I wrote a very long letter to my brother Jeremy yesterday, and then realized that I didn't want to have to rewrite all the news, so here are a few excerpts from that letter:
..., my belly is getting big and I'm starting to look pregnant rather than just fat. On Thursday I will be six months along - can you believe it. As far as I know Tamsin is a strong healthy baby. She is already a daddy's girl though. I put my hand on my stomach and she just does exactly as she pleases. Mack puts his hand on my stomach and she moves to his hand. He can move it around and she follows his hand. If he wants to feel her kick, all he has to do is ask and she kicks on demand - do you think she'll do that for me - not a chance. Oh, and the doctor told me I would feel her doing somersaults and stuff, but I swear Mack taught her how to round house kick in the middle of the night, cause she puts Chuck Norris to shame with her movements. Luckily she knows when to go to sleep cause she leaves me alone at night.
I wish Phoebe would take a cue from little Taz. I never considered cats clever. Even Smooch (our childhood kitty)in all her glory was a cool cat and would converse with us and stuff, but she never did things that made me think her especially talented. Phoebe takes catdom to new heights. This cat has a brain (small as it is) and she uses it. I'm just grateful that my brain is bigger and I can use it better. So, we bought spray bottles to spray her cause she was waking us up at night. One spray from Mack and she never ventured to his side of the bed again. However, she has figured out that I am not exactly the crack shot that Mack is, so she comes and sits meerkat style next to my side of the bed and meows just loud enough to wake me. Then when I reach over for my bottle to spray her, she moves just out of my reach and sits and watches me as I try to hit her. If I get close to her she side steps the spray. Then when I get tired of trying to scare her away, I roll over and she comes back. If I by chance manage to wet her a little, she rubs her wet side on any exposed body part of mine. Last night though, she figured out where on my bedside table I keep the spray bottle, and before she woke me up, she knocked the bottle off the table and pulled it slightly under the bed, knowing that in my sleepiness I wouldn't be able to find it. Then she sat and I swear she laughed at me. Eventually I groped far enough under the bed and sprayed her (she was laughing too hard to move fast enough) and she ran out of the room. I had barely fallen asleep again when I heard her hide the bottle again. So, I had to move the bottle to a place she couldn't reach. Now I ask you, seriously, when did she develop the ability to reason and hide my spray bottle - the little bugger. She was still laughing at me when I got up this morning. I could see the sneaky smile in her eyes.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Pancakes - SA Style
Hmmmm, Yummy. I told Mack I would make him pancakes. I think he was expecting the large, fluffy, American kind that you rub with butter and then douse in maple syrup.
Well, he was wrong. I made deliciously thin, cinnamon sugar, South African style pancakes. I was in heaven - and so was he mind you.
This is how they work. You have to get the pan at just the right temperature, pour just the right amount of batter into the pan, and then swirl the batter around till it coats the bottom of the pan. Once the pancake looks cooked through, flip it so that both sides are browned slightly. Then, put it on a plate and lightly sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Repeat till you have a nice stack of thin pancakes. The reason for this, is that the heat from the top pancake melts the sugar on the bottom pancake, coating both sides of the pancake with the right amount of cinnamon, sugary sweetness.
Then, you want to stick just one prong of a fork into the side of one of the pancakes and roll it. Like so:
Then you pull your pancake onto a plate. Pull a few more pancakes onto the same place so the first doesn't feel alone, and then sprinkle lightly with lemon juice (for a sweet and sour deliciousness), top with whipped cream and voila, pancake perfection.
Mack prefers his with ice cream inside and no lemon juice - they're good that way too.
*disclaimer: I only have a point and shoot camera. Don't judge the photography.*
Well, he was wrong. I made deliciously thin, cinnamon sugar, South African style pancakes. I was in heaven - and so was he mind you.
This is how they work. You have to get the pan at just the right temperature, pour just the right amount of batter into the pan, and then swirl the batter around till it coats the bottom of the pan. Once the pancake looks cooked through, flip it so that both sides are browned slightly. Then, put it on a plate and lightly sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Repeat till you have a nice stack of thin pancakes. The reason for this, is that the heat from the top pancake melts the sugar on the bottom pancake, coating both sides of the pancake with the right amount of cinnamon, sugary sweetness.
Then, you want to stick just one prong of a fork into the side of one of the pancakes and roll it. Like so:
Then you pull your pancake onto a plate. Pull a few more pancakes onto the same place so the first doesn't feel alone, and then sprinkle lightly with lemon juice (for a sweet and sour deliciousness), top with whipped cream and voila, pancake perfection.
Mack prefers his with ice cream inside and no lemon juice - they're good that way too.
*disclaimer: I only have a point and shoot camera. Don't judge the photography.*
Snot and Wheezing!
Sorry for the long hiatus, but Mack and I have both been so sick. There has been a truly horrendous bug doing the rounds here. I got it first, and due to my current situation am not allowed to take any sort of medication. On top of that, we are at critical mass at work with the project we're on, so I couldn't even take sick leave. The day I tried I got so many phone calls, it wasn't even worth being at home. This weekend Mack and I both spent in bed with the humidifier on, and the cat trying to coax us into some semblance of life. On Saturday, we went to bed at 10pm, and I woke up at 2pm on Sunday, then thought I wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Well I went to be at 10pm again, and slept like a log. I could barely pull myself out of bed the next morning to go to work. Mack, the poor darling was just hitting the worst of his sickness, so spent the day in bed again. By the time I got home he was so bored he begged me to allow him to go and buy toilet paper with me.
On a happier note though, I am very pleased to report that both Mack and I are on the mend and very excited to be so. Our home is looking less like a rubbish dump and a little more like a home again and Phoebe is very please to no longer be living with zombies.
On a happier note though, I am very pleased to report that both Mack and I are on the mend and very excited to be so. Our home is looking less like a rubbish dump and a little more like a home again and Phoebe is very please to no longer be living with zombies.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
!@#&*SNOW!@#$&*
Yesterday at about 3:30pm Mack called and told me that he was being sent home from work early due to a blizzard and that I too should hit the road. I was grateful for this piece of advice and let my bosses know I had to leave early due to severe weather conditions at my house. I hoped in the car and drove for about 20 min with nary a sight of snow. Then, about 1 mile from my exit my poor car was hit by a gust of wind and a swirl of snow that completely blocked my vision. Shock, horror. I slowed to a near stop and finally found my exit. I breathed a sigh of relief thinking I would be home soon. Well I was sorely mistaken. Over 3hrs, snow drifts, emergency vehicles, sliding, panic, and a few well chosen words later, I slid into my driveway and parked my car. A drive that usually takes me under 10min took over 3hrs.
Then, to add insult to injury our lectricity (power) had been out since 3 that afternoon. Now picture it: blizzard conditions, below zero temperatures and no lectricity to warm oneself or even make a nice cup of tea. I walked into the house to find Mack on the couch, wrapped in a huge green fluffy blanket, surrounded by every candle we own, listening to music on his cell phone. Even the poor cat was sitting underneath the blanket.
Mack had raided our emergency kit and pulled out a few MREs (army ration Meals Ready to Eat). Oh Yummy! Well at least they have a little heating device in them so we had warm, if not totally nutritious food. It felt like Armageddon had come.
Anyway, we ended up going to bed at 8pm cause there was nothing else to do. The power finally came back on a little past midnight, so we finally had some heat, and we were up and about at 5am this morning. Phoebe was really glad cause she had wanted to start playing about the time we decided to go to bed, and by 5 was bored out of her little feline mind.
Apparently we had it pretty easy. According to the news this morning, the freeway was a complete standstill, loads of people slid off the road or got their cars buried in snow drifts, a couple of schools wouldn't let their kids go home cause it was too dangerous so they kept them overnight, and about 1400 homes in our area were still without lectricity when I left for work this morning.
This is supposed to be the last snowstorm in our area for a while - I really hope so cause its doing my head in!!!!!
Then, to add insult to injury our lectricity (power) had been out since 3 that afternoon. Now picture it: blizzard conditions, below zero temperatures and no lectricity to warm oneself or even make a nice cup of tea. I walked into the house to find Mack on the couch, wrapped in a huge green fluffy blanket, surrounded by every candle we own, listening to music on his cell phone. Even the poor cat was sitting underneath the blanket.
Mack had raided our emergency kit and pulled out a few MREs (army ration Meals Ready to Eat). Oh Yummy! Well at least they have a little heating device in them so we had warm, if not totally nutritious food. It felt like Armageddon had come.
Anyway, we ended up going to bed at 8pm cause there was nothing else to do. The power finally came back on a little past midnight, so we finally had some heat, and we were up and about at 5am this morning. Phoebe was really glad cause she had wanted to start playing about the time we decided to go to bed, and by 5 was bored out of her little feline mind.
Apparently we had it pretty easy. According to the news this morning, the freeway was a complete standstill, loads of people slid off the road or got their cars buried in snow drifts, a couple of schools wouldn't let their kids go home cause it was too dangerous so they kept them overnight, and about 1400 homes in our area were still without lectricity when I left for work this morning.
This is supposed to be the last snowstorm in our area for a while - I really hope so cause its doing my head in!!!!!
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Update
Well what is there to tell? Not much. Life is pretty much in a very ho hum sort of place at the moment. Nothing spectacular happening. We're all feeling rather glum and moody due to the immense amount of snow, ice and cold thats been inhabiting these parts. Yesterday at work we were all saying how much we missed the sun. And believe me, for a little girl from Africa who is used to sun at this time of year, life is more than just a little bleak at the moment.
I've been growing steadily bigger - my belly as well as my newly enlarged behind. I'll post a belly picture soon so all can see.
Oh, I got mack to cut my hair. He was really nervous, but I bullied him into it. It was at the longest I've ever had it, and was getting really tatty and disgusting. This is the day before I cut about 10 inches off.
It really feels so much better, and my curl is coming back.
What else - oh yes, we have decided that the cat needs to go through a stringent training process. Even Mack got tired of being woken up at 2am everyday so the cat could beg for food. I did a bit of internet reading (bless the internet) and realized that our little kitty had become one of the obnoxious kind and needed intervention. So off Mack and I went to the shops and purchased two squirt bottles. We filled them up, put one on each bedside table and went to bed. At this point I got cold feet. I couldn't torture my poor kitty by spraying water in her face. That just seemed really cruel to me. So, I told Mack that he would have to do the first squirt. Luckily she jumped on the bed right by his face and he delighted in flourishing his bottle and shot her on the nose. Phoebe was quite shocked, but it did the trick. After I realized how effective this training method was, I didn't feel quite so torturous after she jumped on me. I squirted away. 3am came around and all I had to do was reach for the bottle and she bolted. She has been the most well behaved cat this morning. Oh Joy! Now if this method works on the baby I figure we'll be fantastic parents.
I've been growing steadily bigger - my belly as well as my newly enlarged behind. I'll post a belly picture soon so all can see.
Oh, I got mack to cut my hair. He was really nervous, but I bullied him into it. It was at the longest I've ever had it, and was getting really tatty and disgusting. This is the day before I cut about 10 inches off.
It really feels so much better, and my curl is coming back.
What else - oh yes, we have decided that the cat needs to go through a stringent training process. Even Mack got tired of being woken up at 2am everyday so the cat could beg for food. I did a bit of internet reading (bless the internet) and realized that our little kitty had become one of the obnoxious kind and needed intervention. So off Mack and I went to the shops and purchased two squirt bottles. We filled them up, put one on each bedside table and went to bed. At this point I got cold feet. I couldn't torture my poor kitty by spraying water in her face. That just seemed really cruel to me. So, I told Mack that he would have to do the first squirt. Luckily she jumped on the bed right by his face and he delighted in flourishing his bottle and shot her on the nose. Phoebe was quite shocked, but it did the trick. After I realized how effective this training method was, I didn't feel quite so torturous after she jumped on me. I squirted away. 3am came around and all I had to do was reach for the bottle and she bolted. She has been the most well behaved cat this morning. Oh Joy! Now if this method works on the baby I figure we'll be fantastic parents.
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
E-mail Forward
This was forwarded to me today, and I thought it was too classic not to post. Enjoy!
Do you feel lucky?
You are a South African bush pilot
working for Blue Sky Aviation.
You fly in some critical medical supplies,
enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital.
It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and
you're eager to get back up to the cool, high blue yonder.
On the way back to your plane,
you discover that the only bit of shade within 1 mile
has become very popular. .
You start calculating the distance to the plane door and wonder . .. ..
"Do I feel lucky today?"
Do you feel lucky?
You are a South African bush pilot
working for Blue Sky Aviation.
You fly in some critical medical supplies,
enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital.
It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and
you're eager to get back up to the cool, high blue yonder.
On the way back to your plane,
you discover that the only bit of shade within 1 mile
has become very popular. .
You start calculating the distance to the plane door and wonder . .. ..
"Do I feel lucky today?"
Monday, 4 February 2008
What's in a Name?
So now that we know our little bundle of joy is a girl, Mack and I have been thinking of names. Only one girls name has stuck with me. I've tried to think of others, but just keep coming back to this one. Mack didn't like it at first, but I persisted and now that its grown on him, he has agreed. And so it is that our firstborn will be named - Tamzin.
Tamsin/Tamzin/Tamsine/Tamsyn is a Cornish name (English), and is a form of the name Thomasina. It means twin.
I didn't realize that here in the US people would think it such an unusual name. I've had a couple of comments like, "Well THATS different, you do know that she's going to have to go to school with such an unusual name?" to which I reply "With a name like Leith, you don't think I know what I'm doing to her." This statement is usually met with silence. And I just smile.
Now we come to the dilemma of people calling her Tam or Tammy. I hate the name Tammy. Mack insists that we need to come up with a nickname. So I have decided that if people feel the need to shorten her name, they'll have to call her Taz.
So Tamzin, or Taz it is. What do you think?
Tamsin/Tamzin/Tamsine/Tamsyn is a Cornish name (English), and is a form of the name Thomasina. It means twin.
I didn't realize that here in the US people would think it such an unusual name. I've had a couple of comments like, "Well THATS different, you do know that she's going to have to go to school with such an unusual name?" to which I reply "With a name like Leith, you don't think I know what I'm doing to her." This statement is usually met with silence. And I just smile.
Now we come to the dilemma of people calling her Tam or Tammy. I hate the name Tammy. Mack insists that we need to come up with a nickname. So I have decided that if people feel the need to shorten her name, they'll have to call her Taz.
So Tamzin, or Taz it is. What do you think?
Friday, 1 February 2008
Blessings
This month has been a particularly hard one financially for Mack and I. We were just hit with a bunch of expenses that just completely depleted us. One particular expense was getting one of our cars fixed ( I must add that this car has never had to have any work done on it since I bought it about 6 years ago so it was due, and its an old car).
Well yesterday as I was calculating how we could wangle and pay off all this unexpected debt, Mack hands me the mail. On top of the pile was a letter from our mortgage company saying we had payed too much this last year and they were sending us a refund.
The enclosed cheque was for the exact amount of one of our bills. How cool is that!
Well yesterday as I was calculating how we could wangle and pay off all this unexpected debt, Mack hands me the mail. On top of the pile was a letter from our mortgage company saying we had payed too much this last year and they were sending us a refund.
The enclosed cheque was for the exact amount of one of our bills. How cool is that!
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