Tag Archives: Spain

On Hoarding Seasonal Creamer…

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I live on a military base in Spain.  As far as grocery stores go, we have the commissary on the base and numerous Spanish grocery stores off base.  While we do shop at groceries stores off base sometimes (the produce, booze and meat selection is better) it starts to get pretty pricey when you have to pay for everything in Euro.

So for the most part we shop at our commissary. The selection is okay as long as you don’t start getting too adventurous in you cooking.  Its nice, we can get our American brands, which is especially nice around the holidays.

One problem is that seasonal items go quickly, REALLY quickly. So when I FINALLY saw the holiday creamers on the shelf yesterday (doing my third ‘one last thing’ Thanksgiving shop) I grabbed 6. Three pumpkin and three sugar cookie.  Plus I have two vanilla toffee that we just started getting in stock. Also three quarts of eggnog.

I have a problem. The family will drink the eggnog no problem, in fact my kids will drink it with lunch if I let them.  However, I am the only coffee drinker in my house and now have a shit load of coffee creamer that isn’t going to last forever.  So I have been doing what any rational person would do, I am drinking about 8 cups of coffee a day.

Should keep me motivated for all that cooking I am about to do today!

10 Day You Challenge ~9 Loves~

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This should be easy, I love a lot of things!

9) Food! Particularly steak. Its my favorite food and I could eat it every day.  I’m lucky because Spain has GREAT beef!

8) Baking in general with a heavy emphasis on pie. Homemade apple pie. One of the reasons I am looking forward to the holiday season, more pie!

7) Gardening. This is a new one and it is kind of a love/hate. I really enjoy doing it when I have the time and energy for it but it stresses me out when I have a weedy flowerbed and no time to deal with it.

6) Watching documentaries. My husband and I are both just a little obsessed.

5) My dog. As crazy as he makes me he is adorable and so much fun to play with. He’s great with the kids and LOVES to wrestle and play fetch.

4) Traveling. I love exploring, getting lost, eating new foods and walking around strange cities.  Living in Europe has given us so many opportunities to travel… In the past three years we have been to France, Germany, Italy, England, Tunisia, the Canary Islands, Gibralter,  as well as a Seville, Barcelona, Marbella, and many other Spanish cities.  My kids could care less, they would rather hang out at home!

3)  Shoes. I am a little crazy with the shoes. My problem is that I buy Saturday night shoes instead of Tuesday morning shoes. So I have a closet full of impractical strappy sandals.

2) Reading. This is one past time that no matter how busy I get I have to read.  It doesn’t matter if it cuts into my sleep, I have to read before I go to bed.

1) My insane family. I love them all so much and can’t imagine having them around.

Date night!

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So tonight is my belated birthday/anniversary dinner out with my husband… I think I finally decided to go out to Bar Jamon.  I’ll have to take some pictures of what I end up ordering.

Took one of my friends to the mall today, Las Dunas in Sanlucar.  I LOVE that mall, H&M, Sfera, Zara, Casa and 100 Montaditos, my favorite sandwich place ever!  Picked up some new fall stuff, some 10 euro jeans at H&M, managed not to just buy a crapload of stuff for the kids like I usually do.  For anyone moving to Rota, don’t worry that you won’t have anywhere to shop. Between Las Dunas, El Paseo and Area Sur mall (all within 20 minutes) you are set. Plus if you want to drive a little further out you can hit El Corte Ingles which is a department store similar to Macy’s.

Tried not to buy TOO much winter stuff since hopefully this will be my last winter for awhile! I actually don’t ever really like to wear winter clothes. Not a huge fan of long sleeves or sweaters. I generally wear short sleeves and then layer!  I really wanted to buy some flat leather boots but all the ones I found were around 130 Euro which translates to a hell of a lot of dollars. Ouch. I’ll have to put them on my Christmas list!

Off to get ready so I can go pick up the sitter, while I LOVE my sitter I really really wish she could drive!

It’s mah Birfday!

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Well it was yesterday anyway… Had to work all day and was planning on going out to eat for dinner but by the time I got home I was rethinking it.  M had football practice and wasn’t going to get home until 7, by the time we all got ready it would be 8ish then maybe to the restaurant at 8:30. While most restaurants in Spain don’t even open for dinner until 8, I didn’t want to have the kids out too late on a school night.  It is not uncommon to see kids in restaurants and bars until 10 or even 11. Our kids love it but only on the weekend!

So I rescheduled my birthday dinner for this weekend, and actually turned it into a birthday/anniversary dinner (our anniversary is tomorrow) and got a sitter.  I am really looking forward to going out, not sure whether or we are going to go to Bar Jamon or Los Argentinos… we haven’t made it to either one. Los Argentinos is closed on Mondays and that always ends up being the day we try to eat there! Bar Jamon is traditional Spanish food, with some of the best paella around… Los Argentinos is an Argentinian steak place that is supposed to have great meat.

My kids are already coloring pictures for the babysitter… O had been begging me to have her come babysit a couple of weeks ago. I guess mommy and daddy need more date nights!

NO more procrastinating, I have a ton of homework to do and I can’t put it off any longer!

Monday Monday

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After a thrilling three-day weekend full of lots of relaxing on the couch, homework and a no-getting-out-of-it trip to the commissary (seriously there was NO meat left in my freezer) Monday is here.

Today is actually my big sister’s birthday, mine is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Steph! We are six years and one day apart. My daughter teased her relentlessly about getting a senior discount now. Wishing I was back home with her to help celebrate but I just have to send my birthday wishes via Skype instead! I honestly can’t imagine living here and doing this overseas thing WITHOUT the internet! How did people do it?!

I’m also a little sad because the last of my group of close friends is moving away tomorrow.  We had the BEST group of girlfriends and they have all moved away one by one! I have never lived on a military base before and even though I did move a lot as a kid this is just different! I never really thought I was going to make friends here, I have a terrible military wife stereotype.  Was I wrong! We had such a wonderful time celebrating birthdays, babies, holidays and just hanging out together drinking coffee while the kids play.  We really got lucky with our group of friends, we all clicked so well and so did our kids.  I’ve made more friends but haven’t gotten those close ones again, when you are a ‘short-timer’ its hard to put the effort into new friendships! Terrible I know!

After almost 3 1/2 years here I do love the fact that I can go to the commissary or soccer practice or the school and run into people I know.  This is a small base and you end up knowing most people by face if not by name!

Should be a slow week, no big plans so far… three-day week for the kids this week AND next week due to parent/teacher conferences and then Thanksgiving. They don’t know how good they have it!

Hola from Rota, Spain!

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Hey there! I am a Navy spouse living on Naval Station Rota, Spain. We’ve lived here for over 3 years and we’ve loved pretty much every minute of it. Living overseas has been an adventure and we’ve travelled all over Europe with our two kids.
We recently found out that we will be making the LONG journey from our Spanish casa to a new Hawaiian home! I’m really excited to experience living in Hawaii and I am looking forward to travelling in the Pacific.

Many people may not be cut out for island life but I am not one of them! I am a beach bum and my kids are both water babies and year ’round summertime sounds just right to me!

Living overseas isn’t for everyone, I know many, many people who complain about the lack of Target, Starbucks or American restaurants. And yes, it does suck not having the conveniences of home at my fingertips but I wouldn’t trade it for evenings spent at my favorite pizza place on the bay, watching the sun set. Or meeting so many wonderful Spanish friends who have shown me just how much a feria can be.

I am excited but sad about my upcoming move and now feel the need to cram in as much as I can before I leave this insanely wonderful country!