How much I save on veggies by living in Peru!

When we were home on furlough a few months ago, I nearly had a heart attack when I went to the store and saw the price of fruits and vegetables!! Granted, in the United States they are MUCH cleaner and look much more appealing to the eye than what I buy at the market here, but I thought some of you would appreciate a look at what I pay for my produce.

Side note: I buy per kilo which is approx 2.2 lbs. Also we pay in soles which is approx 2.9 soles to the dollar-almost 3/1.

Green apples: 3 soles per kilo, or $1 for 2 lbs
Carrots: 1 sol per kilo, or 0.30 for 2 lbs
Tomatoes: 1 sol per kilo, or 0.30 for 2 lbs
Lettuce: 50 centimos for a small head, or 0.15 per head (leafy)
Mandarin oranges: 2.5 soles per kilo, or approx 0.80 for 2 lbs
Bananas: 1 sol for 5 bananas, or 0.30 for 5 bananas
Green onion: 1 sol for a HUGE bunch, or 0.30 for a HUGE bunch
Celery: 50 centimos for a medium bundle, or 0.15 for a medium bundle
Sweet potato (for our dogs): 1.5 soles per kilo, or 0.50 for 2 lbs
Potatoes: 1.2 soles per kilo, or 0.41 for 2 lbs

So those are some of the vegetables I buy in the market and the prices I pay for them. Though honestly, what I wouldn't give most days for a big bag of pre-washed lettuce to just throw a salad together. You see, not only do I have to buy the produce from a market, but I have to bring it home and then wash each piece in an iodine solution to soak all the bugs off and disinfect the produce. It's soooo time consuming, as are most things here, but well, it makes me appreciate the clean, "thunderstorm", softly misted and washed produce in the supermarkets in the U.S.! However, my total market trip, plus the cost of a taxi to bring me home, was 32 soles, or just over $10. Read it and weep.

Godly Protection!!

So as you can imagine, there is always some sort of drama going on in our house. With three boys, life is never dull nor is it ever NOT an adventure. Yesterday afternoon, while Allen & his kids were over playing, we heard a loud "thud" and then a scream. That is never good to hear. Allen & I rushed outside (Jeff was upstairs) and to our horror, Nathan (our 4-year-old) had fallen through the screen and out the window of his 2nd story room!!! It's very high from the window to the ground, and what broke his fall was the screen (and Nathan) falling against a 2-ft high brick retaining wall.

We brought him inside, thankful that Allen was here (he's our colleague/SIM doctor). Immediately there were 2 large bumps on his head and he was complaining of his leg/groin area hurting. He couldn't walk and was very scared. I gave him some Tylenol and Allen kept checking him out. Finally Nathan decided he wanted to go lay in our bed and immediately fell asleep. We woke him up an hour later so Allen to give him another look over and then let him continue sleeping. He slept through the night with me, waking up off and on, but did tell me about 3am that his head hurt, but that his leg was feeling better.

We just feel like God really protected Nathan from more serious injuries; a fall like that could have broken various bones, and he is literally up running around today. Though his head hurts a bit (and with good reason), and his neck is stiff, he is doing fine. I'll post a picture soon of the window/screen so you can get a good visual.

Mama's corner

I've threatened for months to start my own blog. Jeff's posts are always so well done that I don't want to take away from what he is doing. Plus, a mom needs a spot to call her own, especially in a house full of boys who invade every corner with their toys or presence. Of course they invade every corner of my heart as well.
Living overseas isn't always conducive to keeping family and friends updated on what goes on in our daily lives. But blogging is. So...I'll blog. To help you see what you are missing by living so far away! lol No, not to see what you are missing, but to see into our corners. To see these precious boys who mean the world to me and how they are growing, the teeth they are missing, and the silliness they are creating. From my corner...to yours.