Last Snow in the Yard by, Michael

This is my snowman and it is the last snow in our yard. It took maybe 30 minutes to make it. But it is getting warmer and that is making the snowman melt. It was at least 3 feet high of solid snow but now it is just a few inches of snow. It took about 9 days to get to this stage of meltation. I'm not sure if meltation is even a word even though it sounds cool. I was the last kid inside and that's when I had my chance to make the big snowman. It still continues to get a bit warmer.

Oops

Sorry, the blog streak is over. Usually I update between 9 and 10 pm after I have tucked in Katy and Michael but yesterday I had been feeling sicker and sicker so I crawled into bed around dinner time and never got up again. When I woke up this morning, I realized I had forgotten the blog.

Luckily it's Saturday so I can hole up in bed with some books and my laptop.

Yesterday was another one of those great days when the kids have school but Tim has a day off. He enjoyed a sleep-in and then we went for a run. After lunch he worked a half day (the Poles and business industry were working as usual) and went to a reception, listing to the left under the weight of all his uniform ribbons, in the evening.

Today Kyle will be at school all day. He plays violin in a band that is accompanying the school musical Cyrano de Bergerac and they have an eight-hour dress rehearsal today. Katy will actively avoid homework and Michael will bounce from activity to activity (computer, TV, messing around with Katy, Rock Band, etc.).

Ugh. I'm too full to think or move

Nancy, Katy, Kyle, me, Richard, Michael, Andrew, (Tim- behind the camera)

What Are Your Thanksgiving Day Plans?

First, and most importantly, will be to prepare the stuffing and put the turkey in the oven. Then I like to do my traditional personal Turkey Trot run of at least four miles. Tim's sore foot may prevent him from joining me so I'll just take Muse (my most favorite band right now). Tim's office has been challenged by the Marines to a football game so he'll be gone for that for several hours. The kids will be doing homework because ASW is in session both Thursday and Friday (one of the drawbacks of attending an international school). I'm letting them stay home on Thursday but they have work due on Friday.

Early afternoon my friend Nancy will arrive bearing cherry pie, mashed potatoes, and whipped cream. Her husband is in Baghdad for a year so she and her son (when he gets out of class) will be joining us. We also invited all the Poles from the office but those RSVPs have been in flux so I'm not sure how many we'll have at the table.

Later, we'll call Ryan who is spending the holiday at Lisa's parents' home north of Atlanta and we'll try to set up a video call to the Mallinsons at Lisa's house.

And somewhere in there will be lots of cooking, eating, and cleaning!


The kids will be waiting for the last dish to be washed because my year-long ban on the humming and singing of Christmas carols ends then. I have this thing about hearing Christmas songs out of season because, for me anyway, hearing them during the year makes hearing them during Christmas a little less special. Perhaps it's silly but it's not the worst of my flaws!


Okay, this post sounds completely stupid but I need something to continue the blog streak. Please feel free to ignore me today.

Astronaut George Zamka

George Zamka is a NASA astronaut of Polish descent and space shuttle pilot who was in Warsaw to celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary and to hand out awards to Polish students who had won an essay contest. This was the reception to meet George and present the students with their prizes. In the photo, l-r, are Tim, me, Ambassador Ashe, Andy Schilling (Chief of Public Affairs at the embassy), and George Zamka. I apologize for the darkness of the picture and will try to lighten it later but I'm beat (subbing full-time right now and prepping for Thanksgiving company) so I'm going to bed.

Houston Quilt Festival 2008

We have many traditions for our yearly quilt excursion one of which is to have our picture taken with our teacher at the end of each class (holding whatever we managed to accomplish). Above is Debbie McCaffrey who teaches the Undercover in Houston class. We are given vague instructions about what fabric to bring (1/2 yd light, 2 yd medium, 1 yard dark, etc) and then we follow the instructions one step at a time resulting in a mystery quilt that often stretches our color comfort zone. Cheri was cringing everytime she looked at her orange fabric and I kept telling her it was terra cotta, not orange (sometimes semantics are everything!). Notice Cheri has two large strips at the end of the day while I'm only holding a pile of small blocks.

Below is Charlotte Angotti who teaches our favorite, must-have class, Let Me Surprise You! We show up in class with only small scissors and thread. She provides fabric that has already been cut into pieces and we just sew like mad, again working with instructions that are doled out one step at a time. Another mystery quilt like with Debbie McCaffrey but this time we don't even choose the fabric. Every year we hold our breath as the fabric packs are passed out, anxious if we'll like the colors and patterns. For us, this is living dangerously!

The big news at this year's show was that Cheri had a quilt accepted for competition- a VERY big deal! She worked steadily for 4 1/2 years to hand applique and hand quilt this masterpiece for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I don't understand why she didn't win a prize but we had fun watching show visitors oggle and photograph her quilt.

Fun in the Snow

We have been enjoying snow flurries on and off for two days and nights. Sunday morning the kids had a snowball fight and Michael made a snowman. The first picture is from Kyle's bedroom window. The gray bars cover most of the windows and are remants from when Warsaw was considered a higher risk assignment.
Too snowy for me so here I am a racing blur on the treadmill in our bedroom.

View of the neighborhood from the master bedroom.

Another view from our bedroom.

Are Katy and Kyle playing snow baseball or is Katy defending herself from an attack?

The back yard.

These pictures were taken at about 11am and you can see how low the sun is in the sky. Sunset is around 3:30 with another month to go to the winter solstice.

Snow!

Last night we had our first snow fall in Warsaw! Lucky for us because Tim and I had assured the kids that we would have snow in Poland. We had big, fat flakes that fell for for over an hour (or maybe longer but that's how long it held our attention). This morning the ground was white and I had to scrape the car for the first time since February 2003 (Valentines Day- I had a half-marathon in Dallas so I clearly remember running in the snow and then cleaning off the Accord for the return drive to Wichita Falls but I remember a lot of stuff- ask me what Tim was wearing the first time I saw him! I digress.). Minimal melting today. Ironically, after years of begging for snow, Katy decided it was a little too cold and wet for her.

A Mother's Pride

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFv8CAniYQ

If you are a regular reader of this blog, this video will prove that Katy and Kyle are as at least as smart as a monkey. I'm so proud!

Making Cookies

Today, Katy and I made chocolate chip cookies after school.

Katy, the master chef, at work.
Enjoying warm cookies. I know everyone looks a little scruffy (that's why Kyle's wearing the hood) but I just keep letting other things get in the way. Kyle has vowed not to return to school next week without a haircut!

My beautiful new Electrolux oven. I'm still trying to decipher all the oven functions.

Katy's Band Concert

This is the third of three songs performed by Advanced Band- Katy's first band concert at ASW. She is the flute on the far right and she did a wonderful job! She also enjoys composing her own music.

Winter has Officially Arrived

Winter had arrived in Warsaw, at least climatologically (a word?) because I read 32 on the thermometer this morning for the first time. The cars are covered in frost and the kids were finally ready to admit that they needed coats. Tim has already reached his cold tolerance level- he was walking around the house all Sunday wearing a coat while the inside temp was 68!

It's Tuesday morning; everyone is off to school/work and the house looks pretty clean so I'm snuggled under a quilt with my toasty laptop and ready to put in a few hours on my NaNoWriMo story (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). Ryan and Kyle were going to participate, too, but instead of typing, I heard only excuses!

Tonight Katy has her first band concert and I promise to post video.

Did anyone see Ryan's challenge to himself to update his blog daily through the end of the year? I'll see that bet and raise him one new picture per week (no fair recycling old stuff)!

Katy's Seventh Grade Dance

Katy's middle school dance had a Halloween theme so she chose this dress which was Grandma Ann's from the late 50's. I don't know which is more unsettling- that Katy is old enough for it to fit her or that she is going to a dance. My father suggested that it might be more alarming for Grandma Ann whose dress is now suitable as a Halloween costume!

Columbus Day in Warsaw

The mighty Visła river

Columbus Day this year was one of those rare days when the planets align (figuratively) and the kids have school but Tim has a day off so we are HOME ALONE!! It was a gorgeous fall day (called Golden Fall in Poland) so Tim and I went for a long bike ride.

American School of Warsaw Activities

At the Fall PTO Barbeque, Michael did some bouncing in a harness. Kyle waited in line for a long time but opted out when the rain started and he heard his favorite apple cake was for sale inside.

Here are some snapshots of the soccer pitch behind the kids' school. Katy is in there somewhere- maybe the girl just to the left of the one dressed in gray and black. Even from the back and on a cloudy day I think the school building is pretty impressive.

Ambassador Ashe hosts Tim's Welcome Party

In October, the ambassador hosted Tim's official welcome, as ODC Chief, at the residence. Lots of people from the embassy, Polish government, and business attended to formally welcome Tim even though he had been working with them since his arrival in July. Tim's deputy, Mike Kaffka, was also welcomed. Everyone we have met has been warm, friendly, and gracious making Poland one of the best assignments we have ever had.

His Polish abilities really impressed the crowd. The woman on the left is the translator but she soon realized she wasn't needed. The man in the center is Ambassador Ashe. It's not the whole speech but it gives you an idea.

Visiting Ryan and Lisa

Standing in front of their apartment right before heading to the airport. I am officially no longer the shortest person in my family!

Downtown Ft. Collins- lots of cool shops and restaurants.

Biking is very popular, especially at the CSU campus.

Lisa's lab- she's explaining her NASA project to me. Notice the camera person (me) is not nodding in understanding!

Ryan and Lisa "consulting" in her office.

Ryan begins his telecommuting day in pj's "promptly" at 8am in their second bedroom.

Their ground floor apartment.

View from their front door- heated spa and pool.