Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday in Brazil is just not quite the same. While it is customary to attend church on Easter Sunday, there are no traditions of big family dinners or new dresses, bonnets, and white shoes. I sort of miss all of that. So even though it is not what everyone does, I still feel like to dress up the boys in something a little nicer than usual and take a picture.

Easter Sunday 2012

An Invitation

You are cordially invited to the First Matchbox Church of Fisher Price. We have an exciting bilingual music program offering hymns and choruses in English and Portuguese. Meetings are held on Sunday afternoons in our living room, and all are welcome!

Water Works

We have been in Rondônia for just over a month now, and I think we are getting used to this different way of life. Of course, we have been in Brazil long enough to feel like we are used to the culture, but living in a rural, small city setting has been a little like going to a different country, even though we are still in Brazil.

Our water situation is one thing that has been a little different for us, and I thought you might find it interesting.

We start here...at the well in the backyard.

Thankfully, I don't have to haul water in buckets from the well. There is an electric pump that pumps it up into the water box...

...Which sits up on a tower next to the house.

There are pumps that are automatic, and when the box gets half empty, they automatically fill it up and shut off. Ours is not automatic, so when our box gets empty (hopefully not while you are in the shower!) we go flip the switch on the back porch and the pump runs water up into the box.

Then you try to remember to turn it off or you flood the yard. Yes, I know from experience! The boys are really good at reminding me to turn it off. It sits right out their window, so they hear it overflowing. Judson loves to holler at me..."Mom, the water bucket is spilling over!"

Another great thing, is that we don't pay for this water, and from what we have been told, it doesn't ever run dry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that "they" are telling the truth, especially as we head into the dry season. I do A LOT of laundry, and we take A LOT of showers! There's no getting around that with temperatures in the 90's and high humidity every day.

We don't drink this water, so we buy bottled water in 20 liter containers. We call and they deliver them to our house. We average using two a week.

I'll end with that, because after all that water talk, you probably need a drink...or need to visit the restroom!