Having a Ball!

Today was another first for ALPHA. We were represented in the city wide sports competition by 12 of our 6th - 8th graders in the boy's hard-court soccer competion. Ken picked us up as soon as school got out so we could make it to the big gymnasium downtown where the boys had already started their game. Even though some of them don't look terribly happy, they were thrilled by winning their first game 3-1!

Mother Boards and Baby Carrots - Part I

Sunday afternoons I try to get something started for Monday lunch. The crock pot is a life saver for such moments. BUT my crock-pot is out of commission for a little while, so I have been working up alternative methods for cooking the meal good and slow (either while we are at church or on Monday morning while I am at school). One of Ken's favorite vegetables is carrots cooked along side the roast. As I was peeling my giant sized carrots for Monday's lunch I was dreaming of those cute little guys that come in a bag already peeled and ready to go. My brother-in-law, Ron, is in the States right now and I am guessing that he and the boys probably eat a bag a day.

So, I still didn't have the "slow cook method" problem solved. Brazilian ovens are not reliable to cook at a low temperature. My last oven wouldn't go below 350 unless I propped the door open a ways. The one I have now will keep 'er on down there around 250 more or less, but don't count on it for too long. Instead I got out the 18 quart roaster oven, put my roast in a very small roaster pan and set it inside the roaster oven. There is a thermostat that will keep that puppy down there close to 150 if I want. What a deal! Lunch turned out great.

I think I am rambling.

My sister started a blog. She is very creative and dripping with talent. She is also very trusting. So trusting, in fact, that she shared with all her readers that she is on a diet and allowed everyone to know her weight. I was blown away, partially, by the fact that she actually had the courage to published her own weight, but also that I weigh exactly the same! That means two things. One, she is a very brave woman. Two, it implies that I also need to go on a diet. Don't get too excited about knowing how much I weight; I am NOT going to give away my best kept secret OR give you the address to her blog.

She wrote me again today to tell me that she went grocery shopping and on the way home ate (of all things) a diet ice cream bar. Somehow I don't think that is quite fair.

Rambling again.

Two weeks ago I came home to a computer gone in a coma. Yes, this is the second time in less than 6 months. This time they tell me it is the mother board. Why on earth they call it a "mother" board, I don't know. I think it should be called the "kiss-your-computer-goodbye-if-I-die" board, or how about "don't-think-about-doing-anything-for-a-month-cause-I-take-that-long-to-replace" board. Better yet, "you-can't-live-without-me-cause-everything-you-need-is-on-the-hard-drive-on-your-computer-in-the-shop-downtown" board. It's been a long two weeks.

So finally, I get on a computer to get a new post up on the blog. I know. It's been a while. Just as long as my computer has been waiting for it's heart transplant.

I Can Smell it Already!

Some adventuresome readers have requested the recipe for FEIJOADA (pronounced FAY-JOE-AH-DUH). Normally, the cook just dumps the stuff in the pot and lets it boil for a good long time, but I will give it my best shot and try to give you some reasonable measurements and cooking times.

No, you don't have to cook over a wood or charcoal fire like we did. I just thought it was a cool picture of the pot over the coals - I use the stove at home. :)

Brazilian Feijoada

Sort and wash and soak overnight:
1 pound of black beans (some would call these "black-eyed peas")
1-2 tsp. salt

In the morning drain the water and put the beans in the pot you intend to cook them in.
Add:
Water - enough so that your beans are covered by about 2 inches
1-2 tsp. salt
6-8 bay leaves (the secret for success!)
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped or squeezed
1 onion chopped fine
1 soup bone with a bit of meat on it (totally optional - most people here use salted pig's ear, pig's feet, etc.)

Boil over low heat making sure the beans are totally covered with liquid at all times. This could take more than an hour, so keep checking them. The water will boil down and you may need to add a bit to it, but by the time the beans are getting soft, you will want a nice juicy broth (will thicken a bit on it's own) just covering the beans.

When beans are getting soft, almost to the point that you want to eat them, add:
1/2- 1 pound of spicy sausage (like bratwurst or polish sausage) cut into chunks

Cook for another 20 minutes and serve over hot rice with a chunk of cooked squash on the side. MMMMM!

May 1st

Some really awesome "feijoada"

The Christ is Life Church has had a tradition of taking a trip somewhere on May 1st for quite some time. Since it is a holiday here, everyone can get away from work and stuff and just enjoy a day relaxing together as a church family.

This year we went to a beach house about an hour away. Got to swim in the rain, watch some fishermen haul their catch up on shore, and eat some really good feijoada (Brazilian black beans).

Here are some highlights of our trip. Enjoy!

Watching the net get hauled in...

The catch!

Those are some long, skinny fish (and one cute little girl)!

After taking a closer look, I decided not to pick one of these guys up!

I think the fish are getting smaller....

Cool, Bosco!

And, of course, you can't have a trip without the group picture. Happy May 1st!

Got it up in there

The "perspective" picture to give an idea how tall this thing is. That front section is approximately 27 feet high. The guys are adding a 2nd floor to the existing building. The two doors are the bathrooms. How about that really blue sky?!?!? No touch up here!

The last 5 weeks or so, the guys have been doing quite a bit of work at the church. Another floor was added to the existing building that houses the store room and 2 bathrooms. They added (on top of all of that) the spot where the water tank would sit.

On Monday the 7,500 liter water tank was delivered to the property. Goody, goody!!! This was just too exciting. The guys assembled the scaffold and went at their first attempt to pull the thing up there, but once it got up, they couldn't lift it up over the wall into the compartment that it was to be placed. Where DO you hang on to a round water tank?


THE fiberglass water tank stands over 7 feet tall. Will meet the needs to keep construction going, bathrooms, and keep the grounds green (grass and trees).

Tuesday they set up more scaffold (3 hours) and this time, because Ken had thought this all out in his sleep, had it all figured out how they were going to get it up there and down in (one hour).

Scaffold assembled to a full 35 feet high up. Great view from up there! My hat off to these guys...you wouldn't catch me dead up there!

Hey, maybe we will have running water in the bathroom on Sunday, and then again, maybe not. The plumber is swamped (no pun intended!) with church documents, Brazilian income taxes, a school, and the crock pot that quit working. I don't think that one more week of flushing the toilet with a bucket will mess anyone up.

Teacher Training

A view from inside the beach house on the bluffs...the location of our retreat.

I remember fondly of the days when we kids would get a "day off" a semester from school because the teachers were having "in-service" or "teacher's training". We couldn't care less what they called it, just so long as they didn't give us any homework and we didn't have to do theirs, too!

It is quite another experience now that I am on the other side of the fence. Not only am I one of the teachers, but Ken and I are also part of the administration...the group that gets to organize and execute this "mysterious" event. Here is just a sample of what our retreat was like.

Just for the record, we did work. There were 27 who attended. 16 went the day before and spent the night. A bunch went home after that first full day and 17 stayed the second night to go home after another morning session to be home in time for lunch.

Of course, after we worked, we played. Milton is losing at Rummicube (did I spell that wrong?) Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

Relaxing at the restaurant on the beach before our fish supper (the one meal we ate "out")

A bunch of us hiked up a very large dune and then tumbled down where it came out onto the beach.

Only 17 of the group (Ken is taking the picture) that participated in the retreat. Forgot to the get the "big group" foto the day before. Bummer!

Easter Sunday 2007

Dalva, our resident artist, painted the shirts for the girls who had the major speaking parts in the children's musical presented Easter Sunday night.

Easter weekend was packed...

Children's musical practice on Friday afternoon

Saturday 6am work on getting things in shape for Sunday's services

Saturday music practice and leadership meeting in the evening

Sunday: Roll out cinnamon rolls at 4:30 am

Easter Sunday Sunrise service/breakfast and Communion at 6 am

Oh, no...RAIN!!! 2 pm

Sunday school at 5 pm (no rain!!)

Set up lights, sound and scenery

Practice musical at 6:15 pm (still no rain!!)

Evening Service at 7 pm (once again, no rain...yeah!!)

Alicia is ready to help even at 6am

Building classrooms on top of our storage building. Cement pad (foreground)where the evening service was held. Any questions why rain is a big issue?!?!?

Easter Sunrise service and breakfast...everyone contributed something

The kids' musical, Vida Com Cristo (Life with Jesus), was presented by some of our Sunday School kids. Pictured is the kids choir.

Jessica, Alicia, Hyeza, Suyanne and Myrla...the five girls who memorized the lion's share of the musical. It was fun working with such a motivated group of kids.