Making our Lust List

It might sound trite to those of you battling the storm,
but this December we're only lusting for 1 thing.......

Our current Must Have Lust

The Christmas Spirit
.....................
and for us it begins with SNOW!

Now we're not exactly living in the tropics like a lot of you think. Antigua has nearly the same altitude as Denver, but since we are a lot closer to the equator we can only dream of one day having snow. In Guatemala there are 2 seasons. Summer when it rains and Winter when it doesn't. Right now we are in "winter" and will be until about next April/May. Fortunately when the rain stops, it means it and we won't see another drop for several months. They say "winter" here is cold, but this crazy talk about cold is relative when you grew up with temps below zero! A while back I posted about the feeling of "fall" in the air, and for me that is what this weather is remniscent of. Basically in the mornings and evenings we need to wear a sweater or jacket, but mid-day it is roasty toasty. I love it. Since we know next year we'll be dreaming of escaping the cold and traveling to somewhere warmer, we're ok with accepting things as they are, but it sure does give make it difficult to "feel" the season.

In honor of our lust for a taste feel of winter and the Christmas Spirit, we rewrote some lyrics to a familiar holiday tune that's been on our minds!

Let it Snow (Remix)
(best when sung to the tune of the old classic!)

Oh the weather outside is far from frightful,
sunshiney cool breezes are delightful.
Central park is lit with lots of cheer,
But we still don't have any signs of the year!

The locals all dawn scarves and stockings,
in flip-flops we we Gringos keep on walking.
Temps are in the 60's & the 70's,
Oh how we wish it would snow!

When we finally do feel cold,
we bundle up tight in our fleeces.
Within minutes we start to sweat,
but at least we can pretend were at home!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Thankful Lusting

This holiday season we have a lot to be thankful for - our health, safety, a beautiful home to live in, new friends, supportive family, our fulfilling jobs and even the little seed (and no I'm not pregnant). Living and working alongside many who really do have needs, but whom are always thankful for the little that they do have has really helped us to limit our "needs" and at times we can hardly think of anything we really want (with the exception of a few more days off). So this lust didn't come easy because honestly we have pretty much everything we need right now. After some serious thought, we were able to come up with our mutual current lust - something we'll do just fine without, but would be delighted to have nonetheless.

Our current Must Have Lusts

jeans that fit

Maybe it's the pant size or so that I've dropped since first leaving for Xela last year or more likely it's the fact that I have been alternating between the same 3 pair of jeans everyday for the past 9 months so they're just plain stretched out, but I've got the droops. You know, like the look like your pockets are sagging below your buns - hike your pants up by the belt loops so your bootie doesn't peak out, droops. Now for a girl who 1 year ago probably would have not worn the same pair of jean 2 times a week let alone every day, a girl who used to pride herself as being fashion forward, the droops are not good. Granted I'm a little more granola now (I did just fess up and get some Danskos), but it's high time I get back in touch with a bit of that girl from before!

As for Ben, he works in a get dirty kind of job. 9 months ago he arrived with 2 pair of "work" jeans and 2 "nice jeans," but now all he has left is a pair of droopy "work" pants with several ventilation holes and is becoming a bit embarassed about wearing them 5 days a week. Lucky for us we have the ultimate paca (thrift store) in the market just a few blocks from our house. You see he has this complex about not buying new pants to wear to work since he'll just ruin them anyway, but when you are a skinny bean like him, finding your size second hand in the land of tortilla tummies and shorter legs, isn't so easy. I keep pushing him to just buy some cheap new jeans that can become his "work" pants, but like the long line of Lengachers that came before him, he has a hard head (hehehe!!) and so he continues to wear his holy holey pants.

Maybe, just maybe, if we're both nice for the rest of this year, a certain man in a red suit will leave us some presents for us under our fountain of just the right size (didn't you know, fountains are the new Christmas tree?)!

Boo! Lusts for you!

As October wraps up, we're trying to get things back in order here on the blog. The whole privatization thing didn't work because Blogger got cranky with the invitations, so we had to rethink the dilemma. Problem solved. Go check FB side bars for the answer.

It's pretty hard to believe that Halloween is just around the corner. I'm not in the mood at all. Maybe it's that there was no change of leaves, no pumpkins, no bombardment from retailers for tacky Halloween junk. In fact I doubt that we will even do anything for the holiday. Having a budget makes going out to waste money on a costume a little lower on the priority list. Plus with our jobs being quite hectic lately and the projects we've been tackling lately in the house, we could use a few days of relaxation.

Anywho, enough bellyaching. Yes, we've been busy, but not too busy to crave a few of our favorite fall treats. So without further adieu.......Boo! October lusts for you!

Krista’s current Must Have Lust

apple butter & apple cider

Delicious! One my favorite things about Fall is the smell (and taste) of cinnamon, spice and everything nice. There's no fooling those of you who know me and my absolute obsession with baked apple goods, but I never quite realized how much I love apple butter - that is until I couldn't seem to find it anywhere. I think I may have learned this love first from Barbie my babysitter from a very young age, and it stuck with me for the duration. A blob on an english muffin or on top of a bowl of cottage cheese (I know it sounds gross, but it's soooooo good!). Yum! I've searched high and low and can't find it here anywhere, but lucky for me one of my favorite bloggers posted her personal recipe here . I can't wait to try it! Do you think I can can here? And of course going along with the apple theme, there is apple cider. Oh how I could go for a big gulp right now! For sure I'll be partaking in something seriously big Fall celebrations next year.

Ben's current Must Have Lust
Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Moving from the land of great beers to the the land of 3 choices - Gallo (blah!), Cabro (drinkable) and Moza (the only truly good beer), Ben sure has been lusting for one of his favorite Fall favorites. Black Butte Porter from Deschutes Brewery in Oregon. He's not quite as descriptive as me with his taste buds, but I'm sure he'd agree that the Coors Lite-like light beers that Guatamala serves up, pale in comparison (no pun intended) to this dark beauty (like Butte E). In fact Ben has been missing his old friend the tasty beer so much, that he's about to begin the process of brewing his very own homebrew right here in our humble little abode. He's been collecting bottles for a couple of months now, and just recently announced that he's gathered enough to get started. Give him a couple of weeks and we'll be hosting a tasting. Purchase your flights now!

Lusting into Fall

Before beginning with this month's current lusts we first must thank you, our very kind and concerned readers, for helping us get over our obsessions for the month of August! We promise when we began this portion of our blog we really weren't hinting for you to treat us....just hoping that by writing and laughing about the silly things that we miss, it would help us get over them and move on to something new! But thanks to a few of you, we've been spoiled - me to a cup of my favorite nuts (doesn't that sound hilarious?) while Ben anxiously awaits his much needed sunglasses that are on the way! Honestly people, you shouldn't have.........but we're so glad that you did!

So here we are again, lusting away as we ring in the first day of autumn (not really here) with grey skies and lots of puddles! This month our lusts again stem from necessity.

Krista’s current Must Have Lust
comfy, closed toe shoes, with a bit of height

Honestly, could it get more specific? As the weather turns a bit cooler here, my sandal-clad toes, have been feeling a bit chilly. It probably doesn't help that with my flat sandals, my pants drag in the puddles. I did bring along a couple of pairs of closed toe shoes (converse, pumas, and flats) but a gnarly bunion that I have on my right foot has restricted my use of them. TMI, I know. You probably are thinking that I just need to head to the mall to get some new shoes....not that easy. Back in the US, my feet are normal sized 7.5/8. In Guatemala, that's giant sized. Not to mention that Guatemala women LOVE to wear high heels on cobblestone streets! All of the shoes that I come across are either super tiny, super high, or super narrow (which my bunion despises!). So, as dorky as they are, I've been pondering the purchase of these guys......

closed toe, a little height, and lots of room so my toes aren't squeezed
and may even jump on this bandwagon....
Gasp! Who have I become?

I never thought the day would come when I condone
the use of Crocs for anyone over the age of 5.
(If i get them in silver they're a bit cuter, right?)

But there's always a silver lining where my love for fashion can shine through.......
and that's why I'm soon headed to Pastores to have a pair of these special made for my feet!

High or low?....or maybe both!

Those should see me through until sandal season again, right?

Ben’s current Must Have Lust
his old NF backpack or Timbuk 2 messenger bag

Ever since what we like to refer to as "the incident" a couple of months ago, Ben has been without backpack. He's been making due, that good sport he is, by using this grocery tote as his take to and from work bag. I get a kick out of seeing him walk out of the house every morning with it, but not quite as much as his co-workers do. Pobrecito, his grocery bag has become the laughing stock of the ADU office (but no one has tried to steal it, he adds)!

Obviously he we learned our lesson and will not be purchasing a new backpack (at least not here), but he can't bring himself to spend Q150 in the market for one either. If he could just wiggle his nose and blink his eyes and be back in Brian & Angie's basement where his oldies but goodies are safely stored away, he'd be in back in action again!