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I don’t shop much for clothes, or shoes or make-up.

I don’t get my nails done, I don’t get massages or go to the spa.

In a rare moment, I buy something for the kitchen.  That is something I use, but it will benefit the whole family.

Of course, there are [...]]]> I don’t buy stuff for myself very often.

I don’t shop much for clothes, or shoes or make-up.

I don’t get my nails done, I don’t get massages or go to the spa.

In a rare moment, I buy something for the kitchen.  That is something I use, but it will benefit the whole family.

Of course, there are things I want, but being as I don’t bring in any “mula” for the family, I don’t feel like shopping for myself is really warranted.

That’s not to say I couldn’t name 50 things I would want, if given the choice.

The things I want more often, though, are things that relate to making art of some kind.  This is where I usually end up spending.

So, when I earned a “monetary thank-you ” from our  previous church, Graffiti for doing some design, I decided that this time I would be self-indulgent.  I decided that I would buy one of 3 things I’ve been wanting to add to my photography gear.  Choosing between a flash, a new lens and a tripod was a hard choice.  Each had it’s merit, and would be so useful.  But in the end, I chose what would be most fun.  A new lens.

I bought a Sigma telephoto lens.

I’ve had it for 2 days, and I’m already loving the ability to snap a closer look at the birds in my yard.

I will be posting pictures on my photoblog early next week, as soon as I get a chance to preview my photos, and pick the best ones.  Stay tuned for a more thorough review.

This is [...]]]> Watching birds in our backyard, has become one of my favorite activities.  We’ve been using the binoculars which abuelo gave us last Christmas, and the boys are enjoying this as well.  Even though temperatures have dropped dramatically in the last few days, we can still watch them from our kitchen’s bay window.  It’s awesome!

This is a sparrow.  They are the “common” bird around, but even they, when perching, have a very regal look, and it’s nice to get my camera and take some photos to get a closer look.  I only see some of the details once I upload these photos.  Of course, it makes me want a zoom lens, but that just has to wait.In the meanwhile, I will paint some of the birds I’ve photographed.  Here’s the first one.

5″x7″ on 140lbs. watercolor paper

Even more so, is making fresh bread yourself.  And then, if you can turn out a loaf that rivals the bakery, then you’re really in for a trip!

About a month ago, I was reading about nearby farm, and a blog associated with it.  The people writing the [...]]]> There’s something about fresh bread that is just intoxicating.

Even more so, is making fresh bread yourself.  And then, if you can turn out a loaf that rivals the bakery, then you’re really in for a trip!

About a month ago, I was reading about nearby farm, and a blog associated with it.  The people writing the blog are writing about the vegetables they are getting weekly from the farm, and what they are making with it.

In one of their entries, they mentioned an apparently famous internet phenomenon, the no-knead bread.

New York Times’ No-knead Bread

Yeah, I had never heard of it either, so I went on a search to find out what it’s all about.  There I go, spending more time online than I should, but yet, finding such a treasure can be merited.

I also came across another site, Breadtopia, which is really helpful with more videos of the bread making process, as well as other variations, and other people’s attempts, and their comments.

Anyway, I tried it 2 times now.  The first time, I think the yeast I was using wasn’t very active, and kinda old, so the bread was good, but it didn’t rise much.

The second time, the result was entirely different, and it was delicious, and it looked every bit as good as other bakery bread.

See?!

Yup, I made this!  And it was super yummy.

Anyway, I pretty much followed the Breadtopia’s recipe, with a few variations.

Here’s my take:

2 cups white bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast(it might be called “breadmachine” yeast, but don’t use active dry yeast, or rapid yeast)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cup purified(bottled)  room temperature water

How to prepare:

Mix all the dry ingredients first.  Then pour the water in and mix it together until a wet dough forms.

Cover your bowl with a plastic bag, and let it sit on your counter for at least 12 hours, but 18 hours is best.

The dough will have risen considerably!!

Once the time’s up, generously flour your work area.  Put the dough over the floured area, and spread it out into a big oval.  Fold it into 3, and then once over itself.  Cover it with seran wrap, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

While waiting, get another large-ish bowl, baste it lightly with olive oil, (and in my case, I dusted it lightly with wheat bran, but it’s not a necessity).

Once the 15 minutes have passed, grab the dough and form it lightly into a ball, and put it into your oiled bowl, and cover it with a cotton towel.  Let it sit for about an hour and a half.

When there’s about a half hour left, turn your oven on to 475 F( I might try 500 with my next loaf) and put your dutch oven with the lid(or other covered pot) in the oven, so it can get hot as well.

When everything is piping hot in the oven, pull your pot to the edge, grab your dough and carefully(don’t burn yourself!) put the dough, which will have risen again, in the pot.  (Watch the video above, and you’ll see what I mean.) And cover the pot again!

Bake for 25-30 minutes, remove the lid, and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

You’ll be amazed at the results.

Let it cool a little in a cooling rack, and then cut into it!

It’s awesome with some butter!

And now, I will go eat a slice, before I have to pick up the boys.

Let me know of your questions or attempts, and I’ll let you know of mine!

If you don’t know, I was born and spent all my childhood in Sao Paulo, Brazil– “the most populous in Brazil, in South America and in the southern hemisphere.”

Then my family immigrated to the U.S. and I’ve lived in NYC for most of the rest of my life.  So, I am a city girl.

What [...]]]> yeah, that’s me.  City girl, born and bred.

If you don’t know, I was born and spent all my childhood in Sao Paulo, Brazil– “the most populous in Brazil, in South America and in the southern hemisphere.”

Then my family immigrated to the U.S. and I’ve lived in NYC for most of the rest of my life.  So, I am a city girl.

What you may not know is that I spent a summer in Southeast Oklahoma–completely rural, and then I spent 6 months, living right outside Yosemite National Park living in a double-wide trailer by the Merced River.  I also lived in the Mojave Desert, in a little Marine Corps station town called 29 Palms.  So although a city slicker, I’ve had my share of non-city life.

So, it was with my joy, that I pursued an attempt at getting a riding mower for our lawn.  The new ones at Lowe’s are well over $1000 and the much coveted John Deere models come close to $2000 and some surpass it.  It was with much chagrin that I swallowed Fabio’s words as he’d told me I’d need to sell some artwork if we were to get a riding tractor/mower.

But alas, my heart was not dissuaded, and I found several listed on craigslist for around $300.  Lo and behold, it was worth my efforts, and the guy we purchased it from was so nice, that he drove back to our house with Fabio to help him unload the thing, and he also gave him a gas-powered weed-wacker.  That, my friends, is life in the country.

So, I was  very excited to relive the Oklahoma farm days by mowing immediately, as our grass was more than in need for a trimming.

Let’s just say that after emptying 4 double bags of grass, I still have more than half a yard to go.  But boy am I glad.  And if you feel like you need a little farm-like time, give me a holler, and I just might let you take a ride.

Check me out in all my glory, and get a little glimpse of our yard with the photos below.

The Mircats Inn should be open for visitors in October.  Start your bookings now…  All we ask for are some NYC unique food gifts such as: bagels, assorted International foods, and some real brazilian coffee.

Dublin Borough: 2,083

–

NYC land mass: 304.8 square miles

Dublin:3/4 mile square

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NYC landscape: islands and skyscrapers and government housing

Dublin: farms (dairy, veggie and beef)

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Our previous apartment: 2nd floor of a 3 family home

Now: 2-story house

—

before: no yard

now: 1/2 acre

–

before: not enough [...]]]> New York City population: 8.2 million – “the most densely populated major city in the United States”

Dublin Borough: 2,083

–

NYC land mass: 304.8 square miles

Dublin:3/4 mile square

–

NYC landscape: islands and skyscrapers and government housing

Dublin: farms (dairy, veggie and beef)

–

Our previous apartment: 2nd floor of a 3 family home

Now: 2-story house

—

before: no yard

now: 1/2 acre

–

before: not enough closets

now: plenty of good closets, basement and garage and “attic” space

–

gas prices: Above $4/gallon

now: $3.54/gallon at our last fill-up

–

before: dropping off laundry or washing at my parents’ house

now: laundry in the basement

–

before: 1hour and a half to get both boys to thrie respective schools

now: one school, 3 miles away

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before: lots of friends and awesome church family

now: I don’t know anyone, and we haven’t found a church yet.

Those are some of the cahnges I can think of right now.

Lots of great ones, but definitely some hard ones as well.

Although we have a nice, strong wooden loft bed, Willik has a strong wooden loft bed, and Phoenix has a custom made wooden bed with a bookshelp headoboard, we cannot take these with us.

Our bedrooms at the new house have low ceilings, and we won’t be able to fit these in [...]]]> As you know, we’re moving,

Although we have a nice, strong wooden loft bed, Willik has a strong wooden loft bed, and Phoenix has a custom made wooden bed with a bookshelp headoboard, we cannot take these with us.

Our bedrooms at the new house have low ceilings, and we won’t be able to fit these in there.

So, we’d like to give them away…

We are taking the boy’s twin mattresses, however.

So, who wants or needs a bed, or knows someone who could use a new loft bed, let them see the pictures below, and drop us a comment, and we’ll be in touch…

They’ll have to come and help disassemble. Depending on the day, we might be able to help you get the bed to where you need to go.

These will be available til August 5th.

Click on each photo to read more info.

The first bunch is for Willik’s top twin loft.

The second batch is Phoenix chucky custom twin.

The last is our full-size loft.

Enjoy, and please help us give these beds good homes.

Someone asked me last week what percentage of our stuff we had packed.  I said, more hopefully than realistically, that we had done maybe 20%.  When I told Fabio, he said we had done [...]]]> Like I mentioned in my facebook status a couple days ago, I wish I had a magic genie to help us pack.

Someone asked me last week what percentage of our stuff we had packed.  I said, more hopefully than realistically, that we had done maybe 20%.  When I told Fabio, he said we had done maybe 5%.  That was depressing.

So this weekend, we got more boxes from the liquor store, and I packed some of the less used stuff from the high kitchen cabinets, and found more stuff to give away, which means, less to actually move.

Tomorrow will mark exactly 2 weeks to settlement.  So today, I was trying to take care of some of the business of moving.

I called some of the utility companies to transfer service, and researched a bit about phone and internet choices.  I also made copies of our previous car insurance stuff, in order for our new home and car insurance to become effective on time.

We got a couple more estimates from the radon specialists, so we have to decide when and what we’ll do about that.

Yesterday I talked to a cleaning lady about doing a hardcore cleaning before we move in, so that’s all settled.

So the home stretch is definitely in view.  I can’t believe this dream, of having a home, which is been brewing in my heart for 3 years, is finally coming true.

God is so good! He’s so good to me.  I can’t wait to see the boys running around in the backyard, and loading the dishwasher, and washing clothes in my own house. Yes, I’m excited about these things, and have even been making up songs about this.

Too bad all this couldn’t happen where we would be suspended somewhere in/above NYC–then we wouldn’t have to leave our church, friends and family.

Two weeks ago, both our realtor as well as the seller’s realtor were out of town, and so was the seller. Now everyone’s back, and there has been a constant flow of info, but I’ve missed most of it since I was roaming in Canada last week with [...]]]> The home front news has been quiet.

Two weeks ago, both our realtor as well as the seller’s realtor were out of town, and so was the seller. Now everyone’s back, and there has been a constant flow of info, but I’ve missed most of it since I was roaming in Canada last week with the boys and my parents, and those cell calls get expensive. Mostly, Heather has been talking to Fabio.

It seems that the Seller is still stuck on wishing they could have gotten a higher price, and so they keep trying to cop out, and pass the repairs onto us, as if us having to fix the chimney were a present –  a house warming gift.  I think we’ve come to some workable agreement where they’re giving us money to fix the chimney, and we’re gonna take care of the radon mediation on our own.  We’re trying to be reasonable but not doormats about it all.  It’s an interesting dance to learn-lots of new steps.  In the meantime, I have been praying for them, and hoping that they find a house they like.

Anyway, I think we’ll have all the final repair papers and agreements by the end of this week. Once that happens, it’s just waiting for the settlement date. It’s supposed to be July 29th.

Fabio also did a bunch of packing this weekend.  We’re getting closer to the reality of all this.

What other things will we have to learn about, with all this “buying a house” bit?  We’re all ears….

The thing is, because I’m a pretty happy person, I usually don’t spend too much time thinking of those negative things. But if I take the time to slow down and look closer, those are all around.

One of the love-hate relationships I have is doing design. I [...]]]> Yes, I think we all have those.

The thing is, because I’m a pretty happy person, I usually don’t spend too much time thinking of those negative things. But if I take the time to slow down and look closer, those are all around.

One of the love-hate relationships I have is doing design. I love doing it because it’s a art form that is more tangible and appreciated. People can see the fruits of my labor, I can put it to good use, and ideally, it can even earn our family some needed income. The hate part of it comes, as I realize because of various commitments I make to design stuff, especially for church, it takes all my time away, and leaves me with very little time to do design projects that would earn me money, and even less time to do artwork that I want to do such as draw, paint, and sculpt.

The drawing of the hands is for our church’s next sermon series. You can look at the 2 other drawings I created at my art blog. At least with this design, I was able to incorporate drawing in.

I am looking for that balance, and if I can figure it out, I’m sure it will no longer be a love-hate thing, but a nice symbiotic relationship.

That says nothing of how I’m to balance any personal pursuit and still be a good mother, wife and house keeper.

Any ideas? Are you struggling thru similar issues? Have you discovered good balance. I’m listening….

Oh, Happy Canada Day!

Not because she’ll read this, but our realtor rocks!!! She is so on top of stuff. She is always taking good care of us. I’m so glad we found her!

Anyway, all this to say that we’re getting closer to the real deal. [...]]]> Okay, so we’re moving right along with our home buying process.

Not because she’ll read this, but our realtor rocks!!! She is so on top of stuff. She is always taking good care of us. I’m so glad we found her!

Anyway, all this to say that we’re getting closer to the real deal. After inspections, (and there is still the radon inspection which is happening right now), we replied with a list of things we wanted the seller to take care of before we settled. They responded with about half of the list being a yes. Not as much as we had wanted, but more than we thought they’d be willing to do. But there was one thing we wanted to add which they did not respond to, so we’re adding that in now, and their realtor thinks it will be doable.

Also today, a VA appraiser was out at the house to appraise the value, according to VA standards, since we’re using a VA loan. We should hear something by next week.

The seller is on vacation, and our realtor we’ll be on vacation, so things on the “home” front should be quiet til thursday or friday. Maybe I’ll even have time to do some art…and then again, maybe not, cause the boys’ birthday party is this coming weekend!

Never a dull moment! Thanks for checking in and for the prayers.

Willik is an awesome kid who is really bright. He’s quite the conversartionalist, so you can talk to him about almost any subject. He reads vopraciously. I call him my “reading monster”. He reads super fast [...]]]> I gave birth to an amazing baby, who’s become an intriguing kid, named Willik.

Willik is an awesome kid who is really bright. He’s quite the conversartionalist, so you can talk to him about almost any subject. He reads vopraciously. I call him my “reading monster”. He reads super fast and retains what he reads. His love of reading has also brought on a love of history and science. He can tell you tons of things about past presidents, and he’d love to talk to any scientist that is available (right, Eric?) He also keeps a blog with some of his stories. Give him a visit!

Willik also loves soccer. He’s become quite good. If we weren’t moving, I think he might have joined the traveling team. He also loves to run. He’s body is shaped for it and he has incredible stamina.

Willik’s troubles at school usually have to do with talking too much.

He is extremely sensitive and generous. He has given all his money away to World Vision more than once.

He is learning how to be a big brother. He’s still learning that Phoenix’s personality is not the same as his. He is adored by Phoenix.

Willik has always been a pretty obedient child and that is a blessing.

He is a treasure, and I’m glad and in awe that God has given him to us.

I’m excited but cautious, as now we will have to get past the inspections.

We will be going up on monday to watch that happen. Please pray for us and that there won’t be any major problems. God knows what we can handle…

if you’re interested [...]]]> Yes, late last night they accepted our offer! Yahoo.

I’m excited but cautious, as now we will have to get past the inspections.

We will be going up on monday to watch that happen. Please pray for us and that there won’t be any major problems. God knows what we can handle…

if you’re interested in some more pictures of the house, you can look here.

Any one has any advice on how to be patient thru inspections? Any horror stories or encouraging stories? I’d love to hear/read….

Here’s a slideshow of some of the house pictures:

If you can’t see that above, click on this kellers church house.

That’s what God’s people should do.  Teach their children about his ways.

That’s what I try to do, but it’s hard to know [...]]]> “…do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  Deuteronomy 4:8b-9

That’s what God’s people should do.  Teach their children about his ways.

That’s what I try to do, but it’s hard to know when it’s sinking in.

Well, about a week ago, Willik told me about a friend at school who had been in trouble, and would have to get some work at home because he’d wasted his time at school.  Well, said friend was asking Willik fr help, and crying, cause he didn’t know what he should do, or how he’d be able to remember the info from the classroom.  Willik,  then suggested that he should pray and ask God to help him remember.

Unfortunately for the kid and for Willik, this boy didn’t think praying was a good idea.

I, on the other hand was thrilled that Willik thought of prayer as a real solution, and wanted to share it with his friend as a real resource.

The kid opted for doing a rough draft, and recreating it nicely at home instead.

Willik cared enough to ask him if he’d gotten it done the next day.  And he had.

This is the kinda thing that gets me choked up; it reminds me of the weight/privilege I have of influencing and shaping who he’ll become.  Boy, I do need to pray alot as well.  And Lord, I’m so thankful you’re taking hold of his heart!

This afternoon they countered, barely going below their asking price.

So, we counter-offered later this afternoon.

Now we wait again…

Keep praying…

I’m trusting God knows best, so I’m not anxious or worried.  I just wish tomorrow would come quicker.  Maybe that’s why I’m still awake…

A day filled with adventure, from meeting our agent, Heather, to almost not getting into a house, we had our shares of experiences.

The first house, had the owner there. And elderly man, who (we researched this later) lost his wife a couple years ago, was a [...]]]> How does one summarize a tour of 7 houses…

A day filled with adventure, from meeting our agent, Heather, to almost not getting into a house, we had our shares of experiences.

The first house, had the owner there. And elderly man, who (we researched this later) lost his wife a couple years ago, was a bit hard of hearing and English was not his first language, but yet he was so proud of his backyard filled with fruit trees and lots of old sheds and even a little chicken coop, this was an interesting start. Unfortunately, though the yard was huge, the house, left much to be desired.

The second house, brought us to a one of a kind, stately brick home, in the center of the town. It was amazing from the front, with it’s columns, and architecture. Unfortunately, this home also had the owner inside, taking care another elderly and sickly man, practically on his deathbed. This home had a great first floor, but it’s bedrooms were small, as were the backyard. Plus the neighboring establishment was some sort of factory, and that’s not what we’re looking for.

The third house presented us a challenge, right from the get go. Our agent, armed with a digital lock box for entry, could not get the thing to work. While she called a colleague and tried to figure things out, Fabio and I made our way to the backyard, to scope it out, and we were impressed. Right at the end of the cul de sac, it as a spacious grassy yard, and blended in to the other yards around it, so we tried t figure out it’s border, just as Heather got the front door open. We were met buy a tiny entry room, which then opened into a great modern kitchen. This home had a lot of nice features, and seemed to have most of what we were looking for, including a finished basement/playroom, but not really any room for a studio.

As soon as we got out of the car at this next house, we were bombarded by the not-so-lovely smell of manure/fertilizer. Of course, that’s never a good sign. The home had lots of candles, and a decent kitchen, living room, dining room, but there were alot of weird walls, and the rooms were small. The backyard was small too, and there was no basement or attic. Definitely not on the list.

The next house was a real surprise. I had liked the pictures when I first saw it, but I had kinda forgotten about it. We drove up to this one, and we were surrounded by the farms. Yet no smell here. After getting into the breezeway, we walk into a old but huge kitchen. There are nice archways instead of doors connecting different rooms–super nice. The living room was huge, the main bedroom was huge, and on and on, we just kept being surprised by it’s expanse. The attic and basement are both not finished but huge. Both have amazing potential. This one has wowed me!

The next 2 were real downers. They were both in a “desirable” school district, but both of them, although they had A-mazingly humongous backyards, the insides were in terrible condition, and it needed more than a little TLC. Not only that, but it turned out that one of them had an incredible amount of mold on the bathroom ceiling, along with a wall missing from the bathtub wall. It was in pretty bad shape.

The last one we were scheduled to see had we had great hopes for, even though it was possibly not in the market anymore. We’d seen it long ago online, and had wondered about it. It was a cute little house on the hill which we only saw pictures of, because we were not to go inside. It turned out we really didn’t like it’s location, right off a busy road. Not only that, but the large 1+ acre lot was really oddly shaped and uneven, and it wouldn’t work as a running around backyard for the boys.

That was the essence of our tour.

What we liked best was really unexpected. What we thought we’d like was no good. This friday we’re going again, to see another 7, and I think we’ll have a better sense about what we really like/want and what is not for us. Keep us in your prayers, and stay tuned…