Spring

It's spring here in Pennsylvania, and the Forsythia had already budded into yellow when we received fourteen inches of snow in a recent storm.

Fourteen inches of loveliness covering everything outside. Fourteen inches of cold, wet fluff deterring road travel and closing the office. {bliss!}

Working remotely is an extra special treat to me. These two days of snow reminded me how much I loved having my own office in our house at Nahumba. These two days also allowed me many focused hours of concentration on current office items-- specifically catching up on some necessary email communication.

I was amused, and thought my Michigan friends and family would be as well, to hear that days after the storm, the local grocery store was still sold out of normal milk!


(oh, and yes, I did help with the shoveling too-- just in case you thought I stayed inside to watch and take pictures!)

Irish

I observed St. Patrick's Day by baking some Irish soda bread.

 

just right

a just-right cuppa made with loose-leaf tea from Malawi

Not too long ago Sharon and I opened a fresh box of Malawian tea...

only to discover

it was odd tasting.

This was a serious disappointment.

Something went wrong in the quality control on that box...

It definitely tasted like Malawi.

While Malawi has many great qualities,

um...

its tea should not actually taste like it.

[it being the country]

{My siblings used to insist I could not tell what something inedible tasted like, but I still believe I can. And when I told Uncle Keith about our sibling dispute, he believed me.}

I mean, I think Sharon and I can be considered semi-experts when it comes to knowing the flavor of Malawian Rab's tea.

And this box wasn't it.

[it being the proper taste of Rab's Malawian tea]

anyway.

After experimenting with other available black tea options within our kitchen stash-- 

too old [sort of had a rancid taste]

too flat [how does tea even go "flat"? ...but this stuff is...]

too fruity [a very nice tea, but, just not that classic, smooth taste of Rab's]

too "American" [or Irish or... :(  ]

--I stopped drinking black tea, because it was just too disappointing.

Then, last Thursday, I decided to re-enter the test-tasting world by scrounging up two more available options from our pantry.

I started with a small bag of loose-leaf Rab's which was past its best-by date. I didn't have high hopes...

but, friends,

let me tell you:

Thursday morning's cuppa was the best one I've had in weeks!

Rab's scores again.

 And I'm oh so happy to be back in business with my Malawian tea drinking.

:)

learning

Once a month on Sunday afternoons I get to spend some time learning about Jesus with this great group of kids.

bitty buddy

one-day old

We're all totally smitten with this little fellow.

Nephew Abel arrived last Sunday evening, in plenty of time for our (his and mine) upcoming planned meeting next month. When I booked tickets home for April, the baby and I had a chat about auntie expectations: he agreed to do his best to be holdable (out of mommy's belly!) before or during my visit. 

This guy arrived three weeks early so he and his mommy should be ready for all sorts of fun times by the time I arrive for a visit next month. We (his mommy and I) are pretty sure he wants to take some walks in his new stroller, maybe visit the butterflies at Dow Gardens, and definitely enjoy a milk-a-licious Blizzard from Dairy Queen. After all, we'll have some birthday celebrating to do for his mommy :).

In addition, he's agreed to be my cuddly study buddy for several hours of CMA study (brief visits to mommy for regular snack breaks are part of our agreement, of course).

OKC Bombing Memorial

Originally, we had not planned to visit the Bombing Memorial while in Oklahoma City, but on Friday afternoon we had enough time for one more activity, and it seemed fitting to visit the bomb site.

I was glad we spent some time at the memorial. Though it marks a tragedy, the memorial is full of beauty and serenity, providing a proper setting for reflection.

each chair represents one life lost in the bombing

Vist to the Sooner State

I spent last weekend in Oklahoma where I had been asked to share at a youth event.

Because of the timing of flights, we wound up with a few free hours for touring Oklahoma City before the retreat began. It's been over seven years since I was in the Sooner state, and I've never before wandered Oklahoma City, so it was fun to do some exploring.

Super cool collection of life-size statues depicting the Sooners entering Oklahoma.

I don't know if the city is always so calm, but it wins the prize for "quietest city" I've visited so far.

Friday morning we wandered Myriad Botanical Gardens downtown before making our way to Bricktown and walking the canal. The spring flowers were so gorgeous, and although the air was chilly, the sun came out enough to turn my cheeks pink.

Reason #193 why I am not a tax accountant

Because every year when I complete my taxes, I wind up incredibly annoyed about countless details involved in reporting the necessary information to finalize the filing process (note: here in PA land I'm required to file Federal, State, AND Local tax returns. muy ridiculous).

And my taxes are easy peesy.


[Sorry, no pic. I'm too tired to figure out how to get Blogger to recognize the corresponding screenshot I took to add to this post]

Michigan Black Beans

One of my favorite staples.

lunch with B

Betsy and I have lunch together once a week.

She eats hers in Michigan; I eat mine in Pennsylvania.

And we fill each other in (via Verizon) on the details of our lives.

Little Women

The nieces and I went to a play last night:

the Broadway musical version of Little Women.

We all laughed a lot, and stayed up way past our bedtimes.

It was a jolly good time.