We headed out to another small suburban town tonight to support a friend who had a photo exhibition, and her boyfriend, who had a summer party, both held at his bar. Now, when I say "bar", you probably think dirty, crowded, smoky, and loud, right? So you probably wouldn't picture it like this, would you? So so so beautiful... and this is just the back corner!
Monday, August 27th
I don't think this girl on Win It In A Minute really thought through her clothing choices for this special event where she would be on national television. Even if she didn't know and was just chosen from the audience, wouldn't you at least put on something a little nicer in the rare chance that you might get chosen? And the host... A suit and Asics tennies? Really? I have no more words.
Tuesday, August 28th
While Skyping with my parents and discussing the unusual weather this summer, my mom proceeds to get up, go into the other room, and bring back their digital thermometer that they use in the house. Just in case you don't remember how a certain temperature feels, you can refer to the handy little man on the screen, because his clothes change appropriately with the temperature! Apparently in Wisconsin, 73ºF is warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts!
Wednesday, August 29th
Read about a great way to freeze fresh herbs from a large bunch so they don't go bad: chop them, put them in an ice cube tray, then freeze them with a little olive oil in each cube! Brilliant, right? Can't wait to see how they turn out!
UPDATE: You need to use a lot of oil (which I didn't), covering all the herbs, which may not work well with all recipes (guacamole, for example), which is why I only used a little. (First mistake). You also will need to wash the ice cube tray about 17 times with a scrub brush to get all the oil out. And you probably won't be able to get all of it out. And then you won't want to use it for ice. So don't use one of your nice ice cube trays like I did. (Second mistake). Might try it with water next time, but I fear for it getting a little soggy in the defrosting process. Has anyone else tried this?
Thursday, August 30th
I believe I may have mentioned how blessed we are to be able to eat lunch in our work cafeteria every day. It is convenient, saves us money, and makes our lives easier in general. I can't say I'm in love with the Portuguese cafeteria food every day, though, so it's kind of refreshing in summer to bring our own lunches and plan dinners in such a way that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. There are also very few people at the Center during the month of August, as most take August off as a summer holiday (most workers get 22 - or more - work days of vacation). With so few people there and everyone bringing their own lunch, I thought it would fun to bring a bit of America to APCC, so I suggested that we have a pancake lunch! I found a great from-scratch recipe that I have been making at home, and last time we were in the States I brought back some maple flavoring for syrup, so it just seemed like a great idea, especially since we have a semi-adapted kitchen in the Occupational Therapy area at APCC! Judging by the empty plates at the end and the number of people that asked me for the recipe, I think we can say it was a hit! I also would suggest drinking sparkling Portuguese green wine with your next pancake lunch at work... delish!
Friday, August 31st
The highlight of checking the mail for Luis is always when the D-Mail catalog comes. It's Portugal's version of the "As Seen On TV" store, and Luis always seems to find some fun new product that he could put to good use. Care to guess what it is this week?
That's right, folks.... it's a full-body painting suit, to avoid dirtying even the tiniest cell of your skin while painting. I'm surprised it didn't also come with a gas mask!
Saturday, September 1st
It's a sad day in the Volunteer Department, as we sent off our 4 European volunteers today! After 6 months of serving the clients of APCC, we really felt like they became a part of our family. It's hard to believe 6 months passed that fast, and the office will surely feel quite empty without them! Christian, Adriana, Kata, e Ata... please come visit Portugal again soon! We love you!
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