The curse of the summer cold. I've always hated the feeling of of stuffed sinuses and hot weather. For Bella, it was worse, mainly because she doesn't know what's going on. All she knows is she can't breathe and her mother keeps attacking her nose with strange suction instruments and wipes every twenty minutes.
Where could we have gotten it? Well, it could be from my sister and niece, or from going to the local coffeeshop/kiddie playground, or the library, or Wal-Mart, or any of the tens of places we go to each week to stave off boredom and cabin fever.
Luckily, Gramandie and Papa have a large toy collection started for their first grandchild, so Bella has no end of toys to play with and a large window in her play area to look out of.
I started a notebook finally writing down her eating times, naptimes, what she ate, how many diapers and what kind, etc., etc., in an effort to figure out what helps her sleep at night better. However, when we both got sick (I had a fever, nausea and sore throat on top of the general misery of the cough and runny nose), the notes and any semblance of a schedule went out the window.
We were letting her stay up late, nap as long as she wanted, whenever she wanted, play and rule the den until midnight. So of course, now that she's feeling better, she is not liking being back on a schedule. But I need my sleep, so while she can play all she wants in the daytime, after her bath, it's time to settle down. Now if I can get her dad on the same playbook, things'll be gravy.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
More Food!
As promised, some pictures and recipes for Tabbouleh and Vegan Cupcakes!
Tabbouleh:
1 cup bulgur wheat
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1) Place bulgur wheat in bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water
2) In a mixing bowl, combine wheat with rest of ingredients. Toss and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Toss again before serving.
Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Whisk the almond milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to get good and curdled.
3)Sift Flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt into large mixing bowl
4) Beat together the almond milk mix, oil, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Sift in dry mix and mix until no large lumps.
5) Fill cupcake pans 2/3 up, bake 20-22 minutes
Now on to the pictures!!
Our drink station. Lemonade Punch on the left in the watermelon, Strawberry Punch on the right
The Baba Ghanoush. I don't even care for eggplant, and I was chowing down on this.
Our Mock Chicken Salad, later converted into Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Sorry, no pictures of that; it was eaten too fast!
Vegan Cupcakes with S's delicious peppermint frosting. Sprayed pink with icing graffiti
Tabbouleh! Easily the most popular dish
And, the Rainbow Fruit Tray. Doesn't it just make you happy to look at it?
Tabbouleh:
1 cup bulgur wheat
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1) Place bulgur wheat in bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water
2) In a mixing bowl, combine wheat with rest of ingredients. Toss and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Toss again before serving.
Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) Whisk the almond milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to get good and curdled.
3)Sift Flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt into large mixing bowl
4) Beat together the almond milk mix, oil, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Sift in dry mix and mix until no large lumps.
5) Fill cupcake pans 2/3 up, bake 20-22 minutes
Now on to the pictures!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Mediterranean Shower
I threw my first baby shower this past Saturday. My younger sister Bex is having her second girl in August; so my sister S and I planned a Noah's Ark themed baby shower with Mediterranean food. So, yes I will have more recipes.
What I learned is that while price comparing at different stores is great on a small scale, when it comes to parties with more than three foodstuffs, keep it to 2 stores or you end up wasting more time than not. The DAY OF we realized I forgot several key items for punches, cupcakes, and dips due to a) doing everything the DAY BEFORE and b) losing track of what I bought where.
We got some great ideas from Shower In a Box for games and food, although we ended up only doing one game. No matter, the guests had fun and the food-which we have leftovers of in abundance-was raved about.
(On a side note, I lost my banana pudding recipe the other day, thought, "I'll just look it up on my blog," and realized that I had only typed 'Follow the directions on the box' or something similar. Lesson learned)
What I learned was themed parties and events are best done if you work on the different parts in the WEEKS leading up to said party, not DAYS. What I probably would have done if I could time travel back is
1)The minute we have the theme, use that week to plan out all foods, games, decoration, etc
2)Get crafts, plates, party favors, prizes and games the same time I got invitations, and work on those in the time leading up to the event
3) The week before, get all frozen items, baked goods, condiments and spices
4) Buy fresh items two days before
5) Through all this, keep everything in one spot, check off what you need, and do a double sweep the day before to ensure all is ready so you can bake and decorate.
6) Plan beforehand how things will run
What I did right:
1) Ask my sister to help. S is not only an incredible baker, she is great with themes, ideas and just creative and generous. I probably would have ended up with PB&J sandwiches and Oreos if I hadn't had her to keep it going
2) Kept a binder. I think my mom gave us an extra one. This is essential, as it held our recipes, guest lists/addresses, grocery lists, spreadsheets, and games.
3) Not sweat a schedule. So, okay we ended up doing only one game. And yes, a couple of people didn't show, so we ended up with a week worth of extra hummus, baba ghanoush, vegan cupcakes, and watermelon, but like I said, Bex was happy, guests were happy, and there were no family fallouts. That's worth skipping the Bingo game.
Okay, on to recipes (I'll add pics later; can't at this computer):
Rainbow Fruit Plate: I got this from the Shower in a Box site, and it was just so much fun to make, as well as gorgeous to look at. On a large circular platter, arrange the following in an arc pattern: Watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, purple grapes. The blueberries and grapes you can just put in kind of a half circle. Finish with large marshmallows on the bottom for clouds. You can also do strawberries, oranges, bananas, green grapes for the ROY G parts of the rainbow. So effortlessly lovely.
Baba Ghanoush: I got this off of allrecipes.com
and tripled it. There is actually not a lot left of this dish, one of the most popular.
1 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (I just used Baker's Joy)
Stab hole in eggplant with fork. Place on baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes (for three eggplants of medium size, I did 55-60 minutes), turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl of cold water (or a sink). Remove from water, and peel skin off
Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. You can season with salt and pepper to taste at this point; I didn't. Transfer eggplant mixture to a mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.
Now, my dad made the Tahini, which roughly goes like this:
Lightly toast ~1/3 cup of sesame seeds in a small pan for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You cannot leave the seeds because if they over toast, you'll have a bitter taste to your tahini. Mix in food processor starting with 1/2 tsp of virgin or extra virgin olive oil, adding more as needed. Boom! You have tahini
Mock Chicken Salad(I increased this recipe by 5, which was unnecessary, and have made most of the leftovers into hummus, which I'll post afterward). From vegweb.com via Animalia International:
1 small can of chickpeas
1 green pepper or celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise or ranch dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Pour the chickpeas in a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher until chunky
Toss in rest of ingredients and stir.
What I modified: Okay, I had like 5 can of chickpeas, I am not standing around with a potato masher. I threw the chickpeas by handfuls into our tiny food processor to do a rough mash, then finished up with the potato masher. I added garlic, curry powder, cumin and oregano to taste.
And Hummus: Easy to modify; add garlic, olive oil, tahini if you have any left over, and puree, puree, puree. Top with chopped roasted red peppers and sesame seeds, roasted garlic, or pine nuts. I brought this to Al's aunts house Sunday with some FlatOut! Honey Wheat Wraps and it was hugely enjoyed.
I got this recipe for Lemon Soy Aioli (or vegan mayo) from myrecipes.com:
2 cups water
2 peeled garlic cloves (or, if you're me, 5)
8 oz of tofu, drained (I had 14 oz)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 12 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add garlic and cook 10 minutes.
As garlic is boiling, layer tofu between several layers of paper towels. Let sit 10 minutes.
Drain garlic. Chop tofu into chunks
Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.
What I did: Well, we were running out of lemons, and hadn't bought lemon juice yet (hahaha! See what I mean about shopping at too many places in too short a time?) so I added a tiny bit of orange juice. That's about it here
We did purchase Sabra Classic Hummus as our one headache free side. For the dips and Mock Chicken Salad we put Stacy's Multigrain Pita Chips, rolled FlatOut! Honey Wheat wraps cut in half, and sliced cucumbers and squash
The rainbow Fruit trays were placed at either end of the table with toothpicks for germ free grabbing.
We also had:
"Greek" Salad: Greek is in quotations due to me not using pepperoncinis, or kalamata olives, and there was probably something else I forgot. This was just romaine lettuce, sliced red onion, and sliced black olives. I placed feta cheese on the side (we had a vegan guest) and also a Dressing of 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. We also had backups of ranch and balsamic vinagrette.
Drinks! These we actually got from Bex, and I don't know where she got those. These were delicious, and FYI, are great as bases for Sangria, or mixed with your choice of clear liquor if you are so inclined. We kept 'em family friendly for this event.
Rosy Lemonade Punch:
2 packages frozen mixed berries
2 12 oz cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 2 liter bottles ginger ale
2 2 liter bottles club soda
orange and banana slices
What we did: Well, we had this HUGE watermelon purchase just for this and the fruit tray. We cut the watermelon a little higher than halfway, and left a "handle." After scooping out watermelon and seeds, we mixed half the ingredients so it wouldn't overflow, then kept the extra soda bottles nearby to add as the level lowered. This was VERY refreshing and light, and there was none left over.
Delicious Strawberry Punch:
2 cans frozen strawberry daiquiri mix
2 bottles Sprite or Lemon Lime soda
1 carton lime sherbet
Fresh, sliced strawberries as garnish
Mix soda and daquiri mix. Add sherbet last, and garnish with strawberries.
S also made Tabbouleh, carrot cake cupcakes, and vanilla vegan cupcakes, but I have to ask her permission to print those recipes. Believe me though, there was NO Tabbouleh left, and the vegan cupcakes are incredibly good, with the top taking on a sugar cookie texture.
All in all, despite the work and chaos, it was nice to cook a new type of food, and I'm happy to add new items to my recipe book.
What I learned is that while price comparing at different stores is great on a small scale, when it comes to parties with more than three foodstuffs, keep it to 2 stores or you end up wasting more time than not. The DAY OF we realized I forgot several key items for punches, cupcakes, and dips due to a) doing everything the DAY BEFORE and b) losing track of what I bought where.
We got some great ideas from Shower In a Box for games and food, although we ended up only doing one game. No matter, the guests had fun and the food-which we have leftovers of in abundance-was raved about.
(On a side note, I lost my banana pudding recipe the other day, thought, "I'll just look it up on my blog," and realized that I had only typed 'Follow the directions on the box' or something similar. Lesson learned)
What I learned was themed parties and events are best done if you work on the different parts in the WEEKS leading up to said party, not DAYS. What I probably would have done if I could time travel back is
1)The minute we have the theme, use that week to plan out all foods, games, decoration, etc
2)Get crafts, plates, party favors, prizes and games the same time I got invitations, and work on those in the time leading up to the event
3) The week before, get all frozen items, baked goods, condiments and spices
4) Buy fresh items two days before
5) Through all this, keep everything in one spot, check off what you need, and do a double sweep the day before to ensure all is ready so you can bake and decorate.
6) Plan beforehand how things will run
What I did right:
1) Ask my sister to help. S is not only an incredible baker, she is great with themes, ideas and just creative and generous. I probably would have ended up with PB&J sandwiches and Oreos if I hadn't had her to keep it going
2) Kept a binder. I think my mom gave us an extra one. This is essential, as it held our recipes, guest lists/addresses, grocery lists, spreadsheets, and games.
3) Not sweat a schedule. So, okay we ended up doing only one game. And yes, a couple of people didn't show, so we ended up with a week worth of extra hummus, baba ghanoush, vegan cupcakes, and watermelon, but like I said, Bex was happy, guests were happy, and there were no family fallouts. That's worth skipping the Bingo game.
Okay, on to recipes (I'll add pics later; can't at this computer):
Rainbow Fruit Plate: I got this from the Shower in a Box site, and it was just so much fun to make, as well as gorgeous to look at. On a large circular platter, arrange the following in an arc pattern: Watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, purple grapes. The blueberries and grapes you can just put in kind of a half circle. Finish with large marshmallows on the bottom for clouds. You can also do strawberries, oranges, bananas, green grapes for the ROY G parts of the rainbow. So effortlessly lovely.
Baba Ghanoush: I got this off of allrecipes.com
and tripled it. There is actually not a lot left of this dish, one of the most popular.
1 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (I just used Baker's Joy)
Stab hole in eggplant with fork. Place on baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes (for three eggplants of medium size, I did 55-60 minutes), turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl of cold water (or a sink). Remove from water, and peel skin off
Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. You can season with salt and pepper to taste at this point; I didn't. Transfer eggplant mixture to a mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.
Now, my dad made the Tahini, which roughly goes like this:
Lightly toast ~1/3 cup of sesame seeds in a small pan for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You cannot leave the seeds because if they over toast, you'll have a bitter taste to your tahini. Mix in food processor starting with 1/2 tsp of virgin or extra virgin olive oil, adding more as needed. Boom! You have tahini
Mock Chicken Salad(I increased this recipe by 5, which was unnecessary, and have made most of the leftovers into hummus, which I'll post afterward). From vegweb.com via Animalia International:
1 small can of chickpeas
1 green pepper or celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise or ranch dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Pour the chickpeas in a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher until chunky
Toss in rest of ingredients and stir.
What I modified: Okay, I had like 5 can of chickpeas, I am not standing around with a potato masher. I threw the chickpeas by handfuls into our tiny food processor to do a rough mash, then finished up with the potato masher. I added garlic, curry powder, cumin and oregano to taste.
And Hummus: Easy to modify; add garlic, olive oil, tahini if you have any left over, and puree, puree, puree. Top with chopped roasted red peppers and sesame seeds, roasted garlic, or pine nuts. I brought this to Al's aunts house Sunday with some FlatOut! Honey Wheat Wraps and it was hugely enjoyed.
I got this recipe for Lemon Soy Aioli (or vegan mayo) from myrecipes.com:
2 cups water
2 peeled garlic cloves (or, if you're me, 5)
8 oz of tofu, drained (I had 14 oz)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 12 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp sea salt
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add garlic and cook 10 minutes.
As garlic is boiling, layer tofu between several layers of paper towels. Let sit 10 minutes.
Drain garlic. Chop tofu into chunks
Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.
What I did: Well, we were running out of lemons, and hadn't bought lemon juice yet (hahaha! See what I mean about shopping at too many places in too short a time?) so I added a tiny bit of orange juice. That's about it here
We did purchase Sabra Classic Hummus as our one headache free side. For the dips and Mock Chicken Salad we put Stacy's Multigrain Pita Chips, rolled FlatOut! Honey Wheat wraps cut in half, and sliced cucumbers and squash
The rainbow Fruit trays were placed at either end of the table with toothpicks for germ free grabbing.
We also had:
"Greek" Salad: Greek is in quotations due to me not using pepperoncinis, or kalamata olives, and there was probably something else I forgot. This was just romaine lettuce, sliced red onion, and sliced black olives. I placed feta cheese on the side (we had a vegan guest) and also a Dressing of 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. We also had backups of ranch and balsamic vinagrette.
Drinks! These we actually got from Bex, and I don't know where she got those. These were delicious, and FYI, are great as bases for Sangria, or mixed with your choice of clear liquor if you are so inclined. We kept 'em family friendly for this event.
Rosy Lemonade Punch:
2 packages frozen mixed berries
2 12 oz cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 2 liter bottles ginger ale
2 2 liter bottles club soda
orange and banana slices
What we did: Well, we had this HUGE watermelon purchase just for this and the fruit tray. We cut the watermelon a little higher than halfway, and left a "handle." After scooping out watermelon and seeds, we mixed half the ingredients so it wouldn't overflow, then kept the extra soda bottles nearby to add as the level lowered. This was VERY refreshing and light, and there was none left over.
Delicious Strawberry Punch:
2 cans frozen strawberry daiquiri mix
2 bottles Sprite or Lemon Lime soda
1 carton lime sherbet
Fresh, sliced strawberries as garnish
Mix soda and daquiri mix. Add sherbet last, and garnish with strawberries.
S also made Tabbouleh, carrot cake cupcakes, and vanilla vegan cupcakes, but I have to ask her permission to print those recipes. Believe me though, there was NO Tabbouleh left, and the vegan cupcakes are incredibly good, with the top taking on a sugar cookie texture.
All in all, despite the work and chaos, it was nice to cook a new type of food, and I'm happy to add new items to my recipe book.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Leaps and Bounds
I can't believe the speedy evolution of our daughter's personality. She definitely is our child, because she is drawn towards shoes and books like they are filled with the tastiest milk and cereal. She loves her baths, although sometimes I have to keep an arm constantly against her chest, lest she fling herself out. She enjoys having the shower had rain down on her and playing in the spray, to the point where her bounces thrust her mini tub down the length of the bath.
She can't quite crawl yet, but moves herself around rather quickly in circles. She does get her knees up, but then goes, "Wait let's just go straight to walking," which doesn't work just yet.
She loves her giraffe, hearing daddy on the phone (oh yeah, she loves phones too. And remotes), and her bouncer.
She still wakes up screeching sometimes, and cries in her sleep throughout the night, but I've started her bedtime routine earlier and that seems to help. Last night she wouldn't go to bed but on the whole she's been sleeping until about 1 or 1:30 in the morning, and then is up till three, then back to bed until 7. Somehow this works for me; I think because from 6:30 till 1:00 am she's asleep and I can wind down and get some rest before fireworks.
We've definitely had to be careful regarding what's in her reach. I vacuum more and do a quick sweep of any cords or objects she could pull on herself. Two months ago I didn't have to give this a passing thought.
She is very strong-willed, loves to talk and laugh. She can get mad in a second though. I'm talking from screaming with laughter to wailing in anger. She loves cereal and so far, all her veggies.
Each day I learn something new and am enjoying her company.
She can't quite crawl yet, but moves herself around rather quickly in circles. She does get her knees up, but then goes, "Wait let's just go straight to walking," which doesn't work just yet.
She loves her giraffe, hearing daddy on the phone (oh yeah, she loves phones too. And remotes), and her bouncer.
She still wakes up screeching sometimes, and cries in her sleep throughout the night, but I've started her bedtime routine earlier and that seems to help. Last night she wouldn't go to bed but on the whole she's been sleeping until about 1 or 1:30 in the morning, and then is up till three, then back to bed until 7. Somehow this works for me; I think because from 6:30 till 1:00 am she's asleep and I can wind down and get some rest before fireworks.
We've definitely had to be careful regarding what's in her reach. I vacuum more and do a quick sweep of any cords or objects she could pull on herself. Two months ago I didn't have to give this a passing thought.
She is very strong-willed, loves to talk and laugh. She can get mad in a second though. I'm talking from screaming with laughter to wailing in anger. She loves cereal and so far, all her veggies.
Each day I learn something new and am enjoying her company.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Past Three Days
My sister is doing well with her pregnancy. I watched my niece while Becky went for her ultrasound. Cami and I made brown sugar cookies with sprinkles for Mother's Day. I had Bella strapped in her bouncer, on the farther safe side of the kitchen (away from stoves, utensils, and anything that might fall) so she could be a part of things.
Saturday was the kids' confirmation. The Archbishop spoke. The ceremony was beautiful and so was his...is it a sermon in the Catholic church? I don't know. Whatever you call it, it really spoke to me. After we had a wonderful luncheon at my in-laws. The food was delicious and the company was great. I saw a couple Hilda introduced me to, they have a son two months older than Bella and are expecting another one. I haven't seen them since the Super Bowl, even though we talk on Facebook a lot, so we enjoyed catching up.
I felt bad because with Al's illness, we haven't had a chance to buy my sister-in-law's quincenera present, or gifts for the confirmation. I think we are just taking them out for a completely fun, non-religious night, and taking Gabi out for her birthday separately.
I had two articles published and realized I had typos in THE HEADLINES I overlooked. I don't want to promote them because it's very embarrassing.
Mother's Day was nice. I received a gorgeous card from Al with Bella's hand outlined. We also did hand and feet outlines for the grandmothers' cards. My mother received a cute "spa set" with robe, head towel and shower mesh. We also got Hilda some fancy Lindt chocolates that were mini desserts like Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, etc. The Barcelos bought me two gorgeous shirts, a cute pair of flip flops and some bubble bath. I didn't really rest or relax, because I had laundry to do and Bella's been very fussy lately, so she requires a lot of attention. She likes constant stimulation, and mostly catnaps during the day, so there's not really a lot of rest. I did get a two hour nap in Friday thanks to my mom, so I guess I shouldn't gripe. It's more than most people get.
I'm really trying to be more optimistic and count my blessings, I don't know why it's so hard. Everyone informs my that I don't have post-partum depression since I actually function, so I guess I'm just being selfish. Anyway, I didn't mean to end this on a down note (see? there I go being a big old grouch) so I WILL say that I plan on taking Bella for a nice long walk later this afternoon, and then maybe some pool time. I think that will help, plus I can get some exercise in while spending time with her.
Saturday was the kids' confirmation. The Archbishop spoke. The ceremony was beautiful and so was his...is it a sermon in the Catholic church? I don't know. Whatever you call it, it really spoke to me. After we had a wonderful luncheon at my in-laws. The food was delicious and the company was great. I saw a couple Hilda introduced me to, they have a son two months older than Bella and are expecting another one. I haven't seen them since the Super Bowl, even though we talk on Facebook a lot, so we enjoyed catching up.
I felt bad because with Al's illness, we haven't had a chance to buy my sister-in-law's quincenera present, or gifts for the confirmation. I think we are just taking them out for a completely fun, non-religious night, and taking Gabi out for her birthday separately.
I had two articles published and realized I had typos in THE HEADLINES I overlooked. I don't want to promote them because it's very embarrassing.
Mother's Day was nice. I received a gorgeous card from Al with Bella's hand outlined. We also did hand and feet outlines for the grandmothers' cards. My mother received a cute "spa set" with robe, head towel and shower mesh. We also got Hilda some fancy Lindt chocolates that were mini desserts like Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, etc. The Barcelos bought me two gorgeous shirts, a cute pair of flip flops and some bubble bath. I didn't really rest or relax, because I had laundry to do and Bella's been very fussy lately, so she requires a lot of attention. She likes constant stimulation, and mostly catnaps during the day, so there's not really a lot of rest. I did get a two hour nap in Friday thanks to my mom, so I guess I shouldn't gripe. It's more than most people get.
I'm really trying to be more optimistic and count my blessings, I don't know why it's so hard. Everyone informs my that I don't have post-partum depression since I actually function, so I guess I'm just being selfish. Anyway, I didn't mean to end this on a down note (see? there I go being a big old grouch) so I WILL say that I plan on taking Bella for a nice long walk later this afternoon, and then maybe some pool time. I think that will help, plus I can get some exercise in while spending time with her.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Domesticated
Since I don't work, and we all know how leisurely being a SAH mom is, I've just had oodles of free time. Rather than devote my hours to Charitable Work (which would require leaving the home and carting Bella around), I have been cooking more.
Recently my sister moved to Virginia to take a new job. We threw a luncheon for her, and I made egg salad, chicken salad, white chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin flan, and banana pudding. Since they were such hits, I thought I'd share some of the recipes. At least the ones I didn't get off the back of a package.
So here, first, is the Chicken Salad.
2 whole rotisserie chickens
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
about 2/3 cup craisins, chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I bought sliced ones and threw them in the food processor)
about 1 tbs miracle whip
about 1 1/2 onion powder
pepper
1 tsp basil
2 tsp garlic salt
peel all the meat you can off one whole chicken and half of the other. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. You can also use a food processor if you want to speed the process; I mixed it up. A lot of people prefer the chicken to be chunky, so cutting by hand is better in that case. Mix in all the ingredients and stir. Add more of the seasonings to taste if you like. Refrigerate at least one hour.
Of course this can work by itself, on top of lettuce, or on any type of crackers of bread, but I liked it best on thinly sliced pumpernickel bread. You can use Danish Style or the darker Westphalian style. I recommend Rubschaler brand. It's just so...hearty teatime.
Egg Salad
15 hard-boiled eggs.
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 stalks celery
1 tbs miracle whip
Chop up eggs and celery, Mix everything together. Add more of the spices as desired. Refrigerate at least one hour. This also tasted great on the smaller rye cocktail breads, as well as flatbread crackers.
Also, to get the best hard-boiled eggs, you boil them for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. I learned that from my parents and it did make a difference in both appearance and ease of chopping.
And that's the salad post. Next time, I'll type up the desserts, my niece is clamoring for more raisins and the timer's about to go off on my pumpkin cookies.
Recently my sister moved to Virginia to take a new job. We threw a luncheon for her, and I made egg salad, chicken salad, white chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin flan, and banana pudding. Since they were such hits, I thought I'd share some of the recipes. At least the ones I didn't get off the back of a package.
So here, first, is the Chicken Salad.
2 whole rotisserie chickens
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
about 2/3 cup craisins, chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I bought sliced ones and threw them in the food processor)
about 1 tbs miracle whip
about 1 1/2 onion powder
pepper
1 tsp basil
2 tsp garlic salt
peel all the meat you can off one whole chicken and half of the other. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. You can also use a food processor if you want to speed the process; I mixed it up. A lot of people prefer the chicken to be chunky, so cutting by hand is better in that case. Mix in all the ingredients and stir. Add more of the seasonings to taste if you like. Refrigerate at least one hour.
Of course this can work by itself, on top of lettuce, or on any type of crackers of bread, but I liked it best on thinly sliced pumpernickel bread. You can use Danish Style or the darker Westphalian style. I recommend Rubschaler brand. It's just so...hearty teatime.
Egg Salad
15 hard-boiled eggs.
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 stalks celery
1 tbs miracle whip
Chop up eggs and celery, Mix everything together. Add more of the spices as desired. Refrigerate at least one hour. This also tasted great on the smaller rye cocktail breads, as well as flatbread crackers.
Also, to get the best hard-boiled eggs, you boil them for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. I learned that from my parents and it did make a difference in both appearance and ease of chopping.
And that's the salad post. Next time, I'll type up the desserts, my niece is clamoring for more raisins and the timer's about to go off on my pumpkin cookies.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Not A Sermon
This morning around 2 I discovered our child had wet her bed.
I had been half-awake before that, listening to her noises. Bella laughs, grunts, and cries in her sleep. I rarely sleep deeply as it is, since I'm continuously paranoid about SIDS, so I've learned to listen for the difference between her sleeping and when she's awake and about to yell for attention. At that time I'll change and feed her for a bit before she's passed out again.
This time, I noticed her hands were cold. Well. I usually have her in long pajamas, and this time she was only in a short onesie and blanket, so that was on me. I grabbed her long kitten pjs, laid them out on the bed and picked her up. And found she was soaked from her back down.
Well, slight change of plans there. I changed her, gave her a quick sponge bath, and nursed her before putting her long johns on. Then it was the swing to rock her to sleep while I stripped and wiped down the crib mattress and remade it. About a half hour ago she was sound asleep and snuggled warmly in her crib, and I went out to the living room to read and type this up, watching her through our video monitor.
So, I've had a lot on my mind, with work (mine and Al's), living arrangements, my own emotional/mental state. And it's been pretty demotivating-when my mind is racing and jumbling around, I don't really feel like writing, or exercising, or making plans. Plus with my phone out of commission, the number of people I can call is limited to local numbers, and it feels weird not to be texting.
Anyway, so I've gone back in my head on how I Could Have Done Things Differently-which also includes choosing college majors, trying out for volleyball in h.s., and two million other things. And then I'm constantly praying for this to happen, or that, and then while trying to fall asleep earlier, my prayer went from the usual to spontaneously going, "I give up. You do what you think is best, and I'll live with it." And felt better, although it still took a minute for sleep to come.
It's funny, because I don't think that has ever happened to me, at least without some huge crisis going on in my life. Or personal drama. And I am a believer in "God helps those who help themselves," definitely. I do not think He is one to say, "You should just lay like a bump and not put any effort in your life, for lo, I will magic everything for you." But I do think I tend to second-guess and try to steer the prayer, i.e.-"It is up to you, God, but I really think you should go this way, honestly." So, maybe, this last prayer is a step to actually having some trust that he's not going to keep our little family in an uncertain future anymore than I'd let my daughter stay cold and wet. Speaking of, this video is so clear, I actually saw her eyes open, look around, and close from the other side of the house.
I had been half-awake before that, listening to her noises. Bella laughs, grunts, and cries in her sleep. I rarely sleep deeply as it is, since I'm continuously paranoid about SIDS, so I've learned to listen for the difference between her sleeping and when she's awake and about to yell for attention. At that time I'll change and feed her for a bit before she's passed out again.
This time, I noticed her hands were cold. Well. I usually have her in long pajamas, and this time she was only in a short onesie and blanket, so that was on me. I grabbed her long kitten pjs, laid them out on the bed and picked her up. And found she was soaked from her back down.
Well, slight change of plans there. I changed her, gave her a quick sponge bath, and nursed her before putting her long johns on. Then it was the swing to rock her to sleep while I stripped and wiped down the crib mattress and remade it. About a half hour ago she was sound asleep and snuggled warmly in her crib, and I went out to the living room to read and type this up, watching her through our video monitor.
So, I've had a lot on my mind, with work (mine and Al's), living arrangements, my own emotional/mental state. And it's been pretty demotivating-when my mind is racing and jumbling around, I don't really feel like writing, or exercising, or making plans. Plus with my phone out of commission, the number of people I can call is limited to local numbers, and it feels weird not to be texting.
Anyway, so I've gone back in my head on how I Could Have Done Things Differently-which also includes choosing college majors, trying out for volleyball in h.s., and two million other things. And then I'm constantly praying for this to happen, or that, and then while trying to fall asleep earlier, my prayer went from the usual to spontaneously going, "I give up. You do what you think is best, and I'll live with it." And felt better, although it still took a minute for sleep to come.
It's funny, because I don't think that has ever happened to me, at least without some huge crisis going on in my life. Or personal drama. And I am a believer in "God helps those who help themselves," definitely. I do not think He is one to say, "You should just lay like a bump and not put any effort in your life, for lo, I will magic everything for you." But I do think I tend to second-guess and try to steer the prayer, i.e.-"It is up to you, God, but I really think you should go this way, honestly." So, maybe, this last prayer is a step to actually having some trust that he's not going to keep our little family in an uncertain future anymore than I'd let my daughter stay cold and wet. Speaking of, this video is so clear, I actually saw her eyes open, look around, and close from the other side of the house.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Getting It Together
We are establishing more of a routine now. Al's been working for almost a full week, and I FINALLY got a doctor's appointment for next Tuesday! We are really relieved about that. Tuesday we had Date Night and celebrated with a delicious Cuban dinner at Little Havana, this amazing restaurant in Deerfield Beach. For only $36.00, we ate croquettes and mariquitas for appetizers, Al had the palomilla with rice and beans while I had two pork chops, rice, beans and plantains for entrees, rolls, Sprite (for me), El Presidente (for Al), and of course, yucca and lots of mojo. We brought back half our meals! There was a mountain of food for us, and for once, I exercised caution and did not stuff myself into a coma (although I came dangerously close).
Their website has been temporarily down for "exceeded bandwidth," but I will provide a link when it's back up.
We ate outside (my body temp was on the fritz, and I needed the cooling 65 degree air), but I did go inside a few times. The decor is nice, with large paintings, some for sale, all of Cuba. The ladies room has the kind of stalls that provide your own private room.
Other than that, I've been mostly around the house cleaning, or running errands with my mom, visiting my grandmother, things like that. I also have been working on my NanoWriMo (although VERY behind), and I started a fun painting.
The only downside is I'm still a bit lonely. I haven't seen my friends since the wedding, and plans I made Monday fell through. With it being the holidays though, people are busy, and of course everyone works but me. People keep telling me to enjoy it while I can, because I'll be super busy after the baby, but to me, that's all the more reason to see my friends. I did get to see my cousin and his super cool wife last night, so was a definite plus.
Their website has been temporarily down for "exceeded bandwidth," but I will provide a link when it's back up.
We ate outside (my body temp was on the fritz, and I needed the cooling 65 degree air), but I did go inside a few times. The decor is nice, with large paintings, some for sale, all of Cuba. The ladies room has the kind of stalls that provide your own private room.
Other than that, I've been mostly around the house cleaning, or running errands with my mom, visiting my grandmother, things like that. I also have been working on my NanoWriMo (although VERY behind), and I started a fun painting.
The only downside is I'm still a bit lonely. I haven't seen my friends since the wedding, and plans I made Monday fell through. With it being the holidays though, people are busy, and of course everyone works but me. People keep telling me to enjoy it while I can, because I'll be super busy after the baby, but to me, that's all the more reason to see my friends. I did get to see my cousin and his super cool wife last night, so was a definite plus.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
New Life
Since I last wrote, we have moved to Florida and gotten married! It's been a crazy month. Florida is completely different from what we're used to. I thought I'd slide back in, because I grew up and lived here for 21 years, but I don't think it's registered yet. It probably won't until we get our doctors set up, or Al starts working, or we get our own place. Right now it seems like a long vacation. I have changed my address, and we sent off our marriage certificate today, so soon I can start with the name change, etc etc.
The wedding was fabulous. All the things I was worried about never happened; in fact it was all better than I thought it would be. We had a lot of last minute drop-outs, but most people did come. There was a lot of love in the room. A lot of our Atlanta friends made it and looked fantastic. Plus, our families get along great! What more can you ask for? Also, with everyone in the same hotel, people could visit and relax without a lot of travel.
We used Blue Sky in Miami for most of the food, and Tom Caminiti dj'ed. He and my dad have known each other for years, and Tom was very patient and cool dealing with our song choice jitters.
My sister made our cakes. People are still going on about them; three days later. We have a lot left over due to the last minute drop outs, but oh my gosh, she actually makes tasty fondant. I'll have to include a picture later. The groom had a blue cheesecake, going up against the shores of the wedding cake. Cinnamon graham crumbs scattered between the layers as a sand motif, and white chocolate/peppermint seashells were inlaid throughout. Our layer for the one year was three small tiers of devil's food, marble, and red velvet. The main cake was vanilla.
And....my parents reserved a suite for us, for the wedding night. Thanks Mom and Dad! The view was of the roof, but who's paying attention to that? It was our first private, spacious place in forever and perfect for the night.
The wedding was fabulous. All the things I was worried about never happened; in fact it was all better than I thought it would be. We had a lot of last minute drop-outs, but most people did come. There was a lot of love in the room. A lot of our Atlanta friends made it and looked fantastic. Plus, our families get along great! What more can you ask for? Also, with everyone in the same hotel, people could visit and relax without a lot of travel.
We used Blue Sky in Miami for most of the food, and Tom Caminiti dj'ed. He and my dad have known each other for years, and Tom was very patient and cool dealing with our song choice jitters.
My sister made our cakes. People are still going on about them; three days later. We have a lot left over due to the last minute drop outs, but oh my gosh, she actually makes tasty fondant. I'll have to include a picture later. The groom had a blue cheesecake, going up against the shores of the wedding cake. Cinnamon graham crumbs scattered between the layers as a sand motif, and white chocolate/peppermint seashells were inlaid throughout. Our layer for the one year was three small tiers of devil's food, marble, and red velvet. The main cake was vanilla.
And....my parents reserved a suite for us, for the wedding night. Thanks Mom and Dad! The view was of the roof, but who's paying attention to that? It was our first private, spacious place in forever and perfect for the night.
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