It's beginning to look a lot like my house!

I guess I am using my blog these days to keep folks informed of my "settling in" process. In fact, that is really much of what is happening in my life right now. You would think that after two months everything would be tip-top, but you have to remember that I was starting everything from scratch. Finally at two months I am beginning to feel like I am making some progress beyond the basics. A friend asked me today if I had finally "arrived" in Brazil and I had to say a great big "YES". There are days that I forget I ever left Brazil for five years to live in Canada. I still have dreams about people (and my cat Sadik) in Ottawa, but for the most part I feel very much at home. I feel like I have been running an obstacle course since March, and finally I am at the finish line. It's a good feeling.
Perhaps I am feeling much that way because today our books arrived! What an exciting day. It's like a big piece of who we are came back to live with us. 24 boxes of books and they all arrive intact. Right now they sit just as you see them in the photo. (By the way, the bed is new too - it came today so that our guests have a bed to sleep in). I took out tapes and videos and CD's and some of my books, but have left the rest for João to have his own little reunion. (He is at a meeting tonight - in fact he is at a lot of meetings these days!) Every now and then I pulled out a surprise from the box- like his favourite hat from Ottawa. I hated that hat and he loved it (because it was so warm), so he brought it as his own little warm fuzzy from Canada.
Since you haven't seen my living room after I had a few more pieces added to it, I am including a new photo of this room. I just love my living room. I still want to do a lot with it, but I finally feel like it is much more inviting. I especially love the curtains and the potted palm. João is voting for a new rug first and I want some foot stools. What's your vote? The art work for the walls, will be slower as I look for just the right thing, but don't you just love the tulip painting? A special friend of mine had this on her wall and I fell in love with it. A special friend of hers had painted it. They both agreed it needed to come to my house to live, so I bought it from her. It is just perfect in my room and they are tulips - my Ottawa connection. João wants me to look for a big tulip sculpture. Wonder where I would find one?
As I said, things really are feeling more and more like home here. That's a great feeling. And I am also feeling more and more at home in the church. Since I don't spend 24 hours a day there, it will take a little longer than my house, but it's coming. God has answered so many prayers, that there can be no doubt that this is THE place for us! It may not be a bed of roses, but it is certainly a row of tulips.