Feliz Navidad!

Wow.
What a week.

So this week we…

Made ten yogurt/whip cream pies for other missionaries that serve here.
I now know how to make my own whip cream, because I don’t think they sell it in the store.
I panicked partway through as I realized the list of people we should be giving pies to was more than ten. But luckily Johanne was preparing things as well, so I think we got everyone covered.
My girls were all like, “I don’t know how to make a pie.” But in the end did really good and were even faster than me. The only thing is….One of my girls didn’t measure the graham carefully when making the crusts. I took it for granted someone had told her when you use measuring cups to do it exactly. I said “Put in 5 scoops of this with the butter.” And she did 5 heaping scoopfuls :0)

Went to a carnival for children with games and food. It was really well done. The youth group planned it, and at the end they passed out Christmas shoe boxes. It was so fun being on the receiving end of it. I have a different perspective of it now. When I’d have gone shopping to fill one I wouldn’t have put shampoo and toothpaste or anything practical, just fun things, b/c what kid wants socks or toiletries for Christmas BUT BUT BUT our kids were thrilled with whatever was in the box. It was a present and that was exciting enough. More than that though, we can’t buy a lot of American brand toiletries here, so it’s honestly really exciting to get shampoo. Plus, toiletries are something the kids use and need everyday, so it meets a very real need. I don’t wanna live with a bunch of smelly kids that don’t have toothpaste to clean their mouths with!

I’m fighting with my allergies this week, and a couple people have had the flu I think, so it’s 5:30 and I just want to go to bed, but I know I shouldn’t.

We may get two new girls tomorrow, in my house, and two in the other house. They are sisters. We’ll see. I’m at a point where I think I could take the extra responsibility, and the girls REALLY cleaned in preparation for them. I am a little nervous how the friendship dynamics might change.

Not all fly swatters do a quality job. Some are indeed better than others. If you find the need to invest in a new fly swatter and want some expert advise, do ask, and I’ll be glad to help you out.

We were supposed to learn how to make tamales the other day. Instead the lady just made us a bunch and we ate them. They were cheesy and had bell peppers in them, but my girls were all like, hey these have peppers in them, you can’t eat it! And apparently they are telling people that I’m scared of peppers.

Oh we had a nice Christmas Carol time Thursday. That was nice. Which my girls and I were late for, true Mexican style!

We went shopping as a family this week, for new clothes for a special dinner that one of the women is planning as part of her Christmas present to them. I didn't realize how hard it would be. Someone prayed that it we would find what we need on our shopping trip, and I thought to myself, wow, she really asks God for every little silly thing. Then we went shopping, and I realized we don't have any malls, nor shopping centers, and most of the boutiques we went in were just that, SMALL with little to chose from. Many items were "unique", meaning, if you liked a specific skirt, good luck, that's the only one they have so hopefully it's in your size, and if it's not, too bad, they don't have extra in the back. In the end, after 5 hours shopping, we successfully got outfits for all four girls, which was honestly a miracle, we just need to buy some shoes!

All the best taco places here don't have names. People just give them nicknames and everyone calls them that.

I saw some major tumbleweeds the other day. They seemed 4 or 5 feet wide. wow. I wish I would have gotten a good picture.

I was just called to dinner. "Hamburguesas" yummy. apparently, that's a special treat here. Last Monday, one of Johanne's visiting sons made this great cheesy tortellini with artichoke hearts, capers and garlic...I ate that stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I feel so comfortable here, and I've been so busy, that it's hard to admit to home sickness. But it definitely has manifested itself in my dreams. Did I blog about the one where all the people I loved moved to different cities and that no one lived in the same town as anyone, and I only got to see people once a year? I dream about different friends every night, and I'm always living in the states. I'm trying not to focus on them though.

One of my girls may get to see her family on Christmas if the paperwork goes through. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Only God knows if it'll be good or not. Pray that it only works out if it's supposed to happen.

It's so hard to be loving to them when I don't feel well. How do mom's do it?

Two of my girls went on an errand with Johanne yesterday, and another went with another person, and the other played outside so it was almost like I didn't have them all day long. I definitely needed the break even though it wasn't my day off. I even got some extra sleep since I don't sleep good when my allergies are bad.

It's funny, every morning in Chile I drank fresh squeezed oj, every morning in Costa Rica I ate pineapple, and every day here I eat dried peaches(orejones)! It's so nice to live with people that don't think it's strange you don't like ice in your drinks.

and I STILL teach Spanish, this time to Spanish speakers when they are doing their reading/writing homework. One of my girls just learned how to read and write this year, so we are still working on remembering when to use capital letters and periods.

I'll try to post a couple times a week, and make them shorter :/
But you know me, always talking...
(actually, I've become a bit of an introvert here because there are always a billion people around, and everyone is always talking all at once. I just sit back and enjoy watching and try not to become overwhelmed. whew!)

Feliz Navidad!!