Virtual Jack-O-Lanterns

Go to this site to make your own Jack-O-Lantern!

Happy Halloween!

Coffee Winners!!!

Congratulations to


Natalie


and


Bethany !



I'll be emailing you today to find out where to mail your coffee!! :)

Thanks so much to all who entered! And stay tuned...I have another fun giveaway in a few weeks!

Also, make sure to stop by Molly's blog- A Few of My Favorite Things today, where I shared some of my favorites!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

Last Chance!!!!

Tomorrow (Friday) at NOON I will pick the Venezuelan coffee winners....

So hurry and click on the link to the right and register to win!

Happy almost-Friday :)

What I'm loving Wednesday!

Today I'm loving plane tickets. We are going to buy some very soon....

I'm also loving girl time. Yesterday I got to hang out with Kathleen which was always fun. The Office, hot chocolate, and nail painting. She painted my nails a diva purple color which feels like Fall for some reason.

Note: These are NOT my nails, but, for a Venezuelan woman, these nails would be perfectly normal. seriously.

And this is kind of random, but,

I'm also loving homemade salad dressings. In VZ, they often make a mayo-based dressing from scratch for their salads. Here's more dressings that look really good as well. And homemade can be healthier! (depending on the ingredients!)

Lemon Vinaigrette- pinned here

Garlic- Herb Vinaigrette- pinned here

Olive Garden Dressing- pinned here

Homemade Ranch- pinned here

 Today I'm linking up at What I'm Loving Wednesday

and

Packing. Laundry. Packing.

That’s what I've been up to lately.  You’d think that by now, we’d be experts at packing for international moves. Not quite.

We have learned a thing or two though…

-Pack as much as you can at least a week before. And weigh your suitcases a week before as well. That way you aren’t searching for items to pack/switching suitcases the night before. I’ve learned that the hard way.

-If you can get it at your new destination (toiletries, school supplies, etc), don’t pack it. That doesn’t include more expensive beauty products/makeup that may be hard to find where you’re going.

-When packing books, be very selective. Adding a few books in a suitcase really ups the weight! (This is our weakness because we love to read)

-In your carry-on, pack valuable items and medicines. And don’t forget to pack some gum, which helps prevent the airplane headache and ear-popping. (And your passport, wallet, other I.D., something to read, etc.)

-Wear your heaviest clothes and shoes. (More weight on you means less weight in your suitcase). I may have worn a pair of David’s boots once while traveling because my bags were already at the heaviest weight allowed. Taking a jacket helps relieve some weight from your suitcases and is good for unpredictable airplane temperatures.

-Liquids really should go in a zip-lock –type plastic bag. It’s no fun to open your suitcase and find everything covered in shampoo.

-If it has some strong emotional value, take it. You’ll most likely regret it if you don’t.

-Pack some light food items. For David- we are packing arepa mix, Venezuelan coffee, spices, and other things he can eat when he is missing VZ food.

-And always pack some snacks to munch on while traveling.

And, as I was finishing this post, we found out that David's visa arrived in the mail! Yay! Now, that really puts packing in high gear!

Venezuelan Coffee Giveaway!

Today I'm doing a little something different for Foodie Friday. And since I'm super pumped about our recent victory, I wanted to do something fun to celebrate.... and thank my readers :)

Technically this giveaway fits right in to "Foodie Fridays", because for most Venezuelans, coffee is consumed as if it were a food group! So..........Why not giveaway some Venezuelan coffee? 

Colombian coffee gets all the fame, but Venezuelan coffee is really good as well. It is quite VERY strong, and has a rich, "earthy" flavor. So if that is your kind of thing....here's how the giveaway works.

Two winners will be chosen at random and announced next Friday, October 28th. Yes that's right, there will be TWO winners!! I will mail each winner a pack of ground coffee (like the one in above picture).

U.S. residents only. (Sorry, some countries are weird about mailing this sort of stuff.)

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entries:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite coffee drink or recipe. Mochas? Espresso Brownies? 

2. Follow my blog by clicking "Join this site with Google Friend Connect" on the right-hand side or enter your email below where it says "FOLLOW BY EMAIL" to subscribe by email, and leave a comment letting me know you've done so. (Or if you already follow, leave a comment as well.)

Optional Entries: (Leave a separate comment for each entry)

3. Share this giveaway on Facebook.

4. Share this giveaway on Twitter.

5. Share this giveaway on your blog and comment with the link.


And there you have it, 5 chances to win! Good luck!

Embrace the Camera: Oct 20th

Have you ever met someone and just known that God had a special plan for that person in your life?

Well- meeting this family was one of those experiences. David has actually known them for a long time, but hadn't seen them in years. David saw the dad a few months ago and realized they live really close to us!

 For the past few months God has used them to bless us in so many ways. I'm not sure I've ever met a family so generous, yet so humble.

Also, the dad (who travels to different churches giving workshops/conferences) was praying for someone to help him with technology stuff, like powerpoints and making videos, and David is an expert in all of that. So they were able to help each other. We are pretty sure all this was no coincidence!

Along with all our other Venezuelan friends, we will miss them dearly! But we are thankful for their friendship....and for skype! :)

p.s. If you are a coffee-lover, make sure to check back here tomorrow. I might have a fun giveaway up my sleeve!!!!!

VICTORY

I have a whole lot to love this Wednesday. First and foremost, I'm loving the fact that YESTERDAY DAVID'S VISA WAS APPROVED!! Yes, you heard me- APPROVED. We started this visa process 17 months ago (which we thought would be 9). Blood, sweat, tears (and lots and lots of prayer) have gone into this visa. And we are excited. Although it totally hasn't hit us yet. Probably won't until are actually IN the US. But we are thankful. Praise the Lord. Now we just have to wait for the visa to come in the mail and get our plane tickets to NC! woot woot!

 I'm also loving all of you friends who have encouraged us and prayed for us along the way. We are so so thankful for all our prayer warriors.

 I'm also loving the place we stayed. It is a place run by Americans so it has the feel of an American home rather than a hotel, and that has been such a comfort to me. I'm not sure how to put it into words. Well here let me try to explain- HOT showers. Huge blessing.

Yesterday I loved walking around Caracas- really pretty, historical, and colorful.

At the "Asamblea Nacional" - Congress Building

At the "Plaza Bolivar"

Asamblea Nacional again

Another view of the Plaza Bolivar

Unfortunately, this is the only upclose picture we got of us yesterday. This picture was supposed to be a "show how excited you are that the visa is approved". But the sun was really bright. David took it and I said, "Check and make sure the picture turned out good." What actually happened is that he looked at the picture and saw that HE looked just fine, but didn't tell me that I look like a horse or some other strange animal. Oh well.

Fun fact: See that yellow plane in the background? It is a DHL plane, which is the company that will mail David's visa. Dear DHL people, Please fly that visa to Maracaibo ASAP. Ok thanks!

 I loved the beautiful pictures that we took before (and during) the downpour.

 And this pretty little flower after the rain.

Ok so this week for Pinteresting Wednesday I'm pinning all food. I'm preparing my list of all the recipes I want to make when we get to the US, when I can get all the ingredients.

P.F. Changs Lettuce wraps- pinned here

Crock Pot Ribs- pinned here

Pioneer Woman Sesame Noodles- pinned here

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Pizza- pinned here

Greek Pasta Salad- pinned here

Happy Wednesday!!!

This week I am linking up at What I'm Loving Wednesdays and

MIA

Good morning friends! I hope your weekend is going well! I will be MIA for the next few days. We are going to Caracas. David's visa interview is Wednesday! Please say a prayer for us, that all goes smoothly & quickly and for safe travel! And also for God's peace as all of this is pretty darn stressful :) Enjoy your weekend!! Thanks!

Foodie Friday- Plantains!!

I couldn’t really leave Venezuela without doing a Foodie Friday on PLANTAINS!!

Platanos (in Spanish) are one of my favorite foods here. You can make fried plantains, baked plantains, sauted plantains, or boiled plantains.  (to be read in a "Bubba" voice. Sorry I just watched Forrest Gump, I couldn't resist.)

Plantains are in the banana family, but are bigger than bananas and have more potassium.

They are also a great source of fiber, magnesium, folate, and vitamins C and A. 

If you've never tried them, next time you go to a Mexican/Latin restaurant, see if they're on the menu!

They can be cooked while still green, but I like them better when they are very ripe, because they’re sweeter. You can even wait until the whole peeling is brown. 

Note: Don't eat raw! I mean, I guess you could if you really wanted to, but it's no good.

Here's the "correct" way to peel plantains:

Now, you're ready to cook them. 

If you want to fry them, just put them in a pan of hot oil, and cook until golden brown, like this:

Pic and nutrition facts found here.

If you want to bake them, cover with butter (or for a healthier option- olive oil) and bake like you would  potato. (I'm not sure for how long because VZ ovens are different, so keep an eye on them if you bake them.)

You can also boil them. Just put the plantains pieces in a pot of boiling water and boil until plantains float and are soft (time depends on how ripe the plantain was). Remove from pot, mash up with fork. Usually eaten with butter and/or shredded cheese.

You can also saute them (as seen in picture below). Heat a non-stick pan. Put butter (or olive oil) on both sides of plantain and put in pan. Then cover. Cook on low heat until golden & brown and then flip. I'd like to pretend that I burned the plantain on the left on purpose, so my sweet blog readers would know what a burnt plantain looks like. ha, yeah right!

Have you ever tried plantains?

Do you have a favorite plantain recipe? 

Venezuela beats Argentina!

Speaking of spending time with friends, on Tuesday David and I got together with some amigos.

It was sooo good to see Kathleen, as always.

David was excited to spend time with friends too. They enjoy a good laugh.

 And I finally got to see her new casa!

 I love her Asian-themed living room. And the wall color.

And I was pumped when Hebert let me play his guitar for awhile.

The main purpose for this get-together was a soccer game. They set up a projector and white screen outside so lots of people could watch. It reminded me of watching Carolina basketball ! I realize this picture is super blurry, but hopefully you get the idea....lots of people outside in chairs...

watching the game...

In case you don't keep up with Latin American soccer, (which I would not if I wasn't married to a Venezuelan), Argentina is really good. But, Venezuela beat them, for the first time ever! So it was a good day for the Venezuelans!

Yay for time with friends! and Yay Venezuela!

What I'm Loving Wednesdays

 I'm loving fall boots.

pinned here

Pinned here

This may be the year I surrender to the trend. Love the boots/dress combo!

pinned here

pinned here

I'm loving pretty fall nail colors,

pinned here

pinned here

Fall party ideas,

Front Porch Pumpkin Carving Party- pinned here

homemade pancakes Yummmmm,

Recipe- Pioneer Woman

And cute aprons. Which in my opinion make cooking more fun. (oh yeah and they keep me from ruining all my clothes)

pinned here

If I had kids, I’d be checking out these adorable and halarious costumes.

Dwight.

pinned here

Mermaid.

pinned here

Kip.

pinned here

Today I'm linking up at What I'm Loving Wednesday,



,and