home sweet home!

our lovely youngest daughter, KK is now living with us again!!! yay!!! her first year at university is DONE! exams -- DONE! food plan -- DONE! (we went on a spending frenzy in the Commons today, after we checked her out of her res. . .and got all her luggage and 'stuff' into the van. . We bought silly things - chocolatey things and pretzels, mints, gum, candy, salsa and salsa con queso. . stuff like that to use up the last few dollars of her food plan! if you don't use it, you lose it. . of course she bought 2 more bags of beef jerky for her b/f, Joel. YUCK! beef jerky.. .

We let her choose supper -- we sat in our rec room and watched CSI as we ate our gooey cheese, pepperoni, green pepper and mushroom pizza. She said the grace and thanked God for her first year at school, and thanked Him for safety and great learning times, friends and the privilege to attend her school. Its nice to have her home again. .

she's been unpacking, and is still at it as i'm typing this. It was emotional for her saying goodbye to her friends. . all the way home she kept saying 'this is so weird'.. . She starts her job training on Monday!! no time wasted there! she has full time hours for 4 full months - so she figures she'll have more than enough for next year's rent cheques and expenses, maybe even some to pay down her school debt?!

Rob's downstairs doing more trim in the bathroom. Tomorrow we're having Rob's mom for her birthday supper! I'm cooking. . I did the coconut cream pie tonight, homemade ginger cookie crust, coconut custard and real whipped cream on the top! last time i made it she LOVED it, so we are having a birthday PIE for her!

Supper will be:
turkey milanese (panfried thin, breaded turkey cutlets topped with chopped, ripe tomatoes and fresh, torn basil leaves, with a splash of fresh lemon juice)
orange scented jasmine rice
glazed carrots and fresh green beans with olive oil and chopped herbs!

CAN'T WAIT! Happy birthday to Mom! must decorate house!!!

we really must get our taxes done. . can you believe we still haven't done them???? oh dear!

After work today, Rob and I left to get KK.. . of course we gassed up the van. . i sat and waited as he took care of that. . I saw a man sitting on the cement curb of the variety store/gas bar. It was kinda cold and i'm sure he was chilly. He looked like he had no place to go, but wasn't too rumpled or really obviously without shelter - still ragged around the edges though. i wondered about what life is like for him. Rob came back from paying for the gas, popped the hood to check the oil and the man started talking to Rob, while remaining seated on the curb. He wanted some money - Rob gave him some and we pulled away and drove off. He stayed there. . probably needed more cash. i felt bad that he had to be cold and needed to rely on the kindness of strangers. I hope he's okay? some people say that you should offer to buy people a meal, or whatever so that they don't misuse any money that they do receive. How sweet are the things that we might forget about -- a bed, a sink with running water and a shower. . a toilet, blankets, toothpaste, soap, a pillow. . a mirror, dental floss -- how would we feel without these essentials? never mind the big things like a job! or a drug plan, a family doctor, a house, a vehicle. . I can't imagine.

i'm so thankful to have a home and did i say that KK's home?! SHE'S HOME! and she gets to sleep in her 'beautiful bed' every night for the next 4 months! no more dorm bed with its thin, little, uncomfortable 'mattress'!