a November walk

After much pleading and cajoling, and a sufficient layering of clothing, Dexter agreed to go on a walk with me yesterday afternoon.  My parents live in a very beautiful area, and the route we took meanders down by the Essex river.  I grabbed the camera before leaving to be sure to capture the scenes in the winter time (it's almost winter, right?).  Even though it was cold, it was very enjoyable!  I'll post a couple of photos of the same spot in the summer just for a point of comparison.

 

ah, summer. Don't worry - it shall return!

 

we were trying out the multiple shots at once on the camera, and trying to get pictures of the cat-n-nine blowing in the wind. It kinda worked.

this one is a bit over-exposed, I think, but it also gives it a whimsical look, don't you think?

 

Then we tried out jumping.  Dexter might have gotten higher off the ground but for all the clothes he was wearing!

We snapped a few pictures of this old truck that seems to just sit on the side of the road.  I know nothing about photo editing but I thought adding an "antique" effect gave it a special charm.

And then, we ended the cold walk with a hot cup of cocoa! There's no better way, really.

roast beef

I know, this is the week after Thanksgiving, so I should be talking about Turkey this or that.  Don't worry, I've had my open-faced turkey sandwich and turkey soup, so I think I can post this ode to something other than the turkey.

In Mass, roast beef is a popular meat.  There are several places where you can get a roast beef sandwich, soda and fries. But none is better than Nick's Roast Beef which is in a town near mine.  My brother and sister-in-law (and many, many others) make it their first stop when returning home from out of town. I was remiss to NOT go when home for five weeks this past summer, so knew I needed to make it there on this short trip.  

 let's hear it for clogged arteries!

 large beef with sauce, mayo, cheese

digging in

We've paid our dues there for another year, and I think Baby was glad for this culinary experience.

thanksgiving

There is so much for us to be thankful for this year, I could probably go on endlessly, but I'll just highlight a few of the "biggies":

- Being back in Kijabe, surrounded by a great community of friends, and having Dexter back working on teeth.

- Finally being in our own house 

- Probably most importantly! Baby Mulandi and the fact that so far all has gone smoothly and easily

- Being in Mass with friends and family for the holiday!

It has been GREAT to be home again.  This could be the last time we're here for quite a while since the baby comes in March/April and we may not be up for international getaways after that for some time.  I'm soaking up the crisp air, the bare trees, the fires in the fire place, and the time with dear friends and family.

My dad likes to smoke the bird, which starts ridiculously early.  Above it is some kind of meat and a few ribs that served as an app.  That meat's drippings dripped on the turkey making for some extra flavor bonuses!

And when I say ridiculously early, I mean that the bird went on the grill before the sun fully woke up.

It was a cold day

And Dexter, who'd never experienced -3* C was trying to handle it:

He helped my dad stack wood which did warm him up eventually, but he's generally suffering.  He's not above several layers of clothes - including two pairs pants and socks!

For my contribution to the day, I made cranberry sauce and, of course, pecan pie, which I'd never actually made before.  I made it the night before and then had a recurring dream (nightmare?) that I didn't put enough sugar in it.  Fortunately, I think it turned out perfectly! 

Here's the finished turkey, in all its glory!

And finally, for some friends!  

The Hammons

 Alyson and Jessica

 Margot & Craig

Jessica and boyfriend David (one of three Davids here last night!)

The Mulandis and Merings

 Jenna and Dexter

David & Nancy

There was lots of food, love and laughter. I'm so glad to have been here!

sticks

This is too hilarious not to post.

We've been asked to carry a lot of things between Kenya and the US for people.  Mail to/from is not speedy or overly reliable -- and can be very expensive. So folks always take advantage of people traveling between the two countries to take things like mail, presents, small equipment for the dental equipment, etc.  You know, normal stuff.  A few weeks ago, though, our friend Matt, who's in a Dental Residency program in the US asked if we could bring back some sticks. 

Yes, sticks.

 bag of sticks

 Dexter excited to get to work

 pile of sticks, ready to be whittled

 whittling

final product, at the requested size

neighbor's kitty, who used to live here, supporting the work

There is a purpose to this madness! Matt wants to do some research on these sticks, which are from a specific tree here in Kenya. It is what the Maasai people use to clean their teeth. They grab a branch and basically chew it. Matt's going to do some research to see if there's any special quality in the branches...I think...

The trick now will be to see if we can actually get them into the US.  We have a letter explaining the reasons. We'll just hope they don't have the dogs out when we arrive in Boston on Tuesday afternoon!

halfway!?!

It seems hard to believe, but yes it is true - I am now halfway through this pregnancy!  

This photo was taken this morning. The first "baby bump" photo in our own yard. Horaay!  Anyway...

I am about 20 weeks along. When I had my ultrasound a few weeks back, the doctor said that the baby's head was about 19 weeks and the body about 18.  So...you figure that one out.  I'm hoping Baby will come in April (but not April 1!), since the due dates I've been given have been between March 25 and April 2.  April 2 is actually my Dad's birthday which I think would be pretty cool.

With about 20 weeks to go there's a lot to get done - primarily getting a nursery in order! Oh, and figuring out a name for this baby.  Dexter said last night he hopes we have a girl.  He is one of three boys and his brothers both have boys themselves. So, time for a girl in the Mulandi family!

I continue to feel great, and have begun to feel the baby's kicks.  Sometimes it feels like someone is knocking on the inside of my belly, and sometimes it feels like -- what I imagine -- the bubbles in a water cooler would feel like. :)

fire

One of the things we missed most while living in the UAE was the need or ability to have a fire in the evening.  At 120* F in the summer and about 65 or 70 in the cooler days, a fire was the last thing on our minds. Air conditioning, ice cream, cold things. Those were the things on our minds. Never a fire.

But we love having a fire, and have had many since returning to Kenya. Friends have laughed at us for how much firewood we consume.  We were excited when we knew that our house would have a fire place, but a little concerned because it seemed small and shallow.  Would it really heat the room?  (Heating the house was never a question).  Last night, we gave our freshly painted fireplace a whirl!

And it did well. In fact, I think it heats the room better than some other fire places we've had.  It is getting warmer in Kijabe now, so our need will lessen, but it is nice to know that come the cold, rainy season next year we'll do just fine.  Houses in Kenya have no central heating and are very drafty, so this is the best we have.

the garden

We're happily settling into our house.  There's lots to do still to get fully organized, but we've done the major stuff so we're able to relax a bit as we think about what the next steps are. Plus, we leave for the US on Monday so there isn't a lot of time to do anything significant!  

One of the (many) great things about the house is that it has gardens on two sides of it.  Right now they are kind of wild and over grown, but we're excited to make it something cheery and inviting.  Also, I imagine myself cutting flowers for our house to make it cheery and inviting. A win-win situation.

There's also a plot of land that could -- according to my dad -- be used to practice golf shots, or be used for a vegetable garden.  I think we'll go with the latter. We bought corn-on-the-cob seeds while visiting our friends Matt and Erica this summer in Long Island.  If it actually grows successfully we'll be excited!  I'm not sure if this is entirely above board, so don't tell any one, okay?

Now, for some pictures!

See? Wild. Over grown.  There needs to be some serious weeding and culling and tilling of the land before we can put anything else here.  The good news is that we've already hired a gardener to come 2 days a week to care of of this for us. He'll start while we're away.  When we come back things should look drastically different.  But we'll get our hands dirty too, don't worry! I'm eager to try my hand at a bit of gardening.

The two above photos are the front of the house.  The previous tenants used this spot -- presumably because of the good sun -- for their sukuma (kale) and tomatoes.  We're thinking hydrangeas, roses, rosemary (for tea and general cooking), and many other pretty and bright things. Suggestions? What do you think we should do?  Kijabe has a decent climate for just about any flower.  Let's not overlook anything!

And lastly, our yard:

I love this yard! It has so much space.  We hope to get a picnic table some day. And perhaps a hammock for lounging. But let's be honest - how much lounging will we really do once Baby comes along?  There will be plenty of BBQing happening out in this yard, as well.  Feel free to stop by!

All in all, this house has a lot of potential and we are so grateful to finally be home!