The Big Visit

For the past seven days we hosted seven members of the Roselle family, at our 1600-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment, in Georgia. The idea was originally for Jonathan, Christopher and Joel to come down as sort of a "boy's-week-out" adventure. We had also planned to fly Joy down to help with our move this summer. So, after considering the cost, and since Jonathan was going to drive down anyway, we asked him if he could just bring Joy down a couple of months early, to save us the cost of a plane ticket. So, when Grace found out that Joy would be coming down early, she decided that she wanted to come too. And, of course, that left Rachel, feeling left out, so Jo asked if it would be okay for her and Rachel to come along as well.
We all had a very good time together, and it was nice for them to be able to see everything we're involved in here in Columbus. They got to see Rivertown, the church we're a part of, our Wednesday night worship home group, and Thursday night worship team practice. They also enjoyed the amenities of our apartment complex, including the exercise room, tennis courts, pool, playground, and walking areas. The pictures are from our outing to Krispy Kreme.
I don't think I've ever hosted so many people in such a small place, for an entire week, so being me, I did somewhat of a logistical study of large family household consumption.





The following is a list of the resources the 11 of us used during the seven-day span:
-11 gallons of milk
-9 dozen eggs
-7 lbs of butter
-5 gallons of lemon aid
-6 lbs of sandwich meat/cheese
-5 loaves of sandwich bread
-6 boxes of cereal
-2 lbs of bacon
-10 lbs of sugar
-1/2 lb of coffee
-3 recipes of Cuban black beans
-1 recipe of lentil soup
-3 recipes of chicken soup
-2 recipes of vodka sauce
-3 recipes of spaghetti sauce
-4 recipes of spinach gnocchi
-2 recipes of sopa seca
-2 recipes of guacamole
-3 recipes of banana bread
-4 recipes of double molasses cookies
-2 recipes of cowboy cookies
We also used:
-5 rolls of paper towels
-5 mega rolls of toilet paper
-10 Ziploc Snap 'n Seal containers
-3 boxes of tissues







We also:
-Took 34 baths/showers
-Processed 18 loads of laundry
-Processed 16 loads of dishes
And, threw away 31 bags of trash.
The Roselles left yesterday morning and are stopping to visit Caleb, in North Carolina, on their way home. After they left, I spent the entire day deep cleaning the whole house, which included laundry loads of towels, sheets, and clothes that took me 10 hours to complete.
After considering the cost of housing and feeding a large family, I have decided that I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, it can be expensive sometimes, but it's a small price to pay, considering how great it is to be surrounded by family.

I'm Back...

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so here I am. Several weeks ago, Faith posted about all the foods I dislike. Here is a list of the stuff I do like. Bear in mind that this list is not all inclusive, but includes some of my favorites. Also, if an item is listed with a specific name or recipe, it means I have committed hours of research and taste-testing to come to that conclusion. Not that I’m a culinary snob or anything. So, in alphabetical order, here they are:

Banana Pudding (Mom’s recipe is the best)
Blue Berries (only plain, not cooked into anything) (the wild bush in my parent’s front yard is the best I’ve ever had)
Boston Lettuce / Callamatta Olive / Artichoke Heart / Romano Salad
Bratwurst
Buttermilk Biscuits (Faith’s recipe is the best)
Caleb Roselle’s Baked Ham
Chicken & Biscuits (The ladies of the Warren Center community building make the best)
Chicken Soup (Jo Roselle makes a killer recipe)
Concorde Grapes
Crème Brule (L’Adour, Jimmy’s Harbour Side, or Hannah Roselle make the best)
Crepes (The Joy of Cooking’s recipe is the best)
Dewy Meadows Light Amber Maple Syrup
Dewy Meadows Maple Cream
Edy’s Dreamery Vanilla Ice Cream
Greg’s Balsamic Salad Dressing
Greg’s Smashed Potatos
Hebrew National Hot Dogs
Hershey’s Vanilla Milk Shakes
Hummus (Faith’s is the best)
Imported Hard Cheeses (ie. Gruyere, Manchego etc.)
Indian Food (in general)
Italian Food (not so much the Americanized stuff, but real, Italian dishes)
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (Cappuccino, Strawberry Cheese Cake, Watermelon, Coconut, Buttered Popcorn)
Jonathan Roselle’s Pizza
Jo Roselle’s Chicken Soup
Jo Roselle’s Pot Roast
Lobster Bisque (Jimmy’s Harbor Side and Seldom Blues’ recipes are the best)
Kettle Corn Popcorn (Orville Reddenbacker’s is the best)
Knockwurst
Kozy Shack Rice Pudding
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Mango
Mussels
Pene ala Vodka (Faith’s recipe is the best)
Popovers
Potato- Leek Bisque (Faith’s is the best)
Rawdatain Mineral Water (Kuwait)
Reese’s Pieces
Sam Roselle’s Spaghetti Sauce (Faith’s version is the best)
Seafood Bisque (Mom’s recipe is the best)
Straw Berries
Thai Food (in general)
Vanilla Milk Shakes with rainbow sprinkles
Vietnamese Food (in general)
Zapp’s Cajun Dill Potato Chips


Gerg

Oh what days

Well. My sweater was completed in record time, and it turned out well. I know you were all wondering. (Tongue firmly planted in cheek.)

On to topics more relevant to this blog.

Last week, Greg and I hosted/led our first home group at our apartment. It is focused on worship, which means that I had to practice (gasp!) and pick out songs, type up lyrics, etc. Also, I felt the need to clean (of course) and also bake (count them) 1. banana muffins 2. pound cake 3. a chiffon pie. Someone tell me I was out of my mind. Thank you.

More than likely due to all of this, Andrew decided to go on an all out whining fest, and Elijah wouldn't be satisfied with anything. Here is the innocent Mr. A.:

Looks almost innocent there.

I was completely overwhelmed, and, as anyone would, I just wanted my mom. Thankfully, she happened to be out and called me on her cell. I poured out my woes to her, telling her that I was seemingly trying to impersonate the Martha of the New Testaments, and so she gave me a little talking to, prayed for me, and, well, was just Mommy. Just what I needed.

I still managed to get two of those things baked, along with every other single thing needed. My back was killing me, my feet felt like they'd break down the center and I was exhausted, but the homegroup went well. This is how I got Elijah to cooperate for the last little while of preparation:

He's never even tried a bottle before, but I happened to have some vanilla Soy Silk...

Desperation, I tell you.

Yesterday I took Andrew in for his Well Baby exam and shots. He wasn't very trusting of the Dr.

I brought him into the next room for the shots, and I suddenly remembered why I hate shots so much. They had him lie down on his back on the table, and I crossed his arms over his chest. Then while he was looking up at me, they stabbed him in the legs with three shots. I have to admire them for being quick, but the look on his little face turning from sweet trust to crumpled pain was almost too much for me. I nearly cried too, but thought they doctors would think I was wuss, so I packed it in.

Tomorrow I bring Elijah in. Ask me how I feel about shots then.