Dec 29
Posted under All in the family, Around the house, Church, Clara and Libby, Life, School by MicheleP.
I keep thinking “Today I’m going to update the blog”… and then as I’m drifting off to sleep I realize my good intentions were just that. Instead of back-blogging, I’m going to give you the past month in laundry (at least some form of laundry is getting done) format (and for Mimi, some pics!) My [...] [...more]
I keep thinking “Today I’m going to update the blog”… and then as I’m drifting off to sleep I realize my good intentions were just that. Instead of back-blogging, I’m going to give you the past month in laundry (at least some form of laundry is getting done) format (and for Mimi, some pics!)
My Birthday Week – this really deserves much more than a bullet – not just because it was my birthday week, but because my husband went totally and completely out of his way to make the day week special. I had 7 full days of birthday celebrations and presents complete with flowers, special meals, awesome gifts (hello new pink ipod) and even a Saturday morning all to myself with nothing but a box of Lucky Charms to keep me busy. It was: Blissful!
The girls had their Christmas program at school. Actually – it was much more than just a Christmas program. In addition to the standard Mary, Joseph, Angels & Baby Jesus we had many colorful butterflies as the little girls showcased their ballet “skills”. I guess it’s just easier and more economical to have the ballet recital alongside the Christmas program.
The girls also were in a Christmas program at church. However, no butterflies at this one.
We got to see Santa
Twice.
We hosted a visitor from Texas. He was by far the easiest guest we’ve had to date.
We had some special family times reading the Christmas story each night and making many yummy treats
The girls could hardly sleep the night before Christmas and were thrilled the next morning to find that Santa did indeed come to Puerto Rico!
And there you have it. Bring on 2009!!
Dec 05
Posted under Around the house by MicheleP.
A while back I posted about our current utility dilemma. After talking with several people, we pretty much knew that our water bills could not be accurate – $39.42 every TWO months just wasn’t right – but who were we to argue?! Over Thanksgiving, we noticed our pressure was down again and so we called [...] [...more]
A while back I posted about our current utility dilemma.
After talking with several people, we pretty much knew that our water bills could not be accurate – $39.42 every TWO months just wasn’t right – but who were we to argue?! 
Over Thanksgiving, we noticed our pressure was down again and so we called up the water company and they said they would send someone out to look into it. We wondered if maybe our account was somehow confused with the house across the street that has been vacant since we moved in.
The next week, the water company came out and made some adjustments. This week, we got a letter from them and I braced myself that inside would reveal one hefty water bill. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see not a bill (with the help of my Spanish-English Dictionary) but that they had replaced our “antique water meter with a new one at no cost to us to ensure accurate billing.”
I wandered outside to take a look
And I found this NEW GOLD SHINY METER where the previous black and rusted one used to be.
Ok, so if you’re a little disappointed that my birthday surprise wasn’t jewelry or some new fancy appliance, that’s okay. I’m actually good with (virtually) free water for a year. And if you really feel bad for me, you are always welcome to send other shiny gold things my way.
Dec 03
Posted under Around the house by MicheleP.
More birthday surprises…can you guess what I got? I’ll give you a few hints… 1) It’s gold and shiny 2) You can hold it in your hand 3) It’s round(ish) 4) It ain’t cheap I’ll give you a day to think about it… [...more]
More birthday surprises…can you guess what I got?
I’ll give you a few hints…
1) It’s gold and shiny
2) You can hold it in your hand
3) It’s round(ish)
4) It ain’t cheap
I’ll give you a day to think about it… 
Nov 26
Posted under Around the house, Life by MicheleP.
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Nov 25
Posted under Around the house, Life, Puerto Rico by MicheleP.
There are a lot of things I like about living here – and a lot of things I don’t like haven’t gotten used to. There are things that I don’t understand…like why bananas cost more here than in Kansas, why they sell winter coats and boots, why there are no pay at the pump gas [...] [...more]
There are a lot of things I like about living here – and a lot of things I don’t like haven’t gotten used to. There are things that I don’t understand…like why bananas cost more here than in Kansas, why they sell winter coats and boots, why there are no pay at the pump gas stations, and why you can’t find decaf coffee anywhere. All these things I can deal with – but the one thing that might just prove to the the straw that breaks my back?
The Ants.
Never in my life have I lived with a pest that is so incredibly persistANT (heh – I’m so punny, no?). These suckers appear out of nowhere and are everywhere. One day, I opened the microwave to find several in there. So I figured I’d just shut the door and turn it on. A minute later, I opened it back up and guess what – the stinkers were still in there – and STILL alive. They love sugar – and it seems their favorite food item is granola bars. Problem is that my girls also love granola bars and cannot eat one without dropping something on the floor – which means within an hour of eating the granola bar, I’m gonna have a whole host of ants swarming that sticky piece of granola on the floor.
We’ve tried just about everything – and now swear by the best (and cheapest and non-toxic) remedy out there and I’m going to let you in on a little secret: White Vinegar.
Forget the expensive ant traps or chemical sprays or hundreds of dollars for an exterminator. Just find the trail and wipe it down with white vinegar. The ants will go crazy. They can’t stand the stuff and they can’t follow a trail that has been “blocked” by the vinegar. We have one spot in our house that the ants keep coming in – a hole under our (non functioning) air conditioner. So, we soaked a towel with vinegar and just stuck it up there – no, not the prettiest sight but it does seem to work.
Nov 20
Posted under Around the house, Clara and Libby, Life, Puerto Rico, Sights & Sounds by MicheleP.
I posted a video of Libby a few days ago. We asked Clara to sing a Spanish song too but she wasn’t really interested. Instead, she sang about princesses. Imagine that? If you listen carefully, you will hear a few things in the background… 1) Libby eating chips and 2) the sound of the coqui [...] [...more]
I posted a video of Libby a few days ago. We asked Clara to sing a Spanish song too but she wasn’t really interested. Instead, she sang about princesses. Imagine that?
If you listen carefully, you will hear a few things in the background…
1) Libby eating chips and 2) the sound of the coqui frogs. The frogs? Charming. The chip cruncher? Not so much.
