Last Birthday Gift

 All my plans fell through today. I did a couple of Sudoku puzzles, went down the street and bought dishwashing liquid to clean up and then decided to clean out the fridge.

I found the left-over cherry pie filling from Jeffrey's birthday cake. There was not enough filling to make a pie, so I made some tarts.

It has been so long since I've made a pie crust, I looked online and found this one at Natasha's Kitchen.

Though I left out the sugar in the ingredients. You can't tell.

Experimented around until I got the perfect depth and thinness

Waiting on his desk for him to get home

Beginnings

 

We had a Family Home Evening where Elder and Sister Dance described their mission. I'm still trying to figure it out. Some women are being organized to go out to different stakes and Relief Societies to do something. Maybe we'll learn more about it at conference this next week.

Then President and Sister Buah of the Accra Temple presidency spoke to us. He told about being here when the lot was just dirt and the different men from Salt Lake he has met. My mind was caught by the fact that thousands of saints in the church have only lived one life span. I was in my first year of college when all of this work in Africa STARTED. Baptisms, wards, stakes, congregations, temples, the Area Office and all this work has only been around for decades and years, not "in the olden days."

Sister Buah shared stories of things that had happened in the temple and the people who attend. It was a really nice good evening.

The Art of making Spring Rolls

 It all begins in an outdoor kitchen five steps below the street behind a retaining wall. A young woman sets charcoal and small twigs in a small round brazier, lights it up, fans the flames, then puts a griddle on the top.

Later a very talented young man sits on a 8 inch high step stool next to the griddle and folds a very thin dough in his hand. A large round plastic bowl is full of this goopy dough resting on the ground next to him. He has a spatula in one hand and the dough being swirled and tossed just a little so it never spreads down his fingers. It was boggling my brain to watch him do two separate things with both hands.

Making the Wrappers

He would roll the ball around the griddle leaving a thin layer of dough

Then he would pick up his hand and start rolling the dough around with his wrist

With the spatula in his left hand, he would smooth the dough down, then scrap around the bottom

Then lift it and put it on the floured tray next to him.

All the while rolling the dough in his right hand

Making up the Spring Rolls

The filling had already been made up in advance and was taken out of the refrigerator.

Filling, water, and a stack of wrappers (freshly made!)

First lay out the wrapper rough side up

Spread a teaspoon of filling about and inch and a half from the bottom

Roll up and tuck the bottom tight with the filling

Fold both sides over and moisten with water at the top. Roll

I filled about three quarters of this bowl with spring rolls before I left

Of course, I had to buy some samosas and spring rolls when I left - they are so yummy when fried up and served with sweet chili sauce.

Land of Contrasts

 

On the trip down to Cape Coast, I was struck by how many contrasts there are in a day of travel. Bush land and forest are next to side by side houses and buildings. I can go to a mall shopping for chicken, fish, beef, etc. and I can get bush meat on the highway. I have running water and electricity and watch children hauling water to their home. I watch women sweeping out their dirt floor and watch vacuums taking care of carpet. There are shiny big cars and a horse drawn cart. There is big earth moving equipment and a man hand sanding a boat. (I'm hoping he was fixing something minor.) So many contrasts of rich and poor, opulent mansions and mud brick thatch roof huts. Multi story shopping stores and hawking down the road, so many, many contrasts all in vibrant color riding down the road. 

Different Names Same Goods

 On our trip to and from Cape Coast there is a certain hill that has stands with all the same goods. Shea Butter has been used in cosmetics and beauty aids for many years. I vaguely recall first hearing about it when I was looking for sunburn creams as a teenager. In Africa I found out that it can be used in cooking also. 

Here is an interesting article about the advantages of raw Shea Butter as a vegan oil in cooking. I remember the big fad using coconut oil in about everything - well there is another nut on the market.

Shea Butter is mainly used for smoothing into the skin as an emollient and is used in chapstick, lip stick, moisturizer creams for hands, skin and hair, hair products (especially for dry hair) and has some vitamins associated with it.

We thought it was very interesting that on this hill there were many stands with blocks of shea butter - all the same kind of blocks - but with different names on each table.  

 Trying to upload pictures in a sequence and in a row is not quite working......I'll have to go google to figure this out....but not right now. I'm just going to leave this as a memory of one of the interesting things I noted once before but caught my eye again!

  

Just Hanging around

 

I traveled out to Cape Coast with the Munk's for some training and went to a class with this adorable baby. He was asleep most of the class and woke up as his mom started moving. He was so adorable I asked for a picture. 

Either Investment or paying a lot for refreshments

 Bobby's wife [who I found was named Evelyn] makes banana bread. I had her make some for dinners given to ward members that Juliet makes. She made it for two months in a row and was hopeful for more business. But they didn't really want more of her banana bread. So I thought I'd try the senior missionaries.

A month ago, I figured with Bobby the hidden costs of this banana bread and we worked out a system where one loaf would be more expensive than three or twelve loaves because you have to pay for the gas regardless, if the oven is already hot it won't take a lot more to keep baking.

People usually don't want more than one loaf at a time. I don't think she has a freezer - which is sad. (All these little amenities I just take for granted.)

I asked for 36 loaves to give out at Family Home Evening and told Bobby that this was my last order. I think she is pinning her hopes on it because she has a new loaf pan added to the mix. 

Bobby brought over heart shaped, circle shape, and rectangle shaped banana bread loaves with her name, price, and phone number. They had designed a cute colorful sticker with the information. while the seniors have thanked me for the gift, no one has said they would like to get more.....

Bobby told me later that this was an important order as they needed to pay for their apartment and his wife had just gone in for surgery at the first of the month. So regardless of the outcome in later months, it was a blessing and help to them right now.

Welcome to Accra Bob and Jerie Jacobs! Hello Dinah!

 The new AALC has arrived and been welcomed to Accra and into OGC. AALC stands for Assistant Area Legal Counsel and OGC stands for Office of General Counsel. Dinah Degraff-Mensah has moved over from the secretary of the Area Presidency and is now a legal coordinator for OGC. 

The minute I saw Elder Jacobs, I knew I have seen and heard him speak before. I do not recollect ever talking with him, but his voice and face were recognizable. No idea where. Could be a J Reuben Clark Society meeting, or Lawyers getting together, or it could be from the temple. They both were temple workers and so were we. I am wondering if it was at the temple dedication. I still have no idea where I have seen him before.

His wife is really nice and it was fun to get together at a lunch and ask questions of Dinah and the Jacobs. Dinah has a husband and a little girl about 3 years old. We learned as the lunch went on that her mother and a niece from her side and a niece from his side live with them. I guess it is a pretty full house. The Jacobs have four children and we learned about his role as a mediator. It was fascinating listening to him talk about how he needs to look into the heart and soul of a person because the real answers are there and not necessarily in the facts. He will go back to doing that when he returns home.

Jerie and Bob Jacobs

Eastmonds, Jacobs, Dinah, Adams, Porters, Richard

Emmy Burton and the OGC staff

I Am Coming To Show You Something

 David Bolarinwa called me and told me he wanted to show me something. I am wondering why I am on his list to show all his works until I remembered that in December when he 'showed' me something, I texted Susie, then Susie got a lot of different siblings to buy some things he was showing that day. 

This artist lives in Nigeria and comes to Ghana for work. I do not know where he does his actual painting, carving etc. because he only rents a room. The owners of the house sold the house, so David is living in a hotel until he can find a new room. Now he goes to Nigeria for a few weeks, comes here for a few weeks and then goes back. I can only hope that he finds people to buy his things as that is a tough way to make a living.

I personally am not going to buy anything else. I have no idea how I am going to fit everything in my suitcase. David showed me some square panels of canvas that have embroidered pictures. His cousin made these and David is showing them.

I asked the price and he said 750 cedis

I tried to get close so you can see the threading in the artwork

This is pricey artwork and I don't know who I am suppose to show it to so it will sell. I am still trying to figure out why David is coming to show me all these things as I am not someone who buys lots of art or even very much artwork. No I am not going to buy, seems to mean, let me show you some more.

David also brought more of his own work:

David also showed me some napkins with the same colors and motif. So is this a tablecloth? Or is it something to hang on the wall. I didn't ask. After giving him food to eat and water. He then asked if he could leave his artwork here while he went back to Nigeria. 

Ah, the answer. All the showing was his way of saying good morning and observing the rituals. He just needed a trusted place to store his work while he travels back and forth. Mystery solved.

BVEKADO Dressmaking Scissors - Highly recommended

 I want to give a shout-out to the best pair of scissors I have used in the last five years. I went to Amazon to get some new scissors and ordered these.

Also blade cover is added

I am in LOVE with these scissors!

Does this say excellent quality, you are going to love them?

After randomly getting these shears in the mail, I will never get another pair unless it says BVEKADO on the box. They are sharp (and stay sharp) balance correctly and can cut very precisely. 

The little snips have melded into my life like the first microwave I used. After two days I felt they were part of my life. They are sooooo very convenient when sewing quilting squares and snipping close to the seams and thread dangles. 

I don't know the name of the little bit of cloth that the needle starts on, off for a couple of stitches and on to the square, then off and on to the other cloth. I just know these snips are great in cutting close to the seam.

These awesome snips are perfect for this close work

And also awesome in cutting between the squares.

I would recommend these scissors to anybody! But don't forget to get the snips while you are at it - especially if you quilt or need to make precise cuts on curves or corners. 10 out of 10

Hanging out with our Ward

 

We had a very cool discussion on Wednesday. It is amazing the topics that people - usually young single adults - can bring up.The discussion goes around to all and answers are given by various people. A rewarding night for us and hopefully for all who attended.

The Celebration keeps going on!

Fabulous dinner at the Accra Polo Club Restaurant and Lounge
http://www.poloclub.com.gh/ 

Balcony view through the glass

Ross and Elaine Youngberg

Richard and Emmy Burton

Pat and Larry Woodbury

Elder Bridge and Sister CJ Bridge

Randal and Diane Gibb

Lisa and Marlin Porter

After dinner, Jeffrey opened his stack of letters and cards

Jeffrey reading birthday wishes from around the world

 My heart was warmed when Jeffrey told me how nice his birthday celebration was. He really enjoyed the wonderful dinner at the Accra Polo Club while watching a Polo match. We made reservations for 14 but 18 people showed up. Since the meal is pre-made, four of our friends went inside the restaurant and enjoyed dinner inside. The rest of us watched the 'ponies' (full size horses) run up and down the field. The conversation and connections were fabulous.

When we got home, Jeffrey opened all the letters and cards that have been saved for this party. He was really awed by all the well wishes and amazed at the places the cards were sent from. It was nice to get cards from good friends he has known for years and some we got to know in the Philippines (though one friend is now in Brazil!)  The family and friends we have known for years sent heart warming wishes. 

I will read him all the well wishes from Facebook tonight. First from the post in February and then the posts from today. Oh my, Life is Good!