Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Done. Well, almost done.

Today we (I) finally finished most of the paperwork for our GREEN CARD application.  I  feel almost guilty, it has only been 2 years and 8 months since we arrived here.  It was not easy, and we are not completely done yet - we finished the medical examinations that involved several (14 in total!) vaccinations, and printed and signed most of the forms.  It will still cost us a lot of money just in application fees, but still, I feel all this was a small price to pay.  

Even despite the fact that I do not really believe in vaccinations... The boys were very sweet today- they sat there, scared to death in their little gowns waiting for the nurse to come with the vaccinations, when Jean made me take a "mental picture".  They posed for several of those, I wish I could post one here.  

Melva does not need any vaccinations this year, to her dismay.

Now we still have to send all the forms to the attorneys, along with the checks and the supporting documents (has anyone seen my husband's birth certificate??), and who knows, we might soon have the right to permanently reside in the United States of America. Can you say fixed meelings?

No, actually, it is all good.  Much as I some days wish they would deport me, just because I am so homesick, having a green card would be a tremendous blessing and make life a lot easier. Period.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Making memories



In 2004 when my daughter turned three, she received a poster of Winnie the Pooh, mounted on hardboard.  Our best friends and neighbors at the time mounted it themselves using a method that involved a bathtub and a specific combination of glue and water.  We treasure that gift and it is still on the nursery wall, although she has moved out of the nursery and is now ten years old.

Ever since she received that gift I wanted to do something similar, but on a grander scale, such as mounting a whole picture storybook on hardboard and putting the entire book up on the bedroom wallsThat, when you stop to think about it, is a very big project.  (I still plan on doing it, even though I might have to have another baby to justify a picture book on the wall). In the mean time, three boys and seven years later, I have not managed to even start on it.

That is, until recently.  In search of the method, I stumbled upon this tutorial.
So, instead of making big posters to mount on a wall, I bought three Beatrix Potter books at a thrift store and made a memory game.  

My memory game makes me very happy.  I love the connection it creates between my family and my past, remembering the nights we played around the table with my parents and siblings, so many years ago, so far away.  And while very little that I do during the run of an ordinary day stays done, this game will stay.   

Besides, it is very pretty, don't you think?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Who knew Texas was this hot?

This is our third Texas summer - no need for weather forecasts.  It will be sunny, hot, and dry.