on the personal side: a day in the life of Ashby

A few of you have asked me what I do every day.

This morning we had visitors- Wilson's cousins- who I enjoyed meeting a lot! I ended up picking their brains about second hand children's clothing, sustainable farming, bio-gas, and solar power. because of course I did. I'm an Oregonian on a mission. They are going to take me clothes shopping (once we have kids to shop for, of course) and I'm confident we'll be getting the best bargain possible.

Then I went to Ngong to scope out the market (think farmer's market, but a tiny bit noisier) and a couple wholesale stores to figure out the MOST affordable way to feed our (future) kiddos. This involved riding three different buses, saying hi to whoever I ran into who recognized or knew me, and buying myself a shawl in Ngong because it was super cold today... I splurged on a cup of real coffee and spent some time making notes in my journal. I have so many nerdy menu ideas for our kids (basically I want kids! now!)

On my way home, I stopped at the grocery store near our apartment to buy some vinegar. On my way out they gave me free clothespins and soap! Susan is jealous and said they never give her free stuff. Ha! My new idea is asking for free stuff every time we go to the store, and saving it all up for VG. So far we have...20 clothespins and one bar of soap.

Your day probably isn't complete without a picture of me and my niece. I get it. Mine isn't complete without it either.

Finally finally home- with Susan's help I tied the baby onto my back, and then I started cutting up tomatoes and onions for dinner. Dinner, I should mention, is no small task. EVERYthing is made from scratch. Everything. Homemade croutons. Homemade tomato sauce. Homemade salad dressing. I learned how to light a charcoal stove today.

(Dinner by the way was awesome- soybeans in homemade bbq sauce, rice, a green salad and garlic bread. I win.)

(I NEVER cook back in the States. Cooking here takes time and effort and creativity. So I'm proud of my food!)

THEN after dinner- and watching and discussing the news with Susan and Wilson- I hopped onto my computer to catch up on emails, which vary from 'how are ya?' to auction planning to budgeting and bill pay and answering questions for my amazing volunteers and trying to get in touch with donors. Oh, and a bit of research on converters and adapters, because I want to sew this weekend!

Basically...a lot. I do a lot every day. Doesn't sound like a lot? You try flagging down a bus on market day in rush hour.  :)