My Week

Yep, I'm all alone right now. Mel is at a leadership training conference of some kind in a different country (wish I was there with him!). He left Sunday night. I stayed home. My dear husband takes such good care of me! He made sure the fridge was mostly stocked and that there was plenty of coffee in the house. :-) He paid all the bills (I think haha). Basically all I have to do is live for the next 3 days. He'll be home on Saturday. Team mates visited over the weekend. Adeline came up from Belgorad to Odessa, met Darlene and they came over together. They stayed with Melinda, woshipped with us on Sunday and then had dinner here, with me, last night. It was wonderful to have them here. It was also wonderful to be hosting someone again, even if only for a meal. Since we have an added family now for the past 3+ years, we have harly had anyone in our home - they stay with Jamie and Julia because their house is huge. Or, as in the case this weekend, women quite often stay with Melinda. So it was really, really nice to at least have them all over for dinner last night. Just the 4 of us, sitting around the table, a little quiet music in the background (until I forgot to restart it after the first CD finished), chatting about this and that and the other things. Pork roast seasoned with garlic cloves, cabbage and ramen noodle salad, rice pilaf with yellow peppers, green onions and orange carrots. And Darlene brought an apple pie for dessert, which Melinda topped off with some very good ice cream. Cheyenne behaved herself and didn't scratch anyone. Very nice indeed. ;-) I spent today weaving and embroidering, reading and listening to a couple sermons and some more quiet music, plus a short trip over to the post office. The day has flown by, and I even got up before 9 a.m.!
Tomorrow I have invited Irina to come over with her little guy, Sasha, for dinner. I'm looking forward to spending time with her. And then on Thursday I've invited another young woman, Nina, to come over. I think she wants me to teach her some embroidery stitches, which I am very willing to do. I would love to teach a whole class what little I know, and love, about real embroidery - not just cross stitch. I'm no expert, but I have been embroidering for around 50 years, maybe closer to 52. That is a scary thought.... wow. Anyway, I hope we can communicate well. I'm not sure of her English, and I know how bad my Russian is - but you know what, I think we'll do fine. And develop a wonderful friendship. Friday I'll have my Russian lesson when Lyudmilla comes over. So, see? I'm really not alone this week at all - except for today. And today was very nice. I even managed to get the whole flat cleaned yesterday before everyone came over. I always do things a lot better and faster when I'm under pressure. I've always been like that. Now, if I can just keep it clean like this until Mel gets home.... It would be better if I just don't move, but sit like a statue whenever no one is here. For some reason, I tend to make little messes wherever I go, like a certain cartoon character. ha ha!