Breakfast

Well...I woke up this morning and realized I really have no food in my house.  At least anything for breakfast...

So what did I do?  Stepped out my back door and picked a guava!  :)

I don't like to brag, but...

I just made homemade spaghetti sauce!  :)  Yep...you can pick yourself up off the floor...I cooked something and I didn't even use any type of measuring cups or a real recipe!  I peeled and seeded and chopped up some tomatoes, chopped up some garlic, onion and green peppers...added it all to a pot and cooked it up a bit...then a bag of tomato paste (they love putting products in bags...mustard, beans, mayo, oil, water, milk...you name it...it's in a bag!).  Anyway...the sauce was looking super thick so I added some water...let it cook up a bit more then blended it all together...wasn't feeling like chunky sauce today.  Then clearly cooked up some pasta (I really wish I had some normal size pots and pans...)...and voila!  The first spaghetti I've had in Honduras that actually tastes like normal spaghetti and now that I've tested the waters we'll see what my next spaghetti sauce turns out like!  :)

The finished product!  I ate it and I'm still alive!  :)

I should also mention that I'm on mini-vacation from school this week...starting today!  We had classes Monday and Tuesday, but the rest of the week off.  So today, other than slaving over the stove I went to get a pedicure!!!  It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They are a pretty pink and reminds me of summer and fun...all of you in New England should go get pedicures to boost your spirits and make you think of happier times...the summer will eventually come for you all.  In the meantime...I'll enjoy the 80 degree weather while you're bundled head to toe...

And since I haven't posted in a while I'll continue with this random blog...

I went to the pulperia (little store, usually run out of someones house) the other day looking for some food to cook up for dinner.  I had planned on rice with veggies and some tajadas (fried green bananas).  Well, the Rocky's...the pulperia I went to...was fresh out of the green bananas.  His son happened to be in the store and said he would run to another store and see if they had any, he hopped on his bike and was off.  He said he would deliver them to my house when he found some....about 10 minutes later he showed up with a bundle of bananas for me...when I come back to the States I fully expect this kind of service from all stores!  ;)

Showering?

Sometimes I get tired of showering in a bucket.  Yes, I have running water...at times.  But instead of trying to figure out the Honduran water supply it's easier to just keep the bucket filled in the shower.  I also don't have a shower head, so as annoying as a bucket bathing is, I guess it's more productive than a stream of water coming out of a pipe.  The problem with bucket bathing isn't really the inconvenience of bathing...it's the lack of warm water that really makes me dread bathing.  When it's hot, I suppose cold water is welcome, however the sun hasn't shined here in about a week and it's been chilly (about 70) and damp...now before all of you from the North start getting on me about how 70 is not chilly...try dumping a bucket of cold water on yourself.

Now, after re-reading what I just typed, I want you all to know...I have not given up on showering!  My hygiene is still intact and I haven't lost any friends!  :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is our door decoration for the month...our lovely heart fish!  :)  However, even though it's only halfway through the month...the door is looking pretty sad.  This door gets direct sun most of the day...someone said today that the fish looked a little dead.  Maybe we'll have to take it down sooner than anticipated!

And what am I doing on this lovely Dia de Amor y Amistad...I got home from school, quickly got in my sweatpants and sweatshirt (it's damp and chilly...maybe only 70 degrees today...freezing I know!) and took a nap!  :)  And later on today...I think I'll crack open the bag of sweethearts my mom sent down with me from the States!

What's cookin'....

NOTE:  I was just looking through old posts and realized this one never actually posted!  It's from back in December!

Yesterday was cooking day with Carolina and Lily...we made pastelitos (which are corn tortillas filled with rice and fried up...usually people put chicken in them, but these were just rice and veggies and DELICIOUS!)!  I always have so much fun with them and most of the time I'm pretty sure they think I'm crazy...cooking without any sort of measuring or timing anything is stressful for me!  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

And then after our cooking we decided to talk a walk down to the river and skip stones...

Who needs a burning permit?

I don’t worry about burning permits, I don’t have a garbage removal schedule and I certainly don’t worry about if it’s paper or plastic for recycling…

In my back yard, out near the back of my property there’s a black spot on the ground where I burn my trash and leaves (you wouldn’t believe how many leaves fall of the trees daily…and to think, up North it’s only for a season we worry about falling leaves…here…it’s continual!  haha)  However, don’t worry…I don’t burn my plastic bottles.  Those I leave outside my front gate.  Why do I litter my front yard with plastic bottles?  There are some kids that come by once in a while…I’ve only seen them a few times, but they carry big plastic sacks (like a big grain bag), and they walk the streets looking for plastic bottles.  I’m not sure of the entire process, but they must turn the bottles in somewhere for some sort of redemption.  I was walking to school one day carrying an empty half liter water bottle that I was going to fill when I got to my classroom…but this little girl with her big plastic bag came running up to me to ask me for my bottle.  It was like I had a piece of gold…how could I not give it to her, especially knowing I had an extra cup at school.

Anyway…I had quite the pile of leaves that had built up in my backyard and yesterday I decided to get rid of them all.  It took a while because, well, quite frankly I was afraid I was going to burn down the neighborhood (good thing most houses are cinder block and with tin roofs!) and I may not have burnt anything other than trash and leaves but I wouldn’t doubt if I asphyxiated a few of my neighbors with the amounts of smoke leaving my yard!

Bills...

I got my first Honduran bill...the electric company...

It's not completely accurate since the month of January I didn't move in til about half way through and I spent quite a bit of time with Cristo Salva, didn't have a stove, and didn't have a fan...

With that being said the grand total is....................58.46

You may be thinking that is a little pricey, however friends...that's in Lempiras...not US Dollars.  The conversion from Lempiras to US makes my bill a whopping $3.09.  But there's some more information you need to know...I don't even have to pay the bill!  The lovely Honduran government takes care of electric bills under 100 Lempiras.

Stay tuned for next month to see what kind of crazy bills I have to pay!

Lifestyles of the rich and famous...

Well here you have it...the long awaited update of my house!  I've had a busy few weeks with the group from Cristo Salva being down, but this weekend was a weekend of rest and picture taking!

So, without further ado...here's my house!  :)

Bienvenidos a mi casa!  This is the font...

And this is the back view...

My 2nd bedroom...

Only has luggage in it currently...anyone want to come for a visit?

This is what they call the ironing room...I don't have an iron, so it's where I keep some clothes...

Bathroom...with a big bucket of water for my showers!

My bedroom...

Kitchen...

Where all the cooking magic happens...HAHAHA

Ready for when the power goes out...and it frequently does.

My big backyard filled with all different trees!

This is a pila...pretty much a big cement sink used for washing clothes, storing water, washing the mop, etc...

Soooo...do you think this is up to code?

 Thanks for stopping by my house!  Hope you enjoyed the tour!  :)