So This Was Christmas

I was feeling guilty for complaining about the lack of Christmas blogs when I hadn't posted anything about our Christmas, so here it is:  This picture, taken from the car, is the best one I got of the big fabric tree in the praca this year. It really doesn't do it justice, but it's the best one I got.

On the eighth of December we said good-bye to quite a large group of elders. It was a really good group and we were sad to see them go, but excited for them to be moving on in their lives.

The next day we received another group of newbies. Only the Brazilian missionaries that were scheduled to come made it that day. Actually they didn't arrive until night. There was a flood in Sao Paulo and they couldn't get to the airport to make the flight they were supposed to take. They finally arrived at about 7:30 at night; about 8 hours late. We didn't even get the North American missionaries that were supposed to arrive in this group. They had visa problems and were stuck in the MTC in Provo until just a couple of days before Christmas. Eight more missionaries was a pretty good Christmas gift we thought.

We got another good Christmas gift; a visit from Mom and Ellen. As you can see the trip made Mom a little tired. She sort of crashed the first day, but rebounded nicely.  Alan drove us to see the site for the temple that will be built here.  We took a drive along a road with a pretty ocean view too.  I hadn't warned them sufficiently about all the trash and  graffiti they would see.  That took them back a bit, but being lovers of trees and flowering bushes, they could still see the beauty in the area.

This picture is out of order a bit as to how things really went, but I suppose it doesn't really matter that much. I took them to see a few of the tourist spots in Fortaleza. The mural behind them is made of little tiles; probably less than a square inch each. We drove past some other interesting spots in the city, but....

Ellen was pretty sick and really didn't feel like getting out for a bunch of photos. She spent most of two whole days on the couch or her bed.

We did drag her to the mall one day and took a picture of her in front of her grandson's, James, favorite birthday meal restaurant, Subway.  She didn't feel like eating anything, but she was game for the picture. We had gone to the beach that morning too, but didn't get any pictures.  We didn't stay too long and just waded.  Ellen wasn't up to getting in the waves. 

 

While Ellen was sick, Mom checked her e-mail and had time for a few forwards. Don't you love how she fits in Alan's chair?


I finished piecing a little quilt top for neto#1.  Mom and Ellen said  my sisters would help get it quilted and bound.  I hope they don't mind being volunteered. I would do it myself, but quilt batts, quilt frames, and other quilting type stuff is not to be found in Fortaleza.  They don't have to worry about keeping babies warm here. 

Finally by Wednesday, Ellen was back on her feet. She wasn't feeling great, but I had asked her to help me make doughnuts while she was here and she did. We gave some to our stake president's family. (They had been to the U. S. and had mentioned that they really loved the doughnuts there.) Irene took a bunch to her family. Alan took a bunch to some of the missionaries and the people that work in our building. I ate 3, Mom had 2, and Ellen had a doughnut hole. I know, she can be such a pig sometimes.

Mom did her part putting the maple icing on some of them. You can see my attempt at the glazed ones in the background. I didn't quite get that down. I may have to practice some more.

The night before they left, we went to the market by the beach so Ellen could get all her grandkids a little something from Brazil. She has 17 of them, so it was no small chore. It was fun even though we got sweaty. Mom said she  thought she saw half of the 2 and 1/2 million people that live in Fortaleza that night. I doubt she really did, but there were a lot of people there.

The next day Ellen came to the cooking rescue again.  She fixed Cordon Bleu for us and for four missionaries.  Two were heading home in between transfers so they can start school on time and one of them had mentioned that he really liked Cordon Bleu.  I had never fixed it before, but I knew Ellen had, so I enlisted her help.  She said it wasn't that hard, but I think her definintion of "not that hard" must be a little different than mine. 

The week went by so fast and it was so good to see them and have them here for Christmas.  I felt bad about Ellen getting sick, but we really think it was something she brought with her and wasn't something she picked up here.  (We don't want to scare any potential visitors off.)  I hope they had a good time and thought it was worth all the effort to get here.  I just got a phone call that they had arrived in Grant.  Back, safe, home again.