Cute (freaky) Snowmen..

I saw this over at skiptomylou.org . Candy corn for noses and candy eyes for...eyes. Put them on small white powdered doughnut and you are the domestic queen!

Wouldn't this be adorable for Christmas morning?

Cookie Exchange and Saving Money...

Kelly from www.2passthetorch.com had this idea to share:

How to host the perfect Cookie Exchange Party
1. The husbands and kids went to one house, with snacks to share and beverages.
2. The wives went to a house directly across the street, with beverage and six dozen cookies, in half-dozen packages (so each woman arrived with 12 small bags containing six cookies each.)
3. We put our cookies on the table and opened one package as a sampler. This left 11 bags of half-dozen cookies to be exchanged.
4. We enjoyed conversation, drinks and snacks and when the hostess rang the bell, we each chose three baggies from the table. About 10 minutes and lots of laughter later, she rang the bell again. We each chose three more baggies. And so it went until most the cookies were gone.

There were probably 15-20 women at the gathering and we stayed for about three hours. But the system would work no matter how many women attended. Thanks to my very smart neighbors for creating such a perfect and fun way to host a cookie exchange!

So here is the money saving idea:

Check this out...tons of promotion codes for shopping online or in the store. Very cool! Don't ever shop online without a code! Please.
www.retailmenot.com

14 days left!!

Did you know...

goodreads.com has a Mormon book club?

Me neither.

Want to check it out?

Go here. I just joined. I'll start with January's book.

Enjoy!!!

Old Navy Deals...

I wish I could really present you with a gift card...but finances won't allow it this year. Maybe next year. However I have something almost as good.

This promo code 20FREESHIP . There it is. Isn't it beautiful? Enter that number/word in the promo box at check out and get 20% off your order plus free shipping if your order reaches over $100.

You can do what I did and only go through their clearance items (make sure you do a search under clearance for the size you are looking for or you'll be frustrated with how many items aren't your child's size).

My breakdown:

Initial cost of the items plus shipping $278

But since all my items were clearance it was only $147 and change with shipping.

Then after entering my magic promo code it plummeted to $120.32

Can we all say, "SWEET!"

This is ONLY good Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday and online only. (shipping is only $7.00 so if you don't want to get to $100 it's not that big of a deal.)

Merry Christmas!

It's Getting Hot in Here...

So our weather is opposite of all of you who live north of Mexico. Us southerners are headed out of "rainy season" and into "dry season". Now that I'm ready to stop making the cinnamon rolls, soups and hot chocolate {although it was a stretch to try and feel that it was cool enough to make those} you are ready for them.

So in honor of Christmas {and winter for you} I'm going to throw a great sugar cookie recipe at you. And free of charge, a few tricks I've learned.

TRICK # 1
When rolling out your sugar dough, use powdered sugar instead of flour to prepare the rolling pin and counter so the dough doesn't adhere. Don't worry, it won't make them too sugary. I promise.

It will however make sure that you don't get floury dry tasteless cookies. Trust me on this one.

TRICK # 2
If you are using shortening instead of butter, put plastic wrap into your measuring cup before you add the shortening. Then when you have packed it in, you just pull up on the plastic wrap and pop the shortening out.

This ensures you get all of it out and you don't have a greasy measuring cup to clean afterward.

TRICK # 3

Did you know you can purchase something called "butter flavoring". It's lovely. Add a little to this recipe {or your homemade rolls} and watch out! You'll have your sweety asking for these cookies even more than he asks for....ahem....water.

Your welcome...oh and don't double this recipe like I did. It already makes 60 servings.
This is courtesy of www.allrecipes.com


The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
Submitted by: Jill Saunders
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 2071 members Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes Ready In: 3 Hours
Yields: 60 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Seven Month Mark

Just a picture of what a typical street looks like here. Costa Rica does have it's U.S. type streets but not very many of them.

So we have reached the seven month mark...I'm going to take a moment to pat myself on the back here.
{pat...pat...pat}

I've come up with an analogy for my relationship with Costa Rica. Do you want to hear it?

I figured. {Just humor me} Here goes.

When I first met my friend "Costa Rica" she was beautifully dressed, calming and full of adventure. I wanted to be like her. She seemed perfect.

Then I got close enough to see many brown spots, crows feet and a few occasions when she decided to behave with less than stellar character. {Our floods, struggling with the language and the difficulty of raising a large family here} I had to ask myself if I still wanted Costa Rica as a friend? Did I?

No, I was angry and disappointed.

I quickly learned that I couldn't avoid her. She was everywhere; the store, in town and even in my home. I then decided to stick it out and see what I can learn from her. Boy have I sat at the feet of this instructor. And now, finally, from this view, she is again beautiful to me.

I don't expect her to be something she's not. Her crows feet and quirkiness are what make her more attractive. I'm not trying to make her {Costa Rica} into what I think she should be and then be disappointed when she doesn't conform. I'm starting to love her for who she is...and our relationship is blossoming.

We've Been Busy...

I haven't posted much...partly because of our Internet situation and partly because we haven't been here.

When my sweetheart and his sister have appointments out of town we usually all head out and enjoy a short weekend trip. Lately we've been adventuring through Costa Rica.

I wanted to post a few shots of Punta Leona, I'm not sure I'm spelling that correctly {but most of you won't know that}. Wes sister from LA came to hang with us for Thanksgiving. Did I mention my honey, our two oldest and his visiting sister had lofty plans to escape Costa Rica and head into Panama? Did I also tell you that they {accidentally} went an hour into the country without having their documents stamped? Did you know that you can't cross into Panama with a rental car?

We've learned so much this last week.

When someone {with HUGE guns} finally stopped them in Panama..he just keep repeating their version of "Oh my ___! Oh my ____!"

Finally out of the kindness of his heart {or fear of having to complete a lot of paperwork} he gave them back their passports and said..."Head for the border and don't stop! I never saw you!"

So here we are, spent the money to get the kids their required time out of the country, and no stamp on the passport to prove it.

Soooooo back to what I started to post...here are some pictures of our time at Punta Leona.

My guys castle building {although Troy clearified he was building a fort}.
The younger ones in line for sand packing.
Paige started a sand fight...and won. {Until Wes threw her into to ocean.} Yuck! I hate having sand everywhere.
The beaches are so beautiful here, these are Wes' little sisters. Rusti is due in 5 weeks...doesn't she look great! She gained about 3 pounds a month. Doesn't it make you SICK! :)
More sand sculptures.


My sweetie, his sister Brie and our little Dallin enjoying family time on Thanksgiving day.
Our Thanksgiving day hosts had a boat which kept the kid's entertained most of the day. See Paige playing "little mermaid" at the front? It brought back memories of the Williamson's boat that was stored between our homes when I was a kid. Such great imaginative memories.

What about this view? They were getting ready for a beach wedding. Too bad the rain came 20 minutes after this shot.

Have a happy {no sand} day! I'm off at 12:30 {10:30am your time southern Ca) for my girls getaway. I can't wait.

I've Been Asked to Explain our mail system...

how the mail works here.

I remember when we lived in the states and I would question Rusti about sending her a birthday card or such...she would try to explain it to me...but we mail receivers just can't seem to comprehend the no mail concept.

So here it is:

Basically, Costa Rica does NOT have a government run mail delivery service. The equivalent of our United States Postal Service. Many roads don't even have a street name much less a house address. Our home is home # 43 in our housing tract, however we don't have a street name. No one has mailboxes...oops that is not true. I did find a cute housing tract here that has mailboxes however they are better spider homes then mail deliverers. Of course I have a picture of the mailboxes...somewhere.

So we can get a package shipped here, but it comes through Miami and then we pay a small fortune to pick it up here at the local DVD rental store. Oh, and we have to keep checking in with them to see if it has arrived. They won't call and tell us.

So mail here gets delivered through private companies like UPS, but the mail takes forever...and is costly.

The missionaries here get their mail through the church's pouch system. I'm not sure exactly how that works.

I have to throw in a picture. I took this in San Jose (the Costa Rican capital) last week on one of our adventures.

This flower is absolutely huge! I made Wes stop the car and let me out to take this shot. I dedicate it to my BFF MaryAnn.

Anyone Interested in Studying Abroad?

I found this on one of the Costa Rica "news" blogs I follow. I don't know if anyone is interested but I thought I'd put it out there. :)

Scholarship opportunity for study in Costa Rica

There is a highly regarded study abroad program which offers intensive Spanish immersion in one of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet. Take a good look at Costa Rica ¡Pura Vida! for the summer experience of a lifetime. Partial Scholarships covering two-thirds of all costs are available. Priority application deadline for these $3,466 grants is fast approaching:

Scholarship application deadline is Dec. 5; Priority application deadline is Feb. 6, 2009.

Costa Rica ¡Pura Vida! combines intensive language instruction, individual homestays and field trips to three areas of the country. Students will experience unspoiled national parks, a marine biology sanctuary open only to scientists, a village of 12 families in the midst of the Cloud Forest, and birds, animals and tropical flora beyond compare.

Who is eligible? High school students aged 15-17 with two years of basic Spanish and course in biology by June 2009.

Program dates:

June 26-July 22, 2009 and July 10-Aug. 5, 2009

Interamerican University Studies Institute is a non-profit educational exchange organization linking the Americas since 1986. More information at www.iusi.org or 800-345-4874.

Posted in Stories |

If Anyone Was Wondering...

YES we would love to get your Christmas card. My kids are a little concerned that Christmas just won't be the same this year. They are right, it won't. However if you would like to still send us a Christmas card that would be AWESOME.

Really, really awesome.

But remember, Costa Rica does not have a mail system. So if you would send your Christmas greetings to my mother in law (see below address) she'll bring them with her when she comes. She's coming on the 20th of December.

Oh, I'm so excited!!! I'm not going to tell my munchkins, I'll just keep it a surprise.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Banagas Family

c/o Colleen Foote

32801 Silver Charm Court

Menifee, Ca 92584

We LOVE Jo...

Actually, that's Mrs. Sanservero to my kids!

Jo, ah-hem, Mrs. Sanservero, sent us a package!!!! It was just beautiful and the first package we've had mailed to us. Well not to us, but the local video rental store finally got it and we paid them the charge to have it sent into a country that doesn't handle mail.} After weeks and weeks of anticipation we got it in our HOT little hands.

What was in it you might ask?

The Friend. {lots of them!!!}

Magazines for children put out by our church once a month with great stories about choosing the right and helping others. And the best benefit for my little ones, it is appropriate for them to read during church. Church that is completely spoken in a foreign language to them. {I can hear the hallelujah coming from their little lips right now as I past them out during Sacrament meeting last week.}

Or was that from my lips as I looked down our family aisle and saw my sweet reverent angels reading so fervently?

That might have been me.

Anyway, Jo, thanks so much from us...all of us!!! That was a great treat that will continue to give for the entire year. My kids are very thankful! You are so considerate to think of us in this way!!! {Can I put any more exclamation points to show how appreciative we are?!!!!} :)

Catching Up with Pics!

This is what happens when you leave your "just turned 12" year old son home with 4 crazy kids while you get out of the house with your sweetie for that much needed alone time.

They will get a lesson in how to repair a broken window the following day. At $200 a lesson, not bad for a night out!

Landon {the youngest} threw a shoe at Aiden {the next in line} and Aiden ducked! We've now taught Aiden not to duck and take it like a man. :)

This is Troy and Dallin at the amusement park with some Costa Rican spending cash, a little under $20.00. I failed to mention earlier that not only is the park inexpensive but so is the food! You can get a HUGE drink for about $1.75. Not too shabby! Most entertainment here is inexpensive. Movies are $4.00 for adults. NICE! {Especially when you are carting around a familia of 7.

Speaking of cart {did you get that lead in to the next pic? hee, hee} Here my kids are on a traditional Costa Rican cart.

I'm thinking of getting one for us. What do you think? I believe they don't try and charge the 80% vehicle tax on these.

Gotta love this! I don't know if you can see all of my "boys" but it starts with Wes in the far left, Troy, Dallin, and Aiden. They all slept over at Rusti's and this is the shot she got in the morning.

Have a great day everyone!!!