Bride Alert

Crisis! The bride is sick. Well she has a cold. She has a fever. She feel crummy. This cannot be. We had our rehearsal today and she had a red nose and sore throat and felt feverish. Poor baby. She only has a couple of days to feel better and enjoy her wedding day. I hope she will be okay SOON. The rehearsal went well and everyone is very congenial.

The music for the wedding will be beautiful and very emotive. Made us all sniff at the rehearsal, imagine the wedding itself. 

It appears that things are pretty well taken care of and lined up for the wedding. She and her fiancé are extremely well organized. The last few details about the music and flowers were hashed out today. Her very pregnant wedding director is having her baby on Monday, so will not be at the wedding. Her able assistant however, was there today and will be present on the day. I think all the questions and doubts were ironed out this morning.

After the rehearsal we picked up João’s suit that had been tailored and also Sissy’s dress that had to be hemmed.

Yesterday I spent a record breaking 4 1/2 hours at the beauty salon. I should have come out looking like a beauty queen with that much time spent. I did an over all color to wash out the gray (and yes I am letting it grow out, but I did decide it needed something since the color was so washed out from the sun), which took about an hour. Then I did very delicate and fine highlights, and although they are few it did take over an hour for that. Then my hair being in very bad shape from using a straightening iron so much and being colored, needed a deep conditioning treatment and there goes another hour. Then there was the cut and blow dry. Glad I  didn’t plan to do anything else.  Listening to everyone’s opinion. I did decide that this is no time to go radical, so you’ll not notice a huge change, although my hair is “brighter”, shinier and definitely “shaped up”, since I cut off about 2 1/2 inches. As is custom here in Brazil, I am having someone come to my home the afternoon of the wedding to do the makeup and hair. It is someone from the salon I use, since it will not be open (the wedding is on a holiday here).

Life does move on, and so must I as I have to finish preparing my Sunday School lesson. I write my own lessons and reproduce them for my students, so I have a little more work to do that most teachers. That being said, off I go.

Pimento cheese sandwich

Most of the time I am perfectly happy here and don’t miss much of the US or Canada.  While Denny was here, I realized again that I’ve gotten so accustomed to things here, I don’t see them as different or odd. Still there are throw backs now and then. Today I stopped by the corner market to pick up a snack supper for the family. I walked by the bakery department, unfortunately for me, and nearly started drooling. There can be nothing as enticing as freshly baked bread. I am on a “no eat white stuff” kick right now (for good reasons), but there’s no reason the rest of the family has to suffer, right? So I picked up some fresh French bread (as most Brazilians do around 5PM). Then I wanted to get something to put on it, like cheese or ham. I got some yoghurt for me (yeah, it’s white, but it is no sugar or additives) and my eyes fastened on some cream cheese made with dried tomatoes. I love cream cheese. I love dried tomatoes. So what could grow wrong with this mix? Got home and my family loved their very hot fresh bread. After João and Sissy had both left, I found there was still one piece of bread left. OH DEAR. Where is my resolve when faced with fresh hot French bread that I will just have to throw out tomorrow, because it will be all icky and stale? I walked out of the kitchen and back to the computer, but the bread danced before my eyes. I am the first to admit that self-control is not my strong suit. Consequently I felt like a magnet was drawing me to the bread. I gave up and went to eat a piece of it (yeah, right… like I can eat a piece of bread). I thought of the fluffy cream cheese and decided to go all the way. I spread it on and took a bite. Man, it was like I heard choir bells ringing. It was sooooooooooooooooooo good. I mean seriously delicious. That cheese spread tasted just like pimento cheese to me and I am addicted to pimento cheese. I don’t see how it could have that taste, as it is white cream cheese with tomatoes, but just to make sure I spread it thickly on the bread and ate it carefully and yes it tasted and smelled like pimento cheese (only there were no pimentos!). Go figure. It was definitely comfort food for me. Even writing about it is making my mouth water.

Things are moving on for the wedding next week. Just 7 days away. My current crisis is my makeup, my eyebrows to be specific. Momma was right. If you pluck your eyebrows too much they won’t grow back. I did so 40 years ago and they didn’t grow back. Now that full eyebrows are in style, my little pencil thin guys don’t cut it. Worse than my almost invisible eyebrows are penciled eyebrows. Now those are nasty. I just read that castor oil makes them grow fuller. I know it’s far too late to think about that now, but has anyone heard that’s true? I might just check it out. But then if this vogue model, can have teen-ainsty eyebrows, then why can’t “eye”? It’s not like I’m going to use Rograine on them or anything. And besides that I do have more important things to worry about.

Father of the Bride

Isn't he lovely? Well, perhaps a better word might be “handsome”. Finally, finally my husband was willing to take the time to got out and chose a suit to wear to walk his daughter down the aisle. I love the suit he chose. It’s really very nice, and the tailoring looks good on him. It’s a really nice fabric as well.
The shirt we chose is just beautiful as well. I was well pleased as they also will tailor the shirt – something we never do, but should be done for him, since he is so small. We will pick up the suit next week, after they do the sleeves, take up the jacket slightly and hem the pants. Sure seems a lot easier for men than women! He will get his hair cut, but I guess that’s about it. No hair color. No hair cut. No nails done. No purse or jewelry to worry about. No makeup to plan. Lucky him.
The other good news of the day is that I took Mia back to the eye doctor and he says her eyes have healed really nicely. There is some scarring, but he prescribed an ointment for me to apply a couple of times a day to help with that. The important thing is that she has no more pain, and she can see just fine. I am happy about that.

I Am Not Right

I have read stories of women who were highly insulted when they received pots and pans as a gift for Christmas or their birthday. Not me. Today my new stainless steel pans arrived and I was so excited! Christmas in April. New pots and pans and all shiny and pretty. I must not be right!

Still look at these brand new pans and tell me they are not beautiful. Just makes me want to cook something. (Now I know I am NOT right.)

In our current campaign to live more healthily, I finally made the decision to spend the money on some decent pans. Not top of the line by any means, but certainly not a cheap set. I have been using the aluminum set that I have had since arriving from Canada. I used to have stainless steel, but when we came from Canada, we couldn’t bring everything we owned and so we were given a nice set of aluminum pans. Still, with everything I have read about aluminum I have been uneasy about using them for quite some time now. I have researched and looked around until I found the best set for the money. This set seems perfect for me right now, with the steamer, and also the pan for heating milk or water. I don’t have very much cabinet space, so I can’t get a huge set of pans. I would like to have a nice stainless steel wok and good frying pan, but those can wait for now. 

This afternoon I finally made it back to the gym, since my back and stomach have finally quit hurting from my stomach problem. On the way home, I began looking for some healthy alternatives for deodorant and shampoos – without aluminum, thimerosal, formaldehyde, tricolsan and parabens. I continue to be shocked at the reckless disregard for our health allowing the presence of substances that are more than proven to be toxic. Well, I’m not fanatic about this, but I would like to do what I can to eliminate at least some of the bad stuff. By the way it’s hard to find anything without these pesticides and chemicals. I will keep trying. In the meantime, I think I scrub down my new pans (with vinegar, of course) and tomorrow we’ll have something good to eat made in shiny new pans.

Fur Balls, a Harp, Easter, Esther and a Flood

I think about adding entries to my blog frequently, but then life gets in the way and it just doesn’t happen. Easter Sunday night I had to leave church suddenly as I was sick as I looked somewhat like a cat getting rid of a fur ball. It took a while to be relieved of my fur ball! I was extremely grateful to the wonderful church administrator who missed a good part of evening worship to bring me home and risked having his brand new car being baptized with human fur balls (but I managed to hold on until stepping into my own kitchen). I wasn’t really sick or anything and after Sunday evening, it was just a matter of getting back on real food again. Whatever it was, I am glad it left as quickly as it came. Consequently, that little monkey wrench, put me a day behind in everything, as I spent Monday recuperating.

In addition, my magazine editor wrote reminding me the third study on the book of Esther was due. ARGH! I had forgotten. I am publishing four Bible studies on the life of Esther for our women’s magazine. Studies one, two and four are basically written, as they are based on messages I shared at a conference last year. Number three is not. So I have had to stop everything else and work on that. I finally have it outlined and will finish today. The first study was “In the Spa with God”, the second was “I Am Jesus’ Flower” and the last is “Purim Parade” (to give you a loose translation). The response has been amazing. I have been writing articles and Bible studies for years for “Visão Missionária” (try 20 years or more), but I have never had so much positive feedback. Charles Swindoll inspired me for the third study I am writing and it is about God’s Surprising Sovereignty.

You may be wondering about the title for this entry… or perhaps not. At any rate, I want to mention the “harp” part. Our music ministry has monthly concerts for the community. Last Thursday it was a harp concert. The harpist was accompanied by a violist and a flautist, in both duets and trios. I love the harp. Who doesn’t? (Well I can’t imagine my nephew the rock band guitarist liking a harp, but who knows? Hey, sis, ask him what he thinks of harps!) The real show, however, was the violist. He put so much emotion and feeling into his music. The harpist was Scottish and reserved. The violist was a passionate Brazilian. She was technically great and loved watching her. He, however, made music and I loved hearing him. I want to live my life for Christ in the duet of the both of them. Passionately in love with Christ and doctrinally prepared to love Him as He really is! What a treat these concerts are for my ears and my heart.

Easter was a treat. Here in Brazil it isn’t much celebrated in evangelical churches and I have always missed that. This year, our celebration was terrific. We began celebrating Jesus’ resurrection with the baptism of 12 believers who symbolically reenacted the resurrection through their baptism. That was followed by the Lord’s Supper in which we recalled Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. The choir sang a portion of the Messiah (an Easter piece) and the sermon that ended with the refrain “It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming”, led us to rejoice in the victory over death and sin. No chocolates, but pure joy!

Monday, after Easter, the city of Rio paid the price for our extremely hot and humid summer we have experienced. Two cold fronts double headed the heat that built up over these last few months and we had the worst rainfall of the last 40 years. The city that is fragile at best, showed the results of a poor sewage system, precarious construction on shacks on rocks barely covered by earth, and an accumulation of litter and dirt on the streets. In other words, the city flooded. Unfortunately the rains didn’t stop, continuing on Tuesday all day, and off and on Wednesday and even as I write we are having scattered showers. Monday night João was trapped at church, but was able to leave his car there and take the subway home at 11:30PM. Tuesday the city shut down. I’ve never seen anything like it. You couldn’t get anywhere. We began to have mudslides. There are thousands of people homeless (and I mean tens of thousands) and over 100 deaths. It is sad and depressing. It just shows, again, that you just can’t keep go on doing whatever you want (read: government officials robbing money meant for caring for the city; people invading mountains to build homes in areas of risk; citizens throwing their trash wherever they want, etc.) and not pay a price. The Bible tells us that the salary for sin is death. Rio has received her full wage this week. 

Guilty? or Maybe Not

I mentioned,  a couple of entries back,  about a book I am listening to: Anticancer, A New Way of Life, New Edition I have not finished, but it is messing with my mind. I mean, when I went to the grocery store today and looked at the meat and chicken I almost felt ill. When he talks about how animals are treated on the mass production farms and the hormones, antibiotics and other substances they are fed with, it is disgusting. I really had no idea. I am, by nature, skeptical about such information, but the problem is I have now read it in at least 5 different books, albeit, not so graphically as he talks about. I walked away without any meat, except one package of chicken I found that is hormone and antibiotic free.

His book is not just about nutrition. But because I am interested in that, I downloaded another book:. ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover's Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy. I have just gotten started reading it, but it too has been messing with my mind. I thought I knew something about nutrition and health, but I surely have a lot to learn.

 
I always knew the concept of “colorful” food, since my mother practiced and taught that principle. This plate of food to the left really is typical for us, with black rice (that I just love), salmon, green beans, broccoli, carrots and beets. What is wrong with a plate like this? Actually several things. No oil on the veggies. Uncooked veggies (yip, they are better cooked than raw). Overcooked green beans (I love them boiled until they are dead.) “Farmed” salmon, not wild salmon.

So I am off on a tear of trying to do better by me and my family. First off, I cleaned out cabinets. No more plastic. I just hate it when someone can say: “I told you so!” My sister Jeri has always had a thing about plastic, refusing to drink out of a plastic cup, etc. I laughed at her. She was right. Stuff is poison. Especially in a tropical climate. So off they went. I started buying glass containers. Don’t have many, but I will gradually acquire them. They are expensive here. I am glad I bought a stainless steel water bottle last year. I had no idea how VERY toxic plastic is. And drinking diet soda out of a plastic bottle is sort of like ingesting pure cancer. I’ve been off soft drinks and artificial sweeteners for a couple of years now. Like someone said, the name says it all. Who would eat an artificial banana? So why would we eat artificial sweetener?

Since white sugar and flour (they are inflammatory agents for me and really make me feel sick) should have been off my shelves a long time ago (but now and then they find their selves back in my life and into my mouth), I thought I’d try to get in some things I can quickly grab for a snack. I have nuts (in the glass container), but sometimes I want something different. I LOVE peanut butter, but you just have to be skeptical about how healthy it can be when you read the label. Like Jillian Michaels (Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones ) says, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, if it doesn’t have a mother, or it didn’t grow in the ground, don’t eat it! So tonight I made a mixed nut butter.  I used macadamia, brazil, and walnuts. It’s really good. I stored it in a glass jar!

For our supper we had something totally new for us: QUINOA. It acts like a grain, but is actually a fruit seed, very high in protein. I cooked it with apples and cinnamon and expected to choke it down. I did add a spoon of the nut butter and a little honey (hey no one is perfect) and vanilla before serving. Wow! It was good. We were both surprised by that. It tastes like a nutty version of oatmeal. I washed it down with some white/green tea I mixed up.

I feel so “unguilty” for making these baby steps. I have a lot of changes to make, but it will have to be gradual. I even tried to make chocolate for  Easter somewhat healthier. I bought “boutique” chocolate (but not the really good stuff, as the store was out of what I wanted) Easter eggs for our girls. This is a 70% cocoa big egg, filled with semi-sweet chocolate bonbons. I wish someone would get one of these for me… or a semisweet chocolate bar, since I can handle little pieces of that chocolate.

I actually have more to say on this subject, believe it or not. I am shocked by what I am learning and how greed is destroying our health and how hard it is to do anything about it. But there will be other days and I will share more on the subject down the line. For now, I’ll just leave you with these two phrases: BUY ORGANIC and BUY LOCAL!