I've Always Wanted to do This......

Take a picture of myself in the mirror. But to do that, I had to have a cool camera.







So, guess what that means?





Yep...I got a COOL camera!







I've not done much with it other than take these few pictures on the auto setting.





I have much to learn before I can do some pretty fantastic stuff.



Maybe I can find a class to take?
What do you think?

Shoot Me! 1/52

I love this idea!

For moms to stop hiding behind the camera.

This is what Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans has to say about her mimi,

"Shoot Me! It's time to stop hiding behind that camera of yours. Your family is missing you in the picture. So it's time to post a picture of YOU (yes, you) every Thursday with your child, your spouse, your friend, your dog, or even by yourself. Just get in the picture, you'll be glad you did! And just jump in now with 1 of 52, you can do it!"

So today I'll begin to share my camera with others. (I've always had a problem sharing.) To allow myself to be photographed doing my normal daily things with my family. One picture (at least) each week, must include Mom.

No excuses.

No make-up? No problem.
Got a bloated stomach? No problem.
My arms look fat and jiggly? No problem.

Absolutely no excuses. So please humor me and act interested.

I have so few pictures of me with my first few daughters when they were young. I was always the one taking the pictures. Now my first few are old enough to share my camera (in a VERY closely monitored situation.) Doesn't mean they're good photographers, but hey, a blurry picture covers a multitude of sin. ;)

So here we go.....

Last night after watering the flowers and grass.....


I took all the kids on a walk through our village. Through vineyards....

(Maybe my kids will learn to be better photographers by the time this year is up!)

..and through the back streets.


We walked so far, Justice ended up with blisters. He got a free ride home. ;)

Make a Girl Smile, Will Ya?!

Okay..look...I'll admit it.


I love birthday's!!

Especially when it's my own!




I've been singing 'happy birthday to me' all week long. The neighborhood kids playing in my home always tell me it's bad luck to wish someone happy birthday before their birthday, especially ones own self.

But that didn't stop me....I kept on singing. (and they kept on rolling their eyes)


So there you have it...Today is my birthday and I'm thrilled about it! No shame involved.

My one birthday wish, beside not having to cook supper tonight, is this......

To see how many different states, countries, continents I can get happy birthday wishes from.

Easy peasy, não é?

So leave me a quick comment telling me happy birthday and your location.

I'll love you for it.

"Happy Birthday to me...happy birthday to me....."

Photo Essay - July

From the looks of Bloggy Land, everyone is pretty busy these days. I'm not the only one who's posting randomly these last few months.

I don't have much to say really except that we are enjoying summer to the fullest. Just around the corner lurks the dark, cold and rainy Portuguese winter days, so I plan to live life to the fullest right now while I can.

I thought I'd share a few photos showing some events that took place during July.



The first news I'll share with you is by far, the most important. My second daughter Faith accepted the Lord as her Savior while at summer camp last week! We are thrilled that the Lord answered our prayers and that she is now a part of the family of God!

Michael and our three oldest kids went to camp last week. They had a wonderful time, and returned with arm loads of toys, pool floats and dirty clothes! I stayed home with these two boogers:



We had a nice time just relaxing and enjoying one another. I actually became bored at one point. Only having two kids to care for left me lots of time to wish for the return of the rest of my family.

My "babies" played so well together....Trinity took care of Justice as if he were her son...which only left me with even more time on my hands.



We laughed and we played....





In the middle of July we hosted a "think tank' meeting with others that serve in various areas of the church in Braga. It lasted all day, and of course included lunch.





We went camping one night.....ahem....that's all I'll say on that subject.



We received a surprise package in the mail from a precious family in Mississippi! These are ALWAYS a highlight of being on the mission field!




And so that brings us to August. Michael's mom and step dad will be visiting us later this month, so we are in preparations for their arrival. The month of August is traditionally the month of vacations. A lot of businesses close for the month or at least for several weeks. Vacationers from all over Europe come for the beaches and warmer weather. The roads and grocery stores around me are packed with folks speaking all different languages. Church attendance is down considerably as folks are traveling visiting family. Everything slows way down this time of year. So we'll try to enjoy it as school will begin the middle of September and our busy lives will resume their normal hectic paces.

So, until next time...happy summer ya'll!

Grocery Price Update

I was just scanning through some of my older posts when I came across this.

Shortly after arriving in Portugal I compiled this list of random costs. Looking back over it, I'm shocked at my ignorance! It's taken some time, but I've been able to find things I thought didn't exist and I've learned where to shop for the best deals. Original post in red. Update in black.


In American Dollars:

Plastic clothes hangers: $3.00 for 3 - I have more than I need now! Some kind folks mailed us some, and I brought some when we came. But the problem is that there aren't closets built in the houses here. So we fold most of our clothes.

Sour Cream: It doesn't exist...ughhh - It does exist, I just had to experiment with several packages of what looked like sour cream to find it. And get this, it's called "fresh cheese"!

Worcestershire sauce: $4.50 for small bottle - I've found an off brand for $1.50.

Kiwi: $2.25 for 2.2 lbs - This is still pretty accurate, maybe about $2.00 for 2.2 lbs. (The exchange rate is better right now.)

Furniture: don't even ask! - I can't get over how much some things cost, but we've discovered IKEA! When we need furniture in the future, we'll go there.

Oranges: Free in yard! - And boy are they good!

Tangerines: Free in yard! - Nummy, nummy!

Lemons: Free in yard! - Fresh squeezed lemonade, anytime! - And don't forget the pears, plumbs, cherries, figs, peaches and apples that are in the yard at various times throughout the year!

5 Liter Bottle Water: .60 cents - Now it's about 50 cents. But an individual bottle of water 'off brand' is 12 cents a bottle. You buy them individually here.

3 bags microwave popcorn: $6.00 - Wow....I hope I didn't buy any at this price! I can find them now for about $1.50.

Peanut butter: doesn't exist - A grocery store near me has started carrying Jiffy. It's almost $5.00 for a very small jar. I don't buy it. We have a precious church in Kimberly, AL that sends us peanut butter when we need it.

Kool-aid: doesn't exist - But we have plenty thanks to you good folks!

Cheap high chair..not so cheap: $55.00 - We're done with baby items!! My babies aren't so "baby' anymore.

Size 10 ladies shoe: doesn't exist - Hey..I lost a little weight and I can fit in the largest size here now! One of the many benefits to loosing weight.

Cheapest small bottle of hair conditioner: $4.50 - Again, I've found it cheaper and I usually always buy the off brand. It's about $2,00.

Smallest bottle of baby powder: $4.00 - Aren't off brands great! I get it now for about 1$.

Ranch dressing: doesn't exist - But we stay stocked cause of you!!

Awesome cup of coffee: .60 cents - Coffee prices are the same.

Fresh baked rolls.. the chewy kind: .15 cents ea. - I try to stay away from these, although a good roll is wonderful from time to time. Same price.

Weed eater: $375.00-guess we'll pull by hand - A little cheaper today....we finally broke down and bought one this summer. We were getting eat up with weeds.

Carrots: .50 cents for 2.2 lbs. - Lots of carrots get eaten around here....same price today.

Tea bags: $6.50 for average size box - Found the off brand and it's $1.50 for 20 teabags (individual cup size)



You know, the problem is not that everything is expensive, cause it's really not once you figure out how to shop. The problem that we have is that the packaging is so small I have to buy several of everything for my family. That's how it adds up. It's only getting worse too, cause they are getting bigger and eating much more....oh my, what will I do when they are all teens?! My only consolation is that I have 4 girls and they tend to eat less. But that wasn't the case when I was a teen...was it Mom?!

Summer Rolls On

After months of endless rain, cold winds and damp houses, the rainy season has finally ended.





And it's very difficult for me to stay indoors. Right now, the sun is shining so bright and beautiful in the kitchen window that I can't concentrate on what I'm supposed to be writing for the longing to hurry, get dressed and go outside!



And since my laptop doesn't have a battery, I'm not doing much blogging from the yard.


(making soup)



Last weekend we had a baptism at the river. Here are a few pictures.


Newly ordained Pastor Maicon, here from Brazil helping the Baptist churches in our area, performing his first baptism.


Singing on the river bank.


Me and my love.


My babies.


My kids trying to walk across the river without getting wet. Or at least that's what they said they were trying to do.


This is what ended up happening.....


Trinity - "Mom I made it across!! I'm the only one!"
Mom - "Just get in...everyone else is wet!"


"ok!"



It was a good day filled with lots of laughter, fellowship and great food.


This is what they looked like on the ride home.


I know I've been scarce lately, but please be patient with me. I need all the Vitamin D I can get.

Hope summer is going well for you,

Heat Waves, History and Homeschool

The Portuguese Summer Heat has set in. Projected temperatures are frightening when considering we have a few fans and nothing more to keep us cool. Even the little kiddy pool out back with it's mysteriously developed hole offers no hope of reprieve from the heat. One of the advantages to such heat is that when I hang out a load of wash, by the time I'm done with the last article of clothing, the first one I hung out is nearly dry! Which means I can get lots of clothes done in record time. I just sweat like a dog while doing it!




4th of July was fairly uneventful here. We didn't even see a firework, or smell the delicious aroma of grilled hamburgers and BBQ. But we did enjoy watermelon....



..and we tossed around the football.



This morning, in between going out to hang out laundry and blogging, I'm being a very mean mother. Summer school is in full force.



When we discuss what we do in the summer with our friends here, I am always met with frowns and disbelief. Other parents cannot believe I 'make' my kids do school work in the summer! After all, 'children are not machines', we've been told.

However, much to my shame and embarrassment, my 11 year old could not accurately tell how many stars were on the American flag when asked by a Portuguese man at church on Sunday. This man knew the correct answer and she did not. He also knew what the 13 stripes represented...and again...she did not.

Now, to her credit, she can correctly conjugate just about any Portuguese verb thrown at her and she fills me in on the history behind each of the 2,000 Portuguese holidays when I wonder why the stores are closed again for the third time in a week. This was one of the concerns when we prayed about whether to allow them to attend a Portuguese school, or continue to homeschool. The decision was made to go to school and to supplement during the summer with American history, English and any other necessary American teachings that they lacked. They actually enjoy it....other parents don't believe me though.

We've been told by another American missionary family who raised their children here and sent them to the schools that one day one of their children (teenager) came to them and asked, "Dad... now is Denver a city or a state?"

Don't laugh...hearing something like this hurts a parents heart. It's one of the struggles families raising children in a foreign country experience. This family shared this story with us as a way to encourage us. They told us to not be surprised when something like this happens cause it will happen. Well...I had my day on Sunday when Brooklyn could not tell or even guess how many stars were on the American flag....on our day of Independence no less......

So...with this all said...we keep on....We teach when we see opportunities. We encourage when they get frustrated. We smile and laugh when we don't know what else to do.......

So goes the Life of a Missionary Wife.

One Solution = Another Problem

An email I received this morning from some women's health magazine was titled "7 foods that make you gassy." After a brief chuckle my finger went to hit the delete button but instead I opened the email. Call it an accident, call it what you will.....but what I realized upon further inspection is this:

There is a reason my stomach has been bloated for the last 18 months!

I eat everything on that list!

Seriously!

All 7 foods! And the funny thing is (well it's not really funny for those that live with me) is that I eat most all 7 items everyday!

Does that not sound like my sort of luck, or what?!



Here are the seven foods: (cause I know you're wondering)

1. Vegetables (I'm practically a vegetarian)
2. Fruits, especially apples, peaches and pears. (Fruit has become, except in rare occasions, my dessert...and I have a huge sweet tooth, so you can imagine how much fruit I eat.)
3. Starchy foods (I'm a carb addict..whole grains of course, which makes it worse)
4. Milk and Dairy Products (I drink milk in my coffee, have milk in my starchy, fiber ridden cereal and eat cheese all the time...the low fat version, but by now, who cares?)
5. Oats (This is ridiculous...I eat whole grain oats every morning)
6. Beans (we all know how the song goes....bean, beans, the magical fruit.....)
7. Sodas (I love a good diet coke from time to time)

So in my attempt to eat healthier, this is what I get.



Way too much information, huh?

Traditional Ending...or is it a Beginning?

Last week, due to a scheduling conflict, I alone took my youngest daughter Trinity and Justice to her 'end of the school year' festa.

And what an opportunity it was!

It was hosted by the "mother" school in our district and was THE event to attend this Saturday evening. Classes from each represented school had an opportunity to put on a "show" of their choice. Some of the other kindergarten classes dressed up in precious flower, bumble-bee or cloud costumes and pranced around the stage with bent petals and falling off stingers. They were cute, don't get me wrong, but the real treat came last. (I think they knew, and saved the best for last!)

For weeks Trinity would come home from school and complain about the practice they had to do in preparation for the party at the end of the year. She fussed about how long she had to stand there, and how her arms were so tired they were going to 'fall off' from waving her flag so much.

I had no idea what this party was all about, I just knew that there were seamstresses involved, many 'fittings' and there was going to be a hefty price tag attached to the 'beautiful green dress' she was getting to wear. The seamstress came to the school on several occasions, would pass me in the hall and tell me how beautiful Trinity was going to be. Everything seemed to be quite secretive actually.

Well, the night finally arrived. The party, as does everything else in this country, began at 9:00. (PM!!!!) We arrived with her hair in a ballerina ball as I was told and as usual, we waited on everyone else to show up.

Finally the time came when we were allowed to move into the dressing area and we finished off the costumes with bows, sashes, and flowers.

Right before the children took their places on stage in front of a crowd of about 1500 people, Trinity was handed a Portuguese flag.

The night was cool and there was a strong breeze coming in from the Atlantic. She took her place on stage, wrapped the flag around herself and then looked out at the crowd......



I just knew she was about to cry and take off running. But instead....the music began and the little girl up front began to lip sync a song in traditional Fado music....



....and then Trinity came alive!



She was so sweet....and I cried during the whole thing.

The music, although I understood very little, was beautiful. Many were singing along and crying as well as they understood the meaning behind the song. I wish I knew the name so I could better understand and translate some of the lyrics for you.

The gist was this.......This is Portugal. We are Portuguese. We are proud.

But not in a yelling, in-your-face type song....but a heart felt, longing.....traditional Fado music. (here is a link for a sample of this type of music)

And Trinity's little blond head was on that stage waving that flag the entire time. That was her sole purpose.... to wave the Portuguese flag for all to see.



Now...last week I cried while standing in the butcher's (I know..I'm weepy lately) when on the TV came the American National Anthem as the USA was about to play in the World Cup. Before I knew who was playing, I had no interest in anything except for the man in front of me to hurry up. But after I heard 'my anthem' played....well, I was glued to the screen and saw people dressed in costumes like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington...I couldn't help but to feel proud.



But on this Saturday night, I was experiencing the same type of feeling. It wasn't 'my anthem' playing, but it was the realization that I have fallen in love with this beautiful country. With it's people, with it's traditions, with it's rich history. My children will be more Portuguese than they are American. I'm okay with this. They're almost to that point already....I mean what American kid doesn't know what Reese's Pieces are?!



So here I am today...spilling my guts in a way too long blog post about my lovely 'adopted' country....and my precious blond headed 'Portuguese' daughter.

Portugal has it's problems, but so does America...and I still love her.

"Thank you Lord for putting us here. Please bless our efforts and open hearts so that we can share of your amazing love."