in Mom's lap.  Yeah.

Now I know where JT gets that face.  Here he is at about age 4, in an angel costume at church.  Martha Harrison, JT's Sunday school teacher that year, dressed all the kids up, took their photos and decorated the class with them.  You can tell JT's thrilled with the get-up.

Oh, JT, you are so cute!

Pumpkin!

Luci planted pumpkins this year.  Today John harvested the very first one.  Luci and I worked to preserve it, and made some muffins along the way.  I followed the directions on this site.

Here she is!  This pumpkin weighed 7.2 lbs.  It is really too large for freezing, according to the things I've read online because the larger the pumpkins are, the stringier they can be.  We didn't let that stop us.

Not so sure about the innards!

It was really easy to separate the seeds from all that goop.  Just put the stuff in a bowl, add water, and watch the seeds float to the top.  Pick those out, then stir the mess again.  If the seeds are stuck to the fibers, just rub them between your fingers.  They will come loose.  The bowl of water makes it so easy.  I roasted the seeds (Luci added the butter and salt) and we enjoyed them after supper.  Directions here.

We steamed the pumpkin, a bit at a time, in the microwave.

Pureeing the flesh.  The site recommended a hand blender.  Mine did not work.  The VitaMix had no problem!

We had enough for three packets for the freezer (one will make a batch of muffins, two will make a pie), and enough left over for...

Muffins!  These were so good!  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from allrecipes.com. 

JT refused to try a muffin.  He won't eat anything that's the same color as his hair (orange).  I tried to get him to taste just a crumb of one, a crumb loaded with chocolate chips, but he wouldn't!  He did, however, make off with half of the roasted pumpkin seeds.

The Great Pumpkin Experiment is a winner!

John's been busy!

This week John put together a platform for Luci to sleep on.  Before I show you this fantastic bed/sleeping platform, let me show you the other beds that Luci has had in her room since moving here:  

November 2006 ~~Bryan putting Luci's crib together

 March 2008  ~~  Just the crib mattress on the floor

 July 2008 ~~ a real bed, big enough for Mommy to sleep with Luci (yeah, right, as soon as she nods off, she's perpendicular!).  Also big enough for company, should any be brave enough to stay here overnight....

 December 2010 ~~ Maybe, just maybe, she'll sleep in this bed

and Today ~~ the extravaganza, the whoop-de-doo, the bed to end all beds!

Whatcha wanna bet that she won't sleep here, either?

This is a fantastic play space!

I figure this is just another pretty bed, set up for looking at.  Because I betcha she won't sleep in it any time soon.

Usually Luci and I end up on the floor in the living room.  When she starts out in her room, she ends up on the floor with me there--crammed between her bed and the kitchen playset (it's a tiny, tiny room).  So, we end up moving to the living room floor. 

It's getting kind of old for this old mommy.  I don't get stiff, which is a surprise to both John and me.  It's just that I'd rather Luci be able to sleep by herself.  She wants a little sister, then "I can sleep with her, mommy!"  Yeah, right.  I don't think that's happening.  So, I sleep with her.  Luci's counselor says this will pass, Luci will eventually not need me next to her.  Be tough, you say?  I baby her, you say?  You are not living with a sweet little girl who thinks she's being abandoned.  Again.  :( 

Look, Ma! No Cavities!

Luci and I had an appointment for teeth-cleaning and came back with a no-cavity report.  Yay!

But Luci is showing some serious need for braces....

And earlier last week, I found this sweet surprise on the top of a new carton of Daisy Sour Cream--a tiny heart!