new year, new post

We went to the Bosque on Christmas Eve Eve (the central park of Belem) and this rad structure was there, nice and safe huh!

Our friend, Joice, and a traditional Amazonian feast called Tucupi.

A day spent at the beach on the Amazon. No, this is not the ocean, its fresh, or "sweet" water.

Time for some sweat relief, with a reward!

YEAH!!!! I found tofu at the store. Comes in a huge bag that is full of water, simliar to the bag of water and air you would get with a goldfish in it. I made my favorite smoothies with it. Its not silken, but it works!

Banana Fudge Smoothie

1/2 c. tofu (silken)

1 1/4 c. milk

3 frozen bananas

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 T. honey

(and today I put a big ol' glob of natural peanut butter in there too...hmmm)

Put all in a blender and blend away till smooth.

A common chore, washing the fans down. They get a load of dirt/dust/ash in there within weeks.

Each Christmas, I make something for the boys. Usually, on the sewing machine, but this year, I stuck with paper and glue. These are little notebooks, decorated and covered with packing tape.



Yes, mid January and look..Christmas presents:) And the gift goes on! Notice the new necklace from my boys...I love it! And thanks for the tank Shi!

a new look

So, after all this with Finn, his seizures, test, results, doctors, now translation and finding a neurologist in the states...I needed something to occupy my mind, something I would have a little more control over.

My project: to transform our dining room into a place we want to be and eat.

The most difficult part: finding black spray paint; locating a few slabs of plywood to re-do some chairs I found in storage; communicating.

The easiest part: thinking and planning; waiting for the paint to dry (I did 3 coats in one afternoon, equatorial heat comes in handy now and then).

BEFORE (blah-ville)

AFTER (ahhhhh)

Notice George, Stew and Finn enjoying the aspects of the new room!

chicken n' more

Opening my frozen chicken to cook for family, I notice 2 little extra things come out of the packaging (you never know what you will get in Brazil!)

finn's training days

Finn has had a horrible rash on his bum; I am talking bright red, swollen, blisters...all over. Must be the tropical heat combined with the diapers and such. So, we have tried 8 different creams and ointments, have switched to the Brazilian day time washable diaper and have brought out the little Brazilian potty. Here was Finn's first response:

snippin' the sleeves

This dress was a steal at Target for like $4. It had long sleeves. Today, I wanted to wear it, but long sleeves in the tropics is pretty much a death wish (or a crazy-stare wish, which I get enough of already), so I cut and sewed cap sleeves. Turned out well. Did I mention this is a polyester dress??? Um...this will have to be an occasional wear.

Here is what I did with the sleeves...our neighbor girl enjoyed them!

i'm hanging for the first time

So we made it to Brazil, our new home (this pic is in Miami during our layover). Two days of travel, arriving with no luggage, and a humidity that will make the shortest of hair curl! Once our luggage did come, all 2 dozen pieces...I figured out a few things.

• I cannot read portuguese


• I have no idea what to feed my family with (beyond store bough coconut cookies and little bananas)


• I have never hung laundry before


• Kids help you get to the front of the line


• "220" on an outlet does not stand for a Phil Keaggy album


• Toaster glow and burst into blames when plugged into the 220 outlet


• Driving is an extreme sport

So, once I came to the conclusion that I need help with the basics of life, I asked the Lord for some serious grace, humility and patience.

I now know:

• Fire ants have short tempers...and enjoy their title


• Teenagers are the same everywhere (our house got TP'd the 3rd night here)


• Envelopes will seal themselves


• Just sweat and be happy


• Veggies and fruit are to be soaked in vinegar before eating


• Can't flush TP, the little trash can isn't just for ladies anymore


• Paper gets moist and wavy just sitting there


• Unplug everything when not using it


• The words for coconut and poop are the same, just with a slightly different tone...wonderful!


• This is where the Lord wants me right now!!!!

So this morning, after dropping George off at school (a 1/2 mile walk or so) I came home to make something and now feel like we will survive. Granola! I found (with LOTS of help) ground flax seed, whole oats, EVOOil, unsweet coconut, soy granuals, and honey!!! Yippeee...I can cook!!! On the menu tonite...GRANOLA!!!!

To see our family blog and its pictures, just click here

My 2 milk choices...

The variety of fruit...can you find the avacado?? Notice the outlet...uh...duck tape was put there by me, litte reminder!

days to go

Here I will be, in my suit, with my suitcase, ready to hop on a plane to Brazil, (with an additional dozen or more suitcases, bins, husband, kids, etc).

We got our visas end of March, and have been packing, sorting, tossing and storing our lives away. We leave Spokane on the 14th of April to head to Belem, Brazil. It'll take a few days to get there, but at 4:15am on the 16th, we'll arrive!

Thanks to the Lord, who is our constant rock.