The Fresh Breath of Spring

This weekend was unusually warm. We stripped off our winter gear, donned lighter jackets, and smiled with the knowledge that Spring will indeed revisit us. Saturday Ross took the girls bike riding, and on Sunday I took them to the park to play while I did our grocery shopping. We just could not stop talking about how lovely the weather was. On Sunday afternoon, Annika said to me, "Mom, I can't really describe it, but when it gets warmer, and when we open the windows like this, it has this special smell that makes me happy." Then as she thought further, she said, "And it's the same feeling as when you walk into a room and it is really, really clean. Like it has just been cleaned. It gives me this happy feeling I can't describe." Boy, is she a chip off the old block. My sentiments exactly. Then she proceeded to dust, vacuum, and mop the den. And lock us all out until it was dry. Just to get that happy indescribable feeling. I paid her 3TL for her efforts, to which she said, "But I don't want you to waste your money, Mom." Believe me, it's not a waste, Annika. I'll even pay for that happy, indescribable feeling!

Turkish Coffee

Ross never was much of a coffee drinker 'until he married' he says. I did persuade him how nice a cup of flavored decaf could be after dinner. Truthfully, I don't drink it daily. I make it for brunches. Sometimes I have a cup at school. I do love my father-in-law's coffee. I think it's the half-and-half that makes it so wonderful. I also drink coffee in the morning when I visit my parents. Who could resist a fridge of International Delights flavored creamers? (A team once came here to encourage some of us. They brought 'treats,' one of which was International Delights single serving creamers. We stuffed our pockets with them.)

But who could have known, when I encouraged Ross to try a cup of decaf and 'fixed' it up for him with sugar and cream, that I would have started his addiction to Turkish coffee. Let me tell you, folks, it's the real stuff. It is made with the finest ground coffee beans available (more finely ground than an espresso), cold water, and the amount of sugar ordered. Then the pot is put on the stove and not stirred again, lest it disturb the foam. Ross orders it with sugar. I would like, one day, to be with someone who orders it without sugar and watch them choke it down. I must say Ross is beyond adorable when he hems and haws after the meal, perusing the menu, and then blurts out, "I am getting a Turkish coffee." I try not to smile. I have never once ordered the stuff. I only take a sip of his, close my eyes, clutch my stomach, and say, "How can you drink that?!" But he loves it. He usually gets a grin or a wink or even a pat on the back from our waiter when he orders it. They love it that he loves their coffee. For, it is a man's drink, for sure.
This picture was taken as Ross was saying, "Are you taking my picture drinking it? Why? For your blog?"

Then he posed. But I didn't think he looked natural, so I made him smile again.

It's still not as cute as it could be. He is just so cute ordering that coffee and getting it down.

You don't actually drink the bottom 1/3 of the coffee. It is sludge. Pure, thick, brown coffee sludge.

So, would you try it?

Betsy Ross Lives On!

Mary Erin was assigned to read a biography of a famous person in history and give an oral report on that person. She got the book read ahead of time, so that she would have less school work to take on her trip with Ross to the US in February. My advice to her: Choose someone from the 1700's or 1800's! We have a costume in the dress up box at home! She prepared her speech, rehearsed it, gathered her props, but her biggest concern was the boy in her class who had read a book on Jesse James. She said, "Mom, he is showing us gross stuff about shooting and blood and it is all he talks about!" We laughed and said, "Guess what, you have a brother now. He'll be doing the same thing in a few years." She looked shocked. Then Ross told her that when he was in 2nd grade he had to choose 2 birds on which to report. He chose the grossest ones he could think of...the vulture and the bat. As we both laughed, he said, "I didn't even know a bat wasn't a bird!" Well, I went to see the presentations yesterday and I thought Jesse James looked adorable. I even told him that there was a story floating around that Jesse James tried to buy land from one of our kinfolk, who wouldn't sell. Here's Jesse...

And an adorable Korean Clara Barton...

And a dimpled Ben Franklin...

And my sweet Betsy Ross, who really hesitated sharing with her audience that she had once eloped. Mary Erin thought it made her seem rebellious because her parents didn't like the man, but I told her she had to tell the truth! The best part of all was that way back in 1976, at our country's bicentennial, I was Betsy Ross in our church's patriotic program. Betsy lives on!

And here they all are!

Eva

Kiss and Tell Part II

Same kid. Different facial hairy-ness level. So for all you women out there just dyin' to kiss my boy, hope has been restored.

Kiss and Tell

This video really says it all, but I have to add this cultural tidbit. In Turkey, men kiss when they greet each other, especially if they are relatives or good friends. It is an opposite cheek peck, first on one side, then the other. Though Benaiah was born here, he hasn't quite adapted to that aspect of the culture yet. In all reality, we think it must be the scratchy beard to which he objects. I understand, Benaiah, I've been kissing that beard for years. You'll get used to it! (If this blog entry is sent to you via email, you'll have to go to www.campbellclanblog.blogspot.com to see videos.)

Scattering of (our daily) Bread

When I was a little girl, my father always read us a Bible story out of this book after dinner.

In fact, this was the book that he was reading when I asked him if I could 'repay' Jesus somehow for dying for me. That conversation led to the talk we had on the garage step, on his knee, when I accepted Christ as my atonement. Two summers ago, Ross brought my childhood book back to Turkey with us. We've been steadily working through its truths with our kids each night. Did you have a book like this one back in the 70's or beyond?

Recently, I was surfing dayspring.com for some good after Christmas deals for our school's craft fair. I happened upon this item on clearance.

Did you ever have one of these? I am not sure if we had one, but I do remember my Grandma Fish had one. Inside this little plastic loaf of bread called Our Daily Bread are hundreds of King James Version Bible verses, all promises of God. It brought back such great memories of my grandma's house, I bought it. We began steadily working through this as well, memorizing those great promises. However, we had to make a rule about the bread box. As tempting as it is to pick up, hold, shuffle, and flip through, it easily topples over and all the promises spill. Because this has happened several times already and because we are trying to memorize the verses (hence the need to keep them in order), we told the kids not to pick it up. When their card color comes, they draw it out and teach the rest of us the verse. Other than that, don't touch.

Tonight Ross asked Mary Erin to bring the bread box in so we could review. He set it down on the table next to him. Then he read out of the Bible story book above. Jesus healed a man with an unclean spirit. "What do you mean, unclean spirit?" they asked. We explained they were workers of Satan, demons, fallen angels. One of them piped up, "The ones on the Devil's side." Right. Then as Ross explained that the demon caused the man to fall upon the ground, the girls all said, "How'd he do that?!" So, Ross began to flail, throw his arms, and foam at the mouth. (Ok, he didn't really foam, but you get the idea.) Just then, his loose bodily movements knocked over all our Daily Bread verses. Total scattering. All over the den floor. Ross sheepishly stopped his re-enactment. I tried not to laugh. I tried.