a few of my favorite things

I'm always trying to come up with ways to share with you more about my life here in Tijuana... so I've decided that every once in awhile, I'll post pictures of a few of my favorite things.  They are of course just that - things - and may seem like rather small details, but I hope that these posts will give you a better feel of my life here in TJ!

I hope that this can also serve as an exercise in gratitude for me, of remembering my many small blessings (Sound of Music style!):

"These are a few of my favorite things...

When the dog bites,

When the bee stings,

When I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don't feel so bad..."

So without further ado, a few of my favorite things from today:

My new (to-me) rain boots!  While I was in MN this past spring I spent months looking for boots just like my mom's, which I thought would be perfect for Tijuana's rainy (and thus, very muddy) season.  I found nothing that was quite right.  My mom finally took pity on me and gave me her boots and they have been just wonderful at keeping my feet dry and warm.  Especially on days like today when I spend the morning trekking through the rain, walking through mud and puddles to take a neighborhood kid to the dentist...  Thanks Mom!

My onion chopper!  I'm cooking a lot more often these days, and trying to learn how to cook more Mexican food, so chopping onions is a must.  I like my onions chopped very small but it seems to take me forever to do this by hand (especially because I don't have very sharp knives), so when my friend Jenna's family was getting rid of some of their kitchen things, I decided to give this device a try.  It's been great!  The kids have fun using it and I don't have to worry so much about they cutting a finger off while they're helping me cook.  Today I used it to chop the onion for some Potato & Spinach Soup with Gouda that I'm trying out in my crockpot (another one of my favorite things!) on this chilly day...  Thanks Jenna and family!

Mail in my PO box!  I was by the post office today, so stopped in to check my mailbox, which is usually empty... but today there was a note from a friend from my church back in MN!  It's always such a blessing to get real hand-written mail from back home...  (If you want to send me some, my address is: Megan Riggott, Apartado Postal 569, Tijuana BC 22000, MEXICO.)  Because, mail is definately one of my favorite things!  Thanks Cathy!