Crochet

So, I decided to make a baby blanket for Leyla, and this is the pattern I found. I found it on a blog, and it was actually pillows. I loved the flower pattern so I decided to make it into a blanket. I am using pinks, green, and yellow to make the flowers. I think I will do 9 large squares with a green border.

So far I have 2 squares completed - 28 granny squares - which means I need 7 more squares, or 72 granny squares left! (I think). Well, anyway, it's a lot of squares to go...but I am excited about the finished product. I think it will be very pretty and Leyla will love it!

Movie-Star Leyla

Two new videos of Leyla! The first is of Leyla swinging her baby in the baby swing, taking care of her little baby doll. The second is Leyla and Daddy in the hammock swinging!

More Sweets

Here are the latest desserts I have added to my menu. I have had so much fun trying new recipes of classic American desserts I never thought I would taste in Honduras! Loooove making them and eating them and of course selling them is nice too ;)

 The best chocolate chip cookies ever, thanks to Stacey Throgmorton's recipe!

 Yummy red velvet cake with cream cheese icing that Maria and I devoured!

Next on the list is shortbread, buckeyes, peanut butter fudge brownies, classic cheesecake, and cake pops!

Leyla at 20 Months

Leyla is growing up so fast! She is learning new things every day! Some things she has learned recently:

• she finally says "Maria" well and talks about Maria constantly; she walks around the house scolding her "pow pow, Maria!" nonstop. She has become very verbal, if she wasn't already...
• She says "ain" for "ant" and points out all the little animals and bugs she sees; also her aunt Bartola taught her to smush them with her shoes, which she does mercilessly;
• she says "ma" or "mi" when she wants something - either she is trying to say "dame" (give me in Spanish) or just saying "me," because she wants it for herself.
• She loves ranch dressing and will get it out of the fridge if you open it for her!
• She will grab your hand and look at you, then say "Vamos!" when she wants you to go somewhere with her :)
• She says "wooo" when she wants in the swing or hammock.
• Today, she handed me several books and was saying "boo," so I really think she was trying to say book, too.
• She loves to play with her baby dolls, pushes them in the swings, puts them in the high chair and tries to feed them, rocks them to sleep, and tries to change their diapers :)

 Leyla came to school the other day for a birthday party of one of my 8th graders.

 She had a lot of fun with the pinata!

 Go Leyla!

Nice quiet time with Daddy! Leyla loves her daddy and asks for him more and more; she is becoming quite a Daddy's Girl! She will say "daddy" whenever she sees any of his things or a truck! When she sees the headlights of the truck coming home at night she screams "Dadda!" and runs out to the gate to hop in the cab and drive in with him. She is so sweet to watch :)

"Te amo!"

Picture Update!

 Practicing the piano... ;)

 Being silly with Maria!

 She's become a little obsessive lately with her baby dolls; she carries them everywhere, feeds them bottles, swings them in the swing, wants to eat with them in her high chair, pats them, and shushes them to sleep!

Yummm, corn on the cob.

Fudge Pie Brownies

This is my mother's recipe (which is actually her friend's recipe) for fudge pie; to sell, I made it into "Fudge Pie Brownies." They are covered in my grandmother's chocolate icing!

 Yummmm :)

"The Dessert Kitchen"

I have added a few more items to my baking "menu" and created a Facebook page to advertise a bit. I call it "The Dessert Kitchen: Postres Americanos" so it has a little spanish. I added pound cake and key lime pie!

Today I came home and baked:
2:30 - Leyla asleep for a nap
2:30 - 5:30 - oreo balls in the freezer, 3 loaves of banana bread in the oven, chipotle chicken marinated for dinner, blog updated
5:30 - Leyla wakes up!
I would say I had a pretty productive afternoon!

Students' Week Vacation

Well, it's been awhile since I've updated! Last week was Students' Week in Honduras, so our school had the week off! Yay! It was a nice, needed break. We went to Tegucigalpa for part of the week, to get my passport and settle Immigration matters, and to buy bakery stuff!!

We spent the 2 nights at Marcos's cousins' house (actually it was her birthday, so they had a little "party" one night). We went to Applebees with Bartola, which was a treat :) And of course we went to Quizno's and Pizza Hut too!

 This is Leyla with her cousin Noe Sebastian. She loves to hug :)

 Look at her long hair!

 haha, love this - she was trying to find his belly button!