Cactus Flower

  BIG PRAYER REQUEST: Lots of rain in our area, which is unusual for our semi-arid area.  Last night a big storm with lots of rain and wind hit the island and tore the roofs off several cabins, knocked down trees and electric posts, and did quite a bit of damage to the kitchen.   Byron went out on the island today to do some pre-retreat preparation work, only to confront all the mess.  Looks like our week before a very full Carnaval Retreat that begins on Saturday, March 5th, just got fuller! Classes at the English extension school start on Monday at the church.  Purchases for the retreat will have to be made this next week, not to mention packing, homeschool, and eating!  Pray for us this week as we do our best to get the job done and do it will a smile! p.s.  I went today with little Deb's mother to the hospital in the big city.  She is very sick with some sort of infection. Those of you who know Francisca from our congregation, pleas...

My sweet baby boy hits the big 1-1 today!  Eleven years old!  Wow!  Can it possibly be?  As I look back over the years, it's so hard to believe how time has jumped forward from the day I found out I was pregnant, again!  And ran home to get Mom and run back to town to buy things for a baby to put in the container that we were packing the very next day!  So thankful for that high chair and other things we bought that day! I remember the day we left the hospital in Fortaleza with our little fellow with no name.  Yes, we left the hospital and had not named him yet.  We had plenty of time since babies did not have to registered right away.  We went to pick up William and Dalton at the Nunleys' house near the legislative building.  I cannot remember exactly which day we chose the name, Greyson Samuel Atha, but we did shortly and took him to be registered near the Parangaba bus termianl, and that's what counts today.  He was a good ...

Fortaleza, 2002 Sobradinho, 2007 Missionary Mom   Can't wait 'till they get called! Can't stand to let them go! Can't stop talking about them! Can't stop worrying about them! Can't wait 'till they get home! (copied) Happy Birthday, Mom!  Happy Birthday from far, far away!  Thank you for sending me off to the mission field.  Thank you for encouraging me to do God's Will.  Thank you for supporting my decisions inspite of the separation and the grief.  Thank you for coming and knowing where I am and what I am doing each and every day.  Thank you for all the prayers and time spent on bended knee for our family and our ministry.   I love you! Happy Birthday, Mom!  

Leftovers for lunch today!  All homemade!  I had been posting this on my homeschool journal site - The Atha School for Boys.  It really doesn't fit there as I am trying to keep that site for all things "edgy-kay-shun-nal."  So my "What's for Lunch?" posts have hearby migrated to my blogspot! Here's what's on the menu for today: BBQ beans with hot dogs BBQ beef sandwiches Cole Slaw Pickles (yes, I made these, too.) Whatever else I can find in the refrigerator One piece of chocolate cake each for dessert (I didn't make this.It came from a neighbor.)

When our stone was made at Fortaleza Academy's new school site, Greyson was just an itty bitty baby.  He had fallen asleep while they were getting the cement ready.  I can remember not being very happy to wake my sleeping baby.  But wise Byron said, One day you'll be happy you did. Thinking tonight of an MK that passed away today that was a student of Byron and myself on the old Aldeota campus during our first years in Fortaleza.  Yes, I'm glad Greyson's little hand is on that stepping stone.  Good night!

 Made some peanut butter gingerbread cookies yesterday afternoon for a friend who is a kindergarten teacher to give out to her to her students today on their first day of school.  These four were extras.  I got a little silly with the icing, but the boys ate them up inspite of their crazy appearance. " Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap."  Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

" Smaosh-ded ,"  that's what happened long, long ago to some lizard eggs at the hand of one of my boys.  Last night Byron recounted the story for some visiting guests.  Here's how it was told... Once while remodeling the parsonage for the church in Joao XXIII in Fortaleza, Byron took toddler Dalton and little William along for the morning.  As the men were clearing out rubbage from the back yard and working on the house, some strange eggs were discovered.  Byron set one aside on the sidewalk or front steps of the house and said they would take it home and see if it would hatch to find out what sort of egg it was.  He left do other things. William and Dalton,1998 When it was time to go home, Byron called the two boys and stopped to get the egg.  It had been cracked open and a small baby lizard was still inside.  When Byron picked it up, the little thing jump out and ran off.  He asked the boys if either one knew how it had been broken....

Wither:   verb To make or become no longer fresh or shapely because of loss of moisture: dry up, mummify, sear, shrivel, wizen. See dry. To waste away from longing or grief: languish, pine (away). See health. To render helpless, as by emotion: benumb, numb, paralyze, petrify, stun, stupefy. See affect.   http://education.yahoo.com/reference/thesaurus/entry/wither The following was originally written in the month of November of 2007.  It is consistent true in the dry, hot, semi-arid of Northeastern Brazil where we live.  The big city nearest to us states on their website that they get only 16 inches of rain per year! Every time we come home from a retreat, the grass in the front yard is dry and withered. It doesn’t rain in Sobradinho. When we’re at home, I water the grass with the run-off from my washing machine and what doesn’t get enough from that, I top up in the evening with a little sprinkler we have. I enjoy raking the leaves and keeping th...

This morning I got up early to take care of some net things while the house was still and quiet.  What to my surprise to find the top on my side bar with a photo that I did not put there!  My first reaction was "Someone has hacked into my blogger account!"  Then I saw that the little yellow advertisement was from a newly opened local DVD store.  Local!  Located right here in my little town.  I was totally mad.  Either it was an attack on my blogger account or someone more feign and horrid like the local net provider knowing all my frequently used passwords! First thing I did was go to my major web places and change my passwords.  Then I thought, big deal!  If they are seeing everything I do, they know I just changed them and they know the new one I just put in!  Ohhh!  Now I was mad for sure!  I made sure I was definitely logged out of all my favorite websites and the next thing I did was to figure out if there was a...