Confessions

I will not be visiting the zoo in the Bronx New York city state any time soon. I hate snakes. I hate them so much that I even wrote one of my first "papers" about that in the first grade.

I miss: fresh fruit that is not mealy; fresh, organic milk; soft sandwich bread; washing machines that fit more than two sets of twin sheets; grass; going to a grocery store and finding rare things like tomatoes in stock; not having to buy in bulk; being able to control the inside temperature; fresh air; playgrounds without dog doo-doo, broken bottles, cigarette butts, and trash; walking out to get my own mail; toilet paper that actually works well; going to one store for our household needs rather than 4 or 5 and still not finding what I need; and I'll stop there before I get depressed. {But I have a lot to be thankful for, too!!}

When our kids ask stupid questions, we tell them, "That's a waste of time question" so that they'll rethink. Sometimes I want to say that to adults.

"People's" actions can be really disappointing. It takes a lot of energy to keep my expectations low and my thoughts pure.

I hated Ukraine on Saturday morning when, after putting my token in the hole and moving through the turnstile to have the gate close and block me, I stepped back and tried again only to have that gate close on my knee (except close is too general- they SLAM!) and then realized the stupid guy in the booth did it on purpose. When he finally got his lazy bottom up and came over to me, he said I had too many bags (2 like I always have and don't get me started on what the locals carry) and needed to go through a different turnstile. The two hours I had just spent leading a study on humility went out the window as I gave him a little earful in English. I have a bruise and it hurts.

My missionary friend Helen came over for a couple of hours this morning. She is British and married to an American from Kentucky- the accent mix is priceless. I love drinking tea with her and it's the closest I've been to England. Her family is amazing. I love her friendship and will be selfishly sad when they move to Crimea this summer to continue their ministry.

I'm making Muddy Buddies and Monkey Bread for our small group tonight.

I think I've decided what I want Sarah to bring me in May: one bottle of Paul Mitchell #3 clarifying shampoo and a bottle of Trader Joe's vanilla. {I'll e-mail you, S!}

Speaking of hair, I decided that if I figured on X $/month for hair, then X hryvnia was not too outrageous for a hair cut if I walked out of the salon happy.  So I made an appointment downstairs and Dima cut my hair.  He spoke Russian and seemed to understand my Ukrainian as I firmly told him he should do it the same way, only taking 3 or so cm off and he was NOT to give me Ukrainian layers.  He washed my hair for 15 minutes- that was worth the hryvnia right there.  He did a good job and I don't have to wear a bag on my head.

Best money spent monthly: $7.99 net.flix so the kids can watch two episodes of Blues Clues/day during the insane hour before supper. It's worth the trade-off: listening to them sing everything to the tune of the theme song.

I got my Hip Hostess apron in the mail.  Love it.  And I feel hip.

My friend Parvina gave me some dangly earrings for Christmas because she thought they matched my eyes.  Big dangly jewelry is out of my comfort zone, but I figured if she thought I could pull them off, then I would give them a whirl.  I'm wild like that, I tell ya!

Nap time has saved you from further ramblings and confessions!

An Un-princess-like Snort from Mama

This morning at breakfast The Boy was showing and telling his daddy about the paper airplane he made with some nose art {scary face- it's a Thunderbolt}. The conversation moved on to why Mr. YH chose cargo planes over fighter and what The Boy anticipates flying one day.

Baby Girl piped in with, "I want a pink plane."

"You could have a princess plane," responded her brother.

"NO. I don't want a princess plane. I want a pink plane."

"Well, I think we saw a brown plane with a princess on it when we were at the museum," he informed us.

I will say this- American princesses sure are patriotic!

{And if this is what he thinks a princess looks like,
we're in a heap of trouble!!!!!}

(image credit)

Master Bedroom Re-do and Tour

Hang with me- I'm going to give the nitty-gritty details of this bedding and then I'll show you the room as a whole!

A couple of years ago, I told Mr. YH our 10 year anniversary was coming up and we really needed to get some new bedding. I started to search for something we both liked and that was classy/neutral enough to withstand trends and last us another 10 years! Right after we arrived here, I got a Restoration Hardware catalog and there it was! So began the construction...

(It was hard to get pictures in here- our overhead light is gone-
long story- don't even get me started on how many
U.krain.ians. it takes to change a light bulb!)

Back in the summer, I found a queen sized ivory matelasse coverlet on JCPenney.com on sale for $30 with free shipping. Sold! I bought a twin sized coverlet to match the one on the end of the bed and I had Euro sized shams made from it (the coverlet+cost to have them made+multiple taxi rides to go to the seamstress shop cost me less than one sham from RH!). I got a set of Euro sized pillows on Overstock.com. I found our duvet on Overstock.com, too. It's a down alternative, fantastically warm, and the price was just right! Plus, love the cheap shipping!

So, I waited and waited (and prayed) for a sale or coupon of some sort for RH. I finally found a code to get a small percentage off and pulled the trigger on the duvet cover and shams with Mr. YH's blessing.

Then do you know that I completely panicked?! I got the duvet (from Overstock) first and tried it on the bed. Although I had checked measurements multiple times and knew it was not going to quite cover the box spring on both sides, I was a bit surprised. And I thought that maybe I ought to change my order to a king size. I measured again and again, and decided that I had chosen the right size. We have a sleigh bed, and my personal preference is that the wooden side rails show, so I didn't want a long comforter, and I didn't want a dust ruffle because it'd either have to be tucked behind the rails or cover them up. ARGH! For heaven's sake! I am overseas and can't just run these back to the store or hop on over to the post office to mail a return! Here I had spent a ton of money on really nice bedding, but didn't want our box spring showing! So I wrote a designer in Atlanta. {I get a little bold like that when I'm desperate.) And then I pulled out the catalog pictures again and studied them. And I mean, I studied them! I had heard of using another fitted sheet on the box spring before, but they looked like they had used something a bit thicker. Sure enough, when I looked on the web site, there was a matelasse box spring cover! Who knew such things existed!? Did you know about these? Seriously, I am so clueless and I attribute this to staying out of the bedding section for nearly 10 years!

Anyway, it was a whopping $80 and I just couldn't justify that. So I googled and I found one that looked very similar on Amazon.com for only $39 and the reviews were from people who had been on Restoration Hardware's site and thought theirs were a tad overpriced, too. Put it in my cart and bought it. And when I checked my e-mail a few days later, the designer had written back with the exact suggestion- a box spring cover.

When the cover and shams arrived, I was almost scared to open the package for fear they wouldn't be as lovely as the picture portrayed. I breathed a sigh of relief because the fabric and quality is beautiful. Washed those babies up (because I am currently freaked out about bed bugs), ironed them (would you expect anything less from me?!), and put them on the bed- LOVE. When the box spring cover came (which you can't see in this photo), it really did give the bed a finished look.

I also scoured Lands End overstocks and found a set of ivory sheets- queen size- for $30 and free shipping! And then when they came, I kicked myself for only ordering one set because they are fantastic! They're long on the sides and I promise Mr. YH and I have not had to fight over sheets since they've been on the bed! I was able to get another discounted set from the same company- just as wonderful as the first!

We still need a few throw pillows, but I haven't found what I want yet. You will also notice there is no artwork above the bed. We had a big iron piece we used previously, and I decided I'm over that and didn't even ask the embassy guys drilling holes into the cement walls to put it up. I had hoped to get something on our anniversary trip (that never happened) to Rome , but we have some trips coming up that I think might provide something I'm looking for. I'm the type of decorator that would rather have nothing than to buy something for temporary use and then have to deal with getting rid of it...that's what moving all over the world can do to a person- I'm super picky about what comes into the house and what I have to unpack each time we move, so I'll wait until I find exactly what I'm looking for!


I splurged on a new lamp, too (splurge meaning I didn't get it at Wal Mart). I looked and looked for a crystal lamp that had a happy medium between modern and traditional- I found this one at Lamps Plus online and waited for a good sale and coupon code to come up before ordering. {Big Girl made that basket for me for Christmas- obviously, I must use it for a reasonable amount of time!}

Our room is not four walls- lots of small and angled walls.
I believe the intention was for the bed to go where the dresser is.
There are two outlets on each side and hiding behind each of those
pictures is a set of wires for light fixtures that were never installed.
The crown molding is very pretty; the wallpaper- not so much.

I also got some topiaries from Ballards.
These are the angel vine and if I lived stateside,
I would have returned them. The leaves
are plastic-y looking and I don't
like fake plants to be so fake looking;
they're definitely okay from a distance.
(The photo was taken in Venice
from the Doge's Palace several years ago.)

That would be a safe sticking out of the wall (came with the place).

Classy, I know. Don't you all run out at the same time to get your own!
Mr. YH keeps his weights in here, too.

On the opposite side, is our mirrored column that we tried to cover up a little.
Frankly, it's quite creepy and I freak myself out
when I walk by sometimes (it's mirrored on the back, too).

The hall behind the column:

the door you see straight ahead goes into the living room,
and the one behind me goes into the long foyer.
The door to the left is the master bathroom.

(if you haven't seen those rooms, they're labeled Kyiv apt)

You can see the column a little better here. It took some getting used to so we didn't run into it if we got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. You might think the full length mirror is a nice feature right there at the bathroom, but there are actually four panels and the seam hits about mid-face, so that is a bit strange when hoping for an accurate view of oneself!

There you have it- the Yellow Hat love nest. {wink}

Happiness

Mercy!
Looking at my March blog titles,
you'd think every other day was simply awful!
I just can't stay at the pity party too long,
so here are a few bits of happiness from
inside the Yellow Hat:

Those M&M cookies I talked about here.

I am not sure it's the exact recipe my mom had, but they were tasty!

Big Girl saved her money and bought herself
a half-sized guitar.
The pouch delivered yesterday.

I remember saving my money for what seemed like for.ev.er.
when I was about 9 years old.
And then I rode my bike down to the Ben Franklin (I'm not even kidding)
and bought myself the metal unicorn earring tree I had my eye on for weeks.
Oh, what a happy day when I brought that thing
home and got to display my jewels!
I'm thinking my daughter not only has better taste, she has more sense!

How about you?!
What did you save your money for as a kid?

It's Been a Negative Nellie Kind of Week

Last week, Mr. YH discovered one of his Ukrainian employees was taking what was not his (that's all that he shared with the others in the office, so that's all I should probably say on a public blog). He hoped it wasn't true and it upset him so much he didn't sleep that first night; by default, neither did I. But, he went through 2 years' worth of files and it was pretty cut and dry. He and his boss met with an American panel on Monday and they unanimously decided this gentleman should be terminated. I was a little stressed and worried because of some other things I knew and prayed and prayed God would just keep Mr. YH and our family safe. We serve such a compassionate and big God- He answered my prayers. Anyway, it's quite a blow to the office and so it's safe to say that we won't see much of Mr. YH for the next couple of weeks even though he works across the street (work load just increased by one full time employee's job). He got home at 9 p.m. last night.

I've been struggling with some loneliness and feelings of inadequacy and being overwhelmed.

My mom just sent an e-mail to tell me Dad has been diagnosed with the early stages of prostate cancer. It stinks being far away and feeling quite isolated and lonely.

But God knew.
And my memory verse for the first half of March was Joshua 1:9-

Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Wherever- to Ukraine; with Mr. YH at the office and on his way home; during strong, emotional disagreements; to those secret, lonely and hurting places of the heart; walking the cancer road; to the hair salon to explain what I want done; on the crazy, unsafe streets of Kyiv; to the bathroom to have a "discussion" with a child... wherever.

And I believe that with all my heart because He's been there in the past. He's big enough to redeem the past, gracious enough to restore, and so loving that He has planned a glorious future for those who are His. I just reread that last sentence and involuntarily sighed out loud- a sigh of relief, bucking up l'il camper and all that.

I don't usually share this much on the blog. Maybe I should, I don't know. At any rate, I didn't write all this for my own benefit so much as to encourage anyone reading to stop for a moment and look around you. There are a lot of lonely, hurting people within arm's reach of each of us, and let's face it: Facebook and Twitter and even blogging don't meet the heart like a real live, flesh and blood person can and should. Maybe you have a family near you whose daddy is deployed or a single parent or an elderly person or someone who has just moved into town with no family nearby or a tired teacher or a couple struggling with their marriage or someone in the hospital or a stay at home mom or you name it! We live in a fallen world and the hurts are endless! But today- get out of your comfort zone a little and do something! Invite someone over for dinner- good grief- buy a pack of hot dogs and a box of mac 'n cheese! People need the fellowship with other humans, not a gourmet meal! Cook a meal for a teacher so she can go home and enjoy her own kids after pouring her energy out on someone else's! Call up that stay at home mom and tell her you're going to the store tomorrow and you'd be happy to swing by to pick up her list and money to buy a few items so she doesn't have to drag everyone out! Or a phone call/e-mail/card- heaven knows how many times I check my e-mail daily hoping I get a personal note to say that although I'm out of sight, I'm not out of mind. We make this out to be rocket science, and it really isn't. It's just putting into practice what God has asked us to do- love Him and love others.

Comments are open for creative ideas to bless another.
I'll even allow anonymous comments on this post
(e.g. you don't need an i.d.).
I'd love to hear if you've done something today
or have plans to in the next few.

Multi Purposing

I can buy M&M's over here,
but they're different.

Maybe I am an M&M snob?

Here, they're almost pellet like in shape
rather than the somewhat flattened round disc
we get at home.
They taste different to me, too.

{Thankfully, Baby Girl did not
know the difference and
she gladly accepted 2 per successful
deposit when we were potty training!}

As I was planning for Big Girl's ladybug party, I had my mother-in-law send me
a package of Christmas M&M's. I sorted the red from the green so we could have the red for Ladybug Bingo markers and the green are sealed in a baggie for St. Patrick's Day.

Mom sent a box last month laden with more candy than should be legal. She included two packages of Valentine's Day M&M's which I immediately hid. I sorted through them and put the red in a bag and the pinks and white in another. The red were eaten for Valentine's Day and I'll save the other for Baby Girl's party in May {since I've already been informed of the theme and I have the colors picked out}.

What can I say? You do what you have to do!

*NEWS FLASH*!! Kimmie posted the M&M cookie recipe over there on the sidebar. These were my FAVORITE cookies as a child, and my mom could not find the recipe. I have been making do with a wanna-be, so I am so hoping this is THE one because that is what I'm making with those green M&Ms for tomorrow (I think I'll have to cut the recipe in half unless a miracle of sort happens and I have an unending supply of green candies in that baggie!).

What in the World?!

Every now and then, I think we all have those moments where we hear ourselves say something or we're put into a situation where we are arrested by the absolute strangeness of it all.

That happened to me last week as I was washing up some breakfast dishes. Mr. YH asked where the coffee would be that morning and I answered, "I'll be at the Romanians'." {insert that moment} And then I pondered how absolutely funny that sounded to me and how I never in a million years would have pictured myself socializing with some of the people I do now. It's that same kind of "Seriously?! How did we get here?!" type of feeling you get when they are ready to discharge you from the hospital and let you take that little baby home without a permit.

So, I'm all ears.
What makes you step back a moment and
shake your head about where you are now?!
It can be serious or funny or trivial- it all counts!

P.S. I am updating this just because I need to tell someone about this funny conversation I just had. I called to reserve the conference room for this month's Bible study meetings. Iya asked me if it was I who reserved the room for the father/daughter event last month. I told her no; so-and-so was in charge of that. "Oh, ok, I'll have to get with them because there are hearts all over the official walls." I'm dying, seriously- this is a large room and one wall has the dark blue curtain with the U.S. and Ukrainian flags for official functions/needs...can you picture an official state gathering in front of that with tiny little hearts all over the walls, too?! Tell me I am not the only one who finds that funny!

Celebrating!

On February 17, I sat with The Boy and Baby Girl on the sofa for our morning Bible time (Big Girl does her own on her bed). The Boy has been asking more and more questions about the Lord, but this particular morning he had more than usual. He wanted to know about when I believed in Jesus.

I told him that I was about his age and had attended a backyard Bible club in my neighborhood. The lady leading it used the wordless bracelet daily. I remember sitting in her basement while she'd pray and give us kids the opportunity to make the choice to trust Jesus as our Savior; I wanted to but was a bit shy to raise my hand, so for a few days I just peeked to see who else would have the nerve. Finally, I did it, and I recall sitting on those basement steps praying to God- telling Him I believed He had sent Jesus to take the punishment for my sins and that I'd like Him to be Lord of my life.

As we ended our time, The Boy prayed the following prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you that you love us; thank you that you care for us. Please help me to believe in Jesus when I’m six or five or tomorrow or something. Please help me to be nice to my sisters every day. Please help Big Girl with her school work. Please help Big Girl to do a good job with her piano when she isn’t doing very well. Please help Baby Girl to stay in her bed and to listen to me when I tell her she has to get back in her bed. Please help Baby Girl to know that you don’t do anything wrong and help her to believe in Jesus soon, too. Amen.

I sent that out to our close friends and family and asked them to join us in prayer for our son and for us to have a lot of wisdom as we evangelize and disciple our children.

After dinner tonight, The Boy found me in the kitchen and said he needed to talk to me in the bedroom. Impatiently, I told him he could talk to me right there.

"Mama, when I was on my bed [nap time when he didn't nap] I prayed to God that He'd help me believe in Jesus and forgive me for all of my sins."

Um, HELLO!!!!! Yes! You have my attention!! We got the phone and called Daddy who had left for a business trip today. Praise the Lord he had just arrived and could skype us. Then we had the wonderful privilege of talking with our son and hearing him pray. Honestly, I think it was a done, sealed deal earlier in the afternoon, but it was good to make sure he understood and reassure us parents that this was a sincere moment.

We then called everyone we could think of to share the exciting news! Gigi had her hair half-curled, Baba was in the waiting room at the dr.'s office, Didyc was in the woods working, Ms. Boots was thrilled to hear as was Aunt Valerie and Ms. Helen and Ms. Amy and the S family.

We wrote the date down in his I Believe in Jesus book and he asked to sing I Will Sing of My Redeemer during our nightly devotional time. He thanked God that people were so excited.{Tears}

So, if you thought you heard something like whooping and hollering about noon EST, rest assured, you most certainly did. It was all those angels rejoicing over my boy...my newest brother in Christ.

Rejoicing!

P.S. A big shout out of praise for my friends who experienced the same thing this week with Walter and Ahna!!

Shades of Winter

I love to see this shade of blue in the winter,
and having these items all together
made me happy the past two months.

Huma from Pakistan gave me the vase as a hostess gift back in the fall when Marci and I hosted the KAVA coffee morning. The picture of the orthodox church was done by my artist friend, Yuri. It's actually a notecard. I took it back to the States last summer and the guy at Michael's gave me the scrap matte for free. I had all of the framing work done here- for $3. {Yes- that's the total.} The pysanky eggs are simply gorgeous- hand painted. Here is a close-up:

Is there a certain color you enjoy
decorating with in the winter months?

Down the Toilet

"Mama, how did we flush toilets before coming to Ukraine?"
(Big Girl)

Funny the things you forget after being overseas!