Saturday, October 25, 2008

These are a few of my Favortie Things...

I thought you'd enjoy seeing a picture of some of the things my sweetheart brought back for me from the states. "Well, at least you could pretend you are interested!" {Oh. please excuse me, I thought I was talking to my pre-teen} My mom used that sentence on me a few times. I feel it's my ancestral duty to pass it along to my little ones.

The book is by Sheri Dew, "God needs a Powerful People". I loved her book entitled "No On Can Take Your Place". Great book. {It's 1 am my time and that's the closest you are going to get to a book review}

I had him bring back 3 cans of Comstock Cherry Pie Filling. Get this, they charge over $8.00 per can here!

Pick yourself up off the floor!

Can you believe it!?!?!?! I have a delish cherry cheesecake recipe I'll share with you soon. But at $16.00 just for the topping, my famous dessert wasn't ever going to make it to our table. {We really have 4 cans but 3 photographed better}

I requested Raid fumigator because, yes I'll admit it, we have cockroaches. And not the tiny little ones from the states, but the 4-5 inch ones that make everyone here head for higher ground in .2 seconds flat! Even Paige my "bug hunter" gets out of the way.

My honey brought "MILK" chocolate chips. 2 bags even! Most of you know how picky I am with my chocolate chip cookies. I like them perfect! I makes me feel closer to my mother since hers were always perfect. In order to make them perfect, I have to have milk chocolate. I'm not a fan of semi-sweet. Who would want to be semi anything? Always do things 100% !

Above the {MILK} chocolate chips is my breakfast secret. Crumbled, home cooked bacon, that I didn't have to cook. You can find this large bag at Costco or Sam's Club and it's worth the money. I am a supporter of the homemade breakfast before school {work} and this makes life so much easier for me.
===================== ======== ======Opps, forgive me, I was daydreaming of the days my kids trotted off to public school.

So, once opened, keep the bag in the refrigerator and anytime you cook scrambled eggs, omelets, egg skillets and such sprinkle them in the mixture. Your family still gets the bacon, you save money, time and bacon house smell!

I also have brown sugar {it just isn't the same here}, deodorant {do I need to explain?}, bleach pen {I'm going to draw some designs on my shirt that has a stain on it. See if I can make the stain look cool} and erasable pens {they are supposed to be easier for kids to write with than pencils}.

So have a GREAT week everyone! And if you see my AWESOME friend MaryAnn, wish her a happy birthday today!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Friends and Food Storage


Well, we have started our Costa Rican food storage. It consists of these humongous bags of rice and beans. When we first arrived my son Troy couldn't stand rice and beans {a main staple of most 3rd world countries}. Now he LOVES them. He loves them with eggs for breakfast, by themself or with chicken for dinner. He does not love them with sour cream which is how they eat it here. It's so yummy. { I wonder if when your kids are adults you just automatically stop using words like "yummy", "owie" & "tummy".} Humm...



I want to introduce you to a friend of ours. Everyone say hello to Gene. "Hello Gene!"

Gene is our bus driver. Yes he owns and drives the vomit comet. The bus is used for his business but he so kindly uses it on Sunday to take those of us who would otherwise have to take a taxi (or not come). I'm sure you like him already!

He is a card. Gene loves to mess around with everyone and is well liked. He lives part time in the states the other here in Costa Rica. When he isn't here, Wes gets to transport everyone in the VC.

Gene decided to surprise us with a succulent roasted chicken for our Sunday meal. WOW! A man that can cook. Yaowzers!!

Needless to say, we had a wonderful meal. I even pulled out all the stops and turned over our silk curtain and used it as a tablecloth. Fancy huh?

Anyone want to cone to dinner?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Desperate times call for Desperate Measures

I just designed this {beautiful, family harmonizing} quote to go on the inside of my toilet lid. My friend Christina owns a vinyl lettering business and is creating this for me. Isn't it cute??? When you have 5 males living in your home, sometimes it just comes down to this!

If you need a similar reminder in your home, go to her website and email her and let her know.

Mother's of BOYS, unite!!!

{I'll post pictures when it's all set up!}

Monday, October 20, 2008

Found My Camera Battery...

Whew! I'm so relieved!!! Of course it was exactly where I put it just hidden under 10 rolls of paper towels. What a crime to be a photographer, in Costa Rica, without a camera.


So watch out, I will probably bombard you with pictures these next few weeks.
I've started working with parents that are struggling with teens addicted to drugs. It's tough but I feel like I'm helping.
So here is my work station. It's about 2 feet wide and in between my fridge and microwave. I had to laugh when Landon decided to do my work for me.

Then of course Aiden wants to pose for a photo op!

We have had trouble with our 2nd bathroom {we added on a few months ago} so the boys couldn't sleep in their room for a few days. We dragged their mattress out into our {large, hee, hee} living area and made do. I couldn't help but take a picture of where Aiden felt most safe at night.
Here you can see how Costa Rica living has made it's way into my children's imagination. Here are Paige's princess dolls in a "sparkly" carriage being pulled by lizard. I love finding things like this around the house. I once opened my microwave and found the power rangers duking it out inside. The joys of motherhood.