Mmmm Mmmm Good...and Fishy!!!

Today has been mmm mmm good because I have cooked some really great meals but also because I went snorkeling with the Ross Spouses Group for the first time. I have been here for 5 months but until I was able to put the girls in daycare part-time I haven't been able to see much of the island above or under water :).  We went to Cabrits and we saw FISH!! Tons of fish. I wasn't very smart to come to the best underwater life Island of Dominica without an underwater camera, however I hope to remedy that at Christmas...wink wink...anyone in my family ;)  From what I can remember we saw:

Sandiver's, Peacock Flounders (this fish was SUPER cool and was camouflaged at the bottom of the sea with the sand but had a small blue and green diamond pattern, hence the peacock), we saw hundreds of needle fish (they sit about 5 in below the surface of the water in huge schools just moving with the current), lion fish (this fish has feathers!!!), trumpet fish, puffer fish and red snapper. I know we saw plenty more fish but I don't know what there called...I've downloaded a Caribbean fish identification chart.  http://www.printondemandltd.com/iwave/posters/pho/fish.jpg  This shows most all of the fish we saw. We also saw green, purple and blue sea anemone's, which were beautiful.

The rest of the day was pretty normal until we go to dinner. I bought red snapper at the Portsmouth market on Sat and paid an extra 5EC to have it filleted. I laid it upon onions and tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper and a little italian seasoning mix. Wrapped in tinfoil and baked on 375 for 12 min. My new fave is yellow squash crisps!!!  I cut yellow squash into madeline size pieces laid barely overlapping on cookie sheet, drizzled with coconut or olive oil, light salt and pepper and tons of parmesan. Baked for 20 min. It was AMAZING!!!  Then, I got the girls to sleep. Poor Eloise went to bed at 6:15 p.m. because she was so tired. She napped as normal today but is cutting her 3th & 4th tooth, top middle :), so I think that was bothering her today.

My neighbor Jen Pierce, this is actually not the Jen Jen neighbor I have referrenced before but another awesome new neighbor also named Jen. She and her husband Stephen are two of the nicest people we've met! They are a newlywed couple from Utah. Aaannnyway...she made some insanely good cinnamon rolls last week and was kind enough to share with us. I am doing my best to replicate them.

You know...I have a problem with baking...I swear I follow the directions the best I can...it's a little hard trust me. I have realized I am a little more of a scientist cooker. I never follow the exact same recipe twice, I usually mixed 2 or 3 different recipes together and that's if I actually use a recipe. Most of the time I think it's fun to come up with it myself or challenge myself to see if I have cooked long enough to kind of get it.  But with baking, Ai Yi Yi, I have attempted my hand at bread 4 times and it just doesn't work. It's to doughy, not light and fluffy, doesn't rise enough...who knows...sooooo I am again trying to bake...cinnamon rolls...my absolute favorite!!! We'll see. I'll take a pic and post on my next blog.

I have committed not to pressure myself to write a great blog with lots of pictures and good stories every time but more of a journal of our lives here. Hopefully, our lives will be full of good picts and stories that I can share.

Oh, and my neighbor, not Jen but Ali, introduced me to a really good wine that is not too terribly expensive here in Dominica...many of you will be happy to know I'm back on the wagon tonight.  I have had a glass of wine about 4 times over the last 2 months....unheard of I know...what did you do with Amberly...believe I know what your thinking...that's what happens when your broke and can't find decent wine.

I have two special congratulations...to Michael & Catey who just closed on there first home located in Decatur, GA. I'm super excited for you two and all the wonderful things in your immediate future!!!!

Second, my sister, Cristina is having a baby and it's a BOY!!! I'm super excited obviously because I get to be an Aunt again but also because the babies a boy...so excited and so is Banks!!

Love you and miss you all!!

AEJ...Muah!

Photo Roundup 2

A little more photo roundup!

  Banks is an aspiring designer...I promise I didn't help her make this play-doh watch...she was watching me cook and saw my watch and replicated it. she even drew two little hands and dots for the numbers. Smart little cookie!

 

  Big girl in her chair feeding herself. 9 months old...

 Ok, so this is a funny story. I was walking down Moo Cow road and saw the same pumpkin, squash looking vines with the yellow flowers that eventually turn into squash and pumpkins that I always see. Then I spotted something a little different. Walked up into the "brush" a little ways and was scared out of my mind by a huge COW...who da thunk it!  Ok, but that's not what I saw...I saw a giant pumpkin...Wahoo! I got it...then was scared once again when a farmer/gardner shouted at me holding a machete. He wasn't yelling at me to get out but asking if I wanted the machete to cut the root of the pumpkin. It was funny looking back bc I felt like i was running through a haunted house to get this pumpkin.  There are a ton more but I've got to find some tall boots to get them.  Then...I made a seriously yummy pumpkin pie, pumpkin, apple and banana baby food and pumpkin soup!!!

ANNOUNCING THE FUTURE MARIA SHARAPOVA:

AMELIA BANKS JONES 

She is gonna be good...I hope :) Seriously, she can grip the racquet correctly and hit the ball when I throw it to her :)  We had so much fun...she loved it. This is her "balance beaming"!!!

 What i'm amazed with is how much she's grown! She is seriously the size of a 5 year old, easy.

  5 months ago, while living in the good ol' US of A...I would have thought that this meal looked very good but very achievable!!! Not so fast George Banks...soft sandwich bread, turkey, cheese, cheezits, pickled okra and Reese's all together at the same time are just about unheard of in good old' Dominica!  This was our "post-mini" lunch. I have recently found that one of the local restaurants gets there food flown in from Cisco Miami and will sell there deli meat, bread and cheese just like a prepared meal. IGA also got in a shipment of Cheezit's and Pickled Okra that week and I had just recently taken a trip to the capital city Roseau, where i stocked up on a few choice sweets.  The crazy thing about this super yummy but albeit ordinary meal is that it probably cost me around $11 US/plate.  The box of cheezit's alone cost me $8 US. I won't normally buy the cheezits nor the pickled okra which costs me about $6.75 US but sometimes the thought of a little bit of home and good old turkey sandwich with crackers is too good to pass up. no matter the cost! Also, we never eat out. Mostly because we are trying to save every ounce of money we have and there are not many kid friendly restaurants around so this is like going out to lunch to celebrate David's first mini down!

  Poor Eloise, the only pictures I have of her are her eating, drinking or NAKED!! Thank you Lindsey Clyde who lit a fire under my behind to capture this awesome moment at the pool!!! What a chunk...she's my little chunk!!

  The girls go to school from 8-12 every day, eat lunch at 1230 nap from 1-3 and then to the pool!!! This is our daily ritual and we're usually accompanied by some of my awesome friends who also have kids similar ages to Banks and Eloise. The sad part is that some of these awesome friends are leaving in December because their time here on the island is over :( We are going to miss them a whole lot. 

Cheers!

AEJ

Picture Roundup

The best way I know to say sorry for the really long blog hiatus is with pict, pict, pict, pict...pictures!!! (You gotta say that like a JT half rap, half high pitch singing voice)

  Anyone who knows Banks knows that GayGace is never far behind...her behind ;)

  This is the new lightning McQueen on a bike. Rides it for at least 2 hours every day racing around our little neighborhood.

 Our new home fit with a clothesline! I bought my own washer, which made it's home in my shower :)

 I realized putting the clothes on hangers then putting them on the line takes up a lot less room!

  WOW!!! Black Bean Burgers...I'll post the recipe. They are absolutely amazing. This particular day I used half black bean and half black eyed peas.

 Daddy is home almost every night for dinner and story time...We couldn't be happier. This semester is so much friendlier to the Jones' girls :)

 My baby who is growing like a weed. More of her to come...

  This is not her particular snorkel gear but she has them and can snorkel well because she is a total fish...can even dive for dive sticks now!!! One amazing little 3.5 year old.

 We received a spooky package from Banks...notice the belt and later the hair tye...the girls had just as fun with the orange seasonal ribbon tied on the package as the package itself...kids...

 So scary!

 Meet Dr. Banks...she is obsessed

  Bought as sweet as it gets...I can see this pict shown when she graduates from Med School one day :)

 I love these babies!!!

 Banks using an otoscope to look in her ears :) I absolutely LOVE this picture...look at Elli's face..she's saying "Ya Suspect"!!!! That one's for you Pappa G!

 This is the sweetest little nugget ever...

 One thing is for darn sure...at least for now...these two LOVE each other!!! 

 Found the girl some play-doh...thank heavens...she's our future designer...watch for her picture of a watch she made out of play-doh...so good.

 Our attempt to wear red and black for the first UGA game...poor Elli looks a little constipated ;) Oh, and yes, this very accurately displays Banks' personality most days!!!!!

 She got a baby walker car thing and loves it except she clips our ankles and it kills. The funniest thing is not watching her scoot her little car around the house like a bumper car but watching Banks, David and I literally running and dodging her bc it hurts so bad when she runs into you...it's truly hysterical.

  Banks has been begging to go on a date with Pop Pop to IHOP so instead Daddy and Banksy went on a date to the only place in Picard that sells breakfast food. They both had there favorites...bet you can guess...Pancakes and Bacon!

I love and miss you all...Oh, and Way to GO DAWGS!!!...I wish I could have been there.  UGA 44-LSU 41

Amberly

New Start!

I have missed all of you lately. I feel like i've been in a complete whirlwind the last 4-6 weeks. The end of the semester push was upon us, my mother in law was in town for 3 weeks, we had a much needed 3 week break, and we moved!!!

My intention all along has been to update the blog at least every other day in an effort to catalogue our time hear and keep the memories saved. That has been really hard for me :(  I have like 10 drafts where i started to write and then got distracted, was most of the time just too tired, or didn't have time to finish the post.

We started our new semester today and boy does it feel a lot different than just 5 months ago.  We are in a much bigger cottage with room to cook breakfast, EAT breakfast, move around without bumping into each other, and find everything we need.  It's been a game changer so far. David feels considerably different this semester as well. After doing well his first semester he has a quite a bit more confidence in himself and his study habits and materials.  I am also feeling very positive because I am finally figuring out how to live and not just "survive" on this island. I'm sure there are varying degrees of "adjustment" time frames when it comes to transitioning from the states to Dominica but I felt like mine was somewhat long. It really has taken me 3-4 months to really get a grasp on how to be HAPPY here each and every day. I am not saying that i don't have daily frustrations but I think I can finally say I am happy to just BE! That's been a pretty big milestone for me and I hope I keep moving forward :)

Banks & Eloise are doing marvelous. We have a new neighbor, "Santi"ago, who is 2.5 years old and loves Banks. They play together every day and have a blast! Today was both of the girls first day in the preschool/day care on campus. They both did awesome. Not a peep out of Eloise and Banks fit in like a charm :)  (no surprise there).  The struggle we are having currently is letting Eloise cry it out at night. She was and is such an angel baby I seriously NEVER had to let her cry it out until now, at 8 months!! After her nighttime feeding I would lay her down and asleep she went...I was really hoping this day wouldn't come but once her little personality started peeking through I knew it was only a matter of time. She is about as smiley and bubbly of a little person as she can be but boy is she determined. You could say she might even be a little bit of a bully...I don't mind this because she has learned it as a means of survival against her 3 year old sister and her friends. The other night we had the Clyde's, Travis, Lindsey, Owen & Scarlett, over for dinner and the 4 kids were drawing on David's white board. Eloise kept stealing the markers and sitting in the middle of the white board smiling...it was like her little way of winning :) hilarious!

With both of the girls in school from 830-12 I hope to keep my blog updated, exercise, find a fun project, and have a little time to myself for whatever :)...oh and definitely start snorkeling with the spouses on Thursdays...super excited about that one!

Fun pictures below...

My next posts will be all about our adventures during the break, i.e., Seeing Leatherback Sea Turtles hatch and flee to the ocean, our trip to Rosalie Bay, Sunset Bay, time as a family, etc...

Love you and Miss you all!

Muah,

aej

 eating watermelon on our new front porch!!

this face cracks me up.

  this is Eloise to a T!!

Thanks Aunt Liz for the cutest swimsuit EVA!!

 her favorite past time...talking on the phone to the taxi drivers and going to "study" in her swimsuit!!!

 she looks identical to Kirkland right here!!!

Hallelujah!!!!!

I'm writing this short and sweet to let all of our family and friends know that David is now OFFICIALLY a 2nd semester Med School student!!!!! We were expecting good news but are never 100% sure until we see that cumulative score!! I am soooooooo proud of him!!

We love u all!!

Holy Cannoli My Mother-in-Law has Arrived!!

Debbie has landed :)

I know I have lot to catch you all up on but let's just say the last 14 days can be summed up in the following phrases:

Cannoli, Cream Horn, Ho Ho, whatever the freakin things are called!

I am so sick of myself and my debilitating back pain...can you bring me another pain pill and margarita?

Can this seriously be happening right now...I can't walk and BOTH of my kids have fevers over 103

Has anyone seen David in the last 10 days?
Are there any shells, sea fans, drift wood or starfish left in the Sea, Debbie?

Ok, so seriously...the moment Debbie stepped off the plane Banks went completely nuts running to her and jumping into her arms with excitement!!!  We had an awesome night opening all of the awesome items that she brought us from the states. Our little bitty cottage literally looked just like Christmas in July...I never knew I would be so happy to see a pair of Mephisto's. Yep you heard me. For most of you people under the age of 40 you probably have never heard of mephisto's...Ok, just teasing...but seriously they're incredible. I've been walking about 3-4 miles a day in flip flops and my feet and body are paying for it! I have been wearing tennis shoes as much as possible but when you're 3 year old tells you that your running shoes look "horrible", yes she said horrible, with a strong emphasis on the Hoooorrrrible, with your really pretty dress you start to think again. So I ordered Mephisto's and Birkenstocks. They are incredible and so far no more plantar fascitis.

So the day after Bam arrived my back, which unfortunately most of you are very aware of my issues with my back :(, had a turn for the worst and I could barely walk for 4-5 days. My back had been pretty sore for a few weeks and it was almost like it knew that I finally had help and decided, "ok, i'm gonna officially give you hell!!!"  I am so thankful she was hear because it was the week before David started his first of 4 tests and over 60% of his semester grade. There has never been a statement come to life more in my 31 years of life than "when it rains, it pours". So, 3 days after my back goes out poor little Eloise wakes up in the middle of the night with a 103.7 temperature. For the first time since moving to Dominica, I felt panicked.  We can call the on-call clinic doctor but over time I am starting to loose a little faith in them :( There is no hospital that i feel safe or comfortable taking my kids to for fear of leaving with something worse than what we entered with. Needless to say, I feel that it's imperative that we all stay healthy and well during our time abroad. I was able to get the fever down to 102. Within 2 days Banks and I were both sick as well.  Unfortunately, Bam spent the first 10 days she was hear taking care of me, Eloise and Banks and not spending much time out in the beautiful outdoors :( I know that she came hear to spend as much time with the kids as possible but truthfully she's been a really good sport about all of it. We all seem to be on the up and up except for Bam who is now in the midst of her virus, cold, thingy that's made it's way through our family, thankfully with the exception of David!!

We did make it to the grocery store one day and Bam was beside herself with she found this pastry that looks like a Cannoli but tastes much better. Apparently Connie and Bam frequent these pastries when they go to the beach :)...she says there called cream horns. The problem with all of this is that she keeps buying them and we all keep eating them...let's just say they are not good for you ;)  Good news is there too expensive for my budget so after she leaves we probably won't see many cream horns along with the many pounds of BACON she has already bought and frozen for David! What a good Mom!

The "bring me another pain pill and margarita" is pretty self explainatorty except that i didn't take them together...I was allergic to the codein in the pain meds so I opted for tequila!! I think it's a perfectly fine substitute for back pain. I mean seriously, what the heck else am I suppose to do in Dominica while having back pain, with a rocky, dirt road, double stroller and no car...can you get a "pushing under the influence"?!?!?

Before some of you freak out...I only had 4 maragaritas/day...Ok, sorry...JK.

I did not take care of my kids intoxicated. I did wait until they were asleep and only had 2 margaritas/night!! :)

After about 7 or 8 days we were all so stir crazy from not leaving our compound that we got a local taxi driver to take us to a beach that had a lot of "treasures". Now let's just say it was not a "beach" it was more like a "shore" with a super sketchy river flowing beside it and i use the word "treasure" in an effort to be kind to Debbie!!! hahaha...ok, everyone who knows Debbie has got to be laughing and shaking there head right now!!  Bam loves her some beach trash...just kidding...I love everything we came home...Drift wood, shells and conks out the wazoo, huge sea-branch-i-don't-know-what-the-heck there-called-things, sea fans, coral. Although, we are officially the "Rednecks" of Kootney. Not only do we have a clothes line across our front porch where I hang everything under the sun, no pun intended, but now we have tons of "Beach Treasures" lining the porch. They're Gems!!!! ;)
In all seriousness, the sea treasures are really, really beautiful and i hope to decorate my new much bigger cottage with them!!!

We move 1 week from today and I cannot wait!!!!! Our place is fine but is about the equivalent of living in a small Brooklyn apartment with 2 kids. I have a Barbie fridge ;)

Lastly, David has studied every waking moment all semester but the last 2 weeks have been like nothing i've ever seen. He get's home around 2 and leaves again around 630-7...he's a machine...everyone just please say 1,000 prayers that it pays off!!!!!  He takes his comprehensive final on Monday at 7:45 a.m. and then we're done for 2.5 weeks. We head off to Rosalie Bay, a local resort, right after his final for 5 nights of AC, spa treatments, no cooking or cleaning for Amberly, and lots of FAMILY TIME!!!! I cannot wait!!!

Pics below: after the treasure beach we stopped at a good beach for a little swimming and sandcastle building. Peter, the taxi driver of Yellow Cab Taxi, brought his 2 sweet children, Selena & Chris. Banks and the two of them had a blast and played for an hour on the beach!!

Banks has a ritual every single time David leaves...she watches him leave until he is out of sight...it's the sweetest thing so we thought to get a pic!

My children, and especially Eloise's favorite past time...pulling everything off my shelves!

Bam saw her first Iguana!!

 Love you and miss you all!!!

Hopefully now that we're all on the up and up I will update more often...My next blog is going to be a recipe reference!!! Bam has complimented all of the meals that i've learned to cook since being on the Island so I thought i would share :)

xoxo

amberly