So I'm Off To Africa...

To check out the details as to how this came about, click here.

But this post is specifically to inform you and make you aware of some things I may need help with.
As I will be staying in Cameroon for two years, I will need multiples of many things. Some things they have in Cameroon- such as peanut butter and linens- and other things they do not have there- like brown sugar and Pantene ProV.

A fun way to do this is to get a group of people together and tackle a section of this list. Ladies- love looking through the kitchen isles in Target? Get a group together and hit a few things in the Kitchen Supplies section. Men- seriously, I need a multi tool, cement screws, and a tool kit. Check the Miscellaneous section at the end of the list.

Some places you that may think of looking for these items are Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Radio Shack.

Kitchen Supplies:
The place I will be living in does have a kitchen, but there are not many supplies there and I cook all the time. So here’s a basic list of basic supplies so I can basically not go out of my mind.

• Set of sharp knives, including a bread knife
• A good can opener, potato peeler, pizza cutter and whisk.
• Set of durable dishes
• A couple a sets of Silverware
• Tupperware or other well-sealing containers
• Set of pots & pans
• Ziploc bags – some of all sizes. Be sure to get the freezer bags because they are thicker and you will wash and reuse your bags many times.
• 9” X 13” Pyrex dish
• Cookie sheet / muffin pan
• Oven thermometer (important!!!)

Cooking Supplies:
I will be cooking everything from scratch there. There are no helpful packets, canned soup or frozen dinners available and no fast food restaurants in town… how different from California!!! I thought of a few things that might help me ease into my transition:

• Taco Seasoning- lots of it!!!
• Chili Powder
• Nutmeg
• All purpose seasoning
• Brown sugar
• Kool-aid packets

Office Supplies:
All of these mini-sized please so they don’t take up too much space

• Scissors
• small stapler
• scotch tape
• pens
• pencils
• calculator

Medicines:
This part of Cameroon kind of scares me- not knowing what kind of medicines they have and what medicines does what. I would love to have a stash of all of these- at least until I get to know the meds here!

• Ibuprofen
• Tylenol
• Imodium
• Sun-screen lotion
• Aloe vera
• Tums
• Muscle Rub, IcyHot, whatever
• Anti-itch medication
• Triple antibiotic ointment
• band-aids
• multi-vitamins
• water purification tablets
• Insect repellent

Holidays (Especially Christmas):

This is going to be one of the hardest times for me. I’ll be away from family and friends and they don’t celebrate Christmas in Cameroon, so no trees, no lights, no caroling, no Christmas music, no figgy pudding, etc. And add this on top of it- it’s the hottest time of the year in December!!!

• A mixed CD of your favorite Christmas songs… I’ll think of you as I listen to it J
• Some strands of Christmas lights

Miscellaneous Items:
To me, this is all the really fun stuff! Or at least the Multi-tool is...

• Multi tool
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Flip flops
• Mosquito Net
• Cement screws for hanging things on the cement walls
• Small basic tool kit – screwdriver, slip-joint pliers (to change gas bottle)
• Calendar
• Clothes pin bag and clothes pins
• Converter / adapter kit for any electronic items you bring along. Check Radio Shack as they may be able to give you information on these

Crocheted Rose Purse

I made this a while back for a friend who was graduating from high school. When I do a project for people, I like to find out their colors, style, and whatnot, then I tackle Google images or Etsy and look for inspiration. I have no creative juices in the fact that I can't come up with an idea all by myself; I need to feed off of other people's genius.

Yeah, I'm a crocheting Neal Cafry (for those of you who watch White Collar).



Front. Very cute, if I do say so myself!



Inside. Yeah, sewed an inside :)



Back of the purse



Apple Pie

When I say 'Grandma's favorite dessert', what do you think? Her making Lemon Meringue? Fudge? Chocolate chip cookies? Mine are of me making something for her :)

Every Thanksgiving she asks me if I'm making this pie, and of course my response each time is "Only if you make your Picadillo!" One day I'll post that too. Man... I'm drooling already.

Thanksgiving come now!!!

Ingredients:

8-10 Various apples peeled and thinly sliced (best are Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith)

1 pkg of Pillsbury crust

1/2 cold butter, cubed

2tbsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp cornstarch

2tsp Cinnamon

2tsp nutmeg

1tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1tbsp lemon juice

1. Set the crust out to thaw a bit- until it becomes pliable. Place one in a grease pie pan and save the second for the top.
   
   
2. Combine everything in a huge bowl. Adjust flavoring as you like, you can't really go wrong. Let sit and marinate for a bit, then pour into pie tin- every last drop and slice.
   
3. Take the second crust and cut some hole in it. You can slice it, cookie cut and decorate with the cut-outs, whatever you like as long as it has some air to breath. To help the edges come together, press down with a fork- making sure no juices will escape. Oh! and if you want a glossy finish melt a bit of butter and brush on the top.
   
4. Turn the oven on to 350 and get out some foil. Wrap the edges of the pie in it so that they won't burn. Nice little trick if you didn't know about it already. Bake for an hour or until the neighbors come asking what's for dinner.
   
5. Take out and let set for 10 mins- just so you won't burn your mouth when eating it. Take it to a friends house, serve A la Mode, have it for breakfast the next day, just enjoy!
   
6.