Nigeria Team updates for today:
Left Otutulu at 7AM their time this morning. That's 1AM our time. They were going to stop by the new sight of the baby orphange - Lokoja.
Then on to a Hilton in Abuja. At about 6AM our time, (about noon in Nigeria) Julie posted this on lamplightmissions.blogspot.com
"Just left the Hilton and everyone is now fresh as a daisy! Lots of praises being lifted up for water pressure and heat. Awesome!!! Heading now for the airport. Let the adventure begin! ;)"
For us here at home:
Student Impact Mission Trip to Jamaica starts today. Lift them all up in prayer as the head out to do some work at a
First service at church. Guest Speaker for Student Impact: Frank Ritchie provided an awesome message about wrestling with God.
Home for quick lunch and nap (for both Mamaw and Ray :-)
Then swimming party for Ray's friend Bryce.
Then back to grocery store - remembered a few more things the travelers might want later in the week.
Now trying to get all my work done, while doing activity book with Ray. I'm a bit challenged right now with patience. Sigh...only about 23 more hours.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Winding Down
Another scorpion under a little plastic container. Dead I think ...but doesn't matter - I cannot pick it up - need TJ/Jessie for that.
Thanks to several replies on what to do for dinner on Monday, it will be low key. I'll have stuff in the fridge that they like if they want it. But nothing big for a few days. Plan to grill steak maybe over the weekend.
Yesterday and today were easy.
Wonderful time at Adrienne's Birthday Pool Party last night. Great guacamole, fruit salsa, watermelon, Susan's salsa, home-made ice cream and ice cream cake.
It will be nice when Ray can be a bit more independent in the pool. Patsy's star floaty is great - Ray was able to be more on his own. Thanks much to Paul B, Kate, Tammy and Patsy for keeping an eye on him while I dried off a bit.
Winnie the Pooh movie this afternoon with the Bows, Leachman's, Vonderhaar's and the 4 youngest Styskals. Ray's first movie theater experience - even had popcorn. He had a great time. Great idea Barb.
Laundry all done (so the washer/dryer are fully available for the mounds of Nigeria clothes). Chickens have full water. Feed Store for Dog Food (so TJ won't have to go for a few weeks), grocery store for favorites like bagels, sausage, yogurt and fruit. Tomorrow: try to figure out how to load daily feeder for chickens - so TJ won't have to feed for a few days.
Trying to get things done, so that when they get back, TJ and Jessie have as little do as possible for a few days. (Although they DO have to deal with the scorpions at some point.)
Thanks to several replies on what to do for dinner on Monday, it will be low key. I'll have stuff in the fridge that they like if they want it. But nothing big for a few days. Plan to grill steak maybe over the weekend.
Yesterday and today were easy.
Wonderful time at Adrienne's Birthday Pool Party last night. Great guacamole, fruit salsa, watermelon, Susan's salsa, home-made ice cream and ice cream cake.
It will be nice when Ray can be a bit more independent in the pool. Patsy's star floaty is great - Ray was able to be more on his own. Thanks much to Paul B, Kate, Tammy and Patsy for keeping an eye on him while I dried off a bit.
Winnie the Pooh movie this afternoon with the Bows, Leachman's, Vonderhaar's and the 4 youngest Styskals. Ray's first movie theater experience - even had popcorn. He had a great time. Great idea Barb.
Laundry all done (so the washer/dryer are fully available for the mounds of Nigeria clothes). Chickens have full water. Feed Store for Dog Food (so TJ won't have to go for a few weeks), grocery store for favorites like bagels, sausage, yogurt and fruit. Tomorrow: try to figure out how to load daily feeder for chickens - so TJ won't have to feed for a few days.
Trying to get things done, so that when they get back, TJ and Jessie have as little do as possible for a few days. (Although they DO have to deal with the scorpions at some point.)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Scorpion
Almost forgot.
Of course with TJ and Jessie gone, there would be a scorpion. Duh!!!...should have been anticipating this.
So there is a scorpion under a tupperware thingy in the kids' bathroom - awaiting Jessie or TJ to handle it - because I cannot. It may be dead - I don't know, I don't care. I'm pleased with myself that I didn't scream, or freak out. I just had Ray watch (from a distance) that it didn't move - and got the tupperware thingy to put over it.
Of course with TJ and Jessie gone, there would be a scorpion. Duh!!!...should have been anticipating this.
So there is a scorpion under a tupperware thingy in the kids' bathroom - awaiting Jessie or TJ to handle it - because I cannot. It may be dead - I don't know, I don't care. I'm pleased with myself that I didn't scream, or freak out. I just had Ray watch (from a distance) that it didn't move - and got the tupperware thingy to put over it.
AC fixed, Less Driving, Swim Lessons Over
Eight hours of blissfully cool sleep in the RV. Something to be said for not being able to "watch a little TV" (which sometimes means getting caught up in a show and staying up too late). Ray was in bed by 9, and after a little computer time, I turned the light out at 10. That was more sleep than I've had since TJ's been gone. AND there wasn't a dog in the room snoring, panting or eating to interrupt my sleep - Sadie had to sleep outside - no way was she coming in the RV! It was cooler outside than in the house - so much better for her that I locked her out of the house.
Kenny - Hunter Malatek's friend/co-worker arrived promptly at 8:30. Figures out the problem and has it fixed in about 30 minutes. Awesome. Have a great conversation with Kenny about church and mission trips and serving homeless folks. Go figure - God is even in the encounter with the A/C guy :-)
I've done less driving than I orginally planned. Was supposed to do DelRio/Uvalde today and then Laredo tomorrow. But yesterday morning, I just couldn't see myself pulling off either trip and getting back in time for swimming lesson on Thursday and Adrienne's party on Friday. So I re-worked the plan to do Kerrville and Mason today; Del Rio/Uvalde tomorrow. And then the Del Rio store let me know that tomorrow wasn't good for them...sooo Yay- I don't have to do a long trip tomorrow either. I'll do local small stores.
Swimming Lessons ended today. I don't think we'll go back to the Y in New B. It was okay...but not great. Ray is more comfortable in the water now, so that's good, but these weekday classes seemed so un-planned, disjointed. The Saturday classes were much better. The posted pool rules aren't followed at all. And they gave him a "test" today on stuff that was never even taught. That just doesn't work for me. I liked that signing up was easy to do on-line; vs. Boerne pool had to go there..and I couldn't get there before all the slots were taken; and the private teachers I called never got back to me - that was frustrating. So, maybe next year we'll start working on swimming lessons in February and it will be better.
I'm already thinking of what to have for dinner when TJ and Jessie come home. I'm thinking steak...but then maybe that's too much, too soon. When we do 30 hour famine with the youth, and parents take their kids out for an extravagant meal afterwards, it all seems so shallow. I'm going to ask the other's who have been for thier opinion.
Late - again. Night.
Kenny - Hunter Malatek's friend/co-worker arrived promptly at 8:30. Figures out the problem and has it fixed in about 30 minutes. Awesome. Have a great conversation with Kenny about church and mission trips and serving homeless folks. Go figure - God is even in the encounter with the A/C guy :-)
I've done less driving than I orginally planned. Was supposed to do DelRio/Uvalde today and then Laredo tomorrow. But yesterday morning, I just couldn't see myself pulling off either trip and getting back in time for swimming lesson on Thursday and Adrienne's party on Friday. So I re-worked the plan to do Kerrville and Mason today; Del Rio/Uvalde tomorrow. And then the Del Rio store let me know that tomorrow wasn't good for them...sooo Yay- I don't have to do a long trip tomorrow either. I'll do local small stores.
Swimming Lessons ended today. I don't think we'll go back to the Y in New B. It was okay...but not great. Ray is more comfortable in the water now, so that's good, but these weekday classes seemed so un-planned, disjointed. The Saturday classes were much better. The posted pool rules aren't followed at all. And they gave him a "test" today on stuff that was never even taught. That just doesn't work for me. I liked that signing up was easy to do on-line; vs. Boerne pool had to go there..and I couldn't get there before all the slots were taken; and the private teachers I called never got back to me - that was frustrating. So, maybe next year we'll start working on swimming lessons in February and it will be better.
I'm already thinking of what to have for dinner when TJ and Jessie come home. I'm thinking steak...but then maybe that's too much, too soon. When we do 30 hour famine with the youth, and parents take their kids out for an extravagant meal afterwards, it all seems so shallow. I'm going to ask the other's who have been for thier opinion.
Late - again. Night.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
It's Hot
Up at 5:50 this morning. Decided I could use an extra 30 minutes.
As I'm about to go wake Ray up, I hear a noise from his room. Then more noises - I'm on my way to see what all the commotion is about when I hear him crying. He knocked a picture off the wall by his bed. Glass broke, he tried to pick it up, cut his hand. Lots of blood. Luckily just a little bitty cut. Glass all over - I'll clean that up later.
Still rather warm in the house. Didn't cool down much during the night. Thermostat says 83.
Jeff calls, says he'll come by to check on the A/C this afternoon. I get done with appointments and go to the house to wait for Jeff. Coolest place is the living room with the doors open. It's sill 90 - but there's a wiff of a breeze. Much cooler than my office.
Jeff figures out what part it probably is. We call around. No-one will sell Trane parts. Have to have a Trane A/C person come out. I remember that my buddy Hunter is in the A/C biz. I'm thinking he does commercial stuff only - but find on the website that they do residential. He calls in an order for the part for me. I go get Ray and drive into San Antonio - Loop 410/Jackson Keller. Get the part and Jeff agrees to meet me at the house at 5:30 to install it.
While Jeff works on the A/C, I vacuum up the glass, and clean up all the mud because the dogs have been tracking thru while I have the doors open for the breeze. House is a mess. Yuck...
Part doesn't solve the problem..but Hunter says he can send a guy out in the morning.
SOOOO it dawns on me that the RV A/C works :-) And I see that my smart hubby has the RV plugged in. Just have to turn it on. So I turn it on at about 6:30; finish vacuuming and gather all we'll need for a night in the RV.
So I'm sitting in bed in the chilled air of the RV. Ray is tucked into bed where Jessie usually sleeps. My laptop works just fine from out here. I'm a happy camper. (ha-ha - camper :-)
I'm going to get some work done now. Off to Kerrville tomorrow after the A/C guy leaves.
As I'm about to go wake Ray up, I hear a noise from his room. Then more noises - I'm on my way to see what all the commotion is about when I hear him crying. He knocked a picture off the wall by his bed. Glass broke, he tried to pick it up, cut his hand. Lots of blood. Luckily just a little bitty cut. Glass all over - I'll clean that up later.
Still rather warm in the house. Didn't cool down much during the night. Thermostat says 83.
Jeff calls, says he'll come by to check on the A/C this afternoon. I get done with appointments and go to the house to wait for Jeff. Coolest place is the living room with the doors open. It's sill 90 - but there's a wiff of a breeze. Much cooler than my office.
Jeff figures out what part it probably is. We call around. No-one will sell Trane parts. Have to have a Trane A/C person come out. I remember that my buddy Hunter is in the A/C biz. I'm thinking he does commercial stuff only - but find on the website that they do residential. He calls in an order for the part for me. I go get Ray and drive into San Antonio - Loop 410/Jackson Keller. Get the part and Jeff agrees to meet me at the house at 5:30 to install it.
While Jeff works on the A/C, I vacuum up the glass, and clean up all the mud because the dogs have been tracking thru while I have the doors open for the breeze. House is a mess. Yuck...
Part doesn't solve the problem..but Hunter says he can send a guy out in the morning.
SOOOO it dawns on me that the RV A/C works :-) And I see that my smart hubby has the RV plugged in. Just have to turn it on. So I turn it on at about 6:30; finish vacuuming and gather all we'll need for a night in the RV.
So I'm sitting in bed in the chilled air of the RV. Ray is tucked into bed where Jessie usually sleeps. My laptop works just fine from out here. I'm a happy camper. (ha-ha - camper :-)
I'm going to get some work done now. Off to Kerrville tomorrow after the A/C guy leaves.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Clocks, RAIN and A/C again
5:20 alarm went off. I was very good about getting right up and getting going.
After shower, and getting Ray up and started on breakfast, I sit down at the computer, and happen to glance at the time. 5:08. Huh? I look up at the clock on the wall, then at my phone time. All say 5:08. I look at the kitchen clock - 5:08. And finally my bedside clock. It is an hour ahead. Apparently, when setting the alarm, I somehow changed the time. So it's 515AM and we are pretty much ready to go...and don't have to leave until 7:30.
So I work on this and that and decide to sit down to rest at about 6:15AM - figure I can take a few minutes to do nothing. I startle awake at 7:23AM - then have to rush around to get us into the car (with the dog to go to the vet).
But I make all my appointments on time.
Get a call in the late morning that I've signed up to make 36 closing packet envelopes for Chrysalis...ummm. when am I going to do that? Have to be to them by Friday. Wish I'd remembered or been reminded a few weeks ago...
4:00 RAIN. and lots of it. Downpour. hey, maybe swimming is cancelled, and I can work on Closing Packets.
Come home to 2 dogs in the house, and the sheltie outside drenched. I let the sheltie in, since it's still raining.
5:00 call YMCA - still having lesson - it'll be a "dry lesson" inside. "Lesson" on water safety was pretty pointless. It's like they just threw something together, wish I'd known. That turned out to be a bit of a waste of 1.5 hours (drive 30 each way + class for 30 minutes).
Get home, make pizza - Ray is very happy about pizza. About 7:30 he says- Mamaw, I'm hot. I look up at the thermostat...it reads 80. Uh-Oh. I go out to re-set the breaker, once I figure out how to open the box. It's not tripped, but I re-set anyway. Jeff says to check the A/C unit ..It is running. Yeah.
Decorated 36 Closing packet envelopes. Wish I'd known ahead - then Jessie and I could have done them together. Remembered to pray over them - to the butterflies who will recieve them.
It's midnight and it's 85 in the house.. A/C is not working. Cool to Luke-warmish air is blowing out of vents, but not cold air. I've opened up the few windows with screens - that is better. I might sleep in Jessie's room - I have no screened windows in my room...it's hot in there. (Well I'm sure not as hot as Otutulu :-)
Going to sleep now. Have to repeat the 5:20 wake-up call. I've re-checked the clock.
Night.
After shower, and getting Ray up and started on breakfast, I sit down at the computer, and happen to glance at the time. 5:08. Huh? I look up at the clock on the wall, then at my phone time. All say 5:08. I look at the kitchen clock - 5:08. And finally my bedside clock. It is an hour ahead. Apparently, when setting the alarm, I somehow changed the time. So it's 515AM and we are pretty much ready to go...and don't have to leave until 7:30.
So I work on this and that and decide to sit down to rest at about 6:15AM - figure I can take a few minutes to do nothing. I startle awake at 7:23AM - then have to rush around to get us into the car (with the dog to go to the vet).
But I make all my appointments on time.
Get a call in the late morning that I've signed up to make 36 closing packet envelopes for Chrysalis...ummm. when am I going to do that? Have to be to them by Friday. Wish I'd remembered or been reminded a few weeks ago...
4:00 RAIN. and lots of it. Downpour. hey, maybe swimming is cancelled, and I can work on Closing Packets.
Come home to 2 dogs in the house, and the sheltie outside drenched. I let the sheltie in, since it's still raining.
5:00 call YMCA - still having lesson - it'll be a "dry lesson" inside. "Lesson" on water safety was pretty pointless. It's like they just threw something together, wish I'd known. That turned out to be a bit of a waste of 1.5 hours (drive 30 each way + class for 30 minutes).
Get home, make pizza - Ray is very happy about pizza. About 7:30 he says- Mamaw, I'm hot. I look up at the thermostat...it reads 80. Uh-Oh. I go out to re-set the breaker, once I figure out how to open the box. It's not tripped, but I re-set anyway. Jeff says to check the A/C unit ..It is running. Yeah.
Decorated 36 Closing packet envelopes. Wish I'd known ahead - then Jessie and I could have done them together. Remembered to pray over them - to the butterflies who will recieve them.
It's midnight and it's 85 in the house.. A/C is not working. Cool to Luke-warmish air is blowing out of vents, but not cold air. I've opened up the few windows with screens - that is better. I might sleep in Jessie's room - I have no screened windows in my room...it's hot in there. (Well I'm sure not as hot as Otutulu :-)
Going to sleep now. Have to repeat the 5:20 wake-up call. I've re-checked the clock.
Night.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Chickens, A/C and New Calf
Driving away this morning - actually a little ahead of time to take Ray, then go to a meeting at church.
Realized as a drove by the chicken coop that I hadn't fed them yet, and that they might need water. There was food; but of course, they had no water. So I had to stop the car, drag over the hose (which kept getting caught on something),wrangle the water canister open, fill it, wash out the goop in the base, replace it...all while dressed in my work attire; all while trying to keep the aggressive rooster and head mama chicken away from my painted toe nails- which they think are something to eat. Yuck. Needless to say, was no longer ahead - but I did make it to the church before the meeting started!
Picked up Ray on time...had a few moments to run into house and change into swim suit. House is hot...temperature reads as 90. Uh-Oh. Can't do anything about it now...have to get to swimming. On the way, I call Jeff Gabelmann, who says it might just be ants causing the connection to short. He says he'll stop by and look at it for me. :-)!
GOOD NEWS is that I noticed Brad Schlemmer had brought hay for the cows.
My hubby's friends are awesome parts of our biblically functioning community - THANK YOU LORD for JEFF AND BRAD
Jeff calls...the breaker was tripped?? He re-set it. Said that was weird, and let me know where the breaker was in case it happened again - but to call him; because that shouldn't happen. It's now back to normal cool temp in the house.
More good news - we have another new calf. Our white cow - Curious, has a little newborn tagging along. That's 4 this year: Mama cows are Sarah, the Black cow with the Long Horns (no name), Stumpy and now Curious.
Tomorrow is Ray to school, Sadie to vet, 3 appointments, back to get Sadie, then Ray, drop Sadie off at the house, change clothes, then to swimming - that's going to be a little touchy to get it all done..but God's managed all these other "touchy" days so far. I just have to keep up, and trust in Him. That was Ray's memory verse this week - Trust in the Lord.
Realized as a drove by the chicken coop that I hadn't fed them yet, and that they might need water. There was food; but of course, they had no water. So I had to stop the car, drag over the hose (which kept getting caught on something),wrangle the water canister open, fill it, wash out the goop in the base, replace it...all while dressed in my work attire; all while trying to keep the aggressive rooster and head mama chicken away from my painted toe nails- which they think are something to eat. Yuck. Needless to say, was no longer ahead - but I did make it to the church before the meeting started!
Picked up Ray on time...had a few moments to run into house and change into swim suit. House is hot...temperature reads as 90. Uh-Oh. Can't do anything about it now...have to get to swimming. On the way, I call Jeff Gabelmann, who says it might just be ants causing the connection to short. He says he'll stop by and look at it for me. :-)!
GOOD NEWS is that I noticed Brad Schlemmer had brought hay for the cows.
My hubby's friends are awesome parts of our biblically functioning community - THANK YOU LORD for JEFF AND BRAD
Jeff calls...the breaker was tripped?? He re-set it. Said that was weird, and let me know where the breaker was in case it happened again - but to call him; because that shouldn't happen. It's now back to normal cool temp in the house.
More good news - we have another new calf. Our white cow - Curious, has a little newborn tagging along. That's 4 this year: Mama cows are Sarah, the Black cow with the Long Horns (no name), Stumpy and now Curious.
Tomorrow is Ray to school, Sadie to vet, 3 appointments, back to get Sadie, then Ray, drop Sadie off at the house, change clothes, then to swimming - that's going to be a little touchy to get it all done..but God's managed all these other "touchy" days so far. I just have to keep up, and trust in Him. That was Ray's memory verse this week - Trust in the Lord.
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