A quiet Sunday.....

I know some of you wonder what our days are like so here is how our day went today. We slept until we woke, something we do on most days. We sometimes have to set an alarm but normally avoid doing so.

Breakfast was next - high fiber cereal topped with fresh fruit and whole milk (which comes in a cardboard box - remember Parmalat milk a few years back? Well, that is just one of the brands sold here in Ecuador.

Then it was time to sort laundry and call Mr. Wash for pickup. We used him when we visited last year and were thrilled to connect back this time. $5 for a HUGE laundry bag load and $3 delivery charge. Well worth it and much nicer than taking a taxi to the laundromat and back.

Email, web browsing and Facebook followed next along with a few games of Words with Friends. The sun was shining brightly and the breeze coming in the window was heavenly as we sat at the dining room table, joking and sharing what we were reading.

At noon I logged into and managed to get registered for the Writers' Police Academy taking place in September. They allow 200 participants so I wanted to try to register as quickly as possible...and I succeeded! I'm so excited about this conference! It takes place during our annual trip to the US so the timing is perfect.

Once that was done we continued browsing and reading. Around 2 pm we decided to go for a walk before lunch. We stopped in at our downstairs neighbors and asked if she'd like us to walk her new little rescue pup, Chica. Then we headed off to walk the Rio Yanuncay across the street.

Chica behaved very well, especially for a street dog that was recently rescued. We're not sure what mix she is, maybe Poodle-Jack Russell or even Chihuahua-Jack Russell. But she's a sweet little thing!

The walk along the river is always nice but today, with the bright sunshine and warm temperatures, we saw a lot of a activity. A family combining laundry washing with swimming, soccer, fishing, picnics and more.

Back home we fixed a bowl of cantaloupe, pineapple, cherries and strawberries topped with yogurt (very liquidy here, perfect to pour over fruit) for lunch. We played a few more Words with Friends and then settled in to watch the late afternoon storm move in - a nice quiet Sunday.

Yesterday? That was a little busier - here is what I posted on Facebook:

Great day...started at Coffee Tree where we met up with the daughter of a friend and got gifted with a set of silicone tipped tongs ( thank you Nancy), met new friends Sarah Gunter Canez and her husband and were gifted with homemade cinnamon buns as a thank you for a donation we made to Happy Dogs Cuenca.

Walked halfway to our next stop (then took a taxi) where we met an expat who has to leave here and got a great deal on a queen comforter and shams as well as a double bed sheet set.

Then walked to San Sebas for lunch and ran into our friend, Rich D'Amato. Had a great lunch and chatted with friends Karen Kimbler, hubby Randy, their pup Frankie and friends David and Debby (hope I have those names right.)

Then a very crowded ride home on the bus. Time for a nap!

Ahhhh....life is good!

More El Centro and More Decorating!

We've made a couple more visits to El Centro and especially our favorite spot, Centro Municipal Artesanal or CEMUART for short (also known as Casa de la Mujer). Two stories of artisan market  filled with stalls selling every type of craft typical to Ecuador. We've bought quite a bit there, enjoying watching the artisans at work.

Paintings, framed artwork, jewelry, baskets, hats, knick-knacks, wall hangings and much more. I think we've visited at least twice last year and four times this year. It's hard to walk out without buying something. This is also the one spot where we never haggle, regardless of local traditions, unless we truly feel something is overpriced or if we are buying multiple items in one shop.

We also enjoyed seeing the nativity sets that were created out of entirely recycled materials. One of my favorites was made from parts of a computer, another from all cardboard.

[click any photo for a larger image]

We also find some of the best items on side streets, in the little stores that you never know when they will be open. We did discover that more stores seem to be open on Saturdays than any other day, probably because the local working Ecuadorians are off work and shopping.

So here are some more photos of El Centro, the Casa de la Mujer and our finds!

[click any photo for a larger image]

Every trip into El Centro we find new adventures and lots of photos! Most are taken with my old cell phone so not as good quality as my camera, but better for those spur of the moment pics. LOL! As always, more photos in our Smugmug album.

Anti-theft Purses for traveling

I love purses...all kinds, shapes, materials, colors and sizes. I've had many over the years, very large when the kids were young, smaller and leather for professional use, colorful and funky more recently. But with our move here to Ecuador I knew I needed to make a slight change.

Crime here isn't rampant, in fact we feel safer than we do in any large US city. But crime of opportunity is more common than we'd like. We've read all the warnings, we take all the precautions: carry a cheap phone or a throw-away phone, no more then $20 (if more, then split it up into several pockets), use Velcro or difficult to zip pockets, etc.

Stu has to be vigilant about pick-pockets, I have to worry about my purse strap being slashed and stolen. We both know to never leave them where we don't have a hold on them. He keeps his money and ID in secure pockets and I now carry an anti-theft purse.

I was recently browsing Amazon and saw an ad for a purse similar to mine, from the same company. The prices have dropped and if you ever considered getting one, I'd jump before they go back up again. Slash proof with RFID pockets in many, these are wonderful no matter where you live!

Here are some examples:

NOTE: if they don't show, please turn off your brower's ad-blocking software while viewing our blog. Thank you!

It's the little things....

We are settling into our daily life now, our legalities are done (will post separately about getting our Visas and Cedulas) and we have 90% of our furniture and decorations (although not all hung yet). Our list of things to buy has shrunk to office chairs, bed platform for the main guestroom and headboard/bed frame for our bedroom. (We will be picking up the double bed for the office/guest room next week - another great used buy).

As in any new house or apartment there are little things you would like to make life easier. For us it was THESE little things that have made a difference.

Little felt buttons to put on the inside of cabinet doors so they wouldn't slam loudly - kitchen, two bathrooms and three bedrooms closet built-ins.

While the noise wasn't unbearable, it did carry to our downstairs neighbor who has done the same thing! We love the quiet closings now.

Slip-on faucet aerator/sprayer

This one swivels and goes into spray or single stream mode with a flip of the little lever.

I remember having these as a kid, long before there were sprayers built into sink faucet sets.

Strainers - Sink strainers to help prevent large scraps of food from clogging the pipes; Shower strainers to help prevent hair clogs

We got two sets of these, the biggest worked in the two kitchen sink drains and the smaller in the utility room drain and the medium in my shower drain. We have since found them at Kwyi, a local hardware store.

Flat suction stoppers to keep water in the sinks (yes, the sinks have the metal spinner stoppers but they weren't working too well, plus the utility room had no stopper.

Works perfectly!! We also got two of these and one of the sprayer/aerator above for our downstairs neighbor.

A pocket day-timer/calender book. I really wanted a Spanish one so I could learn the days/months but the ones I found were way too large for dropping in my purse.

This one worked out perfectly, enough room to write on each day, notes for the month and two years so I don't have to do this again next year. LOL!

And a set of pillow protectors - you know, the covers that go under your pillow case ;)

I need a LOT more but will have hubby bring them back this June.

So how did we get these from Amazon to us here in Ecuador? Simple - we had them "muled" in by a friend. We belong to Amazon Prime, they were all shipped to our friend's house where she was visiting in the US and she brought them back to us. And we will be forever grateful - these are some little things that have made a big difference in our daily living!