Maybe I wonder why I am being so domestic?  I have been having a lot of fun playing at home lately.   All my life while I was busy working I made time for sewing, baking, knitting, and gardening… but since we’ve retired I am really having a ball.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve done some sewing – repairing clothes and altering clothes for better fit.  I bought some great fabric and made a bed cover and pillow shams for our bed, and I plan on making new covers for all the beds.  We’ve been using duvet covers with nothing inside but finding new covers here that we like has been a huge challenge, so making them is the way to go.

the painting above the bed is by Trevor Bennett

I have continued baking.  I bought a notebook and am keeping track of exactly what I do so if something works out I can recreate it!  Son Phil brought down some goodies for me – one was Nancy Silverton’s Breads from the La Brea Bakery.  (The book was recommended to me by Hector, the baker at Molika)  I’ve read most of it and have learned so much about sourdough and what to think about when baking.  One thing that will be a bit of a challenge for me is the kitchen temperature in the summer.  She likes a temp in the mid 70’s and right now mine is about 82 most days, and in the middle of summer will be about 86.  You can adjust the temp of the water and I might try using my beach cooler as a  cool-box for rising bread.  My latest attempt was a white bread with yeast and sourdough starter, too.  I added yeast so that I could bake the bread the same day – sourdough likes a slow rise.  The bread turned out fine, it was pretty dense but delicious.  It makes wonderful toast, roasted vegie open faced sandwiches, and tomorrow – french toast.

I also made some fantastic whole wheat sourdough pizza.  I read this article in the New York Times (be sure to read all the related stories) and could hardly be restrained from making the dough immediately.  It improves the longer you leave it in the fridge – I only waited 24 hours, but it was fantastic.  And now that Mega carries kalamata olives (in the deli area) and I can make sun dried tomatoes, I am a happy camper.  The picture below is leftovers heating up on the comal for lunch – I love pizza reheated this way – almost as good as the first day.

I also made dog cookies – a recipe from Breads from the LaBrea Bakery.  Both our dogs approve wholeheartedly, and doggie pal Sadie reports them to be delicious, too.  They have fresh mint in them for nice breath and can be given to a teething baby, too.

We are eating at home more lately since I have been making all this nice bread – and the other day I was going to make guacamole – only thing is it turned out I didn’t have any cilantro and one of my avocados was no good.  I’d already cut up the onions, jalapeños, and tomato.  So I winged it a bit and threw in some canned corn (well, those little square boxes) and some drained and rinsed black beans.  We like the baked Sanissimo tostadas, and while I thought this was going to be a little snack with a glass of wine it turned out to be dinner!

I have been poking around the various places with kitchen items around town and one of my favorite places (just up from Zaragoza on Serdan, west side) had popcicle molds!  I have been asking all over town for the almost three years we’ve been here. But I snatched up two sets (for 12 pesos each) and am looking forward to making us delicious blended fruit and juice paletas to keep up cool in the summertime.

I have a new knitting project going – it’s a wrap, and when I saw it on Knitty I knew it would be something I’d love to make and wear.  I still have a ways to go – and when you look at the picture below you can’t really even tell what it will look like when it’s blocked.  I am making it in a silk, wool and bamboo yarn called Panda Silk in a gorgeous deep brown.

We head to Mexico City soon for a visit with our son and his family.  There is lots going on with them so we should have a blast.  Of course I look forward to playing with Consuelo – isn’t she just a little dreamboat?

Saludos a todos!

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…and we had a wonderful time when our son Phil visited this week on the spur of the moment.  He is still planning on bringing the family for a visit at Thanksgiving, but this trip was a solo one.  That’s the way it is when the kids are in school!

Here are a few highlights:

One day was a bit overcast, but enjoying a beer under a palapa is still a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!

Of course it is always nice to watch a sunset from Puerto Viejo.

We always walk the dogs in the morning. (See the washcloth hanging out of Phil’s pocket?  The weather here has started to heat up and we are already mopping our brows when we walk around town…)

We spent a day at Stone Island – truly it was our Best Beach Day Ever!  We swam multiple times, and had good food and service at the palapa Puesto del Sol, and Paul and Phil even rented four-runners and drove them way down the beach and back.

We boogie boarded at Playa Norte.

We watched the sunset Thursday night from the top of the Freeman, and saw our very first ever green flash!

We did lots of other things, too, but mostly we just talked and talked and talked.  It was great.  Next week Paul and I head to Mexico City for a visit with our other son and his family, so I’d say May is Family Month for us.

of paint, that is.  No more posts, I promise!

The house below needs  a little touch up still but it looks so much better!

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The one below is a beauty.

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This is one of my favorite homes in all of Mazatlán.  I especially love the second floor porch!

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How about this one?

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Or this?

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The paint job below might be called putting lipstick on a pig, but if the concrete was repaired it would be a cutie.

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This is one of my favorite houses in Maz.

If you’d like to see all of the Fresh Paint 2010 pictures, click here or visit the Photos page in the top menu bar.