Christmas Spirit

 We have been so busy unpacking, trying to figure out where we are, driving to the grocery store, doing homework, and working – yes, I am working now – that it feels like Christmas is no where near here.  Yes, we have a tree and our chimney has Christmas decorations – and YES I did send out Christmas cards this year(finally), oh and I did bake one set of Christmas cookies too, but still it just doesn’t feel like Christmas yet.

What to do to make it feel like Christmas? Join the neighborhood caroling group of course! No, I can’t sing and you really don’t want to hear me sing, but I still enjoy doing it. Our neighborhood has for the first time, got together and tonight went caroling. We met  at our pavilion, had hot chocolate, cookies, and sweets, practiced singing, and then jumped on a trailer covered in hay bales and set off down the road to sing to some neighbors who have a had a hard year. 

The kids were super excited, hopped up on sugar, and raw energy, the adults enjoyed socializing, and making other people feel good.  All in all, it was a nice way to “bring in” the Christmas season. So, get out there and do something Christmasy.

Beautiful Food

Nopalitos

Yesterday, we had some friends over for brunch. Normally, this isn't that big a deal for us, some eggs, some bagels, some lox, coffee, mimosas, etc.  Well, yesterday was different. These friends that we had over were none other than my food idol - The Crucian Contessa (check out her blog, you will see what I mean) - and her equally well versed foodie  husband. After I invited them over, I started sweating bullets... What was I going to make? Would this ultimate paragon of food excellence like it? Would I "f" it up? AARGH!! WHAT had I done???!!!?? So, after I picked myself up off the floor and grew a backbone again, I started planning.....

Chiles Moritas

I decided to make a dish that I love, but is way labor intensive. A dish that I have only discovered in the last 12 years, a dish that would highlight our Mexican roots and the influences that Mexico and its many native cultures have played in influencing my food palate.  Now, living here has it's challenges when it comes to meal planning, but somehow, there must have been divine approval on my plans because I found EVERYTHING I needed at my first two stops - AMAZING!

The Menu:

Nopalitos

Huevos Motulenos

Roasted potatoes with onions, green, and red bell peppers

Bacon - more for the kids than anything

Mango Flan

Mamey

Mamey fruit in a market in Mexico

So, I KNOW the Potatoes and the Bacon are just not typical Mexican food, but my Irish husband could NOT fathom a brunch without potatoes. Also, C could eat a side of bacon by himself and knew it was in the fridge and had been hounding us for Bacon for DAYS!!!

Pinto Beans

Anyway, I started prepping on Saturday by chopping, making my salsa for the Huevos Motulenos, and made the Mango Flan.  My house smelled like Mexico, the aromas that surrounded the bubbling pots, the oven and just the kitchen in general were memory invoking. When I was roasting and parboiling tomatoes and garlic it felt like I was in Merida in theYucatan. The scent of the cooking Flan took me to Christmas at home with my parents and making Pine Nut Flan. The dried Morita chiles that were reconstituting on the counter top filled the kitchen with a deep smokey chile flavor that rested on your tongue and made your mouth water.

homemade tortillas
that A helped make

On Sunday, I got up and finished cooking the beans, making corn tortillas(with the skilled help of Ms. A), and chopping ham and cheese. Once it was all done and the platters were prepped, it was time to wait for our guests.  We played with the kids, watched the Olympics, and just enjoyed our morning - especially when A and C decided to play with his toys in the living room and ACTUALLY played NICELY!!!  So once the Contessa and her Count got to our home,  I started frying tortillas and plating and explaining flavors as best I could as the Contessa's attention was divided between myself and C who has decided that he wants to be the Contessa's child and not mine.

Nopales or cactus paddles

I am very proud of myself for making such a fabulous meal with 2 kids, I am proud of my hubby who followed directions and made the potatoes, and the eggs as I just can NOT make sunny side up eggs to save my life, and I am super proud of my children who not only sat nicely during the meal but also spoke well and articulately and entertained themselves for most of the brunch.  I am especially proud that my Mango Flan earned a "Vicious" from the Contessa :) I love her, she made my day.

Thank you Contessa and Count for coming over, allowing us to entertain you, cementing our friendship, sharing stories, and eating our food.  Also a BIG thank you for dealing with the constant interruptions from C and for being such a good sport at eating some wildly crazy food.

So, if you haven't had friends over yet this summer, do it. Brave the heat and spend the morning in the kitchen, whip up some good food and have some friends over for good times. It's what life is about.

Huevos Motulenos - yum!

Altoon Lagoon play date

 The other day another home schooling mom and I were talking about how we wanted our kids to get out and do MORE exercise.  Don’t get me wrong; both of our children are active. A swims 4-5 days a week, plays in the bush, participates in all the kids biking, running, swimming races, etc; but I just don’t feel that she gets out there and is active enough.  Apparently, my friend feels the same so we decided that we would get together once a week and let the kids, bike, run, or whatever as long as they were outside and DOING.  During this time, we get visit and C has a friend over to play.  We decided to meet at Altoona Lagoon because it is between both our homes, it is flat, and where they hold most of the kids’ races.

Altoona Lagoon is another one of our undiscovered St. Croix areas for many reasons.  There is a whole fishing community of old time Crucians who grew up swimming in the inlet to the lagoon, jumping off the bridges, fishing, and generally having a good time there.  It is a great place for walking, running, biking, limin’, and generally just enjoying the views of Christiansted from a different angle. Altoona Lagoon also has a GREAT playground and fun exploring beach for little ones.

Our day started early with us in the car, the trike in the trunk, and the bike(new big 26” bike) racked on the back of the red SUV. Water, and snacks were packed in the reusable shopping bag, and I had had at least 2 cups of tea by 7:30! We were set. Once at Altoona, and unloaded – I really do think we are related to Gypsys since we cannot seem to go anywhere without the entire contents of the house and the kitchen sink ---- Oh wait! It’s because I’m a Mom not related to Gyspsys!!!  ANYWAY…. A got con her bike and as soon as her friend showed up away they went. The two kids did about 10 loops, which I think translates to just about 2 miles! Then they took a break to go explore the beach, whereupon they stuck their heads together and decided that they needed to go fishing! Crazy kids!

The two kids, my wonderful mom friend and her equally wonderful hubby walked down with C to the inlet by the bridge. Once I got there, which was about 15 minutes later – I had to re-rack the bike, put stuff away, etc. I found both kids wading through the inlet, with fishing nets in hand, HUGE self satisfied grins on their faces and COMPLETELY, soaking wet.  During the course of the day, they caught Lizardfish, Coral Banded shrimp, regular shrimp, and Blue Crabs. We saw Blue Herons, a Great Snowy Egret, fishermen coming in with their catch and then it happened… the kids spotted a Lionfish! Turns out there wasn’t 1 Lionfish, but 3.  They were hiding in the Mangroves.  My friend’s hubby shucked down to his shorts and got in the water and caught 2 of the three. At first we though maybe we could eat them, but they were too little. What actually scared us was that the Lionfish were in the Mangroves, which are breeding grounds for other fish, and we all know Lionfish eat EVERYTHING so they were in the worst place possible for our native fish. Not, that having Lionfish anywhere in the Caribbean is good, but in a breeding ground it’s like an A bomb ready to go off at any moment. 

Photo by Jill Updyke.

One of the things I really liked about this day, was that both kids ended up wading around in only their shorts and never even batted an eye. They are the same age, and look exactly the same chest wise and for them it was super natural and not embarrassing to be that way. I love that our island still allows our kids to be kids and doesn’t make them aware of the opposite sex until later.  We are able to keep our children innocent of the societal pressures that other children face elsewhere in the world. 

We decided that the kids had such a good time – even C, that we are going to make this a weekly occurrence. We hope to go kayaking into the Lagoon next week. I’ll keep you updated J Sorry for the lack of personal photos but we were so busy having a good time that I didn’t think of taking pictures until the end.

I’ll leave you with a word from our kids: "Lionfish.. they taste like Chicken."

Monk’s Baths, St. Croix

One of my earliest memories of growing up here is going to see the Monk’s Baths in Frederiksted. I clearly remember going down the incline of death, and stepping into this HUGE pool of clear, warm water that I was going to drown in. I also remember the GIGANTIC waves that splashed over the baths and soaked my Dad and Mom.  I remember the feeling of being somewhere magical, somewhere where no one else was around, and somewhere that just had discovered. 

In reality, was that how the day went?  Probably not - I was younger than 5 and older than 3.  Somewhere in my childhood mind, this memory stuck. It actually faded into the background quietly for a LOONNGG time, but recently it has been popping up and nagging me. I think it was telling me that I needed to do it again and I needed to do it 1. soon and 2. with my kids.  So, since there is no day like today, I called/texted a bunch of my friends, my kid’s friends, and even some distant acquaintances to see if I could get a group to go with us. 

What are the Monk’s Baths you ask? Good question. They are not on any tour of the island, no reference is made to them in any literature that is given to visitors, they are not talked about, and there are only obscure reference made online to them. 

Aislin and her friends clowning around.

Here is what I remember my parents telling me.  WAY back in the 1600s, the Knights of Malta (click on the link for an interesting look at the Knights of Malta – a group still in existence today), a group of French monks who were commissioned by the King of France, lived on St. Croix and they had two “outposts”. One in Judith’s Fancy; and one in Frederiksted.  These monks, being cleanlier than regular people (cleanliness is next to godliness, maybe) decided that rather than bathing with fresh water – which was hard to get here - they would carve out some “Roman” types baths in the hard coral outcroppings along the beach in front of their monastery.  So with much hard work, and I am sure “praises” to God, they carved two rectangular baths into the hardened coral outcroppings, carved stone steps into the sides of the baths and “Viola! Zey had a baz for warshing!”(say it with a French accent, it’s quite amusing).

A few interesting side notes that I stumbled across when looking up the Knights of Malta: 1. They still exist as an organization and were created in 1085 to protect hospitals, not for fighting in the Crusades, 2. They made St. Croix profitable and used mainly Catholic indentured servants as slaves and then used enslaved Africans, and 3. It is thought by one historian, that they brought the Ark of the Covenant to St. Croix and hid it here. My Dad would have liked that last factoid.

Pretty cool, n’est pas? I mean, this stuff should be mentioned to tourists, it should be on some sort of guided island tour on cruise ship days, and it should at least be marked so that the intrepid tourist or newbie islander could stop and say: “oh, what’s this?” This is history that is accessible to everyone, the location is free for everyone to use and admire as it is on the beach, and all our beaches are public property, and it is really super neato (if for nothing less than the history alone)

We meet outside Rainbow Beach in F’sted at 9 and caravanned out to where I thought the Monk’s Baths were, we only had to stop once before I found the right spot. Went down the incline of death (JUST as I remembered!): 

After walking about 5 minutes north, this is what we found:

Beautiful!

So, if you live here and haven’t been or are visiting, or planning a visit, the trip is well worth it.  To get to the Monk’s Baths you go out of Frederiksted going North, pass Spratt Hall, pass Butler Bay plantation, go around the curve (look out for the random pillars on the right hand side on the curve), go a bit further, and look for the sign on your right that says “Northside Valley”. Stop there just after the orange house on your left.  If you look carefully, you will see a 4X4 with ropes leading down the incline of death. 

Here is a video of the Baths both outside and in, as well as a review of what the girls thought of the Monk’s Baths. Listen to them, they are after all the experts on what is cool.  Excuse the choppiness of the video, I was trying to keep my balance. There is also some weird banging noise going on, no idea what that is from, but you will get a general idea of what the Baths are like.

Have a great week!

Weekend Bliss(iness)

What a weekend!  It was filled with Crucian Christmas finales, weekend warrior events, and reconnecting with friends and family. On Friday it looked as if nothing good was going to happen this weekend as my sciatic nerve as acting up and I could barely walk.  My Mom came over to watch the kids and take me to a massage appointment at Tropical Therapy in Gallows Bay.  Can I just say that Debbie is a miracle worker?  Then my Mom made me lie down on the couch for the rest of the day – Thanks Mom!  I don’t know which it was, whether it was a combination or what, but Saturday morning I was feeling 98% better!  Since the kids were driving Stephen nuts – specifically The Little Monster, I decided to brave the Three Kings Day Parade with my Mom’s help.

C and friend R playing with street dirt.

After limping down the street to join up with some of our very best friends on the island that always camp out across the street from the Lost Dog in Frederiksted, we proceeded to make merry. We talked, laughed, danced – surprisingly the whining movement didn’t hurt the sciatic nerve – go figure! It was a slow starting parade, and we almost left, but then it got MUCH MUCH better. Aislin jumped the barricades time and time again to go across the street to say hello to some of our friends. The barricades are new as of last year, and I personally HATE them. They make it so much harder to cross the street and say hello to other people; you can’t easily join in on the tramp, and if you have a stroller, forget about making it through the crowds.  I KNEW I was feeling better when the Trini floup came by because I jumped the barricades with my Mom and Aislin – leaving the Little Monster in the care of my friends, and danced down the street with the rest of the revelers.  I also got to blow some random guys conch shell – it felt good, I hadn’t done that in years – need to find my old conch shell and start blowing it again J

Dolphins Swim Team members before the swim.

Sunday, we hauled ourselves off to Frederiksted AGAIN – boy is the car getting some mileage!  This time, we were there for the Dolphins Swim Team annual Sea Swim.   The Sea Swim is in its 7^th year – I believe – and is a one mile swim from the pier in Frederiksted to Rainbow Beach. People of all ages and abilities come out to “race”.  I started swimming it with Aislin about 4 years ago when she was the tender age of 5.  At first, my Mom, my Dad, and I took Aislin – along with a boogie board, or other flotation device, but this year I told the fish like child, that she had to do it on her own. No emergency floatation device was going with us.  At first she balked, but then, figured I wasn’t going to relent, so she had better do it.   I KNEW she would be able to do, the question was, would I be able to keep up this year or not?

Top three finishers in the under 11 age group with fins. 

So, we get to F’sted bright and early, get our numbers, our timing chips, our beautiful BRIGHT yellow caps, and set out to wait. We saw a few turtles, enjoyed chatting with friends, enjoyed keeping the Little Monster from diving off the pier, and waited for the start.  I somehow ended up in charge of 2 other girls from the team, so I figured I would have my work cut out for me in keeping up…. As soon as the Conch shell blew, away we went!  One of the girls I was watching took off and I never saw her again – good wrangling skills on my part huh? Another girl I was watching had mask problems and ended up having to haul out, and Aislin swam off with another friend and her Mom.  So, there I was all alone……. I did what any non-competitive person would do in that situation – I hauled @SS and swam like a ray out of hell in order to “catch up” with Aislin. Needless to say I never found her. I did end up beating my own personal best, and getting out of the water WAY before Aislin!  You should have seen Stephen’s face when I asked him where Aislin was.  (Sorry, no picture.) It was priceless! As if I would leave our first born out there all alone – husbands!  Anyway, Aislin ended up coming in within the top 3 of her age group – way to go Aislin!  After she came in, we learned that she had developed MAJOR blisters that had popped while swimming. I am SUPER impressed that not only did she swim the mile with no help, but also she swam it while nursing blisters.  What a champ!

digging to China - again!

Fun in the sun.

The rest of the afternoon was passed in idyllic fashion, imbibing on the beach while playing with the kiddos, talking with friends, eating the best onion rings I have had, and just relaxing.  The whole weekend was a blast, and I would love to do it again sometimes soon, but just not this weekend….

Enjoy your week!

Friday Joys

The older kids always play some form of organized game.

Today is Friday.... what does that mean for us here? Well, since it is PE Day that means we get to go run around with a bunch of other homeschooled kids  and get sweaty - oh yes, sweaty! It is December after all, and the sun is shinning, there isn't a cloud in sight, and it's about 83 out - oh?! That isn't normal for December you say? Well, happily for us and sadly for you, it's our December. You see we live on a little slice of Paradise where it never gets below 62, and we don't have to worry about digging the car out of snow and putting on a gazillion layers like most of you do.  It also means that between June and November we are on high alert for hurricanes and it is awfully hot - run around naked type of hot.

Playing with sticks and cut grass.

Anyway.. back to what Friday means to us.  It means PE Day with the "guys" as C calls them, have a friend over to play with after PE, and bake, and craft, and just have fun day.  Every other week we start our weekend early and it's GREAT!  A gets to play with friends, C gets to play with friends, and Mommy gets to play with friends :)   Then we all go home and relax or do chores, or in our case today, bake a cake.

I did say sweaty right?

A has a friend over and C is busying doing 2 year old stuff while I am in the kitchen baking a baby shower cake.  It is a relaxing way to slide into the weekend. No pressures to get stuff done, no worries if we don't finish our work for the day. Well, except for getting the cake done, a triple layer dark and white chocolate masterpiece for a baby shower this weekend.  It's my first paid for by someone else cake and I am working my heart out on it.  If all goes as planned, this will be the first of many, if not - hey it was fun!

This weekend is spectacularly busy for us, horseback riding for A tomorrow morning, then a friend over, then later that night our church's Advent festival where the kids are going to craft, eat, and sing their hearts out, then Christmas is Spoken Here at the Botanical Gardens on Sunday.  So this Friday is truly needed, it is a perfect day for the start of a perfect weekend full of activities.

Gotta Love Fridays!