My Place of Peace Giveaway!

Before I continue to write about Family Fun Day, I wanted to slip in a quick post about a really awesome giveaway over at My Place of Peace! Click HERE to check it out! What could be better than winning coffee and/or a magazine subscription?!

Slow Saturday Morning

We're having a slow Saturday morning here...kids are still in their peegees (as Miguel calls them-says it's easier than saying pjs, LOL!) and I don't think I've even brushed my hair. I had a wonderful chat with Big Sis Teresa and now I'm at my computer with my second cup of coffee.

Jkaile's contained for the moment...

happily playing with his I Spy cards.

They are thick cardboard and so he can't bend them.

Gracia and Jojo are playing SpongeBob Uno...I like the Uno part,

but we could do without the SpongeBob. :(

Micah spent the night with a friend;

we're not expecting him back until later.

At some point, however, I will have to get busy...

since Miguel is gone, I will get the privelege of teaching

all of these precious 4 to 6 year olds (including Gracia and Jojo)

tomorrow in Children's Church!

I pretty much have the lesson ready,

just have to pull it together.

Since I spend a LOT of time with little kids already,

teaching the kids at church is, how shall I put this,

maybe not as exciting for me as it is for Miguel? :)

But I have to admit that they are pretty cute...

Making Coffee

Last year, while on 'home assignment' a generous lady at our church gave me a Gevalia coffeemaker. It's really nice and I like the fact that's it's programmable (is that a word?). We have been enjoying it very much and even brought it with us to Mexico. And then, one morning last week...it wouldn't work. It had worked the day before, so we're not sure what happened! In doing some research, I found out that these are $100 coffeemakers, not really the amount of money we'd be willing to spend on a replacement. And for costing that much, you'd think it would have lasted a little longer!

In reviewing my options, I could do one of the following:

1. Quit drinking coffee...yeah, right!

2. Drink instant coffee...no, I don't think so...although I do like a good Venezuelan 'café con leche' with instant Nescafé once in a while (heat a mug of milk, add a tsp. of Nescafé and sugar to taste)

3. Get the coffeemaker fixed...hmmm, definitely a possibility considering that they fix anything and everything down here!

4. Get a new one (Gevalia is offering a free coffeemaker with the purchase of 2 half-pounds of coffee!)

5. Switch to using a different kind of coffeemaker, like a french press...I've been thinking about that for a while

OR, I could just keep doing what I'm doing now, which is pouring hot water through the filter and coffee grounds in the coffeemaker and putting it into a thermos to keep it hot....very similar to how I used to make the coffee...I remember when we first arrived in Venezuela, a coffeemaker was very high on my list of things to buy...I couldn't imagine how I could live without one! Miguel apparently had other priorities and the days went by and no coffeemaker. Another missionary lady helped me out, however, by giving me what reminded me of a small fishnet, only the net part was a white cloth. I wasn't what to do with it, but then my sister showed me that it was a "coffeemaker" in itself and how most Venezuelans make coffee...heating water and pouring it through the net with the coffee grounds in it. I found out later that they even have coffee 'stations' complete with a ring for the net, hooks for the mugs, sugar bowl, and coffee pitcher. At first, I thought it to be rather "primitive" and inconvenient, but gradually I found myself getting used to it and then even preferring the taste of coffee made that way!

Nearly three years later, I was still making the coffee with the net every morning, well I'm sure I'd had to buy a new one by then-and they were definitely cheaper than an electric coffeemaker! It just goes to show that some things I think are so important may not be! And that there are many different ways of making coffee...I found out later about french-press coffee brewers, expresso makers, and other interesting ways of making coffee found all around the world. Which is why I didn't freak when this coffeemaker quit working on me...perhaps I've learned my lesson? As related to coffee, anyway!

I would be interested in hearing how you make your coffee!

moving....again?!

I just realized a few days ago that our family has not lived in the same house longer than three months for about 2 years now!!!! It appears to be our lot in life to move often these days...although I'm trusting that God is working in and through us, I do confess that I find it difficult to know what He's up to with all this moving!

We didn't really HAVE to move this time, we are choosing to move because we've been offered a house rent-free...and that's hard to beat! While we've really enjoyed the house where we've been living, paying the rent every month has put a strain on our budget. God was faithful and provided, as He always does, but it seems like He was also nudging us to take the offer of the rent-free house now. The ironic thing is that we won't be in THAT house too long either since we will be able to move back in our church's missionary housing sometime this summer...and after that, it's off for regions yet unknown!!! So we have more moves to look forward to...sometimes I ask God if I can please just stay in ONE mansion for eternity, or at least half of eternity...please?!

Seriously, though, I am very thankful that this particular move has been relatively stress-free as compared to some of the other moves we've had. I'm learning a lot about how to pace myself and not push things when I begin to feel tired or down in my back. I am also learning that it is NOT worth it to try to continue to pack while the kids are fussy...then I get fussy and nobody is happy and someone is bound to get hurt. My sister Liz came down from Springfield and took Micah and Gracia over to Grammy's house for a couple of days, and that was a huge help in reducing the number of wee ones around here. Jojo has been pretty happy to have Mom and Dad more to himself and not have big brother bossing him around so much. :) LOL He and Jkaile have been playing very well together and they've been entertaining each other.


Miguel is working again today and will most likely do the final cleaning tomorrow. I am going to meet Mom and Micah and Gracia over at the new house sometime this morning and she wants to help me set up the kitchen a bit. We might sleep over there tonight if we can kind of get things organized a little, if not, then we'll be fine over here. I don't think that I can do too much over here this morning before I go, however, I'm tired and feeling quite unmotivated...maybe a couple more cups of coffee will do the trick!