Happy Birthday, Brazil!

"Hangin' out"

It has been 185 years since Dom Pedro the First cried out "Independence or Death!" (Independência ou Morte!). Brazil won it's freedom from Portugal in a battle on the shores of the Ipiranga River, present day São Paulo, and a new country was born on September 7, 1822.

Least you think Brazil holds to traditions of other cultures, guess again. There are no fireworks here for this particular celebration...one of the American girls visiting asked me, "Why?" Well, I guess there just weren't any bombs bursting in mid air. So there you have it.

The "Christ is Life" Church spent the weekend of the 7th at a retreat. Lots of relaxing, swimming, food, laughter, good preaching and singing.

The trailer with the chairs, stove, and "swimming pool" for the little people (AKA water box)

IBCV (Christ is Life Church) 7th of September Retreat

Look, Mom, I'm on TV!

The "Band" all ready for the program (some are even smiling despite the nerves!)

Tuesday morning I got a phone call shortly after arriving home from school. "Would the school be interested in having one of it's music groups on a live show on Saturday night? The show caters to education and we hear you are doing something really different in the area of music education in Mossoró. "

WOW!!! It is true. ALFA is the only school in town that offers anything like this. What is so commonplace in some cultures, is practically non-existent in the Brazilian school setting. What a fantastic opportunity for our kids to represent ALFA in a really unique way.

Super nervous before the show, the kids played great.

I made it through the trombone solo, Mom!!!

Just a few more measures....

Ken, the program's announcer - Clauder, and Milton - music teacher at ALFA

Ken, Milton and I answered questions from the announcer about the school and music education.

Hey, guys, it's over. Now we can really smile!

The Second Round

Here is one more video that was taken at the same event as the last post.

Debut

Camerata de Cordas 2007 - String Ensemble

Last night was a first (what, you mean another one?!?!)...I got to play the cello that before I had previously "posed" with. Our string ensemble was called on to play for a group of men and women who are the "secretaries of culture" in their communities. It was held at a local hotel/resort in town. You put a violin in my hand I can't stop shaking, but this time I was actually having FUN...maybe it is because I finally found something I can hide behind. :)

And for the first time EVER we can load up VIDEOS!!! I know that it isn't the same as being there, but almost!

It might take a wee bit for the video to load (especially if your connection is a little slower), but hang in there, I think you will enjoy it. :)

Presentation at Hotel Termas August 2007

Mother Boards and Baby Carrots Part III

The "flower" pot sitting next to "Mr. Stainless"

Time for a little closure.

Some of you were traumatized a couple of months ago by the gaudy decorating job that I did on my newly remodeled crockpot. There were some who were so overcome by emotion that they decided to do something about it. (They were really sneaky about it, too, may I add!!) As you can see, the "flower" pot has been outclassed by Mr. Stainless Steel.

Not only is Mr. Stainless extremely good looking, but he has a much larger capacity for feeding the extra people that are served at our table every Monday. (usually 6-10 people hang out at Monday lunch. Unless it is scalloped potatoes and ham...then a few more show up with sad puppy-dog eyes like they haven't eaten in weeks.) And then there are the "features"...a count-down timer, a "warm" setting, and it starts up automatically if I forget to tell it to "cook". Yes, I have been swept off my feet by an appliance...

Here is a recipe that I got just the other day. Read through the list of ingredients and just couldn't quite imagine what it would taste like. Decided to give it a go and found out it was fabulous. Thanks to Jill, my sister in Lincoln, NE, this has been added to my collection of "can't do without" crock pot recipies!

Sesame Pork Ribs or Sesame Chicken

Combine:
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. honey
2 T. cider or white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt (or less)

Coat with the sauce:
5 lbs country-style pork ribs or 2-3 lbs of chicken pieces (I used chicken)

Layer meat in crock-pot with:
1-2 med. onion cut into rings

1-2 green peppers cut into rings (optional)

Pour the remaining "coating" over the rest of the meat. Cover and cook low 5-6 hours. (I cooked on high for 4 1/2 hours)

Sprinkle on just before serving:

2 T. sesame seeds, toasted
2 T. chopped green onions

Serve with hot cooked rice.

Now, next time I do this, I am going to take out all the meat at the end and add just a bit of corn starch mixed in a little cold water to thicken the "gravy" so it doesn't run all over my plate when I pour it over the rice, cause that's the best part!

Better Than I Could Have Imagined!

Anabel thinks "climbing" is great (as long as there is a ladder close by!)

And now for a little story. Sometimes our plans go the way we want them to. Others not.

Once upon a time we bought 2 little trees. They were acacias that are known for their long "boquets" of fragrant yellow flowers. The little trees sat in sacks in the yard for sometime while we decided just exactly where we were going to plant them. Finally the day came, and Ken planted them just outside our yard, in the sidewalk, where he though everyone passing by could enjoy them.
The little trees grew, but also attracted the attention of little boys, who decided to carve their names on them or break of their branches. They just couldn't handle the abuse and died.

The girls were estremely impressed with Daddy's prowness in tree climbing as he trimmed some of the top branches.

But, that wasn't the end. All the time they were sitting in our yard waiting to be planted, one of them put down roots. What do you know...the root actually grew a shoot, which eventually grew into the tree that shades one side of our house. Not only that, but it grew in just the right spot. Ken had plans of putting on a wide porch on that side of the house. When the time came, the tree still had plenty of room to grow.

Alicia and Jessica (below) were wondering how on earth Ken (in the white box) was going to be able to get down!

Not all our plans turn out the way had thought they would. In fact, sometimes they crash and burn before our very eyes. His plans are far more fantastic than we could ever dream. Every detail is orquestrated and timed to perfection. He is always in control, always was, and always will be. I am often reminded of that when I look out the door and see all the shade, hear all the birds and even smell the stink bugs that seem to like that particular tree. What we originally thought was a "good idea" ended up in firewood, but He surprised us, by giving us something much better than we had imagined. He always does know what is best.

The Acacia in full bloom

Operation "Dinner-Out"

Cristina and Bel - Vacation July 2005

August 12th 2007 - Father's Day in Brazil - but it all started....

yesterday, when I went to get groceries at 10am. I needed to go downtown afterwards, so we hurried. Managed to make it home by 11, feed everyone sandwiches (so we wouldn't leave on an empty stomach) and then the girls and I went downtown hunting for Ken's secret Father's Day present, a denim shirt. He had bought one a long time ago, but something had eaten tiny little holes in it and they were no longer so tiny any more. He had been super bummed about it, so while ironing it the other day, I thought it would be fun to surprise him with a new one. What do you know...we found what we were looking for after scouring practically all the stores in Mossoró. Mission accomplished, we each had a soft icecream cone and headed home to hide our treasure till the next day.

In the meantime, Ken, who was back home, got a phone call at about 12:30pm. It was our school secretary/neighbor/church member. She was just wondering where we were. Ummmm... That is when Ken suddenly remembered that we had been invited over to her place for lunch! We had forgotten. How humiliating. It took me all afternoon to get up the nerve (and for the weather to cool off) to go over and beg forgiveness. She and her sister were so gracious that they invited us over after church to eat the dessert that they had made. I had been warned that it had been decorated kind of "different". When we got over to their place, the dessert was taken out of the fridge, bowls put on the table and spoons pulled out of the drawer. That was when I noticed what was on the dessert..."STUCKY" written in raisins. Now I was even more embarassed for forgetting their lunch invitation!

Later that evening, Ken and I were winding down while watching one of Ken's favorite videos, SPY GAMES. In the movie, Robert Redford works for the CIA with his protogé, Brad Pitt. Pitt falls for a British girl and Redford believes the operation was compromised because their relationship. Pitt goes AWOL and Redford heads back to headquarters to be debriefed and to his long-awaited retirement. He has one last mission, though, before he throws in his badge...rescue Pitt, who had gone looking for the girl and found her in a Chinese prison, where he was also captured. The rescue mission was called...what else...

"Operation Dinner-Out".

Fitting end to the day. I don't think I am ever going to live this one down!