Navidad Nicaragüense

Kitty update: our little family is doing well and the kittens (now one week old!) are all thriving.  We have three boys and one girl (pictured on the far right).  They still haven't opened their eyes and don't do much but eat and sleep, but I must say they're fun to have around.  Sometimes I find myself in a trance watching Perrita care for them--my favorite is when she tries to clean one that just won't hold still! Too fun :)

12/24/2011

Our Navidad Nicaragüense (Nicaraguan Christmas) was pretty relaxed, as planned. On Christmas Eve, Megan, Ana, Matt and I went to Maria Jose's house to bake cookies in her OVEN! (Usually our toaster oven does the trick, but we wanted to do some real Christmas baking!)  She was unable to travel to her hometown for Christmas, so it was fun to spend some of the time together.. I know she enjoyed the company and LOVED the cookies!

Megan and I left MaChe's early to come back to the house and prepare for 6pm Mass.. We then walked to the Batahola Cultural Center, located in the neighborhood to our North (where we usually go to Mass).  They have a really strong community and beautiful band/choir, so it was a nice place to be for our Christmas celebration.  Plus, the mural behind the altar is a beautiful depiction of a Nicaraguan Nativity, including various liberation theologians and other moral exemplars in Latin America.   

Megan & I in front of the mural after Mass

After Mass, the two of us came home to prepare tomato soup for our Christmas Eve "feast".. we stopped at the venta in the neighborhood and and picked up tomato paste, chicken broth, one giant carrot, 12 tomatoes, some celery, onion, and garlic. After chopping it all up and heating it over the stove, we blended it together (in our blender with a broken lid..) and made grilled cheese sandwiches (a Cap Corps Managua staple!) to go along with it.

Simple, but yummy!

We enjoyed our dinner together and the quiet evening at home (Matt and Ana spent the night at MaChe's house). :)

['Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring

Not even a mouse.]

We didn't have much planned for Christmas day (other than Skyping our families in the states), so we decided to go all-out on our Christmas dinner.  I spent the afternoon creating the 'atmosphere', which included Christmas lights (icicles nonetheless!), Christmas music (via speakers through my bedroom window), and a table setting complete with a make-shift centerpiece (including ornaments, candles, pinecones, and some flowers from our yard). :)   We must've been dreaming about a "wet" Christmas, because it rained almost the entire time we were eating... so much for it being the 'dry season'!

The final product :)

And another yummy dinner!
Homemade chili with cornbread (and CANTERA honey!)

After dinner, we had to take care of a little business (I told you there's never a dull moment in this house!).. When I was hanging up Christmas lights, I discovered a bee hive forming on our patio roof.. although we knew they weren't the same type of bees from the cooperative, we figured they were attracted by the old hives that Ana had been cleaning in the back yard a few weeks back. This gave "bringing work home with you" a whole new meaning!  It also gave her the excuse to sport the bee suit.. and extinguish them (with ant Raid.. but it worked!).

ExterminAna

Today's my last plan-less day of break, as Kelli is scheduled to arrive at 7:10 tonight!! Her flight from Dallas to Miami was over 2 hours late so they told her she wouldn't be able to make her flight to Managua.  I calculated out a 28minute layover and told her to SPRINT. She landed, and in 13 minutes rode the skytrane and sprinted to "the furthest terminal away".  They changed her ticket back to today and she even landed a first class seat! Phew!!  Now we're just praying her luggage makes it, too!

Hope everyone at home had a very Merry Christmas, and here's wishing many blessings for the New Year!