Back to Winter

We've been back in Argentina almost two weeks, and I have to say we have been having a fairly mild streak of weather so far. Saturday was officially the first day of winter, and it was close to 70 degrees that day. Even the coldest days have been in the high 50s, and I can live with that.

I do, however, frequently wear my Cuddl Duds because houses here do not have central heat and it's often colder inside than outside.  It took us a few days to get the temperature in the casita to break 55 degrees, even with our wall heater running full blast. It wasn't until Ivan had the brainstorm to install a small fan just above the heater (which is in the small hallway between the two rooms), facing the bedroom, that the gauge began to edge up. We've managed to keep the temperature between 60-65 ever since.

We have found it necessary to kick the heater up on high at night because, without insulation, the block walls absorb the cold night air, causing the temperature to plummet inside as well as out. We prefer it to be a bit cooler at night anyway, because we both sleep better, so it's not a big deal that it gets down to 60 most nights.

July is just around the corner, though, and we anticipate much colder weather so we're hoping our fan+heater system will prove sufficient.

The day we got back, it was a lovely 72 degrees and sunny, making the transition from summer to winter a little easier. A lot of other things helped ease the transition too.

We had a rocky start to the trip due to horrible traffic in Chicago. We honestly feared we'd miss our flight. And when we did arrive and tried to check in at the little kiosk, we were told we had to see a live person.* Okay, so we get in line, nervously eying the clock. Thankfully the woman who took care of us was a kind, compassionate person who, after informing us that our flight had been moved up to 4:55 instead of 5:45 (we're even later than we thought! Oh no!), quickly took care of our paperwork and then escorted us to the front of the security line.

So we started breathing a little sigh of relief, only to be asked to move aside while they physically searched one of our carry-ons. Silly me, without even thinking, had put my new mandolin slicer in the carry-on because I was worried about it getting busted if I put it into the luggage we checked through. Ugh! I was sure they'd take it away, but again God provided a kind, compassionate person who allowed me to keep it. Whoop!

The clock ticking away, we ran the rest of the way to our gate, arriving just as they started boarding. Since we were in one of the latter groups to board, we had time to catch our breaths. Whew! Then they announced if anyone wanted to check through their carry-ons for free, they could. Ivan said "Why not? Less for us to haul around" so that's what we did (btw, the mandolin slicer came through the experience just fine). And it was really nice during our layovers in Miami and Santiago to have less stuff. As we were boarding a few minutes later, Ivan saw the attendants checking every carry-on to make sure it fit their size parameters, and he's pretty sure one of ours would have been too big. Another example of God's provision.

Good friends, Julio and Magdalena, picked us up from the airport, waiting patiently for us to get through customs. We were some of the last ones off the plane, and therefore almost the last through customs. We landed about noon and it was almost 2 p.m. before we made it out of the airport. For whatever reason (maybe because we were the last in line, and the customs folks were tired?) the customs guy waved us right through, so we didn't have to wait while they pawed through our luggage. Whoop!

Julio and Magdalena treated us to lunch before heading back to Carlos Paz, and then loaned us their car for the evening so we could get settled in and do a little shopping. That was nice because it gave me time to sweep and mop the casita before we unloaded our luggage from the car. It was also helpful because our car wouldn't start; Ivan had to charge it overnight.

Throughout the trip, we saw God's hand again and again, easing the transition in so many ways.

Before I start talking too much about life back in Argentina, I'm going to do a post or two about our last weekend in the states (Ivan's ordained! The quilt was finished!). I also wanted to let those inquiring-minds-who-want-to-know: Yes, the white bedspread made it here! And it looks very nice on our bed, adding more white to the space and giving the illusion that it's a bit bigger than it really is. Yeah for the power of white!

*The reason we were flagged at the airport and had to see a live person was due to the reciprocal tourist fee that Argentina has with the U.S., but from which we are exempted because we have permanent residency status here. Showing our national IDs took care of that hiccup.

Winding Down

The past two months flew by, as expected. We head home next Tuesday!

I won't lie, it's gonna be HARD to say goodbye, especially to our grandson. I plan on having a full box of tissues ready to use on the way to the airport and beyond.

As I sit here typing, Simon is happily ensconced in his swing. Reclining in the swing after eating helps minimize the amount of spit up (Si is a prolific spitter-upper) so I resist the urge to get him out and play. There's time for that once his tummy has had time to settle down.

Being a grandparent is the BEST! We have so enjoyed our time here, and have worked hard to get lots of hugs and cuddles in. They have to last for a couple years!

Later today we head to Michigan. This weekend will be busy with the ordination process. Tomorrow Ivan gets grilled by the ordination council and Sunday he'll be officially ordained. Exciting days!

We're grateful for this short two-month furlough, and all that we've been able to cram into it. Last year I put together a photo book of all the things we did on our furlough, but this year my photo book is Simon, more Simon and even more Simon. Gotta love those amazon local deals; I was able to do my Simon book for only $10! I'm so happy to have the book to take back, not only for me, but also to show all my friends. Who wouldn't want to see twenty pages of my adorable little grandbaby?!

I start packing today. Not looking forward to that. We always have to thin out and prioritize. I've been trying to take a white bedspread back with us, but the last three trips it ended up getting put aside "until next time". So the burning question is: Will it make the cut this year? I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation so I'll be sure and let you know in the next post.

Some of the fun new things I've enjoyed this trip (besides Simon) include pretzel rolls, The Glades (via Netflix), cocoa roasted almonds, and discovering the Olympia Candy Kitchen in Goshen.

Then there are those things I always look forward to: checking books out of the library!, apple cider from Glei's (seriously the best cider ever), watching the news and understanding everything that is said, garage sales, driving through pristine countryside where everything is so neat and tidy, the sheer variety of fruits and vegetables that are available, the opportunity to eat out at ethnic restaurants, and bookstores.

["These are a few of my favorite things" just starting running through my head.]

The best part, of course, is time with family and friends. We haven't gotten to see as many people this time around, but we've thoroughly enjoyed the ones we have been able to visit. We're grateful for the hospitality extended to us, and the love and encouragement that so many have shared.

We are going to do our level best to get internet at the casita when we get back. Not a lot of options, so appreciate your prayers that somehow, some way, we can make it happen. But I really, REALLY want to be able to skype with our kids and grandkids. I want to be able to jump online and see Adalyn as soon as possible after she's born. I want to be able to talk to Simon so he doesn't forget my voice. I want to blog more frequently. I've missed this and the interaction with blog friends.

But even if we can make it happen, it will probably take some time. Meanwhile I'll try to get on when I can...when I'm not looking at my Simon book.

A Scrappy Quilt Entry

I hadn't really planned on sharing more than one quilt in the annual Blogger's Quilt Festival, but after seeing all the fun scrappy entries, I decided to include this pinwheel baby quilt I made for a friend a while back.

Since we didn't know if it would be a girl or boy at the time I made the quilt (it was a boy!), I thought bright primary colors would work either way. I was looking for a good scrap buster project at the time, and this seemed like a good opportunity. I used larger scraps for the pinwheels, and smaller pieces for the inner border of prairie points as well as the multi-colored binding.

(close-up of quilt top before it was quilted)

I have used that monkey fabric in so many baby quilts and wish I'd bought more than just two yards! I've seen lots of other monkey prints, but nothing as colorful as this.

I got a little carried away making pinwheel blocks, so I used some of the extra in the diaper bag I made to go with the quilt, along with coordinating fabric pockets on the ends.

My friend loved the gift, and has since asked if I could teach a class so she and her friends can learn how to quilt. I live overseas where quilting is not very common, and I look forward to sharing my love of the art with other women.

Don't forget that you can go and look at all the quilts by category now and starting May 24th you can vote on your favorites. It's going to be really hard to choose because there are so many beautiful quilts! I've been blown away by the creativity and quality of workmanship.

It's Time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

It's been a few years since I participated in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and I want to include the baby quilt I made for Simon last year. As friends and family know, this was a labor of love from conception to completion.

For anyone who might be visiting, Simon is our first grandchild, and he was born at the end of 2013. We learned of his anticipated arrival when our daughter and son-in-law picked us up at the airport last May with a big sign that said "Welcome back, Grandma and Grandpa!" To say we were excited would be an understatement :)

Since we were only here four months, I knew I had to get busy quick! I spent the first few weeks collecting fabrics in the colorway Tina had chosen: aqua, lime green, gray, and white.

All the while I was thinking through the design. Kyle and Tina wanted a storybook theme for the nursery, but I just wasn't having any success coming up with any ideas. Then Tina mentioned she was going to do an alphabet wall, and that was just the inspiration I needed!

I mapped out my design on graph paper, choosing to do different sizes of blocks and a variety of fonts. Then I projected the design onto the wall and traced my design onto newsprint paper from a roll. I hand appliquéd each letter to a contrasting background, and as I finished each block, I taped it over the master design on the wall. It was easy to see where it needed tweaking, so adjustments could be made.

Once the blocks were done and sewn together, I took the top to the fabric store and "auditioned" it with a number of prints to determine which would work best as the border. My artistic sister-in-law, Sharon, went with me and helped me choose not only the border fabric, but also pointed out how a thin black sashing between the lime green and border fabric would make the quilt "pop". She was so right! A friend with a longarm let me quilt it on that, but being a novice, I chose to do a simple meandering design.

Although Tina had seen the fabrics, she had no idea of the final design until I gave her the quilt at her baby shower. I loved the look on her face when she opened it up!

And a friend at the shower took this photo of us together with the quilt:

Tina's taking a weekly photo of Simon this first year, and she's using the quilt as the backdrop. Here is a collage of the photos she's taken so far:

Now I'm in the process of finishing a baby quilt for our second grandchild! Our son and his wife are expecting a daughter in August, so maybe next year I can share that quilt with you. They are decorating with a math and science theme, so this quilt is very different from Simon's. I sure do love making original, special quilts for my grandbabies!

Voting begins May 24th, but you can go any time between now and then and look at all the lovely quilts. There are eleven categories, from mini to large, art, applique, hand or machine quilted, modern, original (which is where I've entered mine), scrappy and ROYGBIV. So much creativity, you are sure to be inspired!