Provision

We know that we only live in Kyiv thanks to the financial sacrifices of others. But this weekend brought extra blessings. First, on Saturday, a family that's moving back to the States gave us lots of lovely, warm winter clothes and boots for Dietrich. They're size 5T, so we're thankful for the extra storage space in our new apartment. And, for me, for the FUTURE, they passed along several pairs of maternity pants.

On Sunday, Eric preached at a village church. A family from our church in Kyiv has a dacha in the village, and there they grow fruit and veggies. Eric brought home 20 pounds of potatoes and beets, plus a huge jar of homemade grape juice. What bounty! My favorite part is the smell. It's the scent of earth: rich, fertile, fresh earth. Our whole kitchen smells like a sunny day in the garden.

Seeking wise counsel

Some dear friends sent us an Amazon gift card for Christmas. I rather enjoy possessing (and not spending) a gift card for a while. It's nice to know that, if I have a day when I really need a treat, I can order one up for free. Eric is not like me. That card is burning a big-time hole in the pocket of his Roebucks. (Him: "Um, when do you think that gift card expires?" Me: "NEVER.")

I won't be able to put off buying something with it much longer. Eric already knows exactly what he'll purchase with his half. I want to get some music for Dietrich. And that's where I'm stuck. So, if you have kids, grandkids, or any level of knowledge about music for children, would you please leave a recommendation? I'm easy; I just want something that will delight Dietrich without making me go out of my gourd. Thanks!

Me 'n my Mac

It's been a long month, workwise. Last year, it became apparent that I needed a laptop if I was going to keep working at the seminary. For months, Eric had been letting me use his computer several mornings a week, but that was starting to get in the way of his ability to work efficiently. We asked several people to carry a Macbook over for me, but none were able. So, I decided to send it using Meest two-week air shipping.

Meest is an amazing shipping company that somehow manages to get boxes full of valuables through customs without the recipient needing to pay. Boxes shipped via Meest consistently arrive, on time, with everything still in them. I love me the Meest.

But, in this case, my computer got stuck in customs. So, while it was supposed to arrive the second week of December, it showed up the second week of January. But it showed up! And I didn't have to pay! However, I had hoped to spend the quiet holidays figuring out the new operating system, setting up the computer, transferring everything from my old computer, and working on a brochure for the Talbot program that needs to be done on the new computer because of its updated software. Instead, I spent the holiday doing useful things like sorting through the thousands of pictures on the Kyiv Theological Seminary server and making a file of the best of them for future use. It was a good thing to do, but not a pressing need.

While my new Mac is far from contributing efficiently to my life, it's in good enough shape that yesterday I was able to deliver a general KTS brochure to the printer. And just in the nick of time, because they hope to give out copies at an exhibition next week.

Sadly, I'm not really enjoying the Macbook yet. It has a ton of cool features, and I'd love to spend days playing around with it. Before Dietrich, I would have. But trying to figure everything out in the 15-minute chunks (the approximate length of time that Dietrich will play on his own before he's back in my arms, or wrapped around my leg) that currently mark the passage of my days has not been nearly as fun.

Do I sound cranky? I am a little cranky. But I bet in a month, I'll be best friends with my new Mac and she and I will look back on this post and reminisce about a time before we really knew each other.

Too bad I don't have a camera phone ...

... for today I saw two sights that would have illustrated the cold, cold, cold that we're experiencing.

First: You can buy a liter of milk packaged in plastic bags here. On our path to church today, someone had dropped a bag of milk, and it burst. But the milk froze so quickly that it formed a fairly compact, ameoba-shaped puddle.

Second: When you go into a store in Ukraine, you have to check your bags. Today, at the bag-check counter at the new grocery store across the street from our house, I noticed a row of 15 forlorn-looking single gloves waiting for their owners to come back and collect them.

It really 'tis better to give

A highlight of my 15 months as a mom was last night, when we set Dietrich's presents (four guppies, a shape-sorting bench, two puzzles, colored pencils and a lion-shaped chair) under the tree. I couldn't wait for this morning, when he'd come in and see them there, waiting to delight him.



We had a late start to our mellow day, sleeping in late because we'd gone for a walk around midnight to watch the fireworks. As we woke up, made coffee and started putting together brunch, my anticipation just grew. And his reaction didn't disappoint. Here he is with Alex the lion and just reveling in the joy of new toys and lots of time spent together as a family.