my progress came to a halt

I told you about a project I was working on the other day.  I can't go any further with it right now.  It is the result of not having a wonderful fabric store nearby.

I am making myself a blanket.  We have more than enough blankets in our house.  We probably have too many.  But, all but one are heavy blankets.  The one that is light weight Jorge has claimed (we have our own blankets at night...we don't share well). 

All of you that live around here know that at night it cools off quite a bit.  So, while it is up in the 90's during the day, at night it gets down to the 50's.  During the middle of the night I just want a light cover to put on me.  Right now I use a fury blanket and it holds too much heat. 

I just got a bunch of fabric from the Newport/Johnson clan in a package from them.  THANK YOU!  Going through it I found so many fabrics to use on the blanket.  I found the pattern here. 

The lady that came up with the design refers to it as "easy".  Yeah, it is easy when all your fabric is pre-cut which mine wasn't!  After cutting out 168 pieces, which felt like 1.5 billion, and ironing 3.5 billion pieces and sewing them all together, I have the front of my blanket.

Here is where the problem comes in.  I have lots of fabric here.  But, most of it are small pieces, like a yard or less.  I don't have anything suitable for the back of the blanket.

So, I have to stop for now and find something for the back.  And the binding.  I am probably going to resort to buying online, shipping to my mom and having her send it here.  I have a few other things that I want to buy, so might as well add some fabric to the mix. 

If you are interested, I have found an online fabric store that ships here to Mexico and it is fairly inexpensive.  The Fat Quarter Shop

And if  you were wondering if I enjoying doing this sort of thing, the answer is NO!  I like fast projects that are at most 2 hours.

easy peasy colored rice

I have been looking online trying to find fun activities for the girls to do.  And, if they can learn something while doing it, even better.

 

I came across quite a few blogs that were using colored rice for different purposes.  I saw how easy it was to make and thought I should make some for the girls.

 

I think there is no limit to what we could use the rice for.  

• rice pictures ( some glue and paper and you are good to go)
• put it in a pie pan and practice writing letters (kind of like an etch-a-sketch)
• learn measuring units
• in general, just playing with it
• hide letters in the rice and make them find the ones that spell out their name

And so on.  I think you get the point.

I made some colored rice last night.  It was very simple.  I used water and colored gel.  Other sites suggested using alcohol so the rice will dry quicker.  And some used the liquid food coloring.

I took a sandwich sized Ziploc baggie and put 2 Tbsp of water in it.  I took the tip of a knife and dipped it in the Wilton's colored gel that I have.  Put the tip of the knife in the baggie and then added a cup of white rice.  Shake it around and then lay on paper towels on a cookie sheet to dry.  With the house being hot, it didn't take but an hour for the rice to dry. 

The girls are ready to dig in and play!

silly girls

I'm working on a project that I had expected to have done today.  I had planned on it being my post.  But, I need more time.  Hopefully tomorrow...

In the meantime, thought I would share a few pics. 

These girls of mine couldn't be more night and day.  Bella, 4, is a princess.  She is as girly as they come.  Emily, 3, on the other hand, is a cowboy (not cowgirl).  A tomboy at heart.

Santa brought Bella some make-up this past Christmas.  She would wear it every day if she could. But, I don't really like her to get it into her head that she needs it.

Today I let her wear some and instead of me putting it on her, I let her put it on herself.  And, true to being a little sister, Emily wanted to put some on herself, too.

Remember me saying they were opposites?  It rings true in how messy or non-messy they are.  Bella couldn't be more precise and careful about everything.  Emily could be in a white room with nothing else and would come out dirty.  That is just how it is.  After they eat Bella has nothing on her or the table.  Emily has food on her, the table, the chair, the floor and anything within a 3 foot radius.

To prove my point, here are the pictures of how they applied their make-up just a bit ago.

Bella and Emily sporting the 80's look.  They both picked blue eye shadow. 

 You can see that Bella did a pretty good job of applying everything.

Emily is a hot mess!  The eye shadow is everywhere!  And the lipstick got everywhere except the lips!

Since I am picking on Emily, I will make it up and show you her little clay creation.  They were playing with Playdoh the other day and I saw that she had all different sizes of balls on table.  She told me that the big one was daddy, the next biggest was me, the two almost identical ones are her and Bella.  Before she mentioned the tiny little ball I asked if it was Colbie, our chihuahua.  She said no that it was America. 



This is America!  How sweet.  This little girl is now a year old. She is our friends' daughter.  The girls just love her. 

good things in the kitchen

When we lived in the US I didn't cook much.  Ok, hardly at all.  I did have a KitchenAid mixer but sold it because the only time I used it was to make boxed cake mixes.  And that was only a few times a year.

Moving down here has changed a whole lot as far as what happens in the kitchen.  Now I have 4 mouths to feed and there are no short cuts around here.  Our frozen food section in my regular grocery store is one freestanding unit that is a little larger than my refrigerator.  The only products inside are frozen vegetables, fruit and some Tyson chicken items.

I regretted selling that mixer.  I would have used it ALL the time.  I make bread because there really isn't any bread other than the sliced sandwich bread and bolios (which are great) for making a torta or some other sandwich.  I love bread.  Rolls, muffins, baguettes, french and so on and so on.

A few months back a friend was driving down and I asked him a favor.  "BRING ME A KITCHENAID MIXER, PLEASE!"  You can find them here at Sears and Costco and I am sure a few other places but they are more than double the price of buying one in the US.

I went on Amazon, bought one and within a week I had this bad boy sitting in my kitchen!  Oh so happy!

Making bread is so much easier now.  I let the mixer do the work of kneading the bread.  And, everything else is so much easier to do now that I have it.  No more hand mixer.

So, when I want to make something like Croque Monsieur and there is no french bread at the store, I can just whip up a batch! Especially since I can use the Dijon mustard I found in Puerto Vallarta!

I have a recipe that I use for French Bread and it is really great!  It makes two big loafs, so if you want, half the recipe. 

And, since you are in the kitchen making something great, I have another VERY simple dip you can make.  I found the recipe here.  The amount of dip the recipe makes isn't much, so I quadruple it.  This one is a definite must-try!

Now I am hungry!

Should I? I think so!

The girls drive me crazy.  I love them, but they can be such a handful at times.  I understand the underlying reason why they drive me crazy.  They want attention.  Plain and simple.

There are some days when we don't really stick to a routine and those are the days that they go wild.  The days I sit with them and we do activities, they are very tolerable and even fun to be around.  They just want me to be with them.  Sweet children!

For the decision that Jorge and I just recently made, the fact that the girls are so content when I play with them was what ultimately lead to the final conclusion.

I had been going back and forth whether or not to enroll the girls in school here.  There are several reasons and they vary.  I had decided to just enroll them and deal with all the issues that it might bring.  But every time we would drive by a school here, which is frequently since they are all over, I would start to get stressed.

(Want to do this scrap fabric letter project?  CLICK HERE)

The other night I couldn't get to sleep thinking about it.  And the next day decided to contact a bunch of friends that currently homeschool or are teachers themselves.  From all the conversations I had, it made me feel confident that I could do it, homeschool the girls.

I've decided that I will homeschool the girls, figuring out what works for us as we go along.  That way I can keep them on track with the standards for schools in Indiana.  We can concentrate on the basics and whatever else interests us.  It will allow us to be flexible and hopefully strengthen my relationship with the girls.  We will just make sure to stay on course with the standards of what Indiana expects so when we go back they can flow right into a public school if that is the course we choose at the time.

After looking online at all the resources and possibilities, I am surprisingly excited to do this.  I haven't been extremely active in working with the girls but have started working daily with them so we can get into a routine.  They seem to really love it.  I am sure that they are happy that they get attention without having to demand it.

If you have any resources that have worked for you with homeschooling, feel free to send them my way!  

I'm not paying that!

A few months back I was sitting on the couch, the girls were probably down at their grandma's house and I was looking for something to do.  When the girls aren't here I have so much extra time on my hands.  Imagine that!

While sitting there I realized that the pillow covers I had made for a few of the couch pillows were looking quite sad.  I thought it was time for new pillows.  And, for once, I didn't want to make them.  I wanted to buy them.  Usually when I want anything down here I have to make it.  After so many years of HAVING to do things by hand, including making everything from scratch, it is nice to have a break.

The next day we set off for Aguascalientes.  That is where we go for all our big shopping.  Or just to get our dose of commercialization.  The mall we go to has a Pier One (it is actually located inside the Sears...does Sears own Pier One?).  Every time we go to the mall I always walk through Pier One and look at all the pretty colorful items they have.  They have a very large wall of throw pillows.  Perfect place to look for new pillows!

I started looking for pillows I liked and found a few.  I wanted some texture to the pillow, something more than a flat front.  So, I picked up the few that I found, looked at the price tag and immediately crapped my pants! 

Now, I am used to seeing high prices here in Mexico.  That is why I usually shop online, mail it to my mom's house, she repackages it and mails it to me.  Even with the shipping costs, when I get a bunch of things at once, it is still cheaper than buying things here.  Plus, the States have SO much more variety and the quality is usually better.

Anyway, I saw the price tags and couldn't believe that they would want $60 to $70 USD for ONE pillow.  I want new pillows, but not that badly.

So, I went home with no pillows in hand...  I turned to the next best thing.  The internet.  There are so many talented crafty bloggers that share their ideas with you.  I stumbled across the blog Cluckclucksew and she had a couple pillows that fit the bill.  AND, I happen to have the right kind of fabric.  (Gotta buy all my fabric in the States, too!) 

She had a tutorial on how to make a pillow with a large petaled flower on the front.  I had some material that I got from Ms. D that didn't fray.  It was perfect and a great shade of blue.  I rummaged through my other fabric and found two other pieces of fabric that coordinated.  And, as you see below, I made two pillows.  The big flower one is great and I love it.  The other one is just a filler until I make something else.  I had just a little of the non-fraying fabric and made those little flowers.  Nothing too exciting.

I also found another pillow on her blog that I thought was the cutest!  At the time that I made it she didn't have a tutorial.  I just made it how I thought she might and it turned out.  Since then she has posted a tutorial.  It is a bit different than I did it, but it could easily just be a guide for you.  She calls them Sprocket Pillows.

So, once again I had to do something myself.  I am really happy with the outcome, but I am ready to just buy some pillows.  I recently looked on Target.com and found some that I love.  I just need to have my mom buy one of those space saver bags and put the pillows in there, suck the air out and then she could mail some to me. 

Now you can go whip up some pillows for yourself. 

P.S. Penny, if you happen upon this blog post, I will still make you one of the "Sprocket Pillows".  I haven't forgotten!

fun in the sun!

We went on vacation to Puerto Vallarta a few weeks ago, as a family.  This was the first time the girls had seen the ocean.  I picked this particular resort because of the pool (or waterpark as the resort refers to it) for the kids. 

It was a nice time.  We were there for 5 night and 6 days.  Just long enough to be ready to come home at the end.  It was exciting being in a city that has a good amount of American's living there.  Not because I was looking to talk to anyone.  But, because they have a Wal-Mart and I figured that they might have products that I can't find.  I was right! 

They had A1 sauce!  Not sure about you, but I am a big fan.  And, when we buy steaks from Costco, a bottle of A1 will go nicely.  They did have lots of stuff that was imported from the US.  It was fun to see all of that stuff, but it was OUTRAGEOUSLY priced!  I got a few other things like Dijon mustard, body wash that I like, sushi rice, nori and sprinkles for cupcakes/cookies., nothing too exciting.  But the A1 was definitely the big hit for me.

I brought my laptop so I could work (during the night and the girls' naptimes) and the first night we got there I was pretty hyped and Jorge and I were up late (for me) working.  It got to be midnight and instead of tracking downstairs to the overnight snack bar that the resort offered, I ordered Dominos!  Dominos is not really my favorite, but it isn't available in Jalos and definitely not at midnight!  So, they delivered to the resort and it was pretty good.

We also went to the Outback Steakhouse on Jorge's birthday.  I got excited when I saw there was one there in PV.  Other than going for Jorge's b-day, my only purpose was to get a Blooming Onion.  Guess what?  They were OUT of onions!  How is that possible?  Isn't Outback famous for their Blooming Onions and should have them "in stock" at all times?  I was disappointed.

Overall we had a nice relaxing time.  The girls really enjoyed themselves and said they want to go back.  Thought you might like to see some pictures (some have been put on FB already, but some of you don't have a FB account ).

This was the first time on the beach.

Bella posing for me in the pool.

One of the bartenders took Emily behind the bar and let her make her own "Spiderman" drink.  So for the rest of the trip she wanted to make her own drinks. 

The girls being goofy on the balcony of our room.

Jorge made Emily into a sand mermaid.

Jorge and Emily in the kids pool.

Emily taking a little mushroom shower.

Me and my girls sitting on the beach.

Bella and Emily sitting on one of the water hoses in the pool.

The view from our room.

Saying good-bye to the ocean.  This was the day we left.

video tour of my house

I have been out of the scene for a long time as far as posting things on this blog.  Not sure who is hanging around still to even look.  But, after reading a lot of new blogs lately and re-reading my own, I thought I would seriously try to keep it up again.

I found a bunch of blogs lately, mainly through this blog, that are for expats living here in Mexico.  They are all here for various reasons.  But, it has been interesting to read through them and see how different people view living in Mexico.

On May 3 of this year marked the 3 year anniversary of my living here.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by.  Even though three years have gone by I can still remember my first day here.  Pretty vividly.  I wasn't happy about it at all!  The only thing I was happy about was being with Jorge again and him seeing his little girls (one of them for the first time).

Since May 2008 lots of changed. Mainly my attitude, my income, and our house.  Over time I stopped waiting to live life (mainly hoping for the chance for us to get back to the US) and started living it.  Once I accepted that I was here, things started to just feel normal.  At the beginning I never thought that would happen, but it eventually did.

I came down here with a part-time job that I could do from here over the internet with the company that I worked for full-time before I left.  That income was basically allowing me to keep paying our car payment, insurance and other various debts.  That came to an end and as most of you know, I moved back to the States thinking I could get a job and Jorge and I could share the girls.  That didn't last very long.  It just felt wrong.  So, I borrowed some money to put in savings from great friends and saved from the job that I got and moved back with no job.  About 4 months after coming back another awesome friend called and asked if I would like to work for him.  I could do it from here in Mexico.  I didn't have to think twice.  That was last July and I have been working ever sense.  I work about 30 hours a week and the job has changed our lives.  The income always us to be comfortable.  I couldn't be more thankful!

And to the house.  When I first came here the only belongs I had were what I packed into our Pacifica.  It was me, Bella (16 months at the time), Emily (2 months at the time) and everything that I could fit.  Also, a friend was taking a truck down and he filled the cabin with our clothes and brought down our crib.  Since the first time I have made the 36 hour drive probably 3 more times.  It is a LONG drive.  But, each of those times I packed the car as full as it could be and brought more stuff down.  Now the empty house that we rented is more full than ever and is our home.

I know I have posted pictures of parts of the house over time, but I don't think I have ever taken video to have sort of a virtual tour.  Today I took some video for you.  Now you can tour my house even though most of you will never take a step through my front door.

Hope you enjoy!

 (click on the video twice and it will take you to the Youtube page for a bigger video)

Mariachi madness

It is Carnival here in Jalos right now.  Basically, it's one big party.  It is nice that we get to see family that are visiting from out of town.  But, what is NOT nice is having to hear the Mariachi bands play all the time.

Here is a little video of me sitting on my bed.

And, after I got onto our back patio, they started to play my favorite song.  (That was me being sarcastic.)

Now you can see why I am OVER the mariachi bands!

Welcome back, me!

I have been absent for a long time now.  I see my last post was back at the beginning of September.  Since a few people have asked about my blog, I figured I would try and start it up again.

My intro back into the blog world will be to recap the last handful of months.

At the very end of October the girls and I flew to Indy for a month.  We got there a few days before Halloween and stayed until a few days after Thanksgiving.  We left just in time for all the snow to start.

Halloween was a big hit with Bella this year.  We went twice.  Once out in Jamestown at my aunt's house and on Halloween night with the girls' BFF, Alex.  Bella couldn't get enough of her outfit.  Emily did great going up to the houses.

You know how it is for me to go to the United States.  I don't leave empty handed.  It is actually the opposite.  I went with one carry on and on checked bag.  Somehow I managed, of course with the two girls, too, to bring back 2 carry on bags and 3 checked bags.  Oh, and I had to mail a 25 lb box back.  You should have seen the circus act at the airport in Mexico trying to get all those bags by myself.  It was a sight to be seen.

Here is proof of my visit to the States.  My Aunt Janny took me to GFS to stock up on some spices/herbs.  That was fun!  Because of that, I had to buy a rack from Home Depot so I could put all my things somewhere.  Now I think I am qualified to cook and bake.

I also brought back lots of fabric.  It is hard to find good, cute fabric here.  I ended up making a blanket for one of our friend's little girl, America.  She is less than a year, but I thought she might like to have her own cute blanket.  Let me tell you, the blanket was so cute and soft I almost didn't want to give it away.  But, I did.  America's mom loved it!  So, I am assuming when America gets a little older she will love it too.

Once we got back here, we put up the Christmas tree and the Santa question started to roll in.  Bella, almost  daily, asked me when Santa was coming.  We made a countdown calendar to easy her frustration and to keep me a bit sane.  Emily was more curious of how Santa was going to get in the house.  I just told her we would leave the door unlocked for him.  We made cookies and left those out for Santa and some carrots for his reindeer.  Luckily they didn't wake up too early that morning.  I think around 7:30 am.

A week after Christmas is Bella's birthday, December 31st.  We made cupcakes and had a little party for her.  The girl loves presents so she was as happy as could be.

Since the new year has started, I have been pretty busy with work.  I love that I have a job.  It keeps me busy during the days.  But, I like to fill up the rest of my day tinkering around with sewing.  I read this blog and saw the "hobo bag" tutorial a long time ago.  I figured since I have all this cute fabric, I could make the girls a bag each.  I did it a little differently than the tutorial, but it was a nice guide.

After making them their bags, I wanted something.  I decided to make a new purse for myself.  I am really happy with the outcome.  The liner fabric and the dark gray fabric were courtesy of Ms. D.  The printed fabric was some new stuff I bought.

That sums up the last handful of months in a nut shell.

Sunday is my birthday so we are taking a trip to the "big city" and going to shop, eat good food and probably see a movie!  I have been looking forward to going for a few weeks now.

Hopefully it won't be long until my next post.