Friday List!

SARAH'S LIST:

Living on the equator, we think a lot about sun. And sunscreen. This photo makes me think a lot more about it.

  by  Robert S. Donovan 

This past weekend was my sister Katie's bridal shower. Check out these lovely tissue paper dahlias made by her even lovelier friend Kelsey. They were so great Adam asked how to make them, but was embarrassed so told her he was only asking because I wanted to know. Busted. I had already asked.

Photo by Jill Humphrey

The Failed State rankings are out. Looks like we're #2 after Somalia. That's a promotion, or demotion, from #4 last year.

"Somalia 1992"

  by  Monica's Dad 

And here's what "Living in a Failed State Looks Like" or here's what living in a failed state can look like. Or this. Or this. Or maybe even this.

Oh Nora. So sad. I remember reading her book, I Feel Bad About My Neck in my early twenties. It's a book about getting old and I couldn't really relate at all, but laughed the whole time. That's a good writer. Also, in reading a bit more about her this week, I'm remembering I may have stolen my famous marriage advice from her: "Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from." I tell Adam I'd be divorced from him any day.

Adam and I are in Chicago this weekend for dear TASOK friend John Searles' wedding. Looks like our favorite blog is also taking a summer vacation there too.

Can't wait to see the reunion of these two. (John & Charlotte in Cape Town, 2011).

JILL'S LIST:

Pondering the used clothing stalls all over Kinshasa.  Ever wondered where the cast-off, cast-offs go after they are dissed by the Salvation Army?  Check out this article.

Photo from Andrew Sullivan's Daily Beast article, The Lifecycle of Used Clothes.  Via BoingBoing.

Remembering a beautiful nurse and friend.  Thinking of all her expert lactation advice emailed to me across the ocean this year.  It was distributed far and wide.  Many mamas have you to thank as they nurse their babies.  Thank you, Judy.

Judy and Adam examine fresh, new baby Annais.

Got a great fabric gift from friends visiting from Kenya: kanga.  Kenyan pagne, in other words.  A couple of good friends have been doing research on kanga and are mentioned in this article - amazing stuff.  Anyone speak Swahili and want to translate the message on this particular piece of cloth?  Here goes:  EWE MOLA WANGU IPOKEE DUA YANGU.  

Laughing about how a 12-inch blue bicycle (perfect for a 6-year-old birthday) appeared on the side of the road in a trash pile right after we emerged from a house show featuring these lovelies (and him, and them) where we REALLY remembered one of our favorite bike enthusiasts, this guy.  Kind of a great coincidence.  Taking it to Kurt at Shenendoah Bicycle Company for a post-trash-pile tune-up.

Not to us, it isn't.  Thinking of all of our favorite bikers.

Going to make a huge pile of chocolate devil dog cake, strawberries, and cream (as requested) for my very own six-year-old tomorrow.  It will then melt into a pile of delicious mess in the 108F Virginia heat.  Seems  to me there was a Seattle heat wave in June/July 2006 that resulted in a sweaty pile of new mama and baby.

Thinking about little tiny kids playing fiddles.  Or, violins.  Thanks to a fellow TASOK kindergartner waiting for a plan in the N'djili airport, Elias got to try his hand at the instrument.  Except, he's a total lefty and some chin rest issues arose as a result.  Our friend teaches Suzuki method - which intrigues me.  If we somehow figured out how to get a tiny, lefty violin back with us to Kinshasa, Elias could go for it...maybe with some help from these guys, who practice next door.

Investigating netbook ideas for Mama Vida.  She's been wanting one and we said we could get her one far cheaper here in the U.S. than she could ever buy in Kinshasa.  Anyone have ideas for a very inexpensive netbook?  She just needs basic internet and word processing...

Bonne fête de l'indépendance congolais et congolaises!  30 Juin!  Watch this.  From the amazing and tragic film, Lumumba.

And.  Happy Day tomorrow, my lovely, fun, witty, beautifully irrepressible boy.