Step by Step

We just got home last night from a wonderful time at our annual family camp during the "carnaval" days here in Brazil.

We were really blessed during the four days we camped together with other believers. It really was a sweet, sweet time of amazing preaching, fellowship, fun and great food. We came home with our hearts overflowing with gratefulness for the work the Lord did in the hearts of many. 

I had the privilege of teaching the adolescent girls this year. Two of them got saved during these days at camp. What a blessing it is to see people saved and Christians choosing to walk with Jesus... our theme this year was "Step by Step with Jesus".

We were reminded that we can WALK with God and still not be CLOSE to him! We're just rejoicing and praying that we will continue to walk closely....step by step with Jesus.

We're a happy, yet tired bunch. This week's agenda is mostly filled with a mountain of laundry and housework to catch up on...
It's so wonderful to serve Jesus!

Once upon a rainy season

Once upon a rainy season, it rained, and rained, and rained almost every day.. ..yep, you get the picture! We're almost at the end of rainy season and it makes me sad.

Dark clouds can show up at anytime...and soon after, the rains come down. It's a okay as long as you don't have clothes on the line  or you're out walking and get stuck in it ...

My favorite season... isn't it just beautiful?!?! The picture above is the view from our  house's living room (the one we are still building.) I really like my view. It will look even nicer when we move in our house and can keep the grounds around clean from all the weeds (sigh)..

The next picture is of downtown Cuiaba...we were heading home when this rain storm was approaching. It was lovely...I just love the color of the sky!

And...I didn't mean to get the Ford sign. but it was inevitable.

I am not merchandising for Ford... ahem, just to set that straight. But yeah, as you can see we have Ford here  :)

We even have McDonalds here...and we rarely eat there just 'cause their prices are outrageous, but once in a while we splurge and go...it makes it even more yummier :) We got to go last night after visiting my dad in the hospital. It was really good. I had been craving, wanting is better.... and I am really careful when I use that word because people start using their imagination, you know.. and the answer is no, I am not pregnant. Just in case you were already wondering.

With that explained, I hope you have a wonderful weekend... I'm off to get clothes in because it's starting to rain...again :)

yada yada yada

HI! It's been a while, I know...extremely busy days is my excuse :)

All joking aside, it's been crazy...crazy busy. So much to do and so much to be done.

Prince turned 23 months old yesterday...and I know this is probably redundant but I can't believe my baby is almost two...he's getting to big and too old, too fast. It really is unbelievable how fast these two years have flown...seems like only yesterday he was a newborn and now he's an active and independent toddler. Wow

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time...

Ever felt like that before?!!? It's sobering to think that two precious years have passed already. sniff, sniff Don't mind me. I'm emotional today and I really hate changes...not my favorite thing ever, for sure!

I think he's pretty much the cutest little stinker e.v.e.r ...

And no, he's not always so serious...he just doesn't like posing for mommy too long ;) He already asks me: "Are we done?" He doesn't know that mommies are never done taking pictures.... snicker

I have to admit he's awesome about it most of the time.  He is talking a whole lot more every day...it really is amazing how fast they start learning new words..it amazes me to hear him actually make intelligible sentences. Yep, I definitely have a talker....and eater too! That boy has been eating a lot ...probably going through another growth spurt. Those seem to be very common now days :)

.........................................

Abruptly changing subjects, we got more birdies hatching soon ... so excited! This nest is right on our front porch so prince and I look at it quite regularly...and we can't wait to have baby birdies, that is if the snake doesn't find the eggs before they hatch :(  Let's hope not...

I am really hoping we get to see these birdies hatch...what fun it will be.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend ;)

Mr. Toad visits

We had a lovely visit from Mr. Toad this week.

It was quite an interesting visit...this mommy screamed and tried to stay as far away as possible, while her brave man ran to get the camera and coaxed this hysterical mommy and frightened little prince over to see Mr. Toad up closer :)

He's the man, you know?!?! NOT Mr.Toad, mind you...I am talking about 'da hubby (smirk)

Our life is interesting... to say the least :)

This week has been a wonderful and rainy one...getting laundry dried is close to impossible now days.
The prince enjoys watching the rain and getting as close to it as he's allowed ;) He spends the rainy hours looking at books and talking to mommy while she works...it's a pretty good deal, I think :)

And he loves picking flowers for mommy ....sigh....I really am blessed!!!

He got a big scrape on the forehead and close to his eyes yesterday, just part of growing up, right?!?!

Bumba meu Boi

We live in a old, old town.. it's a small fishing village on the edge of the river. The people that live in our small town are very Catholic and very much into traditions..

This town was the first town my grandparents came as missionaries to in 1970. This is the town my dad's family is from, the place I was born and raised till I was 8 when we moved away to start another church.

One of the many traditions is the "Bumba-meu-Boi" during the Carnival season.. ever since I was a kid, I remember seeing this folkloric event every year.

You can read about Bumba-meu-Boi and Carnival here and here in case you're wondering what it is.

Every evening out in our little town, hundreds of people come together to gather around dancers dressed in several crafted ox costumes. There are usually 6-10 "oxen" and there is always a contest to see who dances best and also has the most colorful and bright ox. They're also out to scare the children and chase after them ;)

The "parade" goes through the whole town with the drummers behind beating their drums and hundreds of people follow it through town...some people (like us) just sit in rocking chair in front of our homes and watch the parade as it passes by...:) Lazy, lazy, huh?!?!

You can see the oxen to your right...

This is the town's main entertainment and it starts in early January and only ends after Carnival which is February 20th this year.

To my amazement, our town is the only one in our state who still has this tradition going. When I saw the parade this week, I was reminded of my childhood days, the parade goes right in front of my grandparents house so we were always able to see it up close. On Tuesday my hubby and son got to experience the Bumba-meu-Boi parade for the first time! I was so glad they were able to see the tradition that has followed me through my childhood days.

I also got a video clip so you can hear the drums and kind of get a picture of what it all sounds like :)

So if you've ever wondered what some of the brazilian people do for entertainment in the evenings, now you know...:)

The rains came down .... and the bugs came out

That would be the most appropriate song for the rainy season out in the country ...

Just as soon as the rains start, the bugs decide it's time to come out of their hiding places.

Just this week we found this critter in the prince's room (again)...

This scorpion is about as big as my littlest finger...and it causes one a LOT of pain. I was so thankful the prince didn't find it and we could kill it before it hurt someone... we also killed about 10 spiders...no joking...and if you're dying to see a picture of what they look like, just look here and you'll be able to see our regular  un-invited visitors. Not to mention the frogs, lizards and bats that show up once in a while... sheesh

 Except for the bugs and the laundry taking three whole days to finally get dry, rainy season is not all that bad

The beautiful green and the cool weather are w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l for a change...so I guess I can handle the bugs for a while ..

On the good side,

All of our plants are thriving and we've got a huge watermelon vine and some adorable tiny melons coming.. they grow really fast so we are excited about having watermelon from our own yard ...pretty cool!

Then our acerola cherry tree is also loaded with fruit. We've been feasting on fresh juice, smoothies, and just the fruits itself makes a wonderful and healthy snack, can't beat that :)

These are extremely high in vitamin C... 65 times higher than an orange, so they are very good for you...and they're pretty yummy too..
We got in a couple of big batches of the cherries and I used up some and froze the others for future use

And of course, because no post is complete unless there's a pictures of him....

So I am here, enjoying the rainy days... now the critters, I don't really care for, but cooler weather?!?! YES! I will take it ;)

Starting the year off right...

We decided to start the year taking a day off to relax...we traveled a couple hours to the place where my dad was born and raised... hillbilly land... don't tell my dad I said that ;)
No, really....
The place is g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s....

I find it a little nerve wrecking that the river is right by the house we stayed in...the picture above is from the house's front porch..and I have a very curious toddler, soooo you understand my apprehension. Everything worked out fine though...we watched him constantly and explained to him he was not allowed near the river by himself...shivers... there were alligators on the banks all over...no kidding! Don't you think it's a perfect vacation spot?!?!
In reality we did have fun...expect for the lousy mosquitoes that chewed us up... it IS rainy season, so that was to be expected.

The trip there was quite an adventure itself... the roads are really wide as you will see...

We had to stop several times as the men tried to squeeze the cars past other cars and trucks... ugh...I am glad I wasn't the one driving! I was nervous just watching ...down below to your right is a swamp filled with nice critters...so I wasn't really excited about the possibility of falling in it. On the other side of the road is a jungle so I mustered some courage to hop out of the car to get this picture...aren't you proud of me!?!?
My husband told me I am not a hillbilly girl....thanks a lot, honey!!!


We had quite a time... trying to buy watermelon for cheap... they threw the price way up when they saw my uncle's brand new car.... seriously! Hubby is good at bargaining so he still got some for cheap, cheap...

On the way back home, we got to see the beautiful sunset... it was well worth it all the stickiness, the heat, the mosquito bites...

And I discovered there is a difference between country life and hillbilly country life... I'll definitely take the country life ;)

Soapin' business and other randoms

Since I moved out to the country, I've made acquaintance with many people out there that have taught me so much about country living! I am sure thankful for them. There's one lady in particular that is totally awesome. She happens to be one of my aunts and she has it all.....she knows how to make anything. It's been a privilege for me to pick her brain and learn new recipes, new stuff...I just love it!

One of my new learned things, is soap making...this is homemade laundry detergent, it's one of the most awesome products I have ever used...no kidding! Soooo much better than the store bought ones. It's a very concentrated soap, so I use it for deep cleaning. It cleans like nothing else! I use it for white clothing and white sheets, anything white, cleans like a miracle. I also use it for our tile floors and I've never seen them sparkle so much! And the best part, I'm saving money. When I do my monthly grocery shopping, I don't have to buy so many cleaning products anymore. Hubby used to say I spent more on cleaning products than on food...that's because I love to clean....I love the smell of cleaning products ;) This particular homemade detergent smells like eucalyptus which I love too!

This soap is cheap and fairly easy to make, one recipe makes a whole lot.


Gallons and gallons of them.....

Some ladies from church came over to my house and saw the effects of this awesome detergent, so they asked if I'd make them some...
Why not?!?!
I've sold almost all the ones you see in these pictures, and still have some ordered for this week, so I have to make another batch.
I really love this! Being able to make a little extra money for Christmas shopping, right at home! How awesome is that?!?!

Rainy season is definitely in full swing. I just love it!! The colors of the skies are just amazing! Prince loves to play out when it's almost ready to rain....the coolness of the wind and the rain drops falling feel pretty amazing!

Isn't the color of the sky just beautiful?!?! I could sit and look for hours! God's creation is just perfect!
Happy weekend!

Friday randoms

Warning: you're about to read a very random post! Just so you don't think I've gone crazy ;)

Whew! What a long week this has been!

We've had a crazy....busy week... so much going on around here.

The most exciting being.... rainy season has started! I love the rainy season. It's my favorite brazilian season. I love watching the color of the sky as the rain approaches, I love hearing the sound of the rain, the coolness it brings, the freshness and the lovely green that's all around these parts.

We got to play in the rain twice this week....it was so much fun! The prince thought it was the funnest thing ever!

I am thankful for the holiday there was this week..... hubby got to spend more time at home with us, and we had a ton of fun hosting our church family at our home. It rained nice and hard so we had a water balloon fight in the rain...adults, kids and all.....what a blast we had!

I haven't been feeling the best this week.... I had to go to the ER on Thursday after some spells of dizziness, nausea and passing out. I am starting to feel some better today, for which I am very thankful!
I do have many fun pictures to post from our busy week, but it will have to wait till the next time! I'm trying to get as much rest as possible with a busy and energetic toddler in tow. I'm thankful for my amazing family who's been most supportive and helpful with the prince! It's nice to be able to relax and rest a bit..

We've got a time change coming tomorrow, so that's going to take some getting used to. I really hate the thought of losing one hour of precious sleep (sigh)...I don't like time changes....

I told you, this was a random post....
Happy, Happy Weekend!

Country "Bumpkins"

You ever wonder what country people do all day?!?! Before I moved out to the country, I often times wondered what I would do all day...(we still don't have phones or internet hooked up out there)..

Well, now I know what country people do all day....it's a busy life, but country life is seriously under-rated! It's awesome, people! I'm lovin' every moment of it..yes, I do feel lonely some times, and I do miss having internet access, but it's all good.. I rarely have time to feel down!

Prince and I bake and cook a lot now days. I think it's really great that I have an eager little helper :)
We make doughnuts together... doughnuts are one of daddy's favorites, so we like to surprise him with fresh doughnuts when he comes home from work...and mommy loves making some extras to freeze for a quick snack some other time!

Prince loves to taste things we're making :) He's a good little helper for sure!

After our cooking, baking and cleaning are all done, there are several more things to do....like pruning the rose bush! Prince enjoys watching mommy prune the branches and then he tries to "prune" the roses off :( At least mommy gets some fresh roses to put in a vase.

(Please excuse the prince's homely attire ...blush..blush..)

After taking care of the plants, there are 7 puppies to take care of. The prince loves them puppies...they're pretty cute, I have to admit.. but they sure make a big mess! They're nine days old today and their eyes are still not opened...I'm thinking they will pretty soon, though! It's soon going to be a lively, lively time with seven playful puppies and a toddler!

This is my favorite one from the bunch...I think he's just adorable!

Isn't he cute?!?!


After the animals are taken care of, it's time to sit for a spell and watch the rain storm come our way! It's just beautiful!! We enjoy such a lovely view from our porch, I drink it in every time I walk out and look around. Lovely, just lovely...

 After showers and some more clean-up, Prince sits quietly reading a book while mommy gets supper ready....

 After supper, it's time for some FUN! Mommy & prince play peek-a-boo while we anxiously await for daddy's arrival from school!

It's been a long and busy day for the prince and his mommy...it's definitely bed time for the country bumpkins...
So, know you know what keeps these country people occupied....country life really is great!

Gardening 101 and other miscellany

We're having another busy week, and I cant believe September is almost over! That means Thanksgiving and Christmas are just right around the corner! That makes me happy, extremely happy! But, enough about that, focus...focus!

Country life is just swell. I think I'm finally adjusting to the new surroundings and the silence...I think I'm actually beginning to like it now! And the critters don't bother me as much now.
Me and the critters, long story...we don't really like each other, but at least I don't go into a screaming-bloody-murder-fit anymore when I see them or they jump on me! Aren't you proud of me?!?! One of these days I will muster up some courage and go take pictures of them for you dear readers, I know you just can't wait to see them!

Onto a more interesting topic, I'm so excited about my new plants. I'd never planted before, so this is my first time. I started out with cilantro, green onions, and jalapenos. I figured if they would grow okay, I would start planting some more...

Check out my plants:

Green onions

Jalapenos

I'm so pleased that they're thriving and I have to say that I really enjoy weeding, watering and planting! I plan on incrementing some other plants soon...tomatoes, lettuce, kale, green peppers, zuchinni, and others are on my list. Gardening really is fun!

The prince loves "helping"...he has some small little shovels and he enjoys poking around while I work on weeding and watering the plants! He's a great little helper!
He hasn't been feeling the greatest, we've had some rough sleepless nights lately. He has 2 molars coming in, and he got a nasty, nasty cold to top it off, so he's been up coughing all night :(

I'm so ready to see him feeling better and to get a good nights sleep again! And........we have new puppies at the farm. 9 of them, to be exact! Too many puppies, too much noise if you ask me. They were born yesterday morning and they're really cute.The prince was in awe when I took him over to see them. I am sure he will love playing with the them.......and his daddy even said he can keep one of them!

Life's good and busy...and I'm going to take a nap because this business being up all night is really wearing me out. Yes, I am thankful for naps today! ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Country Life & Cashews

Country life is interesting and busy...
The amount of work there is to do is unbelievable!
We're enjoying our new home and are adjusting quite nicely to the changes around us. I've been able to start a little garden with some chives, peppers, and cilantro. I plan to plant more, but that will take some time to get the beds ready. It's a busy, busy life!

The prince seems to really enjoy the freedom of country living. He loves playing outside and exploring around. He's also so excited about his little room! I walked in there the other day and look at what I found..

I ran to grab the camera, isn't that just too cute?!?! He was laying on his bed reading a book! The photo isn't very good, but I just had to post it ;)

I'm also learning to make things with the fruit that grows around there. We have plenty of lemons and cashews right now. Mango season is coming soon, so I'll be busy freezing and trying out new recipes with them.

Cashews are in full season here.. and to those who didn't know, yes... cashews are a fruit! (Some people think cashews are only nuts)..
Here's a cashew fruit not quite ripe yet..they are bright red when they're ripe and ready.
See the nut hanging?!?! That's where the cashew nuts come from.

We just throw the nut part out because it's highly acid and you have to have a proper system to remove the toxins and acid from the nut before it can be roasted and eaten. Some say the cashew is from the poison ivy family, thus explaining the allergic reaction it can cause.

Here's a ripe cashew fruit without the nut..

I learned to make a typical brazilian dessert named "Doce de Caju".
Here's the cashews boiling in sugar and water...

It's definitely not my favorite fruit, but the hubby likes it, so I make it for him :)

So this has been my life this week. It's really a lovely life :) I think I'm enjoying everything, except for the critters and frogs..ugh! There will still be some post about these yucky critters that live around us...I'm sure you can't wait ;)

Blessings,

Our new place and pictures..

We're finally settled in our new place, and it feels so good to have things somewhat organized and "normal' again. We're still adjusting, but we're thankful for a smooth move.
The house is small, but it's just fine for our small family. It's only a temporary place until our real house is finished.

Here's the prince's big boy room:

His big boy bed, he's transitioning from crib to this soon ;)

Mommy & Daddy's room.

My fridge and the awesome magnets I got from Sandra :) 

Little kitchen cabinet...

The kitchen..I still plan to get curtains hung up on the windows, but haven't gotten it done yet ;)

So, here's our little cozy place for now...I'm still working on the porch, organizing plants, porch chairs, and stuff to put away, so no pictures of our porch yet :)
So for my friends who have been asking for pictures, there you are!
This is where you'll find me from now on :)