money in the bank (and a scrap wood boat)

Some time ago I posted about Bright leading the family in a lively discussion about spiritual gifts, in which he declared "giving" to be his spiritual gift and therefore must start receiving an allowance.

Smart guy.

And yet his daddy and I weren't so sure about the whole allowance thing. Neither of us received allowances. I was expected to do whatever was asked of me with no compensation, and Daniel was expected to do nothing and got whatever he wanted (wink to my mother-in-law).

But everybody else is giving out allowances these days and even ole Doc Dobson endorses the practice, and so we have succumb.

We decided on 10 kuai every Saturday morning to each kid over 6 years old (which means Bright and Zion at this point), with the expectation that they'll tithe 10% of that to G0D's work, and save 10%. In return they must never push back when something is asked of them. If they do, 1 kuai is docked automatically.

And on the same Saturday that the kids received their first allowances, Zion drove in his first nail, creating this boat with Daddy.

Zion designed it, cut the pieces with a jigsaw, and helped hammer it together. Maybe there'll be another carpenter in the family one day!

soup de jour

We walked past a restaurant recently and this lovely soup was being advertised as the special.

Yeah.

We opted for McDonald's.

Good things take time

For a chicken rice casserole, Chinese cheddar cheese will do. It's cheap and relatively easy to find around here.

But, for homemade macaroni and cheese*, I buy New Zealand's Mainland brand cheddar cheese, which is way overpriced at our international market but well worth it, when our life affords so few other "comforts of home."

Besides it's creamy texture, pure milky color, and superior taste...it has a great logo: Good things take time.

Gosh, they sure do, Mainland. They sure do.

In fact yesterday, while making said mac and cheese, I tried to come up with something good that doesn't take time. I failed to think of even one. For my husband and I, it was love at first sight, but what we have now has been 13 years in the making. I believed the gospel message in an instant, but it wasn't until a decade later that I took it to heart. Friendships that take off right away don't usually last, rookie sensations usually fizzle. Liquor gets you drunk in a hurry, but then being drunk only feels like a good thing. In actually, few things in life are worse.

And then there is that thing for which husbands are ready instantaneously, but into which wives must wade slowly. Since I am a wife, and this is my blog not my husband's, we'll count that one as a good thing which takes time.

A-hem.

All that to say, if I ever find myself with a brand new adopted toddler again, for whom I feel absolutely nothing at first, I will try to remember the wise words of Mainland cheese. When the pain of a loss lingers, or the loneliness after a move is bringing me down; when the book is taking forever to write, or when my language learning process seems to be c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g, I will try to remember the cheesy motto. When my hair foil takes the better part of the afternoon, or when it seems like CHR1ST will never return for us, I will try to remember that good things take time.

*

Macaroni and Cheese

(smooth and creamy, with no processed cheese food...hurray!)

• 3 1/3 cups dry macaroni noodles
• 4 T. cornstarch
• 2 t. salt
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 2 cans evaporated milk
• 2 cups water
• 4 T. butter
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Boil macaroni noodles.
• 2
  Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
• 3
  Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in 2 cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni and mix well. Pour into casserole dish. Will be runny. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes.

my black-eyed valentine

My valentine is handsome. He is smart, too. But best of all, he loves us well. No man has ever loved his family more. Just tonight he stepped WAY out of his comfort zone for the sake of his sons, who want to learn to cook. The guys mixed marinades and wrapped corn in foil, while Jubilee and I played Go Fish. I loved it. I got to hear Daniel say things like, "Okay, the capital T means tablespoon, right?" and "I'm not sure what paprika is, Zion, but it's red so it must be spicy." It was an inspiring display of a father's love, and it made me proud to call myself Mrs. Daniel Rupp.

While I'm on the subject, I simply must post this picture of Daniel on ice after wrestling with the boys on the rug. Zion's surprisingly powerful right hook caught Daddy right in the eye. What a guy.

I love my valentine.

one day's junk is another day's treasure

Bright used to do this thing with his arms like a chicken, while jutting his face forward and rocking back and forth.  Mostly when he was nervous, which meant any time we were in public. I cannot tell you how embarrassing it was. Daniel and I wanted to say, "Don't mind him, he's a bit challenged." But of course he wasn't challenged. He was four. 

We were looking through old videos the other night and we came across a clip of Bright doing his weird chicken thing. Instantly we were both emotional. How could we have HATED that so much? It was so cute. And now it's gone forever. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and tell the Kayla of four years ago, "Don't let that embarrass you, enjoy it. Oh please enjoy it. It all goes by so fast."

It's about time

Have you seen About Time? If not, then it's about time you did.

I mean WOW, what a movie. Daniel and I were left speechless at the end of it, and I was literally bawling. Daniel was so in love with me and the kids after watching that movie that he could hardly keep from rushing into their bedrooms and dragging them from their beds to cover their drooling cheeks with kisses.

But he didn't.  Instead we talked late into the night, about all the things over which we waste our time worrying. We talked about all the beautiful things we fail to see, because our noses are so pressed to the grindstone.

"I'm tired of just getting through my days," he said.

"Me too."

"I want to let more things go."

"Me too."

And then, hand-in-hand, we prayed. We thanked G0D for his mercy. We thanked him that our time has not (yet) run out. We asked him to grant us the wisdom to recognize each day for the precious gift that it is.

And it's about time we did, if you ask me.

gone viral

After months of dreary misty mountain weather, it was great to soak in the rays in Thailand for a time, while Daniel worked his tail end off.

And after months of eating thick, rich holiday food, it was great to nibble at papaya and sip spicy coconut broth. Until the whole family got slammed with a stomach virus. That wasn't so great. Although it did take off the pounds from the afore mentioned holiday food. Silver lining, right?

We love you, Thailand, stomach viruses and all.

The virus in action.