Alaska to Angola

My best friend in Angola is Katie. I am sure you have read some about her on my blog. She came in early October and we hit it off from the very first time we met. I don't think we go one day without doing something together. This is her first international assignment as well and so we can laugh and cry together on a daily basis. She is better at Portuguese than me so that helps me but I am a better bargainer than her so that helps her. :-) We take our dogs for a walk every morning after the kids get on the bus and "most" days we go to Helen's exercise class together. I am lucky to have met her here because it really does help to have a close friend while living here. She is the one teaching me to sew and she is very patient I might add. :-) She has an 11 yr old boy, 8 year old girl and 5 year old boy and my boys love being with her kids. She is originally from California but was living in Alaska before coming to Angola.....talk about change.

My point of this post was to let you know that I have a link to her blog on the right side of mine and she writes some pretty funny stuff.

A lot to say.....

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. I have been busy...not sure what has kept me so busy...but I have not been home most days until around the time the boys get home. Lots of exercising, sewing, shopping and visiting new stores. I promise I will try and get some of my post up tonight and try to keep up a little better. Some things to come:

Dogs attack
Egyptian Chicken Spaghetti
Sewing 101
Flat Stanley
Early nails & late JoAnn
Bungo & Madame Julia
Chinese
Torture
African Trees

I tried to make them sound interesting; however, the title will probably be the most interesting thing of the post. :-) At least, you will come back to see what they are about. :-)

Weird day for sure.

I thought it was weird enough just living here and some of the things I see on a daily basis...but I think today tops it all. So to begin with I had a different driver today because mine is taking a defensive driving course for the next two days. Normally, I would just say I don't need one but Jared was singing at the school assembly today and I needed to get some juice from the store so I agreed to a substitute driver. His name is Jesus and he was a nice guy and spoke English, but just not Baptista. He said he has been a driver for 10 years but his driving skills need some improvements for sure. By the time Katie and I got to the store we were both car sick. My bad/weird day started with Maxi. The store didn't really have much so we were done in about 15 minutes. However, when we got to the check-out-stands their computers were down. We were in line about 15 minutes before checking out. Once checked out we had to go pay and now their computers were down. We had to wait an additional 20 mins. to pay and by then the line to pay was almost out the door. When i was trying to leave and get my cart(like the flat beds at Sams) out the door there was a lady that would not move her cart for me to get through. I finally bumped her cart so she would move it and she wasn't too happy.

Finally home and the driver asked if he could leave for lunch. I told him to let me call Kenny first and then he could just go to town and wait on Kenny because I didn't need him anymore today. I got a hold of Kenny and he wanted to talk to Jesus so I went outside to give him the phone and I couldn't find him. Once I found him beside the house he kept saying hold on Madame I think I seen a mouse. When I went to hand him the phone I noticed the sidewalk was wet and when he turned around a little I could see his pants were unzipped. I quickly figured out he was taking a leak so I turned around so he could zip them and acted like I didn't know what was going on. He was hiding behind the gate and saying I think I seen a little mouse and he was bending down and acting like he was looking through some vines for the mouse. I wanted to tell him there was a bathroom across the street that he could use but I didn't say a word.

Now the icing on the cake for today was when my maid came to me and asked me for some feminine products. (Remember I do not speak her language and she doesn't speak mine....so most of the time we communicate via hand motions.) She kept asking me for something in Portuguese and of course I didn't understand. She was holding her stomach so I asked if she was having a baby and she said no. She was pointing down below like at her underwear so I asked her if she needed some underwear and she said no. Finally, with a little more hand motions I figured out she needed some pads. Good gravy...really!!! :-)

I HOPE this day does not get any stranger!! I really don't know why I am so surprise....after all I do live in Angola. ;-) I have to ride the bus to the school today as bus mom so I am hoping my surprises are over with.

Something funny that happened to my friend today while shopping. They didn't have the correct change to give her when she paid so she was paid in a hand full of mints. She didn't mind so much because they are pretty good, but as we were going to the car a little boy came up to us asking for money or food and so Katie gave him the mints. :-) By the way the candy as change and the little boy happen every time you go shopping. :-)

Food

Lately I have been learning how to make new foods and also trying new things. One day last week a friend taught me how to make California rolls. I didn't care to much for the seaweed wrapping around them but they were very good. I think I would like them better with rice paper. None of the rest of the family liked them so my driver and gardener go the majority of them once I was finished with them. I don't think they minded having the left overs. :-)

 A great find from the new Kero that Katie and I visited last week was the chicken nuggets from Spain. The kids really liked them and asked me to buy more next time I went to the store (if they have them). Jacob said, "If you find more of those chicken nuggets can you buy more of them". They are catching on quick. :-) A big plus....they even tasted like chicken. :-)

I also found a panini maker at the new Kero and it only cost $25 so I splurged and it has already been worth the money. 

Peanut Butter Maid

Friday I found a recipe for a peanut butter cake with peanut butter icing. This is one of the best cakes I have had. I think (know) I ate half of this cake this weekend. :-) While I was making it Armenda was looking at the peanut butter jar so I gave her a taste of it. I asked her if she had ever had it before and she said no but she loved it. She asked if she could have more and got a big scoop out of the jar. :-) Once I made the cake I asked her if she wanted some and with a huge smile she said absolutely. I ended up giving her some to take home to her kids and husband. 

The recipe is below...I only used 3 cups of powder sugar and I didn't use all of the icing on the cake.

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Sift the following and add to the above mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Mix and add to the above mixture:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into greased or parchment lined cookie sheet pan (jellyroll pan). Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
3/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Take off stove and add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour over warm cake.

Lots of baking

Today we made zucchini bread and hot dog buns. I don't like zucchini but a friend of mine had made it and I tried it and it was very good. I didn't tell the boys what kind of bread it was until after they tried it and said they liked it. When I told them they both acted like it was gross and they didn't like it but they had already ate an entire piece. :-) Jared kept saying he wanted some bikini bread.

For dinner Kenny was going to make hot dogs and chili but we didn't have any hot dog buns and I didn't have a driver to go to the store so I looked in my bread book and found a recipe for hot dog and hamburger buns. I made the dough in the bread machine and then the directions showed you how to to roll them out. They ended out looking a little like hot dog buns but tasted very good. I think I could buy them cheaper at the store here though.

Before being cooked.

Cooked and ready to eat.

Today

Today was a good day. Took Sophie for a walk this morning with Fletcher while the older boys were at Boy scouts. After our walk Miles came over to play with Jared and Jacob went to play with Max and Molly. Hana ended up coming over and I painted every ones face and they sprayed their hair different colors. I ended up with 6 kids at the house but we had fun. Once we were all decorated all the kids went to the Horton's house until we went swimming. Kenny played tennis with our neighbor and the kids went swimming and I watched them and read a book. Now we are home and Kenny has made potato soup.

Jared riding a scooter. He is getting so big.

Hana, Miles and Jared being silly eating lunch.

Vampire Hana

Skeleton Miles

Vampire Jared

Jared and Miles with their hair painted.

Fairy Molly

Jacob with black hair. I think he looks better in red.

Max with black and blue hair.

New Kero & New City

Katie and I found out there is a new Kero in town so Wednesday we had her driver take us to it. On the way we passed one of three of the Football (soccer) Stadiums in Luanda.

KERO!!! It was so nice and clean and big!! When Katie and I walked in we got a buggy and the first thing we both said was "New buggies...look how clean they are". You didn't have to look for a buggy that wasn't sticky or have trash in it. We didn't feel like we needed a shower when we left the store and that is always a good thing when going grocery shopping here, really going anywhere here. We took our time and went down every isle and looked at everything. I think we spent about 1.5 hours in the store. It was not busy and had plenty of checkers. The air conditioner wasn't the best but everything else made up for it.

Katie showing all the lovely home accents...there was even a car in it. It looks like a Wal-Mart and I would say priced like a Dillard's but probably about double Dillard's price. :-) By the way, this lady has made living here so easy. She is such a great friend and anyone would be lucky to have her in their life.

Look how nice, pretty and clean it is.

Scotch tape for $15.95...needless to say neither of us bought any. :-)

 This was a notebook for the kids...we thought it was cute.

Two glade candles for $21.00...good thing I got 4 for $5.00 at Target before I left.

The boys love these Cheerios for breakfast and I usually by about 5 boxes at a time when I can find them. I was so excited that the new Kero had them and only for $5.95 a box.

This is why I was so excited...look how many they had. This is more Cheerios than I have seen since living in Luanda. :-)

 I probably sound funny to everyone talking about how nice this store is and how much of everything they have but for those that live or have lived in Luanda you will understand where I am coming from. We said it's sad that a new store in town was the highlight of our week.

 I don't think I have ever seen this much and nice of produce in Luanda. It seemed like every time we turned a corner we were saying WOW!!! We even found some "real" chicken nuggets. I haven't tried them yet but I have heard they are good.

 After our shopping spree Bungo took us to see Kelemba also know as "The New City". He says it is for Africans but he also said it cost a lot to live there and he wouldn't be moving there. It was like it's own little town. I am sure once they finish it and everyone moves in that this Kero will end up being like the old one. It still gives us another place to hunt for food though. :-) It took about 30 mins to get there but was well worth the drive.

This is the school for Kelemba.

From Madame to Patrao

My last maid called me madame and I always asked her to call me JoAnn but she never did. My new maid, Armenda, calls me Patrao. I couldn't figure out what she was saying at first but when I figured it out I asked my driver what it meant. He kind of smiled and I immediately thought she was calling me a bad name. I asked him if it was bad and he laughed and said no it just means boss. I told her she didn't have to call me boss that she could call me JoAnn. She tried really hard to say my name but it just wasn't working out so she said she would just call me patrao.

Bread & Sewing

I think I have made more bread this week than the entire time I have had the machine. I have made 2 batches of white bread, maple, cinnamon, pizza dough and tonight I made cheese and pepperoni. They have all turned out tasting pretty good. Kenny wants me to try and make some hamburger buns so I might give that a try this weekend.

I made another pillow yesterday and it actually looked like the first one I made. YEAH me!!! I also hemmed my maids scrub pants yesterday, with Katie's help, and they turned out pretty good. This weekend we are both going to make a grocery sack holder for the plastic bags. I am sure hers will be better but I am just hoping to make one that looks decent and also holds bags. :-) I will post a finished product picture once complete.

Pillows

I have always wanted to learn to sew but just never had the time in the US. Mom has tried to show me several times but I never had time to practice what I was taught. So I got a sewing machine during the Christmas Holidays and brought it back to Angola with me. My friend, Katie, who is very good at sewing has been kind enough to put up with my ignorance and teach me how to sew. I started on Friday and she only "allowed" me to sew on paper. It was a lot of fun and I was ready to make something. Today I talked her into teaching me how to make pillow covers. I think it turned out pretty good. I will be really excited after I make one and it turns out as good as the one she helped me make. :-) Tomorrow I am going to try and make one on my own. We will see how it turns out. 

Maid-Armenda

I am really liking the new maid. She does everything I ask her to do plus usually more. She is always on time and I usually have to ask her to leave. :-) There is only one little problem.....she has really bad BO. I have showed her the bathroom that is hers. I have put soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush in her bathroom. My driver has told her everything in there is for her use and she still didn't use anything. It is so bad that when she comes out of a room I have asked her to spray room deodorizer in it or I can not go in the room. Today I just couldn't handle it anymore so I took her to the bathroom and showed her the tooth brush and toothpaste and said this is for brushing your teeth and made the motion of brushing my teeth. Then I got the deodorant and showed her how to make it go up and made the motion like I was putting some under my arms and continued with the shower soap and shampoo. She said ok and just smiled. This afternoon I was in a hurry for her to leave because I had to ride the bus to the school and with 10 minutes left before it was time for me to leave she came out and said she was going to take a shower. I couldn't say no since I was finally getting somewhere so I had to have the bus driver wait for me until she finished. I just wish I could get her to take a shower when she first gets here. My friend says her(the maid) husband will thank me....which I am glad but it doesn't do me much good. :-) Needless to say I have been spending a lot of time away from the house. Which isn't always a bad thing because today "my friend" helped me make my first pillow case. That's another blog story though.

Made & Grown

Yesterday I went back to the Chinese farm but this time we went with 2 Asian ladies and it's funny how different we were treated this time. We had to pay for our vegetables this time too. :-) I got what I thought was a watermelon but when Kenny opened it up it was white and tasted and smelled like a cucumber. Not sure what it is but we did not end up eating it. I took half of it to my Asian friend, Helen, to see what she could do with it.

 This is the cucumbers and bok choy I bought.

 Of course I got some more cilantro...I love the smell and taste of this stuff.

These are some tomatoes we have got from our garden since I have been back.

This picture is for PePa to see. We had some black diamond watermelon seeds from last year that he mailed us and we planted them before we left in December. When we returned after the holidays we had 3 watermelons growing. This is the biggest one so far.

Our garden went from this........

 To this.......our gardener is the best and is so good at what he does.

This is passion fruit plant that he planted. I have never had one but they say it is good.

Passion fruit...not ready yet.

Jared and I were so excited to find out that we do have an avocado tree after all. Jacob has been trying to grow us one from a seed and it is finally ready to plant so some day someone that lives here will have 2 avocado trees.