Puke Freckles and La Ciudadela

Last Saturday night we went out to dinner only to wake up the next day sick. I was the only one throwing up, everyone else had upset stomachs and every thing else that goes with that (other than throwing up). Kris gave me a bad time because every time I throw up I get broken capillaries around my eyes. He calls them my "puke freckles" and I've spent the majority of my pregnancy with them. After a few days they leave me with a yellowish green cast around my eyes. I'm not one of those who is glowing and rosy while pregnant.

On Monday everyone was feeling a little bit better and Kris was home for the holiday. We had been planning on going to La Ciudadela for several weeks (and I had been saving up money!) so when Kris asked if we should go I figured what the heck, I wasn't as sick as I was on Sunday and the kids seemed to be doing better as well.

La Ciudadela is an Artisan market in the heart of Mexico City. Handicrafts from all over Mexico can be found here. While it is a little more expensive than going to the towns where the things are made, it is a one stop shop for everything you can find in Mexico.

Kris has been wanting to buy a guitar and learn how to play. One of his co-workers had a guitar custom made for his son at this shop so we had to stop and check it out. Before we left Kris bought his first guitar and surprised me with the go-ahead to have a guitar custom made for myself. They measured me and my hands for a perfect fit. I chose the woods I wanted them to use. Cocobolo for the finger board, and caoba, a kind of mahogany, for the back and sides. I can't remember the name of the wood that I wanted them to use for the guitar face but it is a lighter colored wood and of course asked them to stain the face emerald green. I also picked out my own rosette and tuning keys (ebony). All this for a complete steal! So now I need to pick it back up and actually practice! I've been a slacker with it this past year since my guitar was in our shipment and I haven't touched it since I unpacked it.



I have no idea what Weston was doing.



Everything was so colorful. The boys decided to use a lot of their money to buy these little bobble head animals you can see in this picture next to Jamison's right hand. They now have quite the collection and want to get some more. I guess I did the same thing when I was their age but in Brazil's Hippie Fair (kind of the same thing as La Ciudadela but completely outdoors) I would spend all my money on little painted animals made out of rock, clay and/or marbles. These are made out of wood and are pretty cute.

OF COURSE I bought one of each color of these frogs. I'm still a sucker when it comes to frogs. The red one isn't on display but just switch one of the blue ones for a red one and you'll get it. Now I just need to decide where I'm going to hang them, probably on the wall over one of the garden areas in the house or in the bathroom I have decorated with bright talavera pottery.

And then we decided to brave the food again even after Saturday night's meal experience. This was a little restaurant inside La Ciudadela that looked pretty good and was recommended. These are called Sopes (so-pez) and I love them. The sope is made out of masa (corn flour) and grilled so they are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. You fill them with whatever and stuff your face (good idea to remove the lettuce and tomato first though). We felt a little sick later that night but we weren't sure if it was still from Saturday or from what we ate earlier. You never know here.



Kris and the "damn Blackberry" he is required to take everywhere so HQ or his agents can reach him whenever they need to...which often means all day and all night.

Jamison is our rice boy. He loves the stuff. He'll eat everything else but if there is rice on the table he wants that first.

Braedon also loves sopes. Notice his hair. He's been 'doing it' by himself which means plastering his bangs to the side when wet. We keep telling him not to do it like this but you know how well that works. Just as long as he doesn't blame it on us when he gets older.

For the record, Mexicans LOVE cheese. We have to remember to ask for light cheese otherwise there is just gobs of the stuff. They don't smother stuff with cheese like we do in the States, rather they stuff it inside everything. There are several States in Mexico that are known for their cheeses. Kris and I are slowly making our way through and trying them all. To give you an idea of how much they love gobs of cheese, there is a dish called queso fundido which is basically a mound of cheese or mixture of cheeses melted by frying or baking in a clay dish (think half a brick of Costco cheese for the amount) often with extras mixed in like chorizo, herbs or chilies. They then bring it to your table with tortillas and you scoop up the melted cheese into the tortilla, fold it up and eat. I love cheese with a passion but this is just too much for me. Kris and I watched a table of "suits" each with THEIR OWN clay dish of the stuff just eat and eat between swigs of beer. I can't even eat that much cheese in one sitting! On several different occasions we saw the same thing happen so it must be the "thing". Thankfully, Mexico is the second fattest country (we see why) so they can't look at us and call us Fat Americans which is really nice to know because it only makes us enjoy the food even more!

I told Kris it was probably time to take the Christmas tree down. Cricket has been using it as her own personal climbing post. I e-mailed Kris this picture when he was in a meeting (sent it to the "damn blackberry" since I knew he'd get it) and meant it a subtle hint. He came home and took the tree down.