Our First Bazaar

Our first attempt at selling cookies was last week at a "bazaar" at our kids' school.  "Bazaar" is the word they use for arts and crafts fair.  The bazaar lasted from Monday through Thursday.  It started at 9:00 and went until 6:30.  But, after the first day, we figured out that we could open up earlier (like at 7:30 when our kids got to school) and sell cookies for the kids to put in their lunch boxes for snacks.  After the bazaar closed, we would come home and work on making more stuff, or get up super early the next day.  So, the days were long. BUT.......It went really, really well!  We sold over 1,000 cookies in those four days!  It was a great start!

Here are some pictures and interesting things that we learned from our first bazaar.

1.  There is no way that I could have done this on my own.

Carys painted plates and hers sold better than the ones I had painted.

Leni was a HUGE help.  She would get to school early and stay the whole day selling - and she is a great salesperson!  Much better than me!  We were able to pay her for helping us and she was worth every penny.

And the best helper was Kevin.  Can you believe that my husband who NEVER has cooked or baked anything in our married life, is now the chief cookie chef??  I showed him how to make the recipes, and he has been mixing up batter and freezing the dough ever since.  He still needs a little help in the baking department, but that is the hardest part because our oven is freaky and you kind of have to know how it works.  For the next bazaar that we are doing (which starts tomorrow!), I haven't mixed up one batch of cookies.  He has done it all.

2.  Working at the bazaar during the day was really fun, and I made lots of new friends.  This girl, Katia, was at the table beside mine.  Her table was the most popular table at the bazaar, by far.  At first I was kind of sad about this (that my table wasn't as popular), but that lasted about a second.  Because, Katia is SO nice and was SO helpful to me.  And, this is the only means that her family has to get money right now.  Her husband is not working because of health reasons and is waiting for a surgery.  He has been waiting for 9 years.  (That's public healthcare in Brazil....)  So, she is selling her "sweets".

She sells little homemade truffles and candies, but her most popular item at the bazaar was her little cups.  She fills up little plastic cups with caramel-like stuff in different flavors.  (If you know Brazil, then it is the same thing used to make brigadeiros, etc.)  She has chocolate, caramel, condensed milk, cappuccino, strawberry, and more. The kids come up and choose what flavor they want, then (this is the fun part) they get to "dip" their cup into M&M's, chocolate balls, chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc.  They love it.

During this bazaar, Katia was so tired every day.  Because she was also doing another bazaar at another school at the same time.  Her sister, who works with her, was going to that one.  And, she had 2 or 3 other bazaars to do before the bazaar that I am participating in tomorrow.  She works hard, but always with a smile.  I personally am glad that we are not doing 6 bazaars right now.  Just these two are enough for us this year!

Katia and her family are strong Christians, and I am really thankful to have met them and look forward to seeing them more in the future.

Here is another friend, Daniella, hiding behind her little dolls.  They are really cute!

I know there are more things that I wanted to blog about, but I can't think of all of them right now.  I have cookie making to do.  At the next bazaar, we are selling other things like cinnamon rolls and maybe cupcakes, which are all the rage right now in Brazil.  Before this first bazaar, I was super stressed and worried - I guess just because of the unknown.  But, I am much more relaxed about this next one.  I'll let you know how it goes!!