What should I do???

Another moment of rest…Edson is asleep. The house is clean. The clothes are folded. The food is cooked. Now what should I do???
1. I could catch up on my blogging. 2. I could catch up on my…Through the Bible in a Year reading program. 3. I could cook for company next week. 4. I could try to beat Ellen in the Travelers IQ game she got me into on Facebook. 5. I could go swimming…we just changed the water. 6. I could write a letter. 7. I could pray. 8. I could drink Tereré. 9. I could sleep a siesta myself. 10. I could enjoy the beautiful outdoors…it’s not hot or humid today.
I rarely have a moment when I can CHOOSE what I want to do. I think I will prioritize this list right now. Sorry, blogging is not the No. 1 priority…See you later!

Things that remind me of Brandon…

Brandon loves hot peppers. I was making a vinegar, hot pepper, garlic, and oregano salsa. Brandon loves to pour it on EVERYTHING! I think he is even more into this than my Grandma Schley was and my brother is. As I was making it today…I thought of Brandon.
Edson needed a playmate. Brandon loves Edson and Edson loves Brandon. When I am the busiest, Brandon is always there to make his little brother laugh.
Brandon admires his older cousins. We went to their house last night for Oscar’s sister’s birthday and Brandon wasn’t there. Some one very important was missing.
Brandon is pretty active in our Praise and Worship group. He wasn’t there this weekend. I miss him.
I fold clothes each evening and there are only four piles…Oscar, Karen, Gaby and Edson…I miss folding Brandon’s clothes.
Brandon has been gone for a week and a half! We miss him! Gaby has been bored out of his brains…there is no one to fight, argue, or play with. This is Brandon’s first experience…alone...away from Mom and Dad and our X-Ray eyes.
Brandon is half way across the country…not too far since Paraguay is a small country…but it seems so far! He spent the past week in CEC – Centro de Entrenamiento Cristiano. He went through a week of mission training and then they go out to work in different areas of the country. He went with Cristian Pintos, a friend from church. We have been communicating through Cristian’s cell phone. This week they went to Canindeju- North East Paraguay, in an indigenous colony. He says he’s been learning a lot and has many good experiences. His leader, Cesar, a good friend of ours, called the other day and said the kids were doing fine. It’ll be interesting to hear about his experiences in the “Indian” colony.
Some of the kids went to other parts of Paraguay, some in other parts of South America and some went to Africa. It’s a neat program for mission training. I’m glad he went, but we miss his fun personality. It’s just not the same at home without him. In the end, almost everything reminds me of Brandon.

Back to School...an update

We’re back to school…preparations, meetings, and workshops. Yesterday we had the teachers’ presentation and a special church service for our first day back after summer vacation. The teachers received their packs of markers, card board, poster boards, etc. Most of the letters for bulletin boards and pictures are done (painted) by hand. The teachers often spend hours cutting out their borders by hand. But, by February 6th the classrooms will look beautiful. (A special thanks to those who sent supplies, borders, letters, etc.)
People are busy enrolling their kids…there are already close to 90 NEW STUDENTS! The secretaries are experiencing one of the busiest times of the year. Painters are painting, others are cleaning. School supplies are on sale in the supermarkets. Wow! It’s so exciting…we’re BACK TO SCHOOL.
Fernandito shyly met his third grade teacher yesterday. He couldn’t even look her in the face. I was thinking of how different it will be in three months after Fernandito and his teacher have bonded and will be best friends. Miss Gloria will be even WISER than Fernandito’s mother!
Liliana is a member of the church in San Pedro. This year will be her first teaching experience with 2nd graders. She said that after the presentation she had to sit down fast. She was about to cry (of happiness). She has been through a lot, but we are thankful that the Lord brought such a talented person to Colegio Privado Adonai. Lilliana is a very happy person; she has a great voice and just loves people.
Thanks for your prayers and your donations for Colegio Privado Adonai. Once again, we see the powerful hand of God working to keep this great ministry going. Praise Him with us! “I will remember the deeds of the Lord, Yes; I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy, what god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” Psalm 77:11-14

Mangos

These mangos are from a tree at the back of our house. They are around 1 lb. each...sometimes heavier. They are bigger than a softball. This one is almost ripe. We have to pick it before the birds pick AT it. Its loaded with vitamins, fiber and calories.

Last Days of Vacation…

We are enjoying some hot, relaxing summer days. We have a canvas pool we set up each year. Yesterday it felt like a hot tub. Edson didn’t even feel comfortable in it, it was just too hot. I thought of a good friend who recently told me that she and her husband were out in their hot tub during a snow storm. She loved the warmth of the hot tub, and the snowflakes falling around her head, but the wind was too cold for her face. The other night we were out in the pool battling mosquitoes. The water was perfect, the night was beautiful, but ohhh…the mosquitoes!
Edson is still enjoying his hose. We wake up later than usual, and we stay up later at night. We visit friends or the boys have sleep overs. Every once in a while we have ice cream or icy-cold pop, but...summer is ending!

POPCORN!!!

If you know the Schleys, you know that popcorn is the family favorite! It all started with my dad. He would pop himself a whole Tupperware bowlful and say that we were only allowed a couple of handfuls. Yeah, he always got the bowl. Mom would by popcorn by 25 lb bags. Dad preferred the white popcorn, but mom usually bought both kinds (that was 50 lbs of popcorn on hand!). Mom would make caramel corn for teachers at school and church things, we would put on flavourings or powdered cheddar cheese. If company would come we’d make a couple of batches. Popcorn was just our favorite snack!
Fortunately (or unfortunately for some) it is one of the cheapest snack foods here in Paraguay. We don’t have isles and isles of choices…maybe only five different things. So, popcorn has become OUR family’s favorite snack, too. Thanks to Grandpa Schley that Tupperware bowl is usually full in the afternoon and we can all enjoy this “healthy” snack. Once we had visitors from the States and the son went to tell his mom that I made this amazing popcorn…in a pan! He called her down to have me teach her how to do it…in a pan. He’s only seen it made in a microwave!
Taking after my dad, I am proud to say that I make some of the best popcorn in the world and it ALMOST NEVER BURNS. I start my kids off young, but I did wait until Edson was 1 before I gave him the whole kernel.

Childhood Memories

Oscar told me that the Acerola cherries needed picked. We have a little shrub in our back yard. While I was giving Edson breakfast, I asked him to pick a few. A few minutes later he came back with a bowl full and said, “There are 10 times this much still out there.
In the hot morning sun, I knew it would be insane to ask my kids to do it. They never HAD to do such a chore. So, getting my gear ready (mosquito repellent, a baggie and sunglasses) I went out to harvest these little cherries.
Right away scenes of my childhood spread across the panoramic view of my mind. Red raspberries in my dreams! Grandpa’s blueberries…so many, you thought you’d never pick them all. There were so many acerolas that they seemed to be ripening as soon as I finished a certain spot.
Since you can do much more than stand in one spot and pick, I started to be thankful. I thanked God that there were no prickly thorns like the red raspberries. I thanked God for the experience I had as a kid, picking berries…that was the only reason I had the patience to do it now. I thanked Him for the refreshing juice we would be enjoying soon, and for the laughter (two big boys and one little one bonding) coming from the house. Finally, the last one was picked!
P.S. I copied some info from Encarta for you…
Barbados Cherry, also called acerola, a tropical American shrub or small tree. The best-known species, native from southern Texas to northern South America and the West Indies, is a widely planted ornamental shrub growing to 1.8 m (6 ft) high. It has slender branches bearing glossy ovate leaves that are pointed at the tip. The rose-colored flowers, 2 cm (0.75 in) wide, grow in clusters. The fruit of the Barbados cherry, which is usually scarlet or red, is a drupe, which is a stone fruit similar to the plum, olive, and peach. The fruit has a pleasant tart taste and is sometimes used in preserves and in cold drinks. The Barbados cherry contains a large amount of vitamin C, and its juice, usually called acerola juice, is added to orange, pineapple, and other juices canned for use as baby food to increase the natural vitamin C content.
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