I agree. I honestly cannot remember the last time I received a gift. I find it conspicuous consumption to give a holiday gift when there are so many needy. Unless you've made it yourself and it comes from the heart, I'd MUCH rather a donation.

Oh Colleen, I am just SICK for you! We are hoping to have salmon and arrachera for Christmas dinner - it is such a special treat for us!

Well, I thought about you all and we definitely made it. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be until the last minute and then I couldn't believe I still had another minute to go. But at least it is done. :) So 23 minutes of walking 15min/mile and 20 minutes of jogging. 83F/27C 63% humidity (DRY!) and wind speed of 16mph (CHILLY!). Pretty sure we had some windchill factor in there. :) No idea of distance except it was at least 3 miles. I'll have to check mapmyfitness and see if they give info for our route. I checked Google Earth quite a while ago and to the military point is 1.5 miles so there and back is 3, we always do more but I don't know how much. :) Since vacation, our best time has dropped from 22:30 to the military point to (a best) 21:20 (walking).

Well, the Royal Icing sucketh green donkey balls. I'm SO disappointed! The kids were actually trying to cheer me up. :( The icing absolutely NEVER got hard - no matter how much sugar I added. Maybe the heat (in the 80's) and humidity (70's) or the sugar or something make this impossible here. Or maybe *I* just suck (PMS much?). :( We got it together enough to start the roof before it caved in a number of times, tried a different roof, tried toothpicks, and now I'm just done. I'll use the candy and excess dough to simply make cookies that they can eat. Sigh.

I am very strongly against missionary type organizations. I have seen the devestation they leave behind and the absolute corruption they employ (don't get me started on the Mormons). So I look for an organization that works WITH the locals without forcing or encouraging or obligating a Christian (or any other religious) bent. Luckily it is very easy to give directly here in Mexico, to those who can really use the help. Santa is also bringing our family a KIVA gift certificate (as well as to my family in the US). My kids are knitting items for the kids in Xico (very cold climate in the winter) Mexico (yes, we have them :)) - but all these directly involved donations are coordinated with people living in the community and involve no large organization. I have also looked into the Heifer Project and maybe we'll do that one. Local to the Caribbean (which was absolutely HAMMERED this season with hurricanes) there is the Lambi Fund which is very close to KIVA except only for Haiti.

Thanks Mindy! The gingerbread is smelling quite good - I couldn't find molasses so I just used pilloncillo (don't know if you have it in the US) as almost all sugar down here is unrefined and pilloncillo is pretty much molasses. I think I needed cloves though. Couldn't find that anywhere and actually brought the ginger from the US. Should be interesting.. :)

I think it is called "Royal Icing" but the recipe I found yesterday didn't say anything about beating the egg whites until stiff and I now have runny icing. Can it be salvaged? I'll try adding more sugar and see if it becomes glue... Also all beating is done by hand here...

Geez, I was PROMISED the cream would be the land of milk and hunney and now I'm bummed! :) I got it only for libido as I've had hormone testing and they are WAY wacked out but I'm also in menopause (or peri or whatever - I'm 48, what do you want?) and I just want my libido back. Well, I honestly could care less but DH would really like mine back. I've had a decent libido for ages but this last year the hormones have been wacky and I'm thinking menopause is the culprit. Anyone else taking it for that? I have no PMS issues (other than one day - yesterday, thank you very much :)) where I feel like I am the world's slave and figure it all out by the end of the day. I've got to train the kids better to recognize the symptoms and sneak me some Motherwort. :) Or maybe just doctor my coffee with Havana Club. Which reminds me, we're out. :(

You people are CRAZY! :) Today is the last day of week 5 - a 20 minute run. I'm very afraid...

I just bought some on our annual trip to the US and it wasn't cheap! I haven't started using it yet - I'm hoping it will increase my non-existent libido. Any pointers?

What a beautiful story and picture! I didn't get the sunrise this Solstice, but last year I did...

This is not us, but our situation. We don't use credit cards unless we're in the US - and then only for the points. Here where we live we pay for everything with cash. We've lived this way for 4 years and it is 2nd nature now. If we can't pay cash, we don't buy. And we also scrutinize our purchases - is it really a need or just a want. And even if it is a need, how bad is the need. For example, we have 2 refrigerators. Both were free. One is 1/2 way working - really only the freezer - and the other freezer frosts up incredibly in just a week. The fridge part is small but functions. I still don't see a need to get a new fridge - even though we certainly could use one.

I'm an other - I don't keep a balance so I don't really care what they charge for interest rate. When we did keep a balance, though, I would constantly keep it at 0% interest by transferring to those cards that offered a 0% interest rate.

When will you be in Coz? We live just across the channel from Cozumel and see their twinkling lights each night.

You must be joking! Your avatar looks marvelous!

BITE YOUR TONGUE girl! That is blasphemous! :) Decreased my intake and began regularly exercising. Dropped 12 kilos so far.

Well our Couch program can't hold a candle to all you runners (and you all AMAZE me with your stats!) but today we did day 2 of week 5 of couch and had (drum roll) TWO 8 minute jogs! I think I'm ready for the marathon now. :) We've cut back on our padding and are only out for 45 minutes now.

I'm actually jealous of any mail carrier story. We have received one catalog (Sonlight) in the almost 2 years we've lived here. But no-one in Mexico uses the mail. Even bills are hand delivered. Early this year the president put on a huge campaign that the mail service would actually begin to function but I don't think anyone is using it. It has been so long that it has been corrupt and nonworking that it is impossible to think it could work. But the concept of receiving mail is very attractive!

Ditto if 7th and 8th is 11-12yo.

Well, DFW isn't the worst airport to be stuck in - we just spent 8 hours (not our choice) there on Monday. :)

I must have been 7 or 8 the first time, I specifically remember being 11 and drunk and throughout highschool. Strangely, it was all in reaction to my childhood and as an adult I'm not an alcoholic and just started drinking a glass of wine at dinner (to increase the good cholesterol) but keep forgetting. It's been at least 5 days since I had my red medicine so I'd have to say I'm not hooked on the stuff. I had a pretty bad childhood though.

After 3 days off (travel back home) we dragged our lazy asses out to the Caribbean today. Dragged, because the 7yo was vomiting from 3am to 5am. And I'd forced my mixed-up-internal-clock to go to bed at 1:30am. So, day 1 of week 5 of Couch with an added 30 min of brisk walking. Looks like I didn't gain while on vacation and actually dropped 2 kilos. :)

After 3 days off (travel back home) we dragged our lazy asses out to the Caribbean today. Dragged, because the 7yo was vomiting from 3am to 5am. And I'd forced my mixed-up-internal-clock to go to bed at 1:30am. So, day 1 of week 5 of Couch with an added 30 min of brisk walking. Looks like I didn't gain while on vacation and actually dropped 2 kilos. :)

Santa is bringing our family a KIVA gift certificate. I think it will be fun for the kids to pick out a recipient and follow their progress. Do you have thrifstores where you are? I got most of the kids gifts there.

Oh 28C is a lovely temperature. Long, light pants and no jacket needed but not hot.