Ass-tons of Dishes

Nicaragua is starting to make me pretty fricking domesticated. Since we are a solid forty-five minutes from a grocery store, and a major river crossing away from two good restaurants, meals don't just appear before us like the good ole days of takeout from the vast array of eateries in Kailua. We (I) make all of our meals. Ian pulls out the occasional breakfast for dinner and he's always elbow deep in ass-loads of dishes. We have a term for an exceptionally big kitchen mess. We call it "getting Jenn Marred." I used to live with a good friend of mine named Jenn Marr. (As if half of you reading this right now, don't know who the hell Jenn Marr is ....) Anyways, she is an insane cook but every time she makes food, she uses every damn dish in her kitchen. Of course, it's customary for the non-cooker to be dish bitch. Being Jenn Marr's dish bitch sucks. So, when Ian gets stuck with a heavy dish load post-dinner, I have to apologize for Jenn Marring him. So, yeah. Anyways ...

Just this week I've made, six loaves of bread, two batches of granola, two batches of peanut-butter, and yogurt for effffff sake. Yogurt. That's right. I made homemade Greek yogurt. When I want something, I want something. And I've wanted Greek yogurt for a long time. When I tried my batch, a tear came to my eye.... I had done it. I had made thick, creamy, Greek-god-like goodness. But of course, all these fun afternoon cooking escapades incidentally lead to ass-loads of more dishes. This piled on top of breakfast dishes, on top of lunch dishes, iced coffee cups, hot coffee cups, water cups and the dinner dishes, makes for a fun-filled day of washing dishes. So, anyways, things take time down here. A majority of my days I wonder, "what did I do today?" I think the answer is, washed dishes.....But then I remember, I'm a stay at home mom living in the jungle of Nicaragua. What the hell else am i going to do? Learn how to make yogurt....and wash dishes...obviously.

Oh yeah, and drag my ass back into the ocean. I finally surfed again and this old hag can still stand up. Bonus. And now, some photos ...

Homemade Greek yogurt. I rule.

Everything the light touches is yours ....

Lots of sewing projects happening too...

 

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Some Photos

 

 

Thanks for the photos, Aunty Seeeees!

 

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The Denture Dilemmas of a 35 year old Female - Installment 1 - Earthquakes

Life with a denture is indeed, a journey. This series sheds light on some of the unforeseen challenges that go along with it.

di·lem·ma n.

1. A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.

2. A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution.

3. An argument that presents two alternatives, each of which has the same consequence.

Generally, when I'm nursing Liv, my teeth are out. I'm not sure why, it's just the case. Probably because we're both relaxing, and I'm most calm and comfortable when there isn't a giant plastic prosthesis taking up space in my mouth. So, I stash it under a pillow so Liv can't find it. Some of you may recall we had a 6.6 earthquake about a week ago. I happened to be nursing her at the time, upstairs in her bedroom, and as usual, my teeth were under the pillow.

It's interesting how humans react in an emergency situation. Upon realizing what was occurring, I jumped out of bed, scooped Liv up in my arms, and started to head out. As soon as we got to the door, I stopped in my tracks and realized I didn't have my teeth in. My natural reaction was to go back and grab them. And I did. If the townhouse were to collapse, could that extra four seconds it took me to grab my teeth have been the difference between life and death? Did I risk our lives because I'm too ashamed for people to see me without my teeth? Does this make me the worst mom on the planet, or what? Of course, nothing came of the earthquake and everything was fine but, seriously. It's like going back for your cat in a fire. You leave the cat. You leave the teeth. Lesson learned.

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Pitaya Smoothies

One of the hugest benefits of living in Nicaragua is the abundance of inexpensive, tropical fruit. We are fortunate to have a similar selection in Hawaii, but frequently, your sweet, sunrise papaya comes with a bit of a price tag. Farmer's markets have always been the best way to shop for produce on the islands and they're often enough to keep your produce supply flourishing all week long.

But here, in Nicaragua, we are even luckier because the farmer's market comes to us! Look at the cornucopia that was delivered to our front door this morning!

Do you see the pitayas, or as they say in Hawaii, dragon fruit? While researching the health benefits of pitaya this morning, I came across this interesting organization. Pitaya Plus works directly with Nicaraguan pitaya farmers to help them earn their organic certifications. They process fruit in a solar-powered facility and hire only single-mothers.  Reading a little bit about where our pitayas were coming from, made me appreciate this morning's smoothie that much more.

A while back, I promised a smoothie recipe or two. Since we're celebrating the pitaya today, I thought I'd share the contents of this mornings blender with everyone. While not everyone has the opportunity to pick up a fresh pitaya and a nice ripe passion fruit, if there ever is a time, go ahead and try this recipe.

Pitaya Smoothie

makes 3 - 12 oz. servings

2 ripe bananas

1/2 ripe pitaya or dragonfruit

1 1/2c. mixed frozen fruit

4 T. chia seed (soaked in water)

1 c. yogurt

1/2 c. Acai juice (or other liquid)

the pulp of one passion fruit

Pitayas are an excellent source of vitamin C. They are rich in iron, high in fiber, and full of antioxidants. Studies have shown that antioxidants may be effective at lowering the risk for certain types of cancer. The seeds of pitaya contain omega-3 fats which helps fight inflammation and certain autoimmune diseases.

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Books We're Reading

Today I'd like to sing the praises of author Eric Carle, writer and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?  These books have all the stops and there's a reason they've sold millions and millions of copies. They both have bright beautiful pictures in a collage medium that makes me nostalgic for Ezra Jack Keats', The Snowy Day. The Hungary Caterpillar teaches the days of the week.  It teaches numbers.  It promotes healthy eating.  It demonstrates metamorphosis.  And Liv loves putting her little fingers in the holes as he eats his way through the pages.   When she picks up the book she goes straight to the last page and coos at the beautiful butterfly.  She adores Brown Bear, Brown Bear, equally.  She loves the sing-song rhythm of the verses and the big animals on every page.  Mom loves the idea that horses can be blue and cats can be purple.  It promotes imagination and simple, clean design.  Not only is it fun to read aloud, it is visually stimulating, as well.  We brought a handful of English board books down for Liv, and these are the two she spends the most time with.

Some of my clearest first memories were reading books with my mom.  I'm excited to perpetuate this important tradition with my own little girl.  She shows great interest in her books and I can't wait to cultivate the richness of language in her life.

Aunty Sarah is here!

Aunty Sarah came into town on Tuesday! The family headed into Managua a day early for a change of scenery and to do a little shopping. We always stay at Managua Hills which is right near The Galleria Mall where there are fun things like a proper coffee shop, a fancy kitchen supply store, and American brand baby gear. We mainly re-upped our food supply but also got Liv a red, bear-shaped potty in hopes of sparking some early interest. We shall see ... Sarah brought Mommy and Daddy a replacement gasket for our stovetop Bialetti espresso maker, a couple of bags of Starbucks French Roast, and some surf wax. She also gifted Liv a puzzle that sings songs when you put the pieces in their place. It's great to have family amongst us and two extra hands in the house are always a plus when there's a baby around.

Last week marked one year since my e-day, as they call it in denture forums. Yes, denture forums. E-day, or extraction day, seems like a millenium ago and I'm working on a proper recap of the misadventures of this whacky time period. I'm just now ready to share some stories and of course, there are some good ones. So, keep your eyes out for those. I think I'll start a series.

Anyways, here are some photos by sister Sarah.

 

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6.6 Earthquake off the Coast of Masachapa, Nicaragua Today

6.6 earthquake off the coast of Masachapa, Nicaragua today!  Liv and I were laying in bed when all of sudden, I thought people had begun moving furniture next door.  But, then it persisted and I realized what was happening.  We could actually see the townhouse moving!  Liv and I ran outside and the neighbors were on their doorstep, as well.  Exciting, indeed.  Ian has taken me in the golf cart on the tsunami evacuation route a number of times.  Hole 5 on the golf course tees off from the highest point in Iguana.  It's a two-minute ride, up the hill.  Ian is playing in a golf tournament today and I gave him a call to let him know that his earthquake/tsunami text message alert that he recently signed up for actually worked!  So, everyone is safe and sound here.