Tamales, Tamales, & More Tamales







Our family has incorporated a tradition from Guatemala –we make tamales each year and eat them on Christmas Eve with spaghetti – my grandmother’s recipe and another family tradition.  J  I think we have been doing this for about 5 or 6 years now.  Sometimes we have friends join us for our tamale making, and other times it is just our family. 



 

Matt making Tamales Negros

Tex Mex Tamales

Each of us have our favorites – Allison & Josie like the Tex Mex version with lots of cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in them.  Trevor, Matt, and I like the Colorados – a fairly mild red sauce, smooth masa, and chicken.  Matt & I have also gotten to really enjoy the Negros – they are made with chicken and a sauce that has tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds & sesame seeds, chocolate, and cinnamon in it. The masa also is a little sweeter & a prune, 2 raisins, and 2 green olives are put in each one.  The Negros are considered an “expensive” tamale and a true celebration tamale.  This year we added a Potato Tamale to our list – it tastes almost like a garlic seasoned mashed potato side dish – quite good. 



Ingredients for Tamales Negros



Last weekend we made over 325 tamales!  It took some time and one very late night (bed looked really good at 4am on Sunday morning) to get them all made and steamed.  J  What we realize though is how lucky we are to be able to make our tamales.  It is a tradition to eat them on Christmas Eve in Guatemala, but many families can’t afford basic food to start with – so tamales are not an option without the help of others.

One of the groups that Nuestros Niños works with is Mayan Families in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala.  Mayan Families started putting together tamale baskets in 2005, after hearing that two of their sponsored children were knocking at doors asking for a tamale as their single mother couldn’t afford the ingredients for this traditional dinner.  They determined that many families were in this same situation and began putting together tamale baskets – honoring the tradition and the people that would receive them. 

This year, they hope to be able to give out over 1,500 baskets - though only about 700 have been donated so far.  Each basket costs $35 and includes enough food for a festive Christmas Eve dinner:

·         A reusable basket

·         Oil

·         Rice

·         A block of drinking chocolate

          (the traditional drink at midnight)

·         A Loaf of bread

·         Raisins

·         Grapes

·         Apples

·         Sugar

·         A Chicken

·         Tomatoes

·         Coffee

·         Leaves to wrap the tamales

·         Cloves

·         Pepper

·         Sesame Seeds

·         Pumpkin Seeds

·         HOPE & LOVE

In our family, we always talk about the “special ingredient” that is in every recipe that we make – LOVE.  When a tamale basket is donated, it gives the nutritious food – but it also shows COMPASSION, HOPE, and LOVE.

Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one…”

If your family might be interested in donating a tamale basket, you can click on the “Donate” button and make a donation of $35 through PayPal.   All donations for tamale baskets must be received by Dec. 19^th & all donations are tax-deductible.

Wishing each of you a wonderful holiday season!

Angela



The Sewing Machines are on their way to Guatemala!

It has taken some time to get everything together, but 42 brand-new sewing machines are on their way to Guatemala to help Mayan Families with their sewing program for impoverished women!  Through one of our board members, Sue S., we had the chance to meet Marcia F.  Marcia F. is on the board of another charity that has been helping a school and orphanage in Haiti for many years.  These sewing machines were on their way to Haiti when they were so terribly affected by the earthquake – and different needs overrode “normal” needs.  After talking, Marcia decided to donate the White brand sewing machines to Nuestros Niños! 

Matt taking the sewing machine to the Alberto's work area.

We wanted to be sure that Mayan Families could utilize them in their sewing program before sending them down – so Matt & I took one this summer in our checked suitcases.  Alberto, the sewing teacher, opened the sewing machine up in his “work area” – a 12’x12’ room that is also used for donations and meeting with families.  After meeting with Dwight, one of Mayan Families founders, & Alberto we were able to confirm they could use them!

Then it was time to figure out how to get them to Guatemala.  We figured out many years ago that it is not as easy to mail a package to Guatemala.  When Trevor was being fostered by his loving foster family, we sent down a cubic foot package.  For shipping & customs (which doesn’t seem to have “hard and fast” rules), it cost us over $400! That was a shocker!  We have since come across a company that will ship door to door – and deal with customs – for a set price for box – at a much better rate.  However, we needed to cross the language barrier and negotiate down the cost.  Thanks, John G. and Chelsea K. for the help with this part!  Finally after doing that, we needed to find the funding to ship the 42 sewing machines.  Thankfully, a corporate sponsor, Bailey Sales donated the funds to cover the shipping.

So, on a cold Tuesday morning (election day), Josie, Trevor, Allison, and I went over and got the sewing machines.  Wow, was the car packed!  The kids even had the machines crammed around them for the short ride back to the house.  It became a perfect opportunity to talk with the kids about why we were getting the sewing machines and how they were able to help also.  So – they pitched in and unloaded them into the garage with me!

We somehow figured out a way to fit all 42 sewing machines into the car!

The 3 Critters helping to unload the van.

Linda M., Beki B., and Jonathan B. came over one day last week and helped us pack the sewing machines into the boxes.  It was one cold afternoon in the garage, but it was nice to spend time with friends doing something to help others!  We also were able to pack many toys, stuffed animals, clothes, and bedding materials around the sewing machines.  Thanks to everyone that donated all of these items!   Allison had even decided to spend some of her money earlier in the day at the school’s holiday shop to buy a stuffed animal to send down – with no prompting from her parents. J  The purple princess bear made it into the package – and is now on its way to Guatemala!

Medrano Shipping picked up the boxes last Thursday, Dec. 2^nd, and Luis, the very strong driver, told me he thought they would be there by the first of January!  I can’t wait to see pictures of Mayan Families getting the boxes and hearing of the women that are helped with these sewing machines!

For more information on Mayan Families Sewing Program, there are several blog posts by Sharon Smart-Poage.

http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2010/04/sewing-class-women-are-shining-in.html

http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2009/11/sewing-class-in-san-jorge.html

Gifts with a Cause

The past month has been a busy month fundraising for our service projects!  We are always looking for new ways to raise funds to help with our service work, and this has been a wonderful way. 

Guatemala is a beautiful country, full of colors and traditions.  The women are talented and many want to improve their lives – they just have to be given the chance.  This is one of the reasons that I love this new fundraiser – we get to showcase the skills of Guatemalans, help them make a living, and raise money for our service work. 

Another reason I love it is, I get to meet new people and bring them happiness when they buy the products.  I don’t know how you can’t smile and feel good when you buy something so bright – and know it is helping others.  We have had several open houses in the past month – and have seen many friends!

 

Thank you for joining us!  We look forward to continuing to provide “gifts with a cause!” 

The Beginning...

It took some time – but the blog is up and running!  I have to say I never expected to be doing a blog – but here goes…  It is probably best to start at the beginning…

What is Nuestros Niños?  The group started out solely as an adoption support group for families that adopted children of Latin American heritage.  In my heart it grew to have a service component.  Over the months and years to come, I will hopefully give you insights through my words and pictures of what inspired me to give back to our children's birthcountry. 

Nuestros Niños is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit group with 3 primary purposes: 1) to help children and families in Guatemala; 2) instill a sense of service in “our children” through volunteering, fundraising, and service trips; and 3) to give children adopted from Guatemala a sense of pride in their birthcountry and culture.  By the way, Nuestros Niños translates to “Our Children.”  This originally referred to just our adopted children, but to me it really stands for the global idea that the children of the world are “ours” and we must work to help those less fortunate than us.

My 3 Children - "Inspiration & Motivation"

There are moments in life that move us & hopefully inspire us to do all we can.  Throughout my travels and service trips to Guatemala, here are just one or two:

In 2008, during our first service trip, we provided over 30 food baskets to families.  They contained:  2 Bags of Oatmeal, 1 bag of beans, 1 bag of rice, 6 spaghetti packs, 1 bag of soap, drink mixes, shampoo, toothpaste, cooking oil, jar of peanut butter, bag of sugar, and a dozen eggs.

I can still remember going to one home in Villa Hermosa and seeing this little girl.  For me, her eyes said it all – there was such sadness in them.  She appeared to be school-age, but probably her family wasn’t able to afford the necessary items for school.  

Villa Hermosa translates to “beautiful view” – and that it was.  These two children were at another home peering out a window overlooking this beautiful view – but what a ironic twist that their life may not be a “beautiful view” if they don’t have the opportunity to attend school or have enough food to eat.

 

 

On the other hand, I visited a preschool program in San Antonio Palopo near Lake Atitlan in July 2010.  This village had experienced such devastation from landslides and torrential rains, but a new preschool had been opened through the non-profit Mayan Families that we partner with.  This little girl was getting a nutritious meal and the opportunity to learn.  Her eyes just glowed…

I have so many more “moments, stories, and pictures” to share – and as my friends know I can continue on for pages – but I am going to “rein myself in” and save them for later.  So, please return often as I plan to update the blog several times a month.  I will give ideas on ways children can help others; successes Nuestros Niños is experiencing; inspirational “moments” during the service trips; information on current projects such as chickens, ONIL stoves, sewing machines, school sponsorships, and so on.  I will leave you with a picture or two of the beauty of Guatemala – both in the land and the people.

Volcan Toliman is in front of Volcan Atitlan - photo taken from the docks of Panajachel



Children from El Barranco performing traditional dances