Sorry I haven't been able to write this week. We have been preparing for our trip, end of school, a wedding, etc. Things won't be back to normal until September...but, that's okay! We're a spontaneous family so we'll just have FUN.
Pray for us...We are taking of on MONDAY.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Happy Birthday...Happy Father’s Day!
Our family has been going through some sentimental highs and lows lately remembering the wonderful life our grandmother lived. We have been writing, “I remember when…Grandma did this…Grandma taught me…etc. She was a beautiful example of Christ to all of us. The sad thing is…we said a lot of this all too late, she didn’t get to hear it or read it!
Well, that got me thinking that maybe I should do this for my mom and dad since this week was mom’s birthday and it’s also Father’s Day on Sunday (here in Paraguay). That way they would be here to read it!
Let me start with MOM. My mom learned a lot from HER mom, I can tell because I just got a letter from Aunt Peg talking about the THREE NICE THINGS punishment, so that was from Grandma, huh?
What I LOVE about my mom is that she is so emotionally strong! She went through a lot when we were kids, but we never caught on to the stress she was going through. Dad was out of work for a LOOOONG time because of an accident. Only now do I fully understand what she went through. She had five kids to feed, bills to pay, and a husband on crutches. I remember she would go for long periods of time in her room…reading the Bible and praying. Mom…you taught me to be strong during the storm!
Mom and dad taught us to work in three gardens and sell the produce. Mom taught us to do little jobs; newspaper routes, babysitting, selling raspberries (rocks, and lemonade). She taught us how to be responsible. She wrote the recipe column for the local newspaper and WE got to be the judges of the recipes! She taught us the art of cooking. She sewed us clothes and gave us classes, making us take it all apart again and again until we got it right. She taught us perseverance
Mom is one of the happiest, hospitable ladies I know. She loves to have everyone over. She loves to party. She is always the happiest when she is sharing. Thanks, mom, for teaching me that valuable lesson of being generous.
Mom always supported my decisions even though she knew that it could take me far from her. Thanks, mom, for letting me go and having faith in me.
DAD, you taught me to be quiet even though I was getting the bad end of the deal. I saw YOU do it so often, but for you it comes so naturally. My dad has a special gift of not hearing the bad things said to him, he just turns around and loves that person just the same. Dad taught me to forgive. (I think Brandon got that trait from you.) Dad taught me to love the Word of God and preach it “in season and out of season”. Dad never misses the opportunity to witness, at work, on the airplane, in the supermarket, even in a different country!
Dad tried over and over again to teach us mechanics, but, sorry, I owe you that one. I never had enough patience to hear you. Dad’s our handyman he can fix almost anything.
I know this is soooo short, I could go on and on, and I will some day. I just wanted to share how Mom and Dad taught me and made my life so beautiful. I’m thankful for the parents God gave me! Happy Birthday...Happy Father’s Day!
Well, that got me thinking that maybe I should do this for my mom and dad since this week was mom’s birthday and it’s also Father’s Day on Sunday (here in Paraguay). That way they would be here to read it!
Let me start with MOM. My mom learned a lot from HER mom, I can tell because I just got a letter from Aunt Peg talking about the THREE NICE THINGS punishment, so that was from Grandma, huh?
What I LOVE about my mom is that she is so emotionally strong! She went through a lot when we were kids, but we never caught on to the stress she was going through. Dad was out of work for a LOOOONG time because of an accident. Only now do I fully understand what she went through. She had five kids to feed, bills to pay, and a husband on crutches. I remember she would go for long periods of time in her room…reading the Bible and praying. Mom…you taught me to be strong during the storm!
Mom and dad taught us to work in three gardens and sell the produce. Mom taught us to do little jobs; newspaper routes, babysitting, selling raspberries (rocks, and lemonade). She taught us how to be responsible. She wrote the recipe column for the local newspaper and WE got to be the judges of the recipes! She taught us the art of cooking. She sewed us clothes and gave us classes, making us take it all apart again and again until we got it right. She taught us perseverance
Mom is one of the happiest, hospitable ladies I know. She loves to have everyone over. She loves to party. She is always the happiest when she is sharing. Thanks, mom, for teaching me that valuable lesson of being generous.
Mom always supported my decisions even though she knew that it could take me far from her. Thanks, mom, for letting me go and having faith in me.
DAD, you taught me to be quiet even though I was getting the bad end of the deal. I saw YOU do it so often, but for you it comes so naturally. My dad has a special gift of not hearing the bad things said to him, he just turns around and loves that person just the same. Dad taught me to forgive. (I think Brandon got that trait from you.) Dad taught me to love the Word of God and preach it “in season and out of season”. Dad never misses the opportunity to witness, at work, on the airplane, in the supermarket, even in a different country!
Dad tried over and over again to teach us mechanics, but, sorry, I owe you that one. I never had enough patience to hear you. Dad’s our handyman he can fix almost anything.
I know this is soooo short, I could go on and on, and I will some day. I just wanted to share how Mom and Dad taught me and made my life so beautiful. I’m thankful for the parents God gave me! Happy Birthday...Happy Father’s Day!
Friday, June 8, 2007
THREE NICE THINGS
The other day childhood memories slapped me in the face! I was tired of Brandon’s and Gabriel’s attitudes, little fights, arguments, and putdowns. I was praying about how to handle this when it seems like wartime here at home. I remembered a torturous discipline my mom made us do…and yes…I applied it to our case!
At the dinner table, little words and hurtful phrases started being thrown back and forth. I was getting ready to “discipline”. After a few more…you’re this…you’re that…I said, “okay, Gaby, now you have to say THREE NICE THINGS ABOUT BRANDON! And Brandon, you have to think of THREE NICE THINGS to say about GABY when Gaby’s done!” All of a sudden there was complete silence…no one said a word. I asked Gaby to start and he said…Mom, I can’t. I asked Brandon to take over and he answered the same thing.
We decided to sit there till midnight or until each boy said three nice things about the other. It was torture! No one looked up. No one said a word. Oscar and I took advantage of the silence to lecture and teach about what was really going on. I giggled on the inside as I was remembering our own punishment as teens when I couldn’t find one nice thing in my sister. (Now, I could list a hundred.)
So, thanks to mom’s constant warnings…If you say one bad thing about a person, then you have to say three nice things about them...we eventually ended the evening on a happy note.
Sometimes it’s VERY hard. Think about it next time you say something bad about someone. Can YOU think of three nice things about them?
At the dinner table, little words and hurtful phrases started being thrown back and forth. I was getting ready to “discipline”. After a few more…you’re this…you’re that…I said, “okay, Gaby, now you have to say THREE NICE THINGS ABOUT BRANDON! And Brandon, you have to think of THREE NICE THINGS to say about GABY when Gaby’s done!” All of a sudden there was complete silence…no one said a word. I asked Gaby to start and he said…Mom, I can’t. I asked Brandon to take over and he answered the same thing.
We decided to sit there till midnight or until each boy said three nice things about the other. It was torture! No one looked up. No one said a word. Oscar and I took advantage of the silence to lecture and teach about what was really going on. I giggled on the inside as I was remembering our own punishment as teens when I couldn’t find one nice thing in my sister. (Now, I could list a hundred.)
So, thanks to mom’s constant warnings…If you say one bad thing about a person, then you have to say three nice things about them...we eventually ended the evening on a happy note.
Sometimes it’s VERY hard. Think about it next time you say something bad about someone. Can YOU think of three nice things about them?
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Teens and babies...
I was just reading my sisters’ blogs. One was sharing the victories of being a mom of teenagers leaving childhood behind and the other was enjoying the life of babies and toddlers and I laughed thinking, of course, that I also had it just as great!
I am a mom of teenagers plus a baby! That makes a GREAT combination. Teenagers love to be funny, strange, weird, silly, etc. and babies love to watch and be a part of that kind of stuff…in other words…babies love to give teenagers the attention they need. The teens are just as content to have their audience applaud…even if it’s just a six month old! The baby is basking in endless attention and the teens have their spectator. Only a baby loves to see and hear drumsticks being played on pillows in the living room for long periods of time. A baby won’t think that noise is tiresome; he’ll “coo” them on. Only a baby can laugh hilariously at a teen pretending he is a famous music star or soccer player. Only a teen can be silly enough to totally capture a baby’s short attention span for ten minutes. When the mom is already tired of the endless chores of taking care of babies, only the teens have the amount of energy and patience to take over and make the baby feel “king” again. And, the amazing thing is that the baby makes the teen feel like a “king”, also.
Well, to be totally honest, there are some drawbacks. What do you do when the teens want to do their teen thing at church till 10 pm on Friday nights? Well, the baby has to become a “teen” and stay. He struggles through finding a comfortable spot to sleep in and cries because he can’t find the warmth of his bed. At that moment, the teens are enjoying the company of their peers; they don’t want babies around. What do we do when the teens are studying for their finals and the baby can’t stop fussing…and mom has to help all three at once?
It’s like having a whole new family. Our teens are old enough to go on the city buses by themselves (no driver’s permit till 18 years here in Paraguay). They can go to sports at church in the afternoon. Our baby keeps us home…a siesta is MANDATORY!
Our family is a neat mix. I think we are all having fun.
I am a mom of teenagers plus a baby! That makes a GREAT combination. Teenagers love to be funny, strange, weird, silly, etc. and babies love to watch and be a part of that kind of stuff…in other words…babies love to give teenagers the attention they need. The teens are just as content to have their audience applaud…even if it’s just a six month old! The baby is basking in endless attention and the teens have their spectator. Only a baby loves to see and hear drumsticks being played on pillows in the living room for long periods of time. A baby won’t think that noise is tiresome; he’ll “coo” them on. Only a baby can laugh hilariously at a teen pretending he is a famous music star or soccer player. Only a teen can be silly enough to totally capture a baby’s short attention span for ten minutes. When the mom is already tired of the endless chores of taking care of babies, only the teens have the amount of energy and patience to take over and make the baby feel “king” again. And, the amazing thing is that the baby makes the teen feel like a “king”, also.
Well, to be totally honest, there are some drawbacks. What do you do when the teens want to do their teen thing at church till 10 pm on Friday nights? Well, the baby has to become a “teen” and stay. He struggles through finding a comfortable spot to sleep in and cries because he can’t find the warmth of his bed. At that moment, the teens are enjoying the company of their peers; they don’t want babies around. What do we do when the teens are studying for their finals and the baby can’t stop fussing…and mom has to help all three at once?
It’s like having a whole new family. Our teens are old enough to go on the city buses by themselves (no driver’s permit till 18 years here in Paraguay). They can go to sports at church in the afternoon. Our baby keeps us home…a siesta is MANDATORY!
Our family is a neat mix. I think we are all having fun.
Monday, June 4, 2007
What's going on
It’s been so long since I wrote! Last week was full of mother-in-law stuff. We took her to the doctor’s. We traded off and on with Oscar’s sister having her at our homes. And mostly, our days were centered around her. She has been having some health/heart problems with a very bad cold and cough complicating things. After two weeks of “rest”, she was anxious to be back at her farm and home and not even her newfound love with Edson could stop her. The doctor warned her of her health and that she should be careful to just take life easy and enjoy things…not organize and plan for others.
Our boys are finishing up school. They are trying to squeeze in a point or two where ever they can. They have been writing up book reports and research papers, finishing up workbooks, etc. Their final exams will be June 15th to the 20th. School Olympics proved to be rewarding since they both came home with many ribbons. Both of them are the fastest runners in their age groups. They have outstanding grades in P.E.!
There is a crisp, winter smell of burning wood in the air. Today it was 39F, one of the coldest mornings so far. This year winter hasn’t let up. We have been enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun, but clothes still dry slowly outdoors in the cold breezes. We bundle up with two shirts and two sweaters and then on top of it, sometimes, a coat. Why do we exaggerate so much you may ask??? There is no heat IN the house, and at times, it is colder inside than outside.
This morning at 6:00 am we warmed up fast as we (Brandon, Gabriel, Ellen and I) pushed the gray car out the driveway to jumpstart it down the hill. The battery was close to dead, plus it was cold out. Half a block down the road the car started. That was a cosy kind of warmth to feel that early in the morning after running and pushing the car down the sloped road.
More tomorrow about our trip to Concepcion.
Our boys are finishing up school. They are trying to squeeze in a point or two where ever they can. They have been writing up book reports and research papers, finishing up workbooks, etc. Their final exams will be June 15th to the 20th. School Olympics proved to be rewarding since they both came home with many ribbons. Both of them are the fastest runners in their age groups. They have outstanding grades in P.E.!
There is a crisp, winter smell of burning wood in the air. Today it was 39F, one of the coldest mornings so far. This year winter hasn’t let up. We have been enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun, but clothes still dry slowly outdoors in the cold breezes. We bundle up with two shirts and two sweaters and then on top of it, sometimes, a coat. Why do we exaggerate so much you may ask??? There is no heat IN the house, and at times, it is colder inside than outside.
This morning at 6:00 am we warmed up fast as we (Brandon, Gabriel, Ellen and I) pushed the gray car out the driveway to jumpstart it down the hill. The battery was close to dead, plus it was cold out. Half a block down the road the car started. That was a cosy kind of warmth to feel that early in the morning after running and pushing the car down the sloped road.
More tomorrow about our trip to Concepcion.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Oldest and the Youngest
My mother-in-law is visiting us from San Pedro. She’s “resting” from her small farm and 4 granddaughters she has been taking care of. She’s 72, the oldest of the clan, and has health (heart) problems. Oscar and Dolores, his sister, are taking turns having her here in Asuncion for at least a month to see if this doesn’t help her slow down a bit and take care of herself and not her extended family of 11 kids, 38 grandkids and 11 + great-grandkids, plus, 100 or so chickens, several ducks, a set of geese, one cow, and many cats and dogs. She’s got a handful!Well, here at home, she’s quite content with her youngest grandson…Edson. The youngest is sure enjoying the cuddling company. He never has to reach for anything. He has walked around and around the yard (being held, of course) looking at trees, lemons, leaves, bugs and birds all morning. He sat in the warm sun for an hour listening to Abuela Sergia pray in Guarani…and without complaining! He is squeezed, kissed, and loved by abuela, AND he sure knows how to give the appreciation back! He squeals with laughter, lovingly looks into her eyes, and happily gives attention back to abuela.
I just put Edson down for a 2 hour nap after lunch, 1pm to 3pm. This has been his usual routine lately so, I was surprised to see that he was up again at 1:45…in abuela’s arms! I said, “I didn’t hear him cry!” She said, “Yes, he was crying! That’s why I picked him up!” It seemed a little bit suspicious to me, but I let it go…abuela won’t be able to wake up my sleeping baby everyday!
I found two verses (even though there are so many), one to dedicate to the Oldest in the Caballero Family and one for the Youngest of the Caballero family:
Abuela: Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4
Edson: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord…Jeremiah 29:11-14a.
We love you both!!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Mandioca
After a couple of weeks of “pre-packaged” fast foods in the States several years ago, Oscar complained to me that he wanted a REAL meal. Was he meaning the Americans do not eat REAL meals? He meant that he wants one made from scratch and with MANDIOCA! Well, we started out our search for mandioca, (yucca root) found in warm climate countries and eaten along with all meals. We were visiting Ohio! We made our rounds and finally found it in Wal-Mart in Mansfield. It was beautiful and Oscar’s mouth was already watering for it. The price seemed a little high at $2.99 a lb. That would be $2.99 x 6,000 gs.(Paraguayan money) – 17,940 x 2 (about 2 kilos per lb) = 35,880 gs. a kilo! It was outrageous! One mandioca root is 1 lb! We would need at least 4 roots for the whole family. We finally decided to buy it and packed about 8 lbs in our bag an equivalent of 4 kilos…4 x 35,880 = 143,520 gs.. All the while I was feeling so bad that we were spending so much on something SOOOOO CHEAP back home.
Well, Mandioca hit an all time LOW here in Paraguay this week. Today at the supermarket it was 370 gs a Kilo. That means it is 370 / 2 = 185 gs a lb. (185/ 5,000 gs.) which means that it was $0.04 a lb.!!!!! ( I think I did my math right on all this money exchange.) What I bought in the States several years ago would have only needed to be $0.16 but was a total of $23.92.
Anyway, we eat mandioca almost every day. The kids and Oscar just love it with every meal. Sometimes we fry it like French fries. Sometimes it is fried in little cubes and after it is golden brown you add an egg and scramble it together. My brother ate it with chimichurri. Gaby eats it with salt and lemon. Brandon pours on hot sauce and Ranch. It can be pureed and mixed with meat to make a fried patty. Some have used the pureed mandioca for a crunchy pizza crust, and it is used in many, many other ways.
Being so cheap, who wouldn’t use it in everything!
Well, Mandioca hit an all time LOW here in Paraguay this week. Today at the supermarket it was 370 gs a Kilo. That means it is 370 / 2 = 185 gs a lb. (185/ 5,000 gs.) which means that it was $0.04 a lb.!!!!! ( I think I did my math right on all this money exchange.) What I bought in the States several years ago would have only needed to be $0.16 but was a total of $23.92.
Anyway, we eat mandioca almost every day. The kids and Oscar just love it with every meal. Sometimes we fry it like French fries. Sometimes it is fried in little cubes and after it is golden brown you add an egg and scramble it together. My brother ate it with chimichurri. Gaby eats it with salt and lemon. Brandon pours on hot sauce and Ranch. It can be pureed and mixed with meat to make a fried patty. Some have used the pureed mandioca for a crunchy pizza crust, and it is used in many, many other ways.
Being so cheap, who wouldn’t use it in everything!
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