Just a Nice Day Today...

I finally convinced the kids to go on a walking tour of our little city here. Up until now, I got the "I don't want to's" for whatever {lame} reason they came up with.
But today...they all agreed. I think the idea that we are REALLY leaving is sinking into their minds.
I took this shot just around the corner from our home as we headed out.
We spent about half an hour with them coordinating the photographers angles and shots. Every once in awhile I give up that power and let them go at it.
Every city in Costa Rica has a church...with a park and ours is no exception. We just hung out...ate some ice cream and watched the birds.

I just snapped this shot of one of the many streets here. I remember when we first arrived...I felt uncomfortable walking down the roads here. The sidewalks are crumbled cement and dangerous. It's a marvel that women here can traverse it in HIGH HEELS. Just amazing.
Now I feel comfort in the old homes and businesses, small sidewalks and interesting sinkholes.

I wouldn't let my kids go home until we found this wall. I LOVE IT! We pass it every Sunday on our way to church. The colors are so vivid and the message is great. I crack up when I see the barbed wire scrolling over the top. That just comes with the territory.

Better get to bed...I leave in 6 hours to pick up mi amigas.

Goodnight!

I woke up this morning...

and realized I have 2 more days to finish up last minute packing before my "girlfriends" arrive. I like to complete work under pressure. Two things I love...change and a challenge! Maybe reasons to why Costa Rica worked for me.

It's interesting though...kind of like the end of a pregnancy where you are so tired of being pregnant that you don't care how the baby is going to come out!! That's where I am here...since I got back from my trip to the states...our hot water heater went out. We went 2 weeks without a hot shower or bath.

Now all our water is out. It's been over 24 hours without water. Oh the fun that entails. Of course in between these loses we've had electricity, Internet and phone outages. It's just time. Time to get this baby out however hard it may be! :D

Thought you'd like some pictures of dinner by candlelight thanks to one of our many power outages.

These are Few of my Favorite Things...

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes..." Sorry...need to get that out of my head.

Give me another minute...

There...I'm good.

As you know I've put together a package of my favorite things here. Lorena...(who will won the opportunity to be the recipient of these treasures) offered me the chance to put her gifts on the blog before I send the package out.

Since the first batch of pictures came out blurry. Yeah...I'm a professional photographer but this little camera takes some getting used to.

I'm going to take a new set. Also I haven't been worried about getting the package in the mail here. I'm having my girlfriends take it back with them to mail. It will get to her much sooner.

Are you curious to see what she's getting?

Here goes...

Alright...I'm too lazy tonight to retake the pictures...you are going to have to pretend they are clear and beautiful.

Here is my "clear" photo of Dulce de Leche". They use it on everything sweet here. You will find it in chocolate cakes, tres leche, and as a doughnut topping. I love it heated and poured on ice cream. But the main reason I put it in the package is because of the handy, dandy opening. Love it! Twist off and enjoy.
This is dish washing "paste". It is made for cold water since most homes/shacks here don't have hot water. My favorite detail is that since it is a paste...the kids don't go through it as fast as they do the liquid stuff.
Yumm. It's amazing these have survived. They are the best "galleta" {Cookie} They are a butter shortbread cookie and I love to crumble them up and use as a pie crust. Most snacks here are individually packaged...not as a single serving package...but because once they are opened they become soggy with all the water in the air.
Now I know that you can get these in the states...but they are very popular here. I've seen them scattered on top of birthday, cupcakes and handed out as a afternoon snack. The individual colors actually taste different.

A surfboard key chain will make it to Lorena's home because that was our favorite activity here. Even my little guy headed out with the instructor to surf (when he was just 3).
Oh my vanilla. This secret weapon has benefited many a recipe of mine. If you haven't had vanilla from South or Central America...you are really missing out!
This is a little coconut shell purse...with a few colones inside. They are HUGE compared to U.S. coins.
Awww. This is better than dry Ranch dressing. Mix this up with 8 oz of sour cream and yummmy!! The difference is it has more cilantro inside. I heart cilantro.
You have to have a Costa Rica gecko magnet. In Costa Rica you hope a gecko family takes up residence in your home. They eat mosquitoes. Bon appetite!

More of the Contrasts Here...

Things have been quite exciting here since I returned home to the land of paradise. It seems like I was gone so long that it took about 20 minutes for my youngest to warm up to me.

Ouch!

In case you haven't heard...the munchkins and I (all 5 of them) are headed back to Southern California in a few weeks. Just a 2 month pit stop before we arrive in Colorado.

YAHOOOOOOO!!!

Opps, did that escape my throat??? Sorry...our condo has been out of HOT water since I got back. And did I mention the cable has been out for 4 weeks. We don't watch very much T.V. but I love using it as an incentive. With all the kid's channels in Spanish...I can also chalk it up as a language class, right?

I do have mixed feelings on the subject of leaving of course. I know we will never have this opportunity again. I love what this country has done for us as a family, as an American of the United States and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint. Boy are we blessed.

When I was back in the states a few weeks ago...I just knew it was time. I sat in a public library and I think I cooed out loud!

No really! I did.

The idea of city sports and public school will send me into a frenzy of giggles.

Hee, hee.

Hee, hee....hee, hee!

See...

I want all that again and I want my kids to have that and it is time. For every time there is a season, right? This season is over...no regrets but looking forward to our next season.

Changing the subject now...
The beginning of this week I watched my little (adorable) nephew while his mom had some important work to do. I got to watch him at her hotel. It was amazingly fantastic!

Here is my sweet girl on the private stairs that lead to our suite.
The pool surrounded by Tarzan vines. You can't tell from the picture but a river runs under the pool.
This is the restaurant of course.
Out our balcony view of the city.
Corridor through the hotel.
Had to throw this cute one in. I love these chairs.
This mini pool was in our room...
in it's own room of course. Nice. I think my sweetie and I need to try out this hotel by ourselves.

In case you were wondering it's new and called The Beacon. (in Escuzu)

Interview with Dallin...

Me: Dallin, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you like Costa Rica?

Dallin: Probably a 9.

Me: What adventure was most fun for you?

Dallin: Zip Lining. No, no, no, no...the flood!

Me: What is your least favorite thing about Costa Rica?

Dallin: They don't sell DS chargers here.

Me: If you could change 1 thing about Costa Rica what would it be?

Dallin: That there would be a Best Buy store here.

Me: If you could change 1 thing about the states what would it be?

Dalliin: That they would have Platanos. (chips made from plantains)

Me: What is your favorite food here?

Dallin: Plantanos and gallo pinto (rice and black bean dish served with sour cream)

Me: What adventure do you wish you'd have done here?

Dallin: I wish I had taken surfing lessons for more than just 2 months.

Me: How would you finish this sentence..."Dear Costa Rica,
Thank you for...

Dallin: all the paradise and at least TRYING to fix the roads.

Our Arrival..

I didn't realize how miserable we all looked when we first arrived.
From start to finish it took about 20 hours of travel time to get to our new headquarters.

Paige was STARVING and the last 30 minutes of our trip she spent making sure we all knew it! Of course she didn't want any food I had packed.
It's interesting that everyone looks so tired and sad... I remember feelings of utter bliss to have survived the 3 am layover in Miami with a 3 and 2 year old.

Interview with Paige...

I sat down and interviewed my little angel and here is what she had to say.

Enjoy!

Me: Paige I'm going to ask you some questions about Costa Rica, o.k.?

Paige: Why?

Me: To put on the blog celebrating our 1 year anniversary week!

Paige: {said while beautifully mastering a front flip on my newly made bed} alright, shoot!

Me: Paige, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you like Costa Rica?

Paige: 1 trillion, million, billion!

Me: {taking mental note to go over some points in math} Alright, good!
What adventure was most fun for you?

Paige: Being baptized in the ocean and having my grandpa Krepps there.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about Costa Rica?

Paige: When we were flooded and also how everywhere you turn it's GREEN!

Me: {that's a negative?}
If you could change 1 thing about Costa Rica what would it be?

Paige: That people litter.

Me: {Me too!}
If you could change 1 thing about the states what would it be?

Paige: Drugs.

Me: What is your favorite food here?

Paige: Arroz con camaron {rice with shrimp} and mangos. Not together though...separate.

Me:What adventure do you wish you'd have done here?

Paige: zip lining, quad tours and lived in a mansion.

Me: {yeah a mansion would be nice}
How would you finish this sentence..."Dear Costa Rica,
Thank you for...

Paige: being helpful, adventurous and beautiful. Thank you for existing!

1 YEAR TODAY!!!!

Wooohoooo!  We've made it!  

When we left for this adventure I told Wes that I would stay at least 3 months but no longer than a year!

Look at me...by tomorrow I'll have "gone the extra mile" by staying 1 year and 1 day!!!

I've got kids climbing all over me screaming for breakfast, "How rude!"

I'll continue my post after they are filling their tummies.  But, we have a contest!!!

Anyone who comments on a post from NOW until Saturday will be entered into our contest.  You can only be entered once per post.  We love comments and the well is usually dry here so of course our contest is going to be used to pull a comment or two out of you.  Hee, hee!

The prize, you are wondering???

I can't tell you.  

O.K. I'll tell you a little bit.  It will be a package sent to your home with a FAVORITE item from Costa Rica from EACH of our 7 family members.

You can bet I'll be sending over our PERFECT vanilla.  Yumm!  And of course I'm going to have to throw in the best seasoning packet I get here. Oh just delish!!

I know the boys and my honey will have something cool to send too, but you should be worried about what my sweet little girl will send.  

Be very afraid!  (I'm probably teasing here...I have no idea what she'll decide to send.)

So as we create a box for you with our favorite Costa Rican treasures...I'll also have my kids on as guest speakers to tattle more on our experience here.

We'd LOVE to have you join us!

Tootles!!!  See you later this afternoon.

What should we do to CELEBRATE!?!?!?  

Shawna's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies...

So tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary of our life here in beautiful, crazy, full of trials and blessings, Costa Rica.

I can't believe it. An entire year? Are you sure?

Then again I think..."It's only been a YEAR?!?!?! Are you sure?!??!"

I would love to post a traditional Costa Rican recipe today. I have 1 that I love made with Chiotte. (I've spelled that all wrong I know) It's made with that funny green squash that looks like a crinkly grandma face. Well I love the dish but my kids do not, so I'm not going to waste your time and post it. Even though it would make for a great post.

In it's place I'm going to post the recipe that made us feel like a family even venturing through this strange land.

It's my FAMOUS {in my own mind} Chocolate Chip Cookies.
This recipe means so much to me. If you can bare with me, I'll explain. If not, just skip down to the end of this post and get the recipe.

My mother, whom I adore, always made the PERFECT Chocolate chip cookies. They were thick and chunky. The kind that you would love to sink your teeth into just out of the oven. The kind that made us pass on cookies that others made because we had already had the best!

They were that good.

My mom used this talent to start a tradition in our family when my oldest was young. On New Years day she would come over and teach her grandchildren to make her cookies. They had so much fun making more of a mess than cookies. It was a moment in time when, as a mother, you watch your mother let your kids get away with things you were never aloud to!! I LOVED it!

Now my mother has returned to her Father in Heaven. She left 3 years ago. I, of course miss her so and even now as I type this the lump in my throat grows and I'm typing through my tears.

ANYWHO!!

I have tried to duplicate her recipe and it's a hit and miss. Mostly miss. Even when I follow her directions EXACTLY!

So I have worked hard to create this recipe that works for me 99.9% of the time. It is a great hit everywhere I take them. One of my traditions with my kids is that if it rains they get homemade chocolate chip cookies. When they are at school and it rains...they love to look forward to coming home to gooey cookies. So fun!

In California it wasn't too difficult to follow through on this...but Costa Rica has dropped more rain from it's sky in one week then we got all year. This tradition of home baked cookies has brought our family closer together. It was one of the few things that we brought with us from the states. Living here has raised my gratitude level for family traditions. You can bring them with you no matter where your family beds down at night.

So here it is.
Enjoy.

Shawna’s Best, Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¾ cup butter (NOT softened)
1 egg yolk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ¾ cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until just blended by hand {very important you do this by hand}. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Scoop cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and place 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Enjoy!!!

I scoop these with a large cookie scoop. I also double the recipe. ☺

Another trick I LOVE...
Double or triple your batch, then scoop the cookies and place them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Then when you are in the mood...put out exactly how many you need. Pop them into the oven and presto...you are the homemaking QUEEN!

You can also FREEZE the cookie. Then set it out on the counter for a few minutes to thaw just a tad. It's like eating cookie dough and a cookie. The best of both worlds.

You aren't left with tons of dough/cookies to temp you!! And your kids and SWEETHEART want to kiss the ground you walk on. Win win situation.
I have to give mi amiga Christine B. credit for this. Good job Christine! High five!

{Dang-it, now that High-Five kid's show is stuck in my head!! Oh well, better just go with it.}

Contest tomorrow!! See you then!

You Have Been so Patient

My Camera charger died a few months ago.  I feel like my left arm is gone!  {and I'm LEFT handed!!!}

 

I have finally ordered a charger and will be picking it up when I head to the states for some added spiritual upliftment.  {and to have a week where the only teeth I brush are MINE}  Oh the JOY!

I'm headed to Women's Conference...alone.  None of my CLOSE amigas are going, sniff, sniff.  But I am pleased to have private time to really ponder what I'm learning.

I remember when this was taken.  It was the year all the stars aligned and we were able to go together.  I recall on this trip knowing that this would not happen again for a long time.  It was just PERFECT.  I will think of all of you while I'm there. :)

I love being a mommy...but I do know how to get away and not worry.

Want in on my SECRET???

 

Prayer.

Yep.  I say a little prayer to my Father in Heaven and ask for help to let me relax (and that my husband returns my children ALIVE).

Works every time.  {at least so far}  I can't wait to test my secret again.  

So thank you for hanging with me as I used old pictures and copied recipe pictures for my...recipes.

In a few weeks I shall return with probably more pictures than you'd like.  Ha!  Ha!  

So everyone...enjoy some MORE old pictures of my crazy family.  

AND can you believe that Wednesday marks our 1 YEAR anniversary in Costa Rica?

 

Yahooo!!!!  Another goal accomplished!!! Time for a little give away, don't you think???

Kids on a traditional Costa Rican cart.



The first day of {mommy's home schooling the oldest 3 so the little ones are headed off to} preschool.
Memories of Paige's baptism day.

During our CRAZY rainstorms the kids would enjoy being outside.  Look at that umbrella of ours.

My favorite path we found out driving one day.  I'm using this in a post about this Costa Rican life path we took.

Our home was the 3rd home on the left at the end of this road.  This is the road I walked everyday to the grocery store. 
Dallin and Paige...enjoying Costa Rica's puda vida!
My honey taking my sweetie to be baptized.  It was a perfect day.

It's 3 AM, scratch that, 4 AM...

and one of God's creatures has decided to belt out the most beautiful lyrics somewhere outside of our home. It is absolutely music to my ears, except that I want to sleep!!!!

I've tried to ask the bird to leave, but he insists on presenting his lullaby here at our home at this hour.

So I've conceded and here I am, listening and typing. {Thinking about using the rocks my son collected from the park yesterday as a weapon}

Anyway, I wanted to show you how we get around town {country} here. Most streets do not have names. We use churches {that are connected to parks}, banks and broken down houses as a reference; anything that would stick in someone's mind.

A direction to a school for troubled teens I used to visit went something like this:
Go right about 5 kilometers. Turn left and go all the way around the blue church. Drive for 2 kilometers and turn right again after the train tracks. When you pass the 3rd white house (shack) turn left. "Hummm...is that house considered white or cream? Augh!!!" Turn left at the street with 3 small and 4 large electric lines passing over it.

O.K. maybe those aren't the exact directions but you get the picture. Right?

Here are the directions to my friend's house we visited the other day...
{I put the directions in a different order so no one could surprise my friend and just show up on a day her maid isn't there. Aren't I nice?}

At the bottom of the
hill as you start back up, you will come to a fork with CR Bank in the middle of the fork, stay left and continue up the hill
• Your first possible left turn is just past the Cruz Roja sign – DON'T TURN
HERE
• At your second possible left, turn left – this is the
Country Day School road which you will come to in about 2.5 blocks. No sign,
but CDS is on both sides of the road and looks institutional and school-like
with huge chain link fences.
• Keep going till you have to turn right at a No Hay Paso.
• You will come to a wide yellow speed bump just before a dangerous
intersection, continue on straight thru the stop
• Continue straight up for about a mile. You'll pass a dark
orange condo on the left: Keep going.
• At the top of the hill, the asphalt road you are on takes a 90° curve to
the left. BUT a new gray brick road continues straight ahead of you: take...


Is that funny or what? There are many days I think about Utah and the EASY South, North, East and West directions there. Oh, and street signs. I've spent many moments on the phone trying to explain to someone that the best way to get a hold of me is email.

It really is.

But get this...through all this CRAZINESS, the other day I told my sweetheart..."Honey, I've been thinking I might just want to retire here."

Smack...he hit the floor in a dead faint.




Crossing the street in Costa Rica from Peter Krupa on Vimeo.

How Many Days Can I Go Without Complaining?

{Said in the Tootsie Roll commercial voice, the one with the owl} One...two ooh, three...CRUNCH!

I guess we will never know...

Except I do know..it took me 79 days before I complained. So lame. Especially when I thought the day would never come.

{My daughter saw the above picture and said, "Mom, why is that guy naked?" In all my years watching that commercial...I never noticed that! Hee, hee.}

Anyway, the situation I'm frustrated with...my laundry attitude.

Living in our other home, you might remember that we didn't have a washer and dryer. We had a clothes line...and I had to pack up our dirty clothes twice a week and get them to the next little town to wash them at my sister in laws. Such a struggle. Especially since living by the beach we had plenty of wet, soon to be mildewy clothes. It was ROUGH!

Moving here we acquired a GLORIOUS washer and dryer. They are so beautiful and my most coveted items in the house.

Then yesterday morning, I woke up and the first thought that went through my head was, "Was I drooling?"

Oh no...I meant the second thing that went through my head. "Augh...I have to do laundry today!!!"

Can you believe it?

I swore I got it! I understood how good and easy life is with these modern utensils to help me through my chores. I really thought I would NEVER complain at the luxury of having a washer and dryer again.

How long did forever last? 79 days, exactly.

Don't worry...I quickly realized my folly and changed my laundry attitude. I reminded myself of my blessings and hopped on the "gratitude wagon" again.

Whew!!!

Tonight my son Dallin and I took a casual walk to our favorite bread store and had an interesting conversation on our way home.

Dallin: "Remember when we used to complain about having to put dishes in the dishwasher? giggle, giggle"

Me: "yeah..."

Dallin: "I'll be so thankful when that's all I have to do."

Me: "Me too."

Dallin: "Costa Rica sure has changed us."

Me: "Yep."

{I just need to fight harder not to change back. Being human can be so frustrating some times.}

The Writers Club...

So I found this "writer's club""...not that I'm a writer or anything. In fact there are no talent prerequisites, that's why I can join.

I thought this was a fun, easy idea. Write your day out using only nouns. A little more difficult than I imagined; I do love my adjectives.

eyes
sunlight
snuggles
laugh
breakfast
school
school
school
school
sandwiches
mop
windows
fights
toys
playground
snuggles
laugh
balls
swings
sunlight
tag
home
bathrooms
floors
computer
dinner
snuggles
laugh
baths
laugh
teeth
pajamas
snuggle
bed
mosquitoes
mosquitoes

Makes you think my life is perfect over here, huh? {minus the mosquitoes}


O.K. so I can't stand it. How can you really tell a story without descriptive words?
Here's my new list.

sleepy eyes
crisp sunlight
slight snuggles
quiet laugh
steamy breakfast
starting school
tough school
interesting school
done school
yeah school
quick sandwiches
drenched mop
grimy windows
constant fights
distractive toys
rickety playground
abounding in snuggles
contagious laugh
bouncy balls
rusted swings
cheery sunlight
running tag
comfy home
needed bathrooms
shiny floors
friendly computer
delicious dinner
tons of snuggles
content laughs
bubbly baths
wet laughs
squeaky teeth
toasty pajamas
sleepy snuggle
chilly bed
buzzing mosquitoes
dead mosquitoes

Tah-dah! Day done!

Stranger Friends...

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. {Actually, since yesterday as I was headed to meet a so called "stranger friend"}

What is a stranger friend you might ask? {Humor me on this one}

A stranger friend is someone whose blog I visit, often. It's a friend, as in someone I know a lot about, but a stranger, as in we've never met.

A few years ago, this "term" would have seemed silly. I mean, how can you know so much about someone and they know nothing about you? Can they even be considered a friend if your relationship is one sided?

Hmmm...

Also, why do we {those of us who have open blogs} feel so comfortable to put so much of ourselves out there...for free?

Yesterday my husband and I were invited to "hang out" at the home of a woman who I have been "stranger friends" for just over a year. I found her blog when this crazy idea to move here first entered my little head.

Her name is Saratica.

Before we left to meet her, I got a little nervous. What if she doesn't match up to the friend/person I think she is? How weird is it going to be for me to meet her, knowing her beliefs in politics, religion and such...and me just a stranger to her? How will this work out?

"Oh Shawna...not to worry."

Everything was wonderful. She invited my husband and I in with such graciousness. Her 2 boys were handsome and so polite. Her husband was as funny and gracious {opps, that's not very manly} entertaining as she was. He whipped up a chocolate pizza for all to share and we talked and laughed around their kitchen table, just like old friends. {Yeah girls, I said a chocolate pizza, boy does he have a way with woman!}

Now I realize... anyone who has moved to this exotic land already has so much in common. We've gone through culture shock {which is REAL by the way}, struggled with a new language, learned a new currency and tried to understand customs that seemed so strange to us.

It only took us a few minutes to put a face with the commonalities...and we are no longer strangers.

This is the reason I have a blog. The more friends the better...if I can help someone with their stressful day with kids, finding a new recipe for the family, share a new perspective on a situation or just make someone laugh...I'm all for it!

Also, as I'm climbing my way out of a CRAZY day with 5 active {insane} kids, things seem less strenuous knowing that later in the week some "stranger friend" of mine might get a chuckle out of it.

Good day/night my stranger friends.

And don't be afraid to leave a comment now and then. :)

I'm glad you're here.

My Grocery LOVES...

I thought I'd post a few pics of some things I've come to love here.
Of course I love this little guy, but the head of lettuce is what I'm referring to here. So fresh and yummy. I loved the ferria {farmers market} in Jaco. I've found a grocery store here however that has produce just as fresh and with a "lower" price tag. Be still my heart!
Most of the canned goods here come in this cool invention, a pull top. This is my evaporated milk. How easy is that. Because of this my can opener has retired early. Anyone need a can opener?
I'm sure you think this is ground coffee. But alas, it's the closest thing I can find to brown sugar. It's Caramel Sugar. It compacts like our C&H from the states but tastes quite a bit different. I've been told it's healthier than our traditional sugar but that means as much to me as "diet ice cream"....NOTHING!

My S-I-L's amiga just brought {smuggled} me in two HUGE bags of brown sugar. Yes I was as giddy as a little school girl and I'm not afraid to admit it!
I bought this to make a squash recipe that is native to Costa Rica. I was so excited to have learned how to make this, bummer is my family wasn't as excited as I was! Oh well, I'll just use it as a food coloring or make-up if the economy gets as bad as it is in the states. :)
I found this definition on Wikipedia:
Achiote is growing in popularity as a natural alternative to synthetic food coloring compounds. While it has a distinct flavor of its own, it can be used to color and flavor rice instead of the much more expensive saffron. The tree that it comes from is called the "lipstick" tree.

I thought this was interesting. I took this picture in my "not so friendly" neighborhood grocery store. {If you visit here, take it from me, Costa Ricans really don't like it when you take pictures in their stores}
I believe these are quail eggs but I'm not sure. Aren't they gorgeous? I loved all the detail in the shells.
It's funny, the eggs underneath them {what we are used to using} seemed so weird to me our first few months here. I wouldn't eat them {although I feed them to my family}.

A few days ago I saw the BRIGHT white, perfect eggs that I was used to in the states. I was surprised by them and had forgotten how flawless they are. Many times with our brown eggs I have to pull feathers off that have decided to attach themselves. In one batch you will get so many variables in sizes and color. How weird it must be to use a perfectly bright clean egg. I wonder how long it will take me to get used to that...

I might just feed them to my kids until I'm ready.

I HEART this seasoning packet. What's so different about it you ask.

It has dried onion, laurel, cilantro {my favorite} and garlic. What's NOT to love! I use this to make a version of Ranch dressing that blows the competiton away. Sorry Hidden Valley!

If I can't find this in the states I need to pack a suitcase full when we head back. Anyone seen this around? Anyone...Now this is cool! It's an anti-biotic that comes with a top you snap in and the applicator fits right in. You turn it upside down and no spills with the perfect measurement.
Funny thing is when I went to pick this up I didn't have to wait. They just handed it to me. Sweet.
I went home and opened it and it was just powder. I tried my best to read the directions and figured out that I needed to add water up to the line inside. So I did. Only to have my husband come home and tell me it needed to be boiling water. Oh, well. So now we all know why we have to wait 1 hour to get our medicine...it takes that long to add the water.
I love this! Jelly that squeezes out of a bag. This costs about 550 colones {just under a dollar}. Are you jealous now? No more finding fragments of jelly in my peanut butter.

Since I bake so much now, this is how I store my flour, in a covered plastic bin. We go through so much that this just works for me.
I have to end with these guys, courtesy of Troy. I don't know if you can see the faces he drew. As a mom I so enjoy finding surprises like this around the house. I hate to say that they perished today to serve my little fam our breakfast.

They will go down as heroes in our {stomach} hearts.