Deep Thoughts!

Ok, Kay, here are my questions answered in this order---don't ask me about the logic of the order...there was none: Katie(8), Matthew(3), Melissa(7), Mark(5). Go visit my friend's site to copy all the questions to your blog...and get your kids to answer them if you want to continue the tag--Ginger, Nina, Robin,


Where did you come from? Texas, Dallas/ um, um, um Texas/ America/ Texas A&M(disclaimer, this is not true--ha!)
Where are you going? Back to America/ um to Mr. Osmo's/I don't know/Back to Texas in the summer
What is dancing? Where you move all around to music/um doing moves/like moving around/moving like this...
What’s the best place in the whole world? Why? I'll answer later /Russia-b/c the English is far away/Texas-b/c it's warm there/ Finland-b/c we get to meet people
What do you wish for? I would like a pet/ can I paint?/a horse/I wish for a fish
What is a giggle? when you make noise and you are not crying/scratching/I don't know/like wbbble
What do you dream about? just stuff/throwing a fit/about me having Hannah Montana's house/ I dream about pirates and fun
What did you dream about last night? I don't remember/I don't know /nothing/someone that was really nice and that was friendly to me.
Do you want to be beautiful or smart? either one whatever God wants me to be/smart/smart/smart
What is the sky made of? I don't know/cwouds/I don't know/clouds
What did you do today? huh, went to art studio. Watch Daddy play on the wii...and had to write, I will not hit Mark 100 times!/be good/ I went outside and played and I went to the art studio/ I played outside and I couldn't slide down b/c my bottom would get wet---(how come no one said school????)
How fast can you run? have no idea/faster than Mark/ I don't know--it depends/ faster than Matthew
What’s the meaning of life? good friends/Texas/God/ when everyone gets to meet God.

Nuggets

Just a reminder to check out our new "Nuggets" blog...I posted something written by our oldest there. The link is at the top left side bar.

A Price Difference I Didn't See Coming!!

You know how iceberg lettuce is the cheapest lettuce in the states? Like a buck a head? Well, we were making something Mexican tonight and found iceberg lettuce and bought it. Little did we know the price was so HUGE!!!!!!! We didn't think that the price would be this HIGH---OK
So, maybe never again, but this once!!! Just now, John just put a bit in his mouth and he said it was a bit of heaven! No, he didn't love it like this back in Texas, but now, when you can't have it all the time, it was a Luxury!!! So, of course, it tastes good! Just thought this was soooo funny---Now, we have an answer to "why do we not eat a lot of salads like we did back in Texas?" We eat cabbage salads, but not lettuce ones!

Pictures with their own stories!!

My new Ikea lamp!!! I had picked out a comforter in the fall that I loved at IKEA. I wanted to buy it with my Christmas money from my mom---but when we "moved" into the living room as our room, a comforter of "style" was no longer practical---so I saw this lamp and thought it would help my lack of comforter in my own room. This is a photo also showing our computer desk with our photos of our family behind it.
Matthew needed a bath and we had stripped him down before realizing someone was in the "Vanya" (bathroom with the tub) and he so patiently waited...so he wouldn't be naked sitting with his leapster, we wrapped him up in his cars blanket and he played his game!

How do we dry clothes here?

This post is long over due...but my friend Elizabeth inspired me to post it...I took the pictures back in September! That's how long I did plan to post about this topic.

Thanks to Nancy and her church in Louisiana, we were blessed with a dryer...most Russian apartments do not have such things! Even Lena and Katya living with us do not use this dryer by choice. Well, us six person family unit--do!!!

Here are some difference between the dryer here and the dryer we had in the states:

First: Location---our dryer now is in the kitchen!!!

Second, our dryer takes---120 minutes a load!!! I use to think 45 minutes was long! Now, I am grateful for even two hours!!!

Dryer lint...must clean after each use...in the states, the lint was not so much each time...wonder what the change is???

Each time we dry, the water from the clothes is collected in the container that you see me reaching for. We have to dump it in the sink or it won't dry for the next cycle. Very different!

Lastly, the size of our dryer is pretty tiny!

So, what do you think? Is your dryer much different than this--for my readers in different countries other than America?

Have you ever wondered why certain things happen? I thought this was interesting!

What Makes Your Eyelid Twitch?
This annoyingly common condition is known as eyelid myokymia. Not a lot is known about eye twitches, which are more likely to occur in the lower eyelid than in the upper, though they're probably caused by the misfiring of a nerve. But experts know that fatigue, stress, and caffeine all increase the likelihood of the pesky twitching. So do eyestrain, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol intake, and allergies. Fortunately, eye twitching is almost always benign and usually goes away by itself. To put an end to a bout of the eye flutters, cut down on coffee and alcohol and give your eyes--and your whole body--a good night's rest.

Why Do Onions Make You Tear Up?
When you cut into an onion, you rupture its cells, releasing enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial sulfoxide. Once that gas reaches your eyes, it reacts with tears to produce a mild sulfuric acid. And that hurts. The brain then signals the eyes' tear glands to produce more liquid to flush the stuff out. The more you chop, the more irritating gas you produce and the more tears you shed. "The onion's chemical reaction is a defense mechanism that evolved to repel pests," explains University of Wisconsin—Madison horticultural professor Irwin Goldman, PhD.

Keep the stinging and crying to a minimum by chilling an onion in the freezer before cutting it; cold temperatures slow release of the enzymes. The highest concentration of enzymes is at the bottom of the onion, so cut it last to postpone the weeping (and the irritation) for as long as possible.

This was from Prevention.com

No wonder sometimes, onions make me cry and sometimes they do not! Sometimes, I take them from the fridge...sometimes I do not!!

Movie of Russian Metro's

One of the girls in the dorms asked me a few weeks ago...which metro's are prettier...Russian ones or North East ones in America. Well, I must say my answer was not sufficient! I can't say that I have noticed much in the way of Russian metros in an impressive way until I was asked to compare. You see, I travel most of the time with four kids in the metro...so my eyes are on the kids usually!!! I said something like...well, I don't notice much about metros being so nice, but Russian ones are probably a bit more artistic. Well, I wish I could take back my words! They didn't do the Russian metro's justice!

They are so nice...now that I am really looking to compare. I have only been on the metros in America a time or two when we went to Boston, so I can for sure say that I DID NOT notice them either, although I didn't have any of the kids with me at the time of that trip!!!
Here below is a you tube of Russian metro's...take a peek. Now, they are usually packed with people and a bit on a dirtier side, but still very NICE as seen below.

Some pics...no words...ahhhh....I know...you can just mellow out and not think!

What is that? Is it really a sunbeam?!!!

Yesterday, the sunshine came through!!!! This was the first day of this phenomenon!!! Because---on top of this sunshine, it was 36*!!! Usually when the sun has come out in the winter, it gets really cold!!!! But not yesterday and not really too bad today! I think it's down to 26 today...still not so cold as 19 or below! All these temperatures are in *F of course! We stood in the rays for a bit...just for a taste of warmth!

Update: We still have our young mom and baby and helper living with us---Cristina--the baby girl is feeling a bit lethargic. She had a stomach bug(and four of us have had it since)...please pray for her to fully recover and quick and no one else to get sick! Stomach bugs are bad--but this Russian Stomach bug was terrible!!

Still praying for next year and what to do. Getting some direction, but still seeking more. We covet your prayers!

She came , She saw and heard, She left.

Ok, so our "new" student came, stayed one night and hasn't returned. She asked our current student about staying the night with her boyfriend some nights(more common here than in US....never thought I'd ever be able to say that--but it's true). Katya told her that she wouldn't be able to do that if she stayed in the family home. Well, that did it...she has not come back...too hard to do for her and to commit to.

It's really too bad to see this happen. Olya was such a talented one and she could use a family setting to learn the love of God and family. While she was here, she showed us what she wants to do---escalating nails(basically manicured nail tips). She showed us her samples...they were amazing work. She doesn't have a job right now, so she doesn't have money to even buy the kit to start up the nail business. So, who knows what will happen, except God. Please pray that the Lord would protect her and guide her even not in our family home.

We are still praying about next year. We have some ideas, but are watching for the Lord's open or shut doors. Keep this in your prayers PLEASE!!! Thanks! We soooo appreciate them!!