Waking Up!

So, we are getting ready to travel and I can't find my camera! I knew it was right beside the computer, but now it was GONE!

Yesterday Edson did not sleep "siesta". He was messing around the computer. I KNEW he took the camera, but it was after midnight when I realized it. Oscar and I looked everywhere, here and there, and everywhere and couldn't find it! I was sad, upset and frustrated at my little three year old. I couldn't wait for 8:30 to come around.

Yes, I woke him up this morning to ask him. He SOMETIMES remembers where he puts things he touches. I woke him up to ask him about the camera and ask him to help me find the camera and I found it!!!!!

...inside of one of his toy puppets! Thankfully, it was still working!

This is Edson waking up this morning.

I Need a Vacation!

What have I NOT been doing?

Ever since school ended we have been running and going, serving and cooking, cleaning and preparing, weddings, paperwork, etc., etc., etc....

So, since Christmas, hmmm, I have to back up to Christmas to see what when on in this whirl-wind life of ours...

We had Oscar's relatives over at the Quinta. It was fun! We had boxes and boxes of popsicles!

Then, more company...cousin relatives from San Pedro. Fun! Busy!

Paper work for our Paraguayan friend whose fiancé is stranded in Cuba and can only get out if she goes up to get him, marry him and bring him back. She met him after a six year scholarship studying there.

We fixed up some borrowed dresses and made a beautiful boquet of orchids, went shopping for more wedding things and spent time talking about marriage.

We committed to cooking for the youth camp this past week. That means, plan, buy, and prepare the food...Saturday-Wednesday!

All the while...we were trying to get our friend up to Cuba and, finally, Tuesday morning she got a tight, flight up and was delayed 2 hours in Paraguay. Cuba is such a difficult country to communicate with and we finally got word that she is with her dear and is planning a wedding, I think maybe tomorrow.

The car needs fixed, clothes washed, (no electricity in half of the house...the half that has the washer...hmmmm, weird!) More cousins, here, after camp.

I think I'll go to the Quinta and use their huge trays for a couple of homemade pizzas!

Vacation time is coming...soon! Yeah!

Alfajores - (Sugar cookies with Caramel filling)

Alfajores (Sugar cookies with Caramel filling)

This recipe is a favorite…an original…from my Aunt Kath who lived in Argentina about 20 years. (Maybe I’ll hear back from her if it isn’t correct!) It is one of the best we ever tried. And its the ONLY recipe I ever use for alfajores. Everything is measured in grams, here (in Paraguay) and in the recipe, so I am not sure about the exact cup measurements. Try these out!

2 cups margarine (400 grams)

1 ½ cups of sugar (300 grams)

6 yolks

2 tablespoons vanilla,

“dulce de leche” liquor or rum

3 cups corn starch (600 grams)
2 cups flour (400 grams)

Mix the margarine and sugar. Add yolks and flavouring. Stir in cornstarch and flour. Roll out. Cut out with a round cookie cutter. Bake until LIGHTLY browned. Cool. Cover one cookie bottom with "dulce de leche" (caramel jelly) and stick another bottom cookie together to make a sandwich. Roll in shredded coconut.

I used mandioca starch instead of cornstarch since it is 1/3 the price. I also used Watkins Irish Creme flavoring. I also don't have the perfect sized-circle cutter so I used the top of a spray-can and it was just the size I wanted. You can save the egg whites for a jelly roll. :)

These cookies kind of like melt in your mouth!

Sunsets

You may have seen this yesterday on Facebook, but I wanted to write a little story behind it here.

When I was in seventh grade, Mr. Shelton, our art teacher asked us to do a free-style picture of a paradise. I dreamed up some palm trees and an ocean setting and started to draw. I don't want to brag, but I almost never got lower than an A-. So, I drew and colored a sunset paradise. It actually looked almost exactly like this real picture I took the other day. I proudly presented my work and it came back graded as an F!

I was soooooo mad I could not look at him for days or weeks. He just didn't understand my artistic feelings. How could he be an art teacher and not "get" what I was drawing and dreaming. I must not have ever really gotten over it because it is still so fresh in my mind...or maybe it was the first time I ever got an F, or maybe I didn't follow directions, or maybe it was just that HE was having a bad day.

Whatever it was...I still remember my sunset paradise! And, I love this dreamy time of day when I can start winding down and enjoy a cool breeze or two with my family.

Christ in Christmas

I wanted to post this earlier, but in the rush of activities, visitors and other plans, I didn't even have a chance to sit at the computer since last Wednesday.

Living in a very religious country, the Nativity scene is still so very popular in many cities, plazas, malls, homes, stores, or just about anywhere. You can buy the ceramic figurines and little straw stables on the street corners the whole month of December.

In the past couple of years, Santa Claus, presents, and the Christmas tree have become more popular, but it's still comforting to see Christ still in Christmas here in Paraguay...even though He may not be around in the cities, plazas, malls, homes and stores the REST of the year.

And...good thing He's in OUR HOUSE all year long!!!

Christmas decorations

I promised my aunt I would take a picture of my boxwood wreath...just like she taught me!
It's so cool! I wish I would have thought of this years ago!
It's on my front door bringing Christmas cheer to all of us!
I have so many things to write about and such little time. Pictures will have to do for now. I have Oscar's family (cousins) with us for Christmas. I am preparing - already!
Our parties start tomorrow and the family meal is on the 24th. Everyone bakes, cooks, and grills double so you don't have to work on Christmas day. Plus, traditionally, you have to share a plateful of your Christmas meal with your neighbors and they also give you a plateful of their goodies. We planning on going to La Quinta with Oscar's family. Have a great Christmas!

Weddings, weddings, weddings!

We had many weddings this weekend. This is the season for weddings! Nice hot weather for late night weddings! One wedding was a court wedding to get paper work started for the international couple...
Jason y Katy

Tomás y Loida

Nestor y Emilia