June 14-19

Here is a look at what our week usually looks like. It is more enjoyable to me to post the new & exciting. However, just like your life, most days are just plain down predictable. Setting & characters aside, I know these glimpses look just like Pennsylvania summer with a few palm trees painted on the background. :)

Oh, Popsicles. This lovely little recipe of jello, yogurt & bananas pleases all of us. The boys begged to hold it for the picture to show their Nanny & their Grandma just how much they love popsicles.

Adrian & Elle are good kitchen companions. He is patient enough to actually let her help, she is determined enough to usually do a pretty good job. I'm wondering how many years it'll be til I can count on her to make the cookies. Hmm, guess I have to teach her to read first. ;0 ) Those big, soft peanut butter cookies were delicious!

This is our favorite spot to read. And no matter who I reading to, Max either joins us or gets his own time. He can even read easy words with me & is quite proud of that. Though we are far from saying Max can read, we can say he is getting closer & is excited to take off on his own. I love to tell him stories about going to the Bookmobile at the Mastersonville Fire Co., & taking trips to the Lancaster Library. He loves that Grandma even let us read while eating meals at the table! Wherever we go, if there's a kids bookshelf, he finds it. Who says this boy is more Sauder than Greiner?!

And here we are training a young brain to focus. Hah. That pencil is even distraction when it needs to be.

Elle & Rory are sad when I let them play & don't call them to the table for school. Getting out every crayon, sticker, paper & sticker & then hijacking them to hidden spots for coloring & stickering anything but the paper, is such fun to them. ;)

Oliver came to play on Saturday with his younger sister Akus, & baby brother Obed. It was such fun to see Max & Oliver loading up & , in the picture, backing the wagons into the barn.

Now that round two with Malaria is almost over for me, I am happy to show off what got me through. Ghana Tylenol, chalky yellow malaria potion &,sigh, a novel. I had borrowed it from the Baptist Mission a few weeks ago & had been saving it. Greiners, you understand. Finding Mr. Francis in Ghana felt pretty cool. :) Little did I know how handy it would be. Distraction from a long list of symptoms is always a good thing. Ask my husband.

It's taken a few days for my thoughts to line up in order, & my stomach, head & bones to follow suit. Today I am just grateful to feel better. And I think my little family is happy to have their mommy back. Just ask my husband. ;)

Obruni Wao Market

The average Saturday at house #5 finds me in the kitchen. Food planning & preparation for Sunday meals starts on Saturday & begins with a good Sunday breakfast. We leave anywhere between 8 & 9:30 depending on the location of the church. Snacking during the service is tricky, so bellies must be full when we point the Tata down the Nsawam/Accra highway. Sundays often mean a packable lunch. Without convenience foods, that means good bread must be made, baking done & drinks frozen. Are there veggies in the fridge that survived the last power outage? If not, who wants to brave the Amasaman market on a Saturday afternoon?
If the drive to church is reasonable, lunch only needs to be something made or heated quickly. Patient my children are not when we arrive home at 1:30 in the afternoon &, horrors, the rice needs to steam!
Like every family, our Saturdays turn into race to finish the list of odds & ends turned loose during the week. Between the list & the kitchen, the day is filled up.
That said, June 11 was a very pleasant diversion from the usual! Audrey & I, Juanita , Marilyn & Leona, our Cape Coast friends, planned a shopping trip to Accra’s Central Market. We were happy to forgo the many city blocks of food, household & electronics for the Obruni Wao section. Dead white man’s clothes , as the name literally means, was a teeming mass of tin & wood market booths bisected by slimy gutters. Slices of sunlight beamed into the dim pathways. The smell here, as it is all over Ghana, mixed chicken manure, public toilets, sweaty humanity & even spicy scent of lunch hawkers. Follow your nose has new meaning to me. The used clothing economy is, dare I say, even larger here than across the water. Small stands can be found lined up beside many of the seamstress, hair salon & provision shops in many towns. It seems my neighbors & passers-by all own locally sewn dresses, skirts & shirts, but for everyday use they prefer "western" wear. Most often the two genres are combined. :)

Booths were manned by determined sales persons, busy holding out items they were sure would tempt you & empty your wallet.
Children’s clothes abounded, then ladies, men's, futball attire,suits, even leather jackets with fur lining. A selection of knit caps & fuzzy scarves made my neck prickle . Red faux croc men’s dress shoes competed with yellow futball cleats. women’s wedges, rhinestoned slides, pink squishy crocs & teeny tiny baby shoes were on display & held up to the obrunis.

Enjoying the company of my Fanti & Twi intelligent friends, we were not taken advantage of & enjoyed lively conversations & bartering. It seems a good barter is like respect around here. Throw in a few compliments & small talk while you barter, & you are likely to pay about half of the first asked price. Oh, yes. Audrey was given a price of GHc 18 on a pair of sandals, offered him GHc 10 & ended up paying less than even that.
Each one was sure they had what you needed. If I made the mistake of saying I needed a man’s black dress shirt, medium , short sleeves, they looked & only through flattery did I escape buying one of 100% polyester! Two booths down the row, I found the right shirt. Persistence & sense of humor made the day an excellent break from routine. When else do I get to ogle gold strappy heels & gorgeous ethnic print headscarves in the same hour?
And then we passed the toilet. Cost: GHp10. Don’t use them. Ever.
And then the live chickens. Need one? Uh, no.
And then the ribbon and notions for GHp10/yard. Yes, please!
After a few hours we stopped for rice & cokes. She said the word Pepsi. That got our attention. We noted our doubts & all voted that, when she had checked, the Pepsi would be finished. We were close. It was not finished, but warm. Ah, Ghana. You are making a skeptic of this optimist. The rice, as promised on the sign, appeared quite hygienic & was excellent.

We returned to the rabbit warren of passage ways browsing the open front booths for a few things still unfound. Many of the tags were European, some American, some Asian. Beautiful dresses, tops & hundreds of skirts & every conceivable garment from underwear to fuzzy socks. Who could resist a denim mini made knee length with black lace ruffles?! Not far off, my wandering eye was caught by a cupcake printed bed sheet. Always knew my attention span needed training & this wild display of colors, styles threw all training to the wind! Cash only was a really good thing. My American debit card is only in my wallet for sweet nostalgia. No use for it here.
At the denim stand, I held up a nice denim skirt. Too small. The helpful owner showed me the stretch in the fabric and managed to stretch that little number across my hips.

"Too tight," I said. "What?! It fit’s you," she replied, "it is nice for you, Akausia!"

Too tight is not understood here. ;0)
Another helpful lady got my attention by waving a pair of pants at me. Blue satin with rhinestone trim. That offer was easy to turn down. She seemed surprised I didn't snatch them up.
The only downside? White people are thought to have bottomless wallets. The men were especially aggressive in getting our attention with arm grabbing, shoulder squeezing. " Oh, I like you. I want to go to America. Oh, please, come have a look," They would say, while invading my personal space. One shoe salesman hardly would accept we were married. "Oh, I am! And he is a big man," I would say. A firm voice & "NO" was enough, thankfully.
Clutching our bags of goodies we pushed our way (literally) through the shoulder to shoulder street traffic to our vehicle. We all left with fun & practical finds. I found curtains for Elle's room, Juanita found a gorgeous wool pashmina, Audrey a sweet little denim jacket. It was an experience I care to have again. Anytime. Consider yourself invited.

Here is another traveler's description. Enjoy!
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/09-09/mix-and-match-a-visit-to-accras-biggest-second-hand-clothes-market-accra-ghana.html

Love sent our way...

We want to send love back across the ocean for the sweet gifts & needed items sent in May! We are thankful for each note, hand made picture & thoughtful purchase. From cinnamon to ant traps to hair clips to rubber balls, there was something for us all. The thoughtfulness behind it all leaves us feeling thankful & undeserving.

Above: What happens when you try to take a picture of just Mom! ;0)
Below: Sister Andrea's impeccable taste in a delicious red skirt & those sweet peonies make a pretty picture & an even better memory. Thanks, ladies!

..

Fresh peonies added the scent of romance to our 10 year anniversary on the 1st of June. I may not be a blushing bride any longer, but those flowers take me back through the years to that rainy June Friday. Thanks, Mom!

"Why yes, these sparkly clips must be worn all at once, Mom. Oh, Nanny, I love her.I miss her. " She even slept in them.

And so, blessed, we begin another week still savoring a few new books, snacks & notes sent by many of you. Thanks!

Every Day is Mother's Day

The only mothers it is safe to forget on Mother's Day are the good ones.
(Mignon McLaughlin)
Mother's Day wasn't forgotten here, thanks to cinnamon rolls & sweetness from my husband & little ones. But it was very different. In years past I loved that first reason of the year to buy potted spring flower for our mothers & fill our house (& theirs!) with the scent of spring.

An email seems a cold replacement & the events of the day made phone calls difficult. So, I blogged this the next week. Little did I know May would be a month of not feeling well for all of us & my post was forgotten.
So, better late than never, here it is. :)


Nanny is known for her love in action. She has rearranged her schedule many, many times for her grandchildren. Instead of relaxing on vacations at the cabin, she is known for things like making doughnuts (with all 6 grandkids elbow deep in the dough!!), making playdough & taking them up on (almost) every request for mac & cheese. She even allowed Max to pedal the toy tractor the whole way to the neighbor's house while she managed the stroller. And how many laps has she made in the basement while the the children ride bikes?


Max, Rory & Elle send you hugs & kisses! We miss you ever so much.

Grandma's house has always been the place to go. Supper requests are never refused. Max just said to me yesterday he wishes he could walk in Grandma's front door. And if he asked for noodles for supper, Grandma would make them. From pink flower headbands to super hero capes, marvels are unwrapped that started in her sewing room. And now that we are far, far from Grandma's house, a super special book of memories, even the play farm!!, is here with us.

Our mothers have provided tears to show their deep love & care of us, prayers to show their love for Christ & listening ears to show the love of Christ in action. 30 years ago they were beginning a journey of raising a boy, raising a girl. The years have shown us the steadfast, covering, protective, emotionally involved love that can only come from a heart belonging to Jesus Christ.


We cannot thank you enough. We just show you the last year of our life, shout thank you for your part in our survival, & know the evidence speaks for itself. You both are a part of the reason for our being here





Tucked into a little bed at Clearfield, Elle is enjoying storytime with Nanny.



This tiny little one is Elle at about 1 month old. It was a hot summer picnic & Grandma enjoyed sharing her lawn chair with the newest Sauder.

Mommy-ing little girls is full of suprises to me. She & I find ways to get the boys to take care of cockroaches, use lotion when the boys aren't looking (it's for ladies, Mom), & save the pink gum for the girls. Like me, she actually cares what color her sandals are & always gets excited for a party. And, if I'm honest, we share the feminine emotional responses too!

My boys love me too, I know. It's just different.

Happy Mother's Day! After all, isn't every day Mother's Day?! :)