a rose by any other name

I long ago posted about Eleanor's butter habit. Perhaps this photo will jog your memory:

Well, it seems I've found another way to indulge her desire: I pair the butter with sugar, flour and olives (yes, olives) and cut it into cute little shapes. So she's not eating it right off the block, but really does that make it any more acceptable? For the time being, the answer for me is "Yes. Absolutely."
-kjd

 equipment.

 shapes.

 little fingers.

An outside following...wtf?

For almost 10 months now I have been faithfully putting insightful, poignant, imaginative, humorous posts on this blog. By turns they have made you cry with laughter and weep in sadness; you have savored our adventure stories, and marveled at Eleanor's growth. Surely this is not hyperbole (wink, wink).

A friend, also living in Arusha, recently revived her long dormant blog as part of an online writing workshop. For a couple of weeks now, she too has been putting insightful and witty posts on her blog. This afternoon I received the following text from her: "Omg! Someone from a reality show in the US commented on my blog!"

My internal monologue went a little something like this: "I'm sorry...what was that?! Someone that is (a) not related to you or (b) not a really, really good friend commented on your blog? You've only been doing this for like 2 weeks! Wait...WHAT? A reality show?"

In all seriousness, kudos for writing something that someone "out there" wants to read. Her blog is pretty awesome; you should check it out. Especially this post; the "friend" she's going to visit...yeah, that's me.
-kjd

save the date

With this post I'm making it official; Eleanor and I are coming home a little early.

After long debates and late night discussions, Tim and I decided that it makes the most sense for Eleanor and I not to return to Tanzania after attending my dear friends' wedding at the end of October. There are many reasons for this decision, a few of which include:

1. Making two 24+ hour plane trips alone with an 18 month old in the span of two weeks (and the jet lag that would come with those trips) only to turn around and make them again three weeks later seemed crazy. 
2. Tim will have time to focus on wrapping up his research without feeling guilty about being away from home, he'll be able to leave his wet towels on the floor whenever and wherever he wants, and he'll be able to eat Frosties (aka. Frosted Flakes) three meals a day if he so desires. 
3. Staying home means that Eleanor will be able to have some real QT with her grandparents (both sets) who, I'm certain, are ready to make up for lost time.

Of course the best reason not to stay in the states: leaving dad in Tanzania while we enjoy live-in daycare (we'll be staying at my parents' house until after Christmas) and having reliable...well...everything. In the end, neither decision seemed to be the obvious one, so we chose the most logical. Mark your calendars. We're coming home.
-kjd

beans, beans, the magical fruit

I have at least once written about the plethora of dried beans and legumes available in and around Arusha. Given the ease of acquiring them, the fact that Tim and I are eating a lot less meat, the fact that they are "little fingers" friendly, and the fact that they are relatively inexpensive, I try to incorporate them into our meals as often as possible.

Two of my favorite go-to lunch-time recipes have become versions adapted from this pan-toasted chick pea salad and this 3-bean salad (which I've officially turned into 4-bean salad). They are equally delicious, nutritious, and easy to prepare-- and my family loves them. Although, preparing them does leave me humming a song from my childhood; Molly, I bet you know the one...
-kjd

Pre-mixing: pan toasted chick peas and leeks, chopped cilantro and red onion, and a curried-yogurt dressing.

 From Top: green, cannellini, and red kidney beans, and chick peas. All are topped with a honey-balsamic dressing and toasted almonds.

A visit with friends

Nearly two weeks ago now, our dear friends Kelley and David flew all the way from Carrboro, North Carolina to visit us. We were honored and thrilled to have them visit- and to be able to share our Tanzania life with them. We had a great time at Tim's field site, visiting Tarangire National Park (with our favorite driver/guide Jonas), and experiencing the thrills of downtown Arusha. We were sad to see them go, and look forward to our reunion in NC. Here are a few images from our safari with them. Kelley and David- thank you!
-kjd

(Warning: Given the number of animal photos already posted on this blog, I tried to limit images to those that are a little out of the ordinary. Hopefully they work.)

 Eleanor, from above.

Cars stopped for leopard viewing.

Kelley, master photographer.

Giraffe.

Spotting giraffe and lion.

more giraffe.

Watching people watching animals.

Elephant and plams.

Kelley and elephant.

David, master videographer.

Kelley.

Eleanor...oh la la.

"Hey!"

Palm tree.

Wildabeest.

 Mom and Eleanor.

Duty calls.

Zebra.

Giraffe, again.

Ox peckers.

(I'd like to blame the wind, but my hair was actually that stiff and dirty.)

"Bye mom."

"Ha, ha."

 "Oh, wait..."

The famous view from Tarangire Safari Lodge; Tarangire River.

dads and daughters

Sometimes they are going to be on the same page; their experiences aligned. Sometimes, they are not. But of one thing I am certain- they will always love each other. After all, dad's are awesome.

Case in point:
-kjd

family dinners

Eleanor likes communal eating. Well, perhaps a more realistic statement is that Eleanor likes eating what you're eating- not what mom has spent 30 minutes preparing for her to eat. The staff cook, Yuda, has even taken to preparing a little extra food for her, so that she and Asina can sit and eat lunch with them. This weekend we returned from shopping to find a little to-go container of rice and beans at the bottom of the stairs; for Eleanor, from Yuda.

In an effort to save time, because Tim and I ended up eating so late in the evenings (it wasn't until I had put Eleanor to sleep that I was able to start on dinner, which generally meant we ended up eating sometime between 8 and 9 pm), and because Eleanor seems to prefer dining with friends, I decided it was time to institute family dinners.

Although I haven't managed to pull it together every night of the week (surely that's going to take some practice, right?), the times that I have managed to put a hot meal on the table that's both delicious (for us parents anyway) and kid-friendly have been a relative success- which is to say that even if she doesn't devour the food, Eleanor sits happily at the table long enough for us all to enjoy the dining experience.
-kjd 

On the menu last night: roasted cherry tomato,bell pepper, and leek quiche.

Oh, the anticipation.

First bites.