Happy Tuesday (Give-Away)!

Personally, I like Mondays.  Mondays around here mean a clean house, washed laundry and date night with my husband.  However, I’ve noticed a lot of people who down Monday.  Sometimes I feel bad for Monday.  And honestly, I meant to post this yesterday on Monday but it got away from me and now I find myself in Tuesday.  Thus, Happy Tuesday!

When my mom came a few months ago, she brought me four coasters as my birthday present.  I always struggle trying to figure out what to request as a special occasion gift.  Christmas and birthdays and anniversaries are fun, but I always find I don’t need a single thing.  A little thoughtful gift is more satisfying to me than anything expensive or extravagant.  Unless it was a trip to an exotic island, then I’d be totally game.  If someone wants to give me one of those, please go right ahead.  But I digress.  When I saw the photos she picked for these, I couldn’t help but tear up.  My favorite places from home all of which I miss and can’t wait to visit again.  

The first is the most beautiful street in my home town.  I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love this road.  It’s also where we had some of our wedding party pictures taken.  Gorgeous!

The second is the view from the porch of my grandparents' beach condo.  All my life I have enjoyed visiting their NC beach.  It is quiet, calm and relaxing.  As a kid, I used to watch my grandmother fish and we used to beg my granddad to take us to the hot tub.  I remember watching my granddad prepare the freshly caught fish and enjoying it home fried by my grandmother.  I have such fond memories of visiting there.

The third is a beautiful photo from our family vacation in Blue Ridge.  We have gone twice now to a cabin as a giant family.  Autumn is my favorite season.  The rainbow of changing leaves and the smell of bonfires is something I truly miss here.  Our third visit is already scheduled for early next year.  With a family as big as ours, we need a giant place to all stay under one roof.  Being together is such a special thing.  We enjoy cooking, game playing and sightseeing together.  

The last is a photo of my grandparents’ house in North Georgia.  I always look forward to going to their house and swinging on the front porch swing.  I know their 50 acres well from countless walks through the woods.  When we were kids, we used to climb trees, play hide and seek, and have three-legged races in the yard.  Their log cabin is homey and welcoming and I love visiting there.

I use my coasters for tea time.  Whenever I set my mug down, I decide where I’m going to have tea that day.  The beach?  The mountains?  At home?  My new favorite tea is this chai rooibos my mom found while she was here.  I’ve always enjoyed the smell of chai tea but I had never had it because I don’t drink caffeinated drinks.  However, the rooibos chai is decaf!  It is great with a bit of milk and sugar.

If you’d like to receive some chai rooibos along with some genuine english toffees, just comment on the blog or on the link and tell me your favorite place to relax.  The beach?  The mountains?  With family?  At home?  I’ll do a random drawing and post the winner soon.  Then I’ll walk to the Mokhotlong post office and mail out your package.  We’ll cross our fingers that it will have a safe and successful journey across the pond!  Happy tea time!

~Abby

Christmas in August

Every once in a while, Christmas comes early .  Last week that is just what happened in Mokhotlong.  After lots of finagling with DHL between the US and Lesotho, our giant box of goodies from the States arrived safe and sound.  Full of surprises, things we had requested and a few things we’d forgotten while in the US, this package was exciting for all the St.Clairs.  

Dusty jammies and motorcycles for Kyle

Horse jammies for Ellee 

Inside we found a new baby doll for our little Baby Doll.  Superman and Planes jammies for Kyle.  Super hero undies for Jonathan… just kidding, those were for Kyle, too.  Chili powder, Reese’s, a thermometer and Arm & Hammer toothpaste for Mama.  And a giant box of shells and cheese, a new iPad case and head phones, and marshmallows for Sunday Night Sleepovers for Jonathan.  There were other things, too, like new jammies for Ellee, motorcycles for Kyle, a piano toy for Ellee, and a Liberty reading light for Jono.  His and hers coffee creamers.  Oh, and two pounds of pepperonis.  Ahhhh.... the taste of home.

So excited about pepperonis, I had to deviate from our normal leftovers-for-supper on Wednesday night and make some pizza.  Oh man, delicious!  These Americans think they are Italian with as much pizza and pasta and stromboli as we eat!

So this is how Kyle tells us what he wants to wear to bed now....

Thanks, Uncle Ric and contributing parties for getting our package to us!  

~Abby

Wishy Wishy Washer Woman

When Jonathan and I first were married and lived in Illinois for 6 months before moving to Mexico, I went to the laundry mat every Thursday to do our wash.  It cost about $10 maybe $12 a week to wash and dry our normal three loads.  We used our change tips from Cracker Barrel so it never really affected the budget as we never counted our change tips.  I didn't thoroughly enjoy hauling all our laundry from the apartment into our car, driving down a few streets, hauling it all into the building and sitting there awaiting the bell signal telling me I could go back home.  But with coffee brewed and a plethora of magazines, I made the best of it.... often chatting on the phone to my mom or best friend.  

Upon moving to Mexico, we were delightful to find that there was a washer and dryer on the same floor as the small apartment we were renting.  It meant braving the wind and sometimes rain to go change around our clothes, but it beat hauling to the laundry mat for sure.  I did laundry every Friday.

Then, when we moved to SC, a thoughtful friend offered us a washer and dryer for free about a month after we moved into our apartment.  I thought I was in heaven.  A real, working set of laundry appliances there in my own home.... I couldn't believe it.  And I appreciateded them because I had spent two years doing without.  I was sad to say goodbye, but thankful we could pass them along to my brother and SIL when we left.  

We got to Kenya in January and quickly learned that laundry at Africa Based Orientation was either done by my hands or someone else's.  After getting gyped by the laundry lady everyone else was using (I hate getting gyped),  we decided to do it on our own.  Having never washed more than a barely soiled shirt by hand before, I sat observing how the Kenyan students washed their laundry before we dug into our own filthy, dusty clothes.  It was then that I got my first hand-washing blisters.  We did hand wash through our home stay and in the village we stayed in for three weeks after that. 

Then we moved here where I've had a lady doing our laundry for the past few months.  However, knowing how much work it is, I deliberately tried to keep as much out of the weekly wash as I could.  I'd be willing to bet there are items of clothing I've been wearing since we got here which have yet to be washed.  If it didn't stink, have spaghetti sauce on it, or look like it'd been dragged through the sand box, it went back in the closet.  Well, our working relationship didn't go so well (for some reason unbeknownst to me) and the washing lady quit a couple weeks ago.  So, I was left to do it myself.  I am more convinced than ever that I don't know how the local people here do it.  A washing machine here in the capital is no unusual thing, but up in the mountains, and certainly in the villages, all the laundry is done by hand.  I can't fathom it, really.  My fingers and wrists hurt just doing the little bit I've been doing to keep up over these past few weeks.

I started using cloth diapers two months ago knowing I'd be left to wash them by hand.  I certainly wasn't going to add them to the laundry lady's load.  So, I (along with my mom and sis while they were here) have been washing, wringing, rinsing, wringing, wringing, wringing diapers for the past two months.  I knew going into it I'd be doing it and it wasn't so bad, really.  I had my normal routine every night.  Regardless, I was desperate for a washing machine.

When a local friend announced she was moving I asked her if she still had her washing machine for sale.  She did and I immediately told her I wanted it!  It has been sitting in our downstairs for a while now, because there wasn't any easy place to hook it up in the apartment we're living in currently.  But, after a little detective work, we found a reasonably simple solution.  A failed call to a plumber who tried to charge us out the nose set us back a week or so.  Eventually, however, we got in touch with another local missionary who knows all about plumbing.  He and Jonathan have spent the past few days working it out and buying the necessary hardware.  They installed most of it Sunday and Jonathan finished it up Monday after retrieving a couple more parts from the builder's store.  

I am thrilled.  I'm totally stoked!  I feel like no one loves their washing machine as much as I love mine.... although it's probably not true.  The fact that it takes up a large space in the kitchen doesn't bother me a bit.  I'm just entertained sitting there watching it swish and swirl my clothes to cleanliness!  I'm about to go put some extra pre-paid water on the meter and wash everything in the house!

This is the African me.  Can't believe I'm putting this photo into cyberspace.

Now I'm left to wash in the bathtub what the bathtub was purposed for in the first place.

~Abby

Strawberry Lemonade Muffins

I think it's high time I posted a recipe, don't you?  I don't even remember the last recipe I posted and that is sad.  Very sad.  So what better to rectify this pathetic situation than a good muffin recipe?  I've kind of been on a muffin kick lately.  They taste great with my other two-year-long kick, orange juice.  I love muffins.  Kyle loves muffins.  Jonathan doesn't care much about muffins, but that's fine; we feed him meat instead.  Any kind of meat.  But, I digress.

This recipe practically leaped off the page of a Southern Living magazine, begging me to try it.  It looked simple and summery, so I did.  What could be better than fresh strawberries with lemons?  Nada.

Begin by chopping up lotsa strawberries.  This is fun.  But not nearly as fun as the next step.....

.....This is my favorite part.  Well, besides eating the final product.  Are you ready for this?  Brace yourself..... Squeezing the lemons (!!!!).  See my nifty little lemon juicer gone measuring spoon?  Love this thing.  Paid nearly nothing for it at TJMaxx and it makes me squeal on the inside every time I use it.  Okay, having too much fun thinking about juicing lemons.  Also, you gotta zest them.  Get all the zest you can, this recipe calls for a ton.  I barely scratched the surface (pun intended, hehe) of what it called for, but, they turned out just fine.  I'm sure if you managed to get the whole tablespoon of zest, they would be even... lemony-er.

Next mix the self-rising flour and sugar together in a large bowl.  If you want to be like me, you can not have self-rising flour on hand and make your own.  If you don't wanna be like me, try not cutting your finger open on the baking powder can.  Why do they make the edge out of such sharp metal?  Ouch.  I type with a sliced finger wrapped in paper towel secured with Scotch tape.  I'm making a lot of mistakes and back spacing often.  Anyways, back to the dry ingredients.  Once they are really good friends, form a pit in the middle and set aside.

The wet ingredients are butter, sour cream, lemon juice and zest, and eggs.  Combine those until smooth and pour them into the dry ingredients.  Stir gently until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in the diced strawberries.

Fill baking cups (or lightly greased pan) 3/4 full with batter.  I am so impatient.  To me it feels like this takes forever.  And might I propose that it takes even longer with a one-year-old hanging on my legs announcing (loudly) that he brought me his BUH-BAAS (bubbles).  Run along, Kyle, go find Daddy.  I'm sure he wants to blow your BUH-BAAS.

Really, is this positively irresistible child mine?  See the flour on his face and shirt?  He's really a big help.  I said, "Kyle sit down and smile" and this is what we got folks.  Edible.  Sweeter than Strawberry-Lemonade muffins.

Okay, okay.....When the cups are filled (I got twenty out of my batch), sprinkle the top of each one with sugar.  Pop them in the oven.  Oh me, oh my...... YUM.

Strawberry Lemonade Muffins

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/2 c butter, melted
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries

Oven: 400*

Combine flour and one cup sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together sour cream and next 4 ingredients, add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold strawberries into batter. Spoon batter into lightly greased 12 cup muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over batter.  Bake for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden.

Let me know if you try them.  Let me know if you don't try them and I'll ask you, "Why not?"

~Abby

PS: Sorry some of my photos are blurry.  I am working with an old-itty-bitty-won't-focus-for-anything camera, as my sister has my nice one with her in CHINA. :o) 

Happy Enstallment

Meet my breakfast bowl.  It is bright and cheery and brings me much delight morning after morning!  The best part about it?  I only paid three bucks for it at TJMaxx a few months ago.  If I can figure a way to cushion it securely in my suitcase, it will likely make the trip across the pond with me next year.  Isn't it purdy?

They say, whoever they are, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I don't know how they figure that precisely but I will say that, for me, breakfast is consistently tasty.  That's because I have eaten the exact same thing with very few exceptions for at least a year now.  Probably I'm saying more about myself than I truly care to share..... I am without a doubt a creature of habit.  You can interpret that as boring.  I can branch out, if necessary, but my theory is why change a good thing?  It takes positively no brain power in the morning, it's delicious, and cheap.  

Thus Vanilla Almond Awake greets me every morning when I open my cabinet.   While I have tried the brand name and although I may get in a lot of trouble with my Kellogg friends (Sorry!), I still prefer the Wal-Mart version.  It has actually become a joke, because whenever I am in Wal-Mart, which I try to keep at a minimum, I pick up anywhere from two to five boxes of this stuff.  I have been known to hide keep a box at my parents' for when I eat breakfast over there.

Complemented perfectly by fresh strawberries, bananas, and peaches if they are in season, this slightly sweet and crunchy almond sprinkled cereal is my favorite.  If you can, try it with some fresh raw milk.  Interested?  Let me know and I can get you the contact information for our cow friend, Rose.

One of life's many simple pleasures: tasty breakfast eaten out of a cheerful bowl.  The wonderful way I start my day!

~Abby

Lucky Winner

I don't recall ever having won anything in my life until this past weekend.  My name was drawn as the lucky winner for this cheery table runner.  I am giddy with excitement!

It makes me happy sitting on my kitchen table.  Plus, it is travel size and can be easily packed into a suitcase for "trips across the pond."  Perfect; my kind of decoration.  I have just a few things I hope to get into our suitcases so that when we set up house in Africa, I can feel like it really is home.  This most certainly will be included in those few things.

Thanks Mrs. Jean!  You don't know how special this is to me.

~Abby

Tea and Cookies

Being raised in the south, I came to love sweet tea at an early age.  I used to make a pitcher often and drank it constantly.  Since going off caffeine almost completely two years ago, I haven't had more than a sip or two of coke or tea.  This afternoon, as I was hunting for a snack, I poured a small glass of some tea I made for Jonathan and grabbed a few ginger snaps.

Instantly, I was reminded of this perfectly sweet and spicy combination I discovered years ago.  As a gingersnap lover, I have tasted many different varieties.  I love ginger crinkle cookies also, but there is something wonderful about the hard crunch of one of these tasty cookies which come in a brown bag.  Today mine are from Aldi; I find that they are just as good as the best I've had and much better than the Wal-mart brand (no surprise there!).  

Some days just call for a tasty afternoon snack.

~Abby

First Ever Blog Give-Away

Can you believe I've been doing this blog for nearly two years and have yet to give anything away? I've thought about it, but I never knew what to give!  So, the other day a light bulb flipped on.  Actually, it flipped for my mom so you can thank her if you win.

On my coffee table, which I found at the Goodwill for $8 (it is solid maple *proud*), sit four fabric coasters.  Begging for a warm mug of something sweet or a glass of iced water with lemon, they remind me of a place I am very fond of visiting.  I found them in one of my favorite shops to browse, Parson's General Store in Morehead City, NC.  Never been there?  I bet most people haven't.  But, it is a quaint ocean side town I've visited often.  My grandparents vacation there and we are always happy to join them.  The general store is an old, two-story home filled with country goodies.  There is a whole room of candles, and we've already established how much I love candles.  For the littles, there is a room of toys, trinkets, games, candy..... They sell hand dipped ice cream, local chocolates, homemade sauces, muffin and scone mixes, hand towels made of plaids and ginghams, Beanie Babies.....  Upstairs is a room filled with Christmas decorations year round.  Another room offers beachy trinkets, dishes, signs, bags and towels.  There are tons of signs with witty quotes, and in a bin nearby, I found these coasters.  I loved visiting this century old home turned country gift shop a couple weeks ago when we went to NC to play beach bums for a few days.  Picking up a few Christmas things was one of the highlights of my time there.

Oh yeah, I should show you the coasters, shouldn't I?

In case you missed my last sewing post, I have taken on learning to sew as my newest hobby.  So far, I have hemmed a few things, made some mini-aprons, smocked an insert for an outfit Lollee made for Kyle and now....

....With Christmas lurking just around the corner, I thought I'd make a few of these coasters in festive fabrics.  I sewed a set for me and a set for someone special out there.   Wouldn't these look nice in your home?  I hope so.

In leu of sassy sayings, I decided to write lyrics from my favorite Christmas carols.  On both sets, I wrote my very favorite carol stanza:

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning...

 If you want a chance at winning the give-away, leave me a comment on here, on Facebook, in my email... and tell me your favorite line from a Christmas song.  I'll draw on Thanksgiving so you'll have ample time to enjoy them during the holiday season!

I hope you win!

And in case you don't, you can make a couple for your own coffee table like this:

To begin, cut a 4.5 inch square of patterned fabric, batting and a coordinating piece of backing fabric.  I obviously used a creamy white so I could write on mine.  But, if you want to skip the writing, you can just use two pieces of colorful fabric and switch them up a bit!

Before you begin sewing, make sure your three pieces are stacked with the white on the bottom, batting in the middle and the patterned piece UPSIDE DOWN on the top.  Then, just sew around all four sides 1/4 inch from the edge, leaving yourself an inch and a half or so in the middle of your forth side.

 Try not to get distracted by the adorable baby sitting at your feet playing with a measuring tape.

Your square should end up looking something like this, with the opening at the top.  Simply cut the edges off the corners, which will make the fabric lay smoother on the inside once you pull it through.

Turn your coaster right-side out.  Iron it flat, tuck the edge in where you left it unstitched, and sew around the the whole thing again a little less than 1/4 inch from the edge.

And there you have it, my friends, a cozy Christmas coaster.  But, you don't have to go to all that trouble.  Just enter to win the giveaway and you might just have four of these on your coffee table before the Christmas tree is up!

 ~Abby