Shout-outs to my mom, aunt Anna and Pam for the packages. Big thank yous to Carol and Fred, Jamison and Michelle, Grandpa and Grandma Richart, the Sokwins, Shiree and Ken, Jason and Sarah, Larry and Holly, and Tim and Jena for the cards and gift certificates. And mad props to the publishers of Money and Shape magazines. You all made our day.
I'm just a mom
traveling the world with my husband and kids
in constant pursuit of the answer
to the question that governs our nomadic life.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
A Banner Day
Shout-outs to my mom, aunt Anna and Pam for the packages. Big thank yous to Carol and Fred, Jamison and Michelle, Grandpa and Grandma Richart, the Sokwins, Shiree and Ken, Jason and Sarah, Larry and Holly, and Tim and Jena for the cards and gift certificates. And mad props to the publishers of Money and Shape magazines. You all made our day.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
This might not come as a revelation, but ...
... sometimes it occurs to me that it might be nice to live near your family all the time, rather than just visiting for a couple weeks a year.
I know, it's crazy.
I know, it's crazy.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Knitting love
So, it turns out that having little with which to occupy oneself contributes to an increase in the frequency of blogging. I didn't think I had all that much of a life in D.C., but it turns out that I was wrong. Interestingly, having fewer outlets through which to occupy one's time (going shopping, going to church, cooking meals, commuting) also appears to translate to a general preoccupation with the minutiae of life that would otherwise remain unremarked-upon. Like the washers and the stoves, and so on.
I have reacted to this abundance of free time by breaking out the knitting again. I've also begun reading knitting blogs, of which there many, and which I find very addicting. I do not plan to turn this into a knitting blog (though if Jeremy doesn't start holding up his end of the computer, I may decide I have the license to do it), but I will devote the occasional post to this, one of my favorite pastimes.
So here's my recent progress. I finally knitted a replacement beanie for Josh (his was stolen back in March). I don't know whether he reads this blog; I guess I will find out because I am posting a picture of the new beanie below. Don't worry Josh, the colors are not nearly as bright as they appear in this photo. They are very muted and manly, I swear. Hope it fits!

I had wanted to start making a sweater; however, I do not have enough of any one yarn to pull that off at the moment, and as I have never made a sweater before, I didn't want to worry about any colorwork. But rather than jumping online and buying new yarn, I decided I needed to engage in a bit of "stashbusting," as they say in the knitting blogosphere. This is why:






So ... after I finish my current, secret project, I'll have to find lots of little projects to whittle down my stash, especially those in the bottom right photo, which include all the leftovers from previous projects. Requests will be entertained.
I have reacted to this abundance of free time by breaking out the knitting again. I've also begun reading knitting blogs, of which there many, and which I find very addicting. I do not plan to turn this into a knitting blog (though if Jeremy doesn't start holding up his end of the computer, I may decide I have the license to do it), but I will devote the occasional post to this, one of my favorite pastimes.
So here's my recent progress. I finally knitted a replacement beanie for Josh (his was stolen back in March). I don't know whether he reads this blog; I guess I will find out because I am posting a picture of the new beanie below. Don't worry Josh, the colors are not nearly as bright as they appear in this photo. They are very muted and manly, I swear. Hope it fits!
I had wanted to start making a sweater; however, I do not have enough of any one yarn to pull that off at the moment, and as I have never made a sweater before, I didn't want to worry about any colorwork. But rather than jumping online and buying new yarn, I decided I needed to engage in a bit of "stashbusting," as they say in the knitting blogosphere. This is why:
So ... after I finish my current, secret project, I'll have to find lots of little projects to whittle down my stash, especially those in the bottom right photo, which include all the leftovers from previous projects. Requests will be entertained.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas (Western)
Merry Christmas!
Jeremy and I celebrated the day in an all-American fashion: breakfast from the dining hall, followed by some presents, and flag football with the Marines (for Jeremy) and knitting in front of an episode of Gilmore Girls (for Masha). Then we went to a Christmas dinner hosted by one of our neighbors in our apartment building, and came home for some more knitting (and reading, for Jeremy).
Also, as a Christmas gift for you, our loyal reader(s), we finally took some pictures of our apartment:

Again, sorry for the flipped photo; we still have no iPhoto:



And the best part - our bathtub cubby. It's actually really cozy for baths. Go ahead, rotate your head and try to imagine it.

Merry Christmas!
Jeremy and I celebrated the day in an all-American fashion: breakfast from the dining hall, followed by some presents, and flag football with the Marines (for Jeremy) and knitting in front of an episode of Gilmore Girls (for Masha). Then we went to a Christmas dinner hosted by one of our neighbors in our apartment building, and came home for some more knitting (and reading, for Jeremy).
Also, as a Christmas gift for you, our loyal reader(s), we finally took some pictures of our apartment:
Again, sorry for the flipped photo; we still have no iPhoto:
And the best part - our bathtub cubby. It's actually really cozy for baths. Go ahead, rotate your head and try to imagine it.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Kabul chicken soup
So, Jeremy is sick again (or maybe still sick from the nasty cold/congestion/bronchial cough thing that knocked him down right before we departed DC).
So, I did what any good wife would do - I went to the dining hall and asked if I could buy a chicken off them to make some chicken soup. I also got onions, carrots and garlic (there is no celery here, apparently), and tried to get noodles but all they had to offer was penne and fettucine, which I guess would have worked, but I don't like such big noodles in my chicken soup.
So I came home, sauteed some onions in my stock pot, and was slightly suspicious when that took 20 minutes to do. After the onions were done, I put the chicken in the pot and covered with water, put the lid on, and left it to boil. It took nearly an HOUR to reach boiling. Yes, the stove was on. My stockpot is a relatively small one, and I have made all manner of things in it, including soup, over the years, and it has never taken so long to boil. Jeremy blames our teeny tiny European ceramic/electric range. I think I do too. I guess maybe altitude also could have something to do with it (we are at 5800 feet). In any case, cooking looks to be a frustrating exercise here.
So, I did what any good wife would do - I went to the dining hall and asked if I could buy a chicken off them to make some chicken soup. I also got onions, carrots and garlic (there is no celery here, apparently), and tried to get noodles but all they had to offer was penne and fettucine, which I guess would have worked, but I don't like such big noodles in my chicken soup.
So I came home, sauteed some onions in my stock pot, and was slightly suspicious when that took 20 minutes to do. After the onions were done, I put the chicken in the pot and covered with water, put the lid on, and left it to boil. It took nearly an HOUR to reach boiling. Yes, the stove was on. My stockpot is a relatively small one, and I have made all manner of things in it, including soup, over the years, and it has never taken so long to boil. Jeremy blames our teeny tiny European ceramic/electric range. I think I do too. I guess maybe altitude also could have something to do with it (we are at 5800 feet). In any case, cooking looks to be a frustrating exercise here.
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