Burnt Ends in the Oven

I know that some of my friends will think that this is heretical but I made burnt ends in the oven and not on a grill or smoker.

Beautiful Brisket

It is always good to know your butcher and be able to get an awesome cut of meat. Here in Brazil I get the opportunity to make my own seasoning mix.

Rubbed and Ready to go

Before adding the seasoning blend you need to trim off all the unnecessary fat. Fat is flavor and you need it but there is some tough large fat that needs to be trimmed.

Trimmings from the Brisket

Brisket needs to be cooked low and slow to turn out best. I cooked the Brisket for 4 hours on a low temperature in the oven.

Checking on the Brisket

After pulling out the Brisket I let it rest before we cut it up. This is very important because it allows for the meat to rehydrate.

Roasted Briscket

While the Brisket was resting I made some BBQ sauce. After cutting the Brisket into cubes I then bathed them in BBQ sauce and put them back into the oven to get some good crust.

Burnt Ends smothered in BBQ sauce

In the end the dinner was wonderful with Aipim, Burnt Ends and Coleslaw. All of us loved the meal.

Aipim, Burnt Ends, and Coleslaw

Sítio da Esperança Wood Projects: Strengthening Tables with Epoxy

We have finally gotten the epoxy that we needed to complete the large wood table. I had to purchase 15 kilos of epoxy so that we could be assured to finish the project (hopefully).

Our measuring and dying station

We had to set up a station to weigh and add dye to the epoxy. This turned out to be very important as we made almost 8 kilos of epoxy during the day.

Pouring epoxy into termite tunnels

The process is fairly simple in that it is 2 parts epoxy to 1 part hardener. After you mix for a minute and a half and then you can pour it into the table. If you want to add dye you add it before you mix the harder with the epoxy.

We will have epoxy pockets on all sides

Between Chico and I we mixed and poured epoxy all day. At the beginning of the day I was the master teaching Chico all that I knew but by the end of the day the master had become the student.

Chico doing a great job of pouring the epoxy

I am pleased with how the project is progressing and the results. There will need to be more epoxy added and things touched up but we are well on our way to completing this table project.

Dark blue epoxy on some lower levels

Light blue tinted epoxy

Black epoxy on the lower middle section

Clear epoxy on the top of the table

Tales of a Pregnant Woman

Tati sent me these four cartoons. Each of them are very appropriate and explain the current or recent issues Tati is experiencing. Enjoy the pictures and for you mothers this many bring back many good or bad memories.

Ready Made Table

I remember when Tati was eating and simply placed the plate on her stomach to wipe her hands with a napkin.

A Throne to Sleep on

One night I walked into our bedroom to observe a throne that she had constructed with 4 pillows and 4-6 blankets.

Putting on Socks and Shoes

Most days I help Tati to put on her socks and shoes. This has been great practice for helping our child put on socks and shoes.

Picking up Items from the floor

I have to say that at times I have laughed at my wife because of the funny ways that she picks something up from the ground.

A Tale of Two Weeks

We have returned to in person worship services at Ministério Bíblico Ivoti. It has been very encouraging to see many people committed to meeting in person.

Many Attendees to our Worship Service

We have been enjoying more and more people worshiping with us in person. Two weeks ago we had a high of 76 people.

Our Tech Team

Last week we had an opportunity to fix the flooring issues. To do this we need to sand down the old painted floor and then apply a new coating to the floor. We are hopeful that this will fix our flooring issues.

Sanding Down the Flooring

However this means that we are not able to use our building for our Worship Service. We had an online service and are hopeful that we can return this week weather permitting. It is our desire to return to in person worship services but at times things happen which will limit our ability to meet in our building for a limited and temporary time.

Online Service

Baby Names Part 2

When thinking about baby names Tati and I have thought through how they will be pronounced and read in each language.

Maria

As a missionary it is interesting to think about names in the context of two cultures. You have your own culture, for me American and for Tati Brazil. Then you have the culture you are living in, for us Brazil. We want to choose a name that is unique for us and still representative of our cultures.

Isaac Newton

We have been talking and come up with some possibilities. Things that we have considered are how the name is pronounced, spelled, and received amongst other considerations.

Daniel

We have eliminated some names that sound the same or similar in English and Portuguese. Some of the names eliminated are Anna, Maria, Sofia, Ezekiel, Isaac, and Daniel.

Cleft Lip and Palate

A little less than 40 years ago my parents found out that I was a boy and had a cleft lip and transparent palate when I was born. Tati and I have found out that our child has a cleft lip and bilateral palate using an ultrasound.

Born with a cleft lip

While my parents were surprised at my birth Tati and I have an opportunity to get ahead of the game. We have been talking with our doctor and seeking opinions.

Looking normal

We are very thankful that these issues with our child are cosmetic and there are no other issues. We are also very thankful that I have gone through something similar and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with my child.

Cleft Lip on display

Sítio da Esperança Wood Projects (Part 8): Frustrating Epoxy

A couple of weeks ago we took the opportunity to make try some epoxy fixes on a coffee table we had been working on. I had purchased 2kg, about 2 liters, of epoxy and thought that it would be good to start to complete not only this project but also the wood table project.

What happened to the epoxy?

I made the first cup of epoxy and hardener and poured it in. It seemed to fill up the cavity well and I wondered if I made too much. However, I set my timer for 40 minutes and waited to pour the next lift. When I came back 40 minutes later the cavity was empty of epoxy.

Where is the epoxy going? I made more epoxy and filled the cavities again. The same thing happened again.

Filled up yet again

This time I made a double batch and waited a little after pouring in the epoxy. I started to look around the coffee table wondering where the epoxy was going. There was no spillage or leaks anywhere.

Finally some epoxy is starting to pool

Being the first time that I have done this I surmise that two main things contributed to this. The first was that the wood was dry and the second was that there is a large cavity somewhere which holds all the epoxy. After finally using almost all the 2 liters of epoxy we had enough to fill almost all the cavities.

A clear epoxy pool

I am excited for what the final product will be after the coffee table is sanded flat and then stained.

Remembering 9/11

I was in college when 9/11 happened. I remember that I was at home sleeping upstairs and my mother yelled and told me that I need to wake up. As I was coming down the stairs I remember her telling me that my dad might be having to go to war. I also remember the image on the television.

The second plane slamming into tower two

The image was of the second plane slamming into tower two. On September 11, 2001 I was enjoying the last week before I went back to school. This drastically changed my thoughts and life. To this day we still experience some of the changes like security when you get on and off of planes. I am sad to see how people have forgotten what happened when Islamic terrorists hijacked four planes and tried to destroy various locations. The twin towers had planes flown into them and another plane hit the Pentagon. The last plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

The 9/11 memorial

We should never forget what happened and how committed people can be to killing others and causing terror.

TILAT: Eagle Eye

I love that my wife has an eagle eye for savings. We were driving through Ivoti and she said we have to go back to this pharmacy.

Diapers on Sale

As we drove by Tati saw that there were diapers on sale. My wife is amazing and wants to save money whenever possible. She reminds me of my grandmother’s who were always looking for a good deal.

Sítio da Esperança Wood Projects (Part 7): Staining projects

It has been raining off and on recently and not been a good time to paint or stain some of the projects we have been working on. However last Wednesday it was warm and dry so I took the opportunity to get some painting done.

Front of door before staining

Back of door before staining

There are projects that we have been working on and finally we were able to stain the door which was hung a couple of weeks ago. Here are the before and after pictures of the door. I am really thankful that it turned out so well.

Front of door after staining

Back of door after staining

Side Table before staining

Side Table before staining

Coffee Table before staining

We have also been working on different coffee tables and side tables. I was very impressed at the deep red color that came out for the side tables. I also like the stain on the skinny coffee table.

Coffee Table after staining

Side Table after staining

Side Table after staining