hot air balloon ride

For our birthdays, Mom gave my brother, husband and me tickets to go on a hot air balloon ride….we just had to pick a date. This past Saturday finally worked, and the day could not have been more beautiful. We were able to ride "Tiny", the largest balloon in Ohio.

If you have ever dreamed of flying in a hot air balloon, I would highly recommend it! We flew with Gentle Breeze Hot Air Balloon Company out of Lebanon, Ohio. They were so professional and had a great sense of humor. www.hotairballoonrides.com

Unloading the basket from the trailer.

Ready to tip the basket after the burners were attached.

Straightening lines and filling the balloon.

Filling with air.

Three other balloons ready for take-off.

View from the basket looking straight up.

Looking down as we take-off.

A beautiful evening.

Here we are in the balloon.

Our shadow.

Putting the basket away.

With our awesome pilot!

fall photo shoot 2014

This past Saturday was a beautiful, cool fall day here in Ohio. I always enjoy taking the kids to the farm to get their photos taken. These were shot during the evening. I use a Nikon D80 with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. I prefer natural lighting when possible. The kids and I had great fun, and many thanks to my mom for helping the kids to smile for the pictures. Of the 132 photos taken, these were my final and favorite pictures.


In black and white:

In color:

Together. (Getting multiple children to stand still, smile, and pay attention can be quite a feat.)

Almost Peruvian…..lomos saltados

While we were in Peru, we found a dish that we both really enjoyed called Lomos Saltados. We have been missing Peru lately, so I thought I would make my own version of this meal for dinner tonight.

Peruvian's typically have white rice. I substituted with wild rice.

This was the prettiest onion I had ever seen. It was perfect.

All the veggies cut.

Veggies on top of the steak in my stone crock to cook.

Almost Lomos Saltados

1-2 pounds beef sirloin tip roast
1 red onion, cut into 1" wedges
2 peppers, cut into strips (red & yellow; to be authentic use Peruvian aji amarillo)
3-4 garlic cloves, diced
8 small red potatoes, quartered (Peruvian recipes call for thick french fries instead)
3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and quartered (I admit I omitted these tonight.)
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 dash soy sauce
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
cumin to taste

I put all this in my Pampered Chef deep covered stone baker and cooked for 40 minutes in the microwave. Check around 30 minutes depending on the thickness of your meat. (Mine was 2 inches thick, so the cooking took a little longer.)

Traditionally, Peruvian meals are served with white rice. We prefer the long grain, wild rice, so that is what I prepared. I must admit, it tasted amazing, and my hubby was glad to have a meal with steak.

my boys

During Peru there were two little boys that I connected with in two different villages. Even though I just spent a day with each of them, I miss my time with them. It is a little hard to know I probably won't ever see them again, because even if we return, we probably will not return to their villages (the local missionaries do the follow-up with each village). So I share my love of these little boys with you….

Junior

In the first village, I had noticed a mother sneak up the side of the hill that was covered in brush to watch as the children played Peruvian dodge ball. She had an infant baby with her, and her son, who looked to be four years old. I noticed her son couldn't walk right and he couldn't talk either. He watched the other children play, and sometimes came to the top of the hill to crawl around before his mother would call him back. As I watched, I felt a tug in my heart to go talk with the Mother. I introduced myself the best I could with the little Quechua I knew. She told me her son's name was Junior (pronounced "hoo-nee-or"). I felt a connection already as that is the nickname I call my brother. I motioned to Junior's mother to see if I could hold him, and she had such a surprised look on her face that someone would actually want to hold her son. She nodded "yes" and I picked up little Junior. It broke my heart that because a little boy was handicapped, his mother would be surprised someone would notice him, let alone want to hold him. We are so blessed here in America, in more ways that we ever know.

Holding my little man.

Junior and his mother.

My second little boy was in village three, and I had the opportunity to hold him after he had fallen asleep in his big brother's arms during our children's program. He gladly let me hold him so he could color. I had time to sit with this sweet little boy and his sister later while other children were playing ball. She called him Hermano, "brother". He was such a sweet little guy. And I loved his sister too.

Holding my little guy from village three.

He's awake. His sister is helping him look at the camera.
Typical older sister. Haha.

Aren't they just beautiful children?

She took such good care of him.

Sitting with his sis.

So if you get the opportunity to hold a child, don't let it pass, for there are children all over the world who would dearly love to be held.

peru

Stopping to stretch our legs in the Sacred Valley

We are home from Peru and we had an amazing trip. We have been so blessed with the prayers and support given, and we know this trip would not have been possible without the many people who stepped up in so many ways while we were gone.

Machu Picchu

Our time in Peru seemed to go so quickly, from the moment we arrived in Lima, where we spent the night in a missionary guest house. From Lima, we flew to Cusco where we traveled by bus through the Sacred Valley to a town called Ollantaytambo where we took the night train to Aguas Calientes. The next day we took a bus to Machu Picchu. This portion of the trip was intended to allow us to acclimate to the altitude, but was so much more as we toured the ancient Inca ruins. We would be spending most of our time in Peru at elevations of 11,000 to 14,000 feet. The mountains in this part of Peru are especially beautiful. That afternoon we returned to Aguas Calientes where we took the afternoon train to catch our bus back to Cusco. Toured Cusco the next day, visiting markets and historical sites, (and a huge parade) and then caught our plane back to Lima. Our 8-hour bus ride (a neat double decker) to Hauraz went safely, and it was nice to stretch the legs again. We were now in the hometown of our missionaries, Ade and Rachel Yanac. Ade took us on a practice hike in Hauraz up to the cross overlooking the city. It was a bit of a tough hike coming off the bus ride. The day ended at Ade and Rachel’s home, where they served us a meal as a group and we were able to spend time with their family.

Life on the trail. Good sleeping!

Tuesday started our trek up the mountain to our first village. The next five days proved to be amazing and humbling as we worked with the children in each village. Our team was working alongside the AWI missionaries who had translated the New Testament into the Quechua language. Together we would do a children’s program in the school (passing out children’s Bibles, teaching, and coloring) and then we would spend the afternoons playing with the children. In the evenings, the families would come and watch the Jesus Film and then we would share testimonies and pass out the Bibles to each family. 

Such pretty colors

The Quechua people are so beautiful, and their traditional clothing is very colorful, with the full skirts and tall hats. The stars at night were so clear and the sky full of their beauty. It was the first we had ever seen the Milky Way that clear and so close. Nights were cold as we slept in our tents (around 30 degrees), but as soon as the sun came over the mountains in the morning, it was again hot. We were incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful team, and each day of the trip we were reminded of what a special group we were with!

Lunchtime on the trek

With the AWI missionaries. (Ade next to me.)

a little put-put

We had some friends with us today and decided to take the kids put-putting (miniature golf). It was a first for my kids, and they kept calling it it "pot-pot." We went to Hazzards in Huber Heights, where they have a nice 18-hole course. The funniest part was when Claire figured out the point of the game was to get the ball in the hole at the end of the green, so she would pick up her ball and run to the end, place it 3 inches from the hole and hit it in. "I did it!" She was so excited each time. Frederick was the only one to get a hole-in-one. Elauna actually had pretty good form: golf might be her sport.

With the friends.

Hazzards put-put course.

Getting tips from Dad.

Frederick working on a shot.

This is how close she would stand for her shot!

My little golfer.

In the event you are interested in miniature golf, check out Hazzards in Huber Heights.
www.hazzardsminigolf.com
6240 Brandt Pike
Dayton, Ohio
937.233.4706
They are located right next to the bowling lanes.

doodle books

I bought these blank magnetic doodle boards on Pick Your Plum. I wanted to customize them for each of my kids, so I used washi tape and fabric bows. Here they are:

Blank doodle book

Inside of doodle book

Washi tape

Girl doodle book

Another girl doodle book

Boy doodle book