Exciting News
Some excitement going on here in Jerzyland - there is a chance that MIL may come for a visit, and if I have my way, she'll stay.
I know, some of you may thing "oh, I would die if my MIL came to live with me" - but my MIL is an awesome woman. One - even though we don't speak the same language, we have always managed to get along. Two - even though we don't speak the same language, she always manages to side with me when dh and I disagree, which is amazing, because she has no idea of what I'm saying, so she has no idea if I'm right or not (of course, I'm always right.... she's super intelligent and just knows that LOL) Three - when dh and I do argue, she'll take herself somewhere else, she has never, ever gotten in-between us, she really does mind her own business, and FOUR - most important - she loves to cook, and is pretty good at it. Here's my favorite story - about the first trip to Egypt, when we took some legs of lamb and a huge turkey with us. After a 12 hour flight, and a 4 hour car trip, everything was still frozen solid. A few hours later I knew I smelled the turkey cooking. Wondering how she managed to do that .... I asked dh. She's making it into soup ! Great ! I love turkey soup ... but how did she managed to get the bag of insides and the plastic stuff that holds the legs together out of the inside of the bird? Hmmmm .... she didn't know about those things. Me to dh "I'm wondering if the plastic will melt. Perhaps we better show her?" dh to me "I'm too tired to walk downstairs, you go tell her" Me to dh "She doesn't speak English" dh to me "figure it out" OK - so I go downstairs where this wonderful woman is preparing an entire meal for 20 over a propane flame. So I grab to huge wooden spoons, and proceed to take the turkey out of the boiling broth. She looks at me (having just met me for the first time a couple hours previously) but doesn't say anything, just jumps in to help me take the turkey out and put it in a nearby pan. I reach inside the bird - which is still cold inside, but not frozen, and pull out the neck, as well as the bag of insides. I have never seen someone truely laugh at themselves as she laughed at herself that night. Each year when we go back, I take a turkey. Each year as soon as she unwraps that turkey we laugh and laugh. Then she'll cook it halfway, then take out the bag of stuff, then finish cooking it. It has never dawned on her to let it sit a couple days to thaw ... probably because it's too big for her fridge. Doesn't matter - she's about the greatest MIL a girl could have asked for - and I'm excited she's coming !
MIL with 2 nieces washing potatoes
MIL with Mona - reading
Mama Fawkia and her special fly
This summer we may also have dh's brother, his wife, and their 3 kids as well - so we'll have a houseful - but it'll be full of laughter. I miss having my own family around like that, but we've never been close. I'm hoping that surrounding my own children with family and friendships, that they'll learn why it's so important to always stay close to your own kin.
So that's the news from the Jerzy shore. We've already figured out sleeping arrangements, 3 of mine will share one room, the oldest will get to keep her own room, one bedroom will go for 2 of BIL's kids, the 2nd master bedroom will go for BIL, wife and remaining child, and we'll screen off 1/2 of the dining room downstairs for MIL - and if she decides she'll stay, we'll put in a more permanent wall. I've already run cable so she can have her own TV, so it'll all work out well.
Oh, and one more great thing - with someone else cooking ... I'll be free to sew !
Deb
I know, some of you may thing "oh, I would die if my MIL came to live with me" - but my MIL is an awesome woman. One - even though we don't speak the same language, we have always managed to get along. Two - even though we don't speak the same language, she always manages to side with me when dh and I disagree, which is amazing, because she has no idea of what I'm saying, so she has no idea if I'm right or not (of course, I'm always right.... she's super intelligent and just knows that LOL) Three - when dh and I do argue, she'll take herself somewhere else, she has never, ever gotten in-between us, she really does mind her own business, and FOUR - most important - she loves to cook, and is pretty good at it. Here's my favorite story - about the first trip to Egypt, when we took some legs of lamb and a huge turkey with us. After a 12 hour flight, and a 4 hour car trip, everything was still frozen solid. A few hours later I knew I smelled the turkey cooking. Wondering how she managed to do that .... I asked dh. She's making it into soup ! Great ! I love turkey soup ... but how did she managed to get the bag of insides and the plastic stuff that holds the legs together out of the inside of the bird? Hmmmm .... she didn't know about those things. Me to dh "I'm wondering if the plastic will melt. Perhaps we better show her?" dh to me "I'm too tired to walk downstairs, you go tell her" Me to dh "She doesn't speak English" dh to me "figure it out" OK - so I go downstairs where this wonderful woman is preparing an entire meal for 20 over a propane flame. So I grab to huge wooden spoons, and proceed to take the turkey out of the boiling broth. She looks at me (having just met me for the first time a couple hours previously) but doesn't say anything, just jumps in to help me take the turkey out and put it in a nearby pan. I reach inside the bird - which is still cold inside, but not frozen, and pull out the neck, as well as the bag of insides. I have never seen someone truely laugh at themselves as she laughed at herself that night. Each year when we go back, I take a turkey. Each year as soon as she unwraps that turkey we laugh and laugh. Then she'll cook it halfway, then take out the bag of stuff, then finish cooking it. It has never dawned on her to let it sit a couple days to thaw ... probably because it's too big for her fridge. Doesn't matter - she's about the greatest MIL a girl could have asked for - and I'm excited she's coming !
MIL with 2 nieces washing potatoesMIL with Adam - learning how to paint 
MIL with Mona - reading MIL with his "eeeia"
Mama Fawkia and her special flyMoma eeia and Adam, sorting rice or beans
This summer we may also have dh's brother, his wife, and their 3 kids as well - so we'll have a houseful - but it'll be full of laughter. I miss having my own family around like that, but we've never been close. I'm hoping that surrounding my own children with family and friendships, that they'll learn why it's so important to always stay close to your own kin.
So that's the news from the Jerzy shore. We've already figured out sleeping arrangements, 3 of mine will share one room, the oldest will get to keep her own room, one bedroom will go for 2 of BIL's kids, the 2nd master bedroom will go for BIL, wife and remaining child, and we'll screen off 1/2 of the dining room downstairs for MIL - and if she decides she'll stay, we'll put in a more permanent wall. I've already run cable so she can have her own TV, so it'll all work out well.
Oh, and one more great thing - with someone else cooking ... I'll be free to sew !
Deb
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