Cactus Flower

"Wow, is this American?"     "Is this how it comes in the States?"   "I thought it came in a little can you put in the microwave."           "Where did this come from anyway?"   "How much does it cost in America?"   "We could live on this stuff after we go to the States to live!"   "May I have some more, please!" This past week our dear "big city" missionary friend sent us some much needed tea (we were out), 4 boxes of Walmart macaroni and cheese she found at the big city grocery store and a giant bottle of real Hershey's chocolate syrup she found on a recent trip.  Woo hoo!  Hog Heaven! The chocolate syrup deserved some ice cream to go along with it which we enjoyed one evening.  The mac & cheese went with pork chops and green beans for lunch one day.   The boys talked and talked about it.  Had it been that long since they'd had some good mac & cheese.  Apparently ...

The Joyful Mother recently posted this set of artful prints on her Flickr account.  I just loved each one and laughed and laughed.  The images are not Creative Commons, so click on the link to enjoy for yourself.  My fav was "Stop that! You can't build a fort in church!"   Things I've Said to My Children What's the craziest thing you've  ever said to your kids? Here are a few of mine:   No, you can't use the bathroom again!  (On William's first airplane ride in 1998, he loved to hear the big swoosh.) Get your brother out of that barrel right now! Get that dog off of the washing machine! Don't ride him anymore, he's not a horse. (Talking about Big John.) Don't make him pull you again, he's not a donkey. (Talking about Big John, he was strong!) Who hid my wooden spoon? Go find my wooden spoon, or else! (You know what wooden spoons are for, right?) Where's the rest of that worm? Do you know what this belt is...

Byron sent out a prayer letter a week or so ago.  You can find a copy on the Prayer Letter tab at the top of this page or by clicking on the link right here http://michele-atha.blogspot.com/p/prayer-letters.html

Uncle Bill K snapped this photo of the family back in February.  Aunt Vicki  passed it my way.  Uncle Tim and Uncle Gary made the conference thing happen for us.  Uncle Danny was even there from the States. So glad for the missionary family full of aunts and uncles for my boys.  Our trip to Triunfo and the conference of our missionary friends with BMMB was delightful and hence all the smiling faces.  I think the best part was our boys having opportunity to see all their missionary aunts and uncles and fellow MK's again after a few years' hiatus.  One missionary lady even told me about how one of my boys just out of nowhere come up to her and gave her a great hug once during the week. Calling missionary adults "aunt" and "uncle" is more than just a  term of respect for my boys in a land where the equilivants in Portuguese are well used to refer to adults.  It's a term of endearment and relationship.  I'll never forget one furlough w...

Life's been kinda wild these past two weeks.  I got to thinking about the little clues that I begin to pick up on around the house that tell me I better slow down, take inventory and do some reevaluating! There are no ice cubes in the ice bin. No one can find any clean socks or underwear in their drawers or hiding in the clothes basket. There is no butter in the refrigerator. The dogs ran out of dog food two days ago and I've been scrounging up things for them to eat. Weeds are attacking my zinnias. The dogs are looking pretty yucky and in need of a good bath. No body knows where Dalton's Bible has gone. Latin books, what is Latin anyway?  My Bible has dust on it (remember it doesn't that too long for dust to accumulate around here) Help Us!