Hottest Day Thus Far - 97 and full sun

I know we got to the 90's not too long ago, but today nearly just sucked the oxygen RIGHT out of our lungs...if any humidity, it wasn't felt ;) but we ARE Michiganders - humidity is our middle name, so it'd take a lot for us to notice.

The weather channel is auto on my "desktop" and today it says 97, has a bright sun and a cactus! HA HA! never seen THAT before in Michigan ;)

School is going well this week. We joined a homeschooling group one week ago...I get emails about outtings. This Wed is a trip to a science museum....the 3 of us are going!! We'll need a taxi, as it's further S and W than we are from Cairo even. Rob says maybe 20 min one day.

Today when school was out - we headed for the pool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three hours in the pool - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I confess yesterday I felt SOOO disappointed...you see when we swam and it was 70 something, I enjoyed that there's "hot to the touch" water blasting every few feet into the pool...yesterday it was still there...

TODAY IT WAS COLD WATER BLASING IN!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Don't get me wrong, the pool is NOT cool, but at least it's the same temp as the weather, not hotter than it! ha ha!!

I had a request for "normal everyday life pics" more often - so I've added some. i see Rob took some good ones today too!

But first...just some neat photos of plant life! Wait..no first...is a food note ;)

So I figured out that coke DOES have a lot more caffeine than I'm used to and since I usually drank caff-free coke and my source of caff was choc ;) which doesn't have as much..it was the excessive caff that made me sick....so...no more coke glutteny for me! lol

I also succeeded in some yummy rice krispy treats this week! No butter for the kids, so I used just a hint of olive oil instead of all that butter, so it was healthier anyway...they turned out fine, truly...BUT ooooooooh the grease of the butter REALLY makes rice krispies a hit with me! I miss their greasy butter on them! HA HA! Maybe when Gma and Gpa come in Dec, they can freeze some and bring for us! WOO HOOO!! The kids could have rice and potatoes w/ butter for awhile! YAAAAY!


This was last night - MMMmmmmmMMmmmmMmmmm- pickin's of fresh sweat peas! They went from the field, to a bag, to a bowl, to our mouths...MmmmMMmmmMmmm...whenever I left to get the camera, they FOUGHT over how close the bowl was to each other - goodness! fighting over vegetables! HOORAY! ;)



Three days ago, this tree we always walk by blossomed! Look at it's unique "willow" shape and oh the delicate, superb flowers!! The bees LOVE 'em!




below is different flowers we've wanted to show you. Remember the tall tree that looked like giant red leaves? got another here too...well the flower Jasmine is holding is how big they are! They have NO scent - neither does the big one Joshua found and is next to :-)





ps - Joshua said his tongue was out, so you'd know he's really hot!

Joshua and I just LOVE the knobby "evergreens" - and Joshua loves the big pots and this one palm tree, so there ya have his delights! :-) We took the pepsi shot for Gpa!! Since I started the post w/ Coke, I have to make it up to my father ;)

You can see Jasmine's much more comfortable in the water, as it's a nearly every day occurance now ;)







This is the typical street signage :-) and THIS is my FAVORITE street sign!! :-)





Is the VW totally righteous or WHAT?! the interior is crushed velvet....PURPLE crushed velvet!!

People always sweetly wanna know how we're REALLY doing...in a nutshell...if you've ever moved a long ways from home" this is even harder - an international move is intense.....an international move w/o your language...and w/o daily conveniences of a powerful nation like the US......well...it's hard! it REALLY is...but the thing is....it's a reminder of God's control over our lives. Sometimes I face a day and I feel so lonely that thru this entire day, I'll never ever talk to one friend...oh people will be friendly and maybe today might hold a day I meet a new "real" friend - but every day I know I'll never talk to a friend...whatever happens to me, I only have God.

Do I regret it? Nope!! I sometimes have setbacks where I think "did I intercept a message meant for someone else, God?" and then His Holy Spirit washes scripture over me........

This is where we're meant to be and we know that.....sorta like St Patrick! He knew he had to return to Ireland where he was treated poorly.....and he did it....and he felt peace, but he always ached to return to his family....but he never stopped doing what God called him to do..and he had abundant peace!!

How is homeschooling going?
Well someone asked me point blank tonight - as many of you have ;) And I told his person in TX - you know, the duct tape works great on the tough days...

in all honesty, I think I'm surprising myself ;) Or more likely...once I got out of God's way...HE is amazing me ;)

Ok nuff rambles!! Thanks for sharing our Egyptian life!! Rob just walked off in 77 degree weather and dark to get us FRESH Cinnabuns WOO HOOO!! never had one in my life! MmmMmmmMmmm!! OH AND the pizza hut pizza here is DEEEEEEEELICIOUS!! Really, it's the same...but w/o the dripping pile of grease.....which is good and bad..cuz then like..now I sorta umm...eat 4 pcs in one sitting.....

good thing it's not a regular dinner here! ha!

Off to plan a summer trip w/ Anas' family to Sharm el Sheik ( Sharm El Shake) which is in the 'promised land' but now Egypt...and plan our Thanksgiving trip to

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS!

Yes, Bruce...we've almost got the trip on the calender! :-)

Nope, no new news about the orphanage....will bide my time until Aug...then see if Yrene will take me over there to see what's what with timing. We want to hire our helper to cook there the day I am there too :-) perhaps we could punch out enough in one day together, to feed them for the NEXT day :-)

Oh one of the MOST annoying things here..is lack of personal space - while I love the sense of community, I miss being confident, no one would pet me like a dog or pick up my child to kiss her and swing her in the air.......

I am awaiting rosemary plants for a window box..if those go well, I hope to add a rose bush!!!!!!!!! The roses here grow all year round of course! :-)