My big, fat, Cuban family consists of pretty much the same people year after year. Except for the occasional birth, marriage, or divorce, I'm still related to the same people.
It's still just "us." (Sometimes "us" can get to upwards of 40 people, but that's not important right now.)
We Cubans have our BIG Christmas celebration on December the 24th. Nochebuena. (Which translates to "Good Night.")
For as long as I can remember and many generations before me, my family, like most other Cuban families, look forward to roast pork and black beans and white rice and yuca con mojo and fried plantains on December 24th.
Every year, on December 24th, we celebrate our Nochebuena with that grand-there's-nothing-like-it Cuban feast.
Every year, on December 24th, we get together as one big family and exchange gifts.
Every year, on December 24th, we stay up late and drink Crema de Vie and enjoy the Christmas festivities.
Every year. On December 24th. For as long as I can remember. The date has always been the same. The menu has never varied. Neither has the guest list.
And yet......
I always make invitations. Which I send to the same people I've been related to all my life. Who have been celebrating Nochebuena on December the 24th for their entire lives, too. And who all know we'll be getting together for our annual Nochebuena Celebration on December 24th.
Chances are, we've even already discussed where the party is going to be held, too. (This year we're going to my sister, Alina's house.)
And yet.....
I send out invitations. Every year.
Nochebuena, 2006:
Nochebuena, 2007:
Nochebuena, 2009:
Nochebuena, 2010:
And now.....(drum roll, please)......
Nochebuena, 2011:
I'm quite proud of this year's invitations. Aren't they just beautiful? I'm so into the whole "subway art" thing right now. I created them in Photoshop CS5 and uploaded the file to my local Kinko's (excuse me, FedEx Kinkos) so they could print it on coated cardstock.
I'm seriously so very pleased. =D
I just mailed these out to all of my big, fat, Cuban family. Who live just a few miles from me. With whom I've been celebrating Nochebuena for all of my life. On December 24th.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein
Honestly, I know it's a little insane. But it's Cuban Christmas Insanity.
My dad and most of the Verdés side of the family grew up playing multiple instruments. He loved, loved, loved any kind of music, but was an afficionado of classical and played both the piano and the cello.
As much as I love my salsa music, oldies, and classic rock, I love listening to classical when I'm working on an art project. I think it soothes the nerves and helps me relax enough to tap into my right-brain creative self.
The LA Phil advertises this family-friendly series as one that makes symphonic music come alive for kids.
From the LA Phil website:
When the young Felix Mendelssohn sets out on his first adventure to Scotland, his beloved sister Fanny is heartbroken that she has to stay home. Fanny breathlessly awaits Felix's letters, which sometimes include lines of new music. And through his music -- inspired by crumbling castles, lively bagpipes, violent ocean waves, and the enchanted Fingal's Cave -- Fanny is transported to her brother's side. If we really listen, we get to go to these mystical lands, too.
The ultimate family event, combining fun and fantasy, makes the LA Phil part of your child’s wonderful world. Led by the LA Phil’s Dudamel Conducting Fellows and directed by theater artists, this series of captivating orchestral concerts will give your children (ages 5-11) the opportunity to create memories they’ll never forget.
My "youths" are 15 and 18, but they were completely delighted (as I was) with the entire program.
Before the concert there were art, dance, craft, and storytelling workshops.
But our hands-down (hands-on?) favorite was the Instrument Petting Zoo where the kids were encouraged to touch and play (Hey! That works on two levels!) with the musical instruments.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall is that crazy, space-age, jaw-droppingly-beautiful building in Downtown Los Angeles.
It would be worth a trip to LA just to experience the magic and majesty of the place.
But the music. Ah, the music...
My kids were definitely the two oldest at this event, but they're both musicians so they were able to appreciate the beauty of it all. They were captivated by the program, by the hall, and of course, by the Instrument Petting Zoo. ;-)
Could this boy look any happier?
Mendelssohn's Mystical Landscapes will be performed again this coming Saturday, November 12th, 2011. Click here for details and tickets.
We are already making plans to return for other events at the hall - Hello, Handel's Messiah Sing-along (!) Extra coolness points - the concerts are awesomely affordable for families.
And the exposure to such beautiful music in such an amazing setting definitely impacted us personally.
Jonathan:"Mom, I might need to get a violin."
See what I mean?
{A special thank you to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil, the Toyota Symphonies for Youth, and alPunto Advertising for the wonderful musical memories.}
"Van a ir al tri-co-tri?" She's asking if the kids are going out and Trick or Treating.
El Tri-co-tri. You have to say it phonetically, TREE-COH-TREE. It's what Trick or Treat sounds like with a Cuban accent. The "El" is just to make it grammatically correct.
El Tri-co-tri. Noun. (Or verb?) The act of dressing up and begging for candy from your neighbors. (Must be a verb.)
No, I sigh. I think they're too old for El Tri-co-tri.
But I love the decorations and I love a good party. And one of them suggested a Nightmare Before Christmas Theme and then it kind of took on a life of its own.
I was in charge of food and decorations, because that's what I do best, but that's not important right now.
I decided to do it all in Tim-Burtony-inspired black and white.
I created the Nightmare Before Christmas silouettes as Photoshop Brushes and pasted them onto paper plates. I think they look very cool if you don't get too close.
I went to a local thrift store and grabbed some black picture frames which made me happy because I was feeling lazier than usual and didn't feel like painting them. (I know. Shut up.)
Then I made the Halloween Subway Art in Photoshop and just printed it out to fit the 8 x 10 frame.
And I messed with a photo of our black cat, Bastet. I really like the look in her eyes.
I painted some pumpkins with black acrylic paint, because again, I was too lazy to carve them. (Don't judge me.)
And voila! Insta-Halloween decorations! *takes bow*
Here's Jonathan explaining what they decided to do instead of El Tri-co-tri.
It makes me happy to see them all dressed up and having fun.
Sally and Jack Skellington:
Amy Kikita as a Golden Goddess. Here she is in her Divine Form:
The Mayor and the Corpse Bride:
Edward Scissorhands (pretty awesome, no?):
Lock, Shock, and Barrel:
Victoria (the live bride from the Corpse Bride):
Here they all are in all their black and white glory:
So, a good time was had by all, and even if they didn't get to go do "El Tri-co-tri..."
They did get to enjoy some fabulous Cuban food. ;-)
I've homeschooled my kids for years now. Ever since Lucy and Jonathan were both in elementary school.
Last semester they both went to the Cooler-Than-Thou Local Art School. But the days there were way too long for people who were used to having lots of time to do their own creative stuff and they both independently decided they wanted to come home again. (This, of course, made me deliriously happy, but that's not important right now.)
And so they did. Lucy came back to finish her senior year and Jonathan his freshman year. They came back so much more appreciative of what an alternative home education has provided them. Both of them plunged back in to their new (old) environment with lots of energy. Lucy especially.
Yesterday was graduation.
Commencement is already such an emotionally charged event. The graduates are excited. The parents are nostalgic. And for one brief and shining moment, your teenager can do no wrong. ;-)
Lucy was chosen to give one of the two speeches at graduation. She chose to do it in a "spoken word poetry" style (of course, she did). She didn't leave a dry eye in the house.
Please enjoy, "Exact change."
As she spoke I quietly wept in the dark auditorium. I had done my job well and this moment was my reward.
In this moment, Eric and I knew that our homeschooling "experiment" was a resounding success.
God speed, my girl.
Congratulations to all of the members of the Pacific Coast High School Class of 2011. You did it!
Here's the full transcript of Lucy's speech:
Change. Exact change.
Stepped onto the bus for the first time, handling the weighty stack of quarters my mother had given me the day before. The bus driver smiled not because I was new but because I was welcome. Light blue carpeted floor and walls that slid back and forth to create new rooms. It was smaller than I had expected but more spacious than any bus I had entered before. A subterranean hum of conversation played tag with the necessary silence.
Wide-eyed and comfortable as long as my lips remained pressed together, I spotted the older passengers, the ones who had been there for ages already, fidgeting because their stop was fast approaching. Absent-minded and exhausted, they offered me their charmingly sarcastic advice, ready to move on to their next adventure. My small hands were tempted to draw faces in the chill of the windows but I restrained myself because I felt too new.
I sat myself next to the girl who wrote poetry on her hands and drew pictures of dinosaurs on her guitar like the dozens who found their freedom and their passion as soon as they took their seats. She pulled me aside by the arm introduced me to Santa Claus, who wore a blue-buttoned shirt and ironed trousers. The tour guide described the economy of the English language while encouraging respect and responsibility, familiarity and friendship, patience... and enthusiasm. I once sat next to a boy whose hair was far too long and I played games with the actors. To them, everyday was Shakespeare and the evenings were his sonnets; our world was a small stage and all of us were merely players, constantly ad-libbing our lines. I paid appropriate wonder to the ones smarter than myself and nudged the quiet ones out of their corners, asking them who they were and why they chose this curious mode of transportation.
Three times on our journey we stopped, each time was as long and memorable as seventeen sand-coated summers. I admit we had our favorites, like the restaurant surrounded by palm trees which served only burgers or the two patriotic cafés. Different drivers took their turns and the familiar faces left the bus, quickly replaced by the wide-eyed expressions I once wore.
The hot days leaked through the glass and stained our clothing with the heat, inciting frustration and self-doubt. But even amid the gray sunrises when our breathing was visible and painful, we still took photographs and danced as we changed seats. The drivers who had chosen to take cars instead were struggling with maps, distractions, backseat drivers, and meetings they were always late for. The same destination; just a different way of getting there. Accused of becoming lonely, the term “socialization” was thrown at the windows often.
By the time I knew everyone as well as they’d allow me, we were sitting near the front of the bus. We knew where we were headed and which stop was ours. The new visitors shuffled towards the back, warily observing the rest of our eccentric, chatty, absurdly lovable and thoroughly modern family. When our drivers questioned us about the trip, we wrote on colored post-it notes and decorated the windows. We had learned how to be honest with ourselves and we learned how to ask for help with our baggage.
As we finally step off the bus, in tasseled caps and ill-fitting robes, we may stumble over to the ones who have been there our entire lives. We are able to raise our heads, look them straight in the eyes and thank them. Even though we’re older and a bit worn, almost too exhausted for expressions, we manage to turn and smile at the bus drivers as they each offer a large wave goodbye. On a Wednesday afternoon, in the year 2011, we’ll remember that these drivers got us where we needed to be when we needed to be there which happened to be every Friday before 3 o’clock. But I implore you to recall that the ones standing outside paid for our fare and were always waiting for us to get home safely at the end of the day. After some tearful goodbyes and hugs that aren’t tight enough, you will board your next bus, heading towards somewhere only God knows. And wherever you may be going, please remember that you got to be where you are today because of change. Exact change.
We left Cuba when I was so very young that I barely remember my grandmothers. I think my dad's parents had already passed away by the time I was born. And I have just the few mental snapshots that a five year old can retain of my mom's mother.
Here's a beautiful old photo of her, my maternal grandmother, Osmunda Perez-Puelles when she was pregnant with my Tio Fernando. (Incidentally, Tio Fernando will be turning 100 in Miami next week.)
The only abuela I have ever known is this woman in this 100 year old photograph.
My mom says that maybe that's why I have always loved old people. And it's true. I am very aware of the richness of life that most older people have to impart to us "youngsters." That attracts me tremendously.
I hope to be that wise old woman myself to my (as yet, unborn) grandchildren someday.
It's from this perspective of not really ever having had a grandmother in my life that I worked on this beautiful project for Tiki Tiki Blog.
It's a fabulous collection of stories by seven women who fondly remember their grandmothers and share their reminiscences.
Tiki Tiki readers submitted photos of their grandmothers and I am extremely proud to say that I designed this cover and created this E-book, Celebrating Abuela. (I know. Shut up. Get the sandpaper...)
Of course, I also added the photo of my mom, Luza (left-hand side of cover), because she is the Quintescential Cuban Grandmother.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you from me and my big, fat, Cuban family and from my good friend, Carrie at Tiki Tiki Blog. She's completely genius when it comes to collecting and editing these wonderful stories. (My job is just to make it all look pretty, but that's not important right now.)
And to those of you who still have her with you, celebrate your abuela.
I can't remember when this started, but as long as I remember we have been making invitations for our Nochebuena Celebration on December the 24th.
It's always the same people (with a few added guests). They all know when and where the party is because we have been discussing it for weeks. And, Duh! We do this every, single year. But still, the invitation must be sent out.
And of course, because I can't just go to the store and buy a cute invitation, because that would be way too easy. I always end up playing a game of "One Up" with myself. As in "What did I do last year?" (This is last year's invitation.) I have to go "One Up" from that and take it to the next level. (Please don't ask about the logic of this. There obviously is none.)
So, here's this year's NocheBuena invitation. (drum roll please.....)
It's a long tag. The gift-giving directions are on the back and there's a snowflake attached. (I am just feeling the snowflake love this year, but that's not important right now.) It's got a red velvet ribbon, making it suitable for hanging on the nearest Christmas tree.
If you decide to come, just please remember to RSVP. We will be happy to move some furniture around, set an extra place and make room just for you. =D
Do you send invitations? Phone calls? Emails? Texts? Tell me.
Just in case you were curious, here are our invitations from 2006, and 2007.
And because I'm still in the giving mood, there are some cute Spanglish Gift Tags I created that are FREE for you to download over at the Tiki Tiki.
[Creative Notes: The tag itself is from Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals and it's called Remembering December. The scrolling typeface is called Mutlu Ornamentaland the smaller curly print is appropriately called Santa's Sleigh. Both are from dafont.com. I inked the edges of the tag to give it some character.]
It will go down in family history as The Year We Hauled the Red Chair Down to the Park.
Here's how the whole thing went down:
Eric and I went on a pre-Thanksgiving cruise (on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which I still have to write about, but that's not important right now). That very same (pre-Thanksgiving) weekend, my son, Adam and his girl, Stephanie came down from Redding.
Eric and I got home on Tuesday night. Adam and Steph were taking Lucy and Jon back to Redding with them on Wednesday. And they were driving so they had to leave relatively early in the day. Amy Kikita had to work but she didn't start until 11. And so, exhausted and bleary eyed, all of us managed to get ourselves out of bed because I wanted my Christmas Card Photo Shoot, please.
Our next door neighbor, Raphael (the amazing pro photographer) agreed to get up and shoot us. (That works on multiple levels...)
And because I didn't want us just sitting there being all "Hey, look-at-us-with-our-just-for-the-photo-shoot-Christmas-card-faces on," I insisted he attempt to get the Real Darbys.
Which is why we were NOT wearing coordinated outfits. We don't coordinate in real life, so no coordinated dressing for the photo shoot.
I had Adam and Jonathan haul one of our red leather chairs down to the park. That was quite fun for the neighbors. (Actually, I think they're used to the UDB* - *Unusual Darby Behavior.)
Adam got into it right away. Big red leather chair in the middle of the park? Let them talk.
Here are my men. I love this.
Then me with my girls. (My eyes were more swollen shut than usual, but whatever...)
Then Rafe did a few of the kids.
How cute are they? And then....the silliness began.
We couldn't help ourselves. It was too tempting.
We were having a blast, but none of them sang out and said "Christmas Card is me!"
Until we hauled the big red chair out into the middle of the street. That's when we really dominated the neighborhood. These were pretty much the favorites. I liked the element of surprise it adds.
But we finally all agreed on one that represented us best.
Even with Jon melted, we felt like this was ....US!
Your thoughts? Do you have a favorite? Tell me.
Also, if you click over to TikiTiki, you'll see this same card on another post, we have a wonderful offer over there. One lucky Tiki Tiki reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Snapfish.com. It's a pretty sweet deal! Go now!
My big, fat, Cuban family is made up of a ton of people. As you can probably imagine, we ditched having every single family member buying Christmas gifts for every other person a long time ago. The only exemption to this rule is my mom. Everyone buys her a little something.
We tried drawing names, but after a couple of years, we ran out of ideas and if you drew the name of someone you didn't see often enough, buying them a gift became awkward and difficult.
Gift giving, I decided needed to be fun again. Simple. Not crazy-making and stressful.
So, for the past few years, I've been making photobooks. I usually use Shutterfly to make my books, just because I like them and they turn out a good product. And no, they are not sponsoring this post (I wish!), but that's not important right now.
Given that most of the family was already on Facebook, I had a brainstorm.....
I give you:
FAMBOOK
It's a 12 x 12 digital scrapbook and there is a page for each family member. Each page is organized alphabetically, by first names.
I first sent out an email questionnaire to each person. I asked them for a favorite quote and some favorite photos. We even created one for the kids.
It took a lot of coercing and convincing, but I got most of them back in plenty of time to do the book. The ones who didn't respond, I just grabbed their photos from Facebook and made up stuff. (I know. But I was on deadline. Don't judge me.)
Here's my page:
Pretty genius, right?
To be crystal clear, they sent me the info and photos and I created the entire thing myself. I also had them send me $35 via paypal, which took care of their "family gift obligation," only I did all the grunt work.
I should add here that I am quite pleased with the outcome.
As you can see, each page resembles a Facebook Wall.
And includes a favorite quote, and favorite photos, and their personal details, such as birthdays and anniversary (if applicable).
I was quite pleased with the construction (I created each page in Photoshop Elements and saved all the images as .jpgs for easy loading), and everyone was delighted with the finished product. Their personal stress was reduced and when they left the party, they each had this fabulous gift in their hands.
There's also that very satisfied feeling I get knowing that this will quickly become a keepsake that they can enjoy forever. And everyone's $35 went to something they really, really wanted. Win-win.
This year I'm making a Family Calendar, also through Shutterfly. (Oh, why aren't they banging down my door to represent them? Why? *sigh*)
I just finished that today so I could take advantage of a sale they were having: buy one calendar for regular price and get the others for half-price. They have deals like that all the time, which not only motivates me, it makes me happy to feel a little push to finish the project.
Anyway, here's a sneak peek at the photo of the calendar I finished and ordered today. The beauty is that I just have to create one! Ah, Digital Photography gods....I bow down.
I'm so excited to see them open these on Christmas. I also feel quite accidentally cool for coming up with the idea. (Get the sandpaper!)
I'll be sharing more of our personal family traditions in the next few weeks. I thought I'd share this now in case someone wants to tackle the project themselves for their own family. It took me about 20 hours (a lot of time!) because I had to hunt down the photos, but I seriously don't regret a single moment. It was indeed a labor of love.
So tell me... Do you make gifts? Do you buy? Do you order online? I do a little bit of everything....because I can. =D
I have been blogging now for 4 years and I'm celebrating! (It seems I'm always celebrating something, but that's not important right now.)
I started this blog on October 1st, 2006. I never pictured I'd still be going four years later. Four years, people! I thought by now I would have run out of stuff to write about. But, obviously, I haven't.
This surprises me, too. I sit down most days at my keyboard and wonder what I'm going to write about and the keyboard stares back at me and says nothing. But then, I start looking at my photos. And I remember that behind every photo I take there's a story.
Every day, no matter how ordinary, has a story.
And that, my friends, is the secret to blogging. Just tell your stories.(<--This bit of advice right there is like gold. You're welcome.)
So won't you celebrate with me? Here's to:
My Happy New Year.
My Blog Birthday.
My New Beginning.
The First Day of the Rest of My Blogging Life.
I'm celebrating that I get to tell my stories everyday. I love that you seem to enjoy them. I love that they are saved for posterity. (Win-win.)
To celebrate I'm giving stuff away. (You love this part, don't you?)
Since there are so many of you who tell me that you start the day with your coffee and MBFCF (this pleases me, by the way) and that you like cooking with me, and it's my 4th Bloggiversary, I'm inspired to give away 4 fabulous items:
To enter the drawing for a chance to win the above mentioned uber-cool MBFCF stuff, please leave a comment on this post and I'll do a random drawing on Monday, October 4th at 11 AM Pacific Time.
A big thank you to all of you who keep reading about and relating to the misadventures of my big, fat, Cuban family.
I look forward to many, many more bloggy years.
Mil gracias. De todo corazón.
[Disclaimer: That's not a real magazine cover. But you knew that, right? =D]
Yep, I'm still writing about Betty Crocker. I warned you I had a lot to share!
Again, I want to reiterate that spending those few days with a group of proactive, excited bloggers in the Betty Crocker Kitchens will definitely be one of the highlights of my life. Seriously.
I think maybe because all of us got to just relax and play. You know how it is in Mom World. We watch, we correct, we applaud, but for many of us, we just forget to play.
So this post is dedicated to playing.
Okay, so our little mini-group made this cake. A Jack-O-Lantern Cake. Yep, it was as cool as it sounds. And easy, too. (Tasty is important, but easy is always a bigger selling point for me when it involves cooking or baking, but that's not important right now.)
The cake itself is made in a round oven-proof (Pyrex is my particular brand of choice) bowl.
Our particular group had the added bonus of including Michelle, the food editor for Gourmet Mom on-the-Go who, like a baking-prepared Mary Poppins, carried cake sprinkles and googly eyes in her purse. She pulled them out when it was time for us to decorate our pumpkin cake, much to the delight of myself and our other blog-partner-in-frosting, Julie, of Joy's Hope.
We got to play. In the Betty Crocker Kitchens. For me it was like one of those make-a-wish-type moments.
So we mixed food coloring and added fruit-by-the-foot leaves and an ice cream cone stem/hat. And, of course, the googly eyes. Googly eyes started to show up on everything.
And even if I do say so myself, ours was the best pumpkin. I liked the googly eyes and all, they absolutely gave it personality, but I confess, I liked the finished product better as just a pumpkin cake. (I know. Shut up.)
Here's the recipe:
Jack-O-Lantern Cake
2 boxes Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food or white cake mix
Water
vegetable oil and eggs or egg whites called for on cake mix box
Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® chewy fruit snack rolls (any flavor)
1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 2-quart round casserole or 2 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Make 1 box cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs or egg whites. Pour batter into casserole.
2. Bake devil's food cake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, white cake about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from casserole; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. (Got that? You're making two cakes, each in the casserole dish.)
3. Make and bake remaining cake mix using same casserole or bowl.
4. With sharp knife, carefully slice piece from top of each cake to make flat surface where cakes will be placed together to form pumpkin shape. (Cake scraps can be saved and added to another recipe such as pudding or trifle if desired.)
5. In medium bowl, place frosting; tint with 9 drops yellow and 6 drops red food color to make orange frosting. On plate, place 1 cake, rounded side down. Spread 2/3 cup of the orange frosting over cake almost to edge. Place second cake, rounded side up, on frosted cake to make round shape. Frost entire cake with remaining orange frosting.
6. Trim ice-cream cone to desired height for stem; place upside down on cake. Cut out eyes, nose, mouth, vines and leaves from fruit snack rolls. Place on frosted cake to form face. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Or you can just watch us do this.... Enjoy.
We're having some fun now, right?
Which brings me to today's giveaway. (What? Another giveaway? That's madness, Marta!)
General Mills has a very cool company store and I shopped around for the items that I wanted to giveaway. (Thanks to GM for generously agreeing to make them available to MBFCF.) And because I'm a complete uber-nerd, this totally caught my eye:
It's a Yahtzee game! A General Mills Yahtzee Game, people!
(Okay, so I bought one for my daughter, Amy Kikita who is a rabid Yahtzee player and I asked General Mills if they could send me one to offer as a giveaway. (Being the generous folks they are, they agreed. I'm sure they scratched their heads a little on this one - "You want a WHAT??" - , but that's not important right now. =D)
So to enter the drawing for today's giveaway, let's talk games.
To be entered in the drawing for the General Mills Yahtzee Game (A Yahtzee game, people!) , just answer one or all of the following questions in the comment section of this post:
Does your family play games?
Do you have a family favorite?
I'll choose a winner on Wednesday, September 15th at 11:00 AM Pacific Time.
I'll be writing multiple posts (and sharing multiple recipes!) about the kitchens, the company culture and the fun we had, because there's just so much to share. (Plus, I'm waiting for a few Betty Crocker goodies to arrive so I can do a giveaway. Thanks, General Mills!)
[NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure: General Mills covered all the costs of my trip to Minnesota. Thanks again, General Mills!]
Today, I thought I'd whet your appetite (=D) by telling you about The Brownie Goody Bars. (Did you just hear the angels sing? Yes. Yes, you did.)
Of all the fabulousness that we mixed and stirred and cooked and baked, these beauties were my absolute favorites.
Here I am sticking my hand in the chocolate. I kept getting busted for tasting stuff out of turn, but that's not important right now. ;-)
Here's the recipe. Just trust me on the deliciousness of these Chocolaty Gifts from God Himself.
Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark non-stick pan). Grease bottom of a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening (for easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foin on bottom only of pan.)
Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.
Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; Refrigerate while making cereal mixture.
Measure cereal into medium bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.
Busted again!
(Video by blog-buddy and phenomenal photographer, Nika of Nika's Culinaria. Thanks, Nika, my friend.)
So, a few weeks ago I'm cruising through my Facebook page and I left a comment on one of my daughter's (Amy Kikita) posts. I think she was complaining that she needed a late afternoon cafecito. (I think that's what it was, because she's always saying that in the late afternoon, but that's not important right now.)
My friend, Claudia (who happens to be an amazing photographer) then left a gorgeous photo on Amy's Kikita's Facebook wall. It was of an old school (read Cuban style) espresso maker and two tacitas (demi-tasse cups).
It was love at first sight.
I wrote to Claudia: "I need that cafecito print for my kitchen." (Notice the subtlety in my request. =D)
She wrote back: "I'll send one right out to you. What size would you like?"
Whoa! I felt like I had just performed a Jedi Mind Trick! I so badly wanted and Had. To. Have. That. Print. And poof! She just agreed to send it. You may call me Obi Wan KeDarby. ;-)
And then I had an idea. I asked her if I could maybe offer that print to my readers as a giveaway.
Claudia: "What a great idea." (Marta Skywalker here!)
How gorgeous is this?
It's 11 x 14 and it's as delicious in person as it looks in the photo.
So, let's do this!
For a chance to win this gorgeous Cafecito print, please leave a comment on this post and tell me:
How do you do coffee? First thing in the morning? Five times a day? Espresso? Grind your own beans? Dunkin' Donuts? Starbucks? Let's talk coffee.
I'll choose a winner via Random.org. on Monday, August 9th at 11 am. The winner may select a regular 11 x 14 print (like mine) that they can frame OR an 11 x 14 printed on single weight matboard. (A $30-$40 retail value. How cool are my Jedi Mind Powers? Seriously.)
But wait! Let me introduce you to my gorgeous and talented friend, Claudia Risi. (The amazing photographer whose mind I control. =D)
She has other gorgeous prints and greeting cards for sale here.
Anyone who places an order and mentions My Big, Fat, Cuban Family gets 20% off through August. Coupon code is E8FD4B6E (must be entered to get discount).
[EXTRA DISCOUNT CODE - JUST ADDED]: There is a separate code for the 20% discount for greeting and note cards. Use E942AF61
Am I just killing you here with my amazing Jedi Powers or what?
Let me tell you where else on the web you can find Claudia and her awesomeness (because I'm cool that way):
For a behind the scenes look at how Claudia works her magic, please visit her blog: Lehigh Valley Shutterbug.
As far back as I can remember I have kept a journal or a diary of some sort. In the years before blogging, I would faithfully recap the mundane events of my uneventful life, my hopes, my fears, and maybe a little wishful thinking.
Because my personal journals were never intended for public consumption, I felt free to write whatever I felt without censoring myself. Even though, in my case, there's really not much to censor. (I have never been comfortable with the use of profanity, even in the confines of my personal pages, but that's not important right now.)
But now, I blog. And I write about my extraordinarily ordinary life for all the world to see.
I'm so glad I started doing this. And I make no apologies for the stories I tell and the way I share things. I'm just happy that other people can relate to me and like reading my stuff.
I do have a confession to make, though. I don't tell you everything. I know. Shocking, isn't it?
Let me explain.
I feel like I've got a lot to share. I want to document my life and my stories, but I don't like to whine, or complain, or rant, because, well....I don't like to whine, or complain, or rant in my real life.
Of course, there's a time and place for rants and complaints. I just don't happen to believe it's on this most public of forums. That's what best friends are for. And although I genuinely love my blog, I can conclusively say it's not my BFF. ;-)
So, I've come up with a solution that has served me well these past years. Not just in writing blog posts, but in my real life.
I keep two journals.
First thing in the morning, as I have my first cafécito I pull out a spiral bound notebook and I write.
Unedited, free-form, with no punctuation or rules of grammar. I date it at the top and just write. This is where my rants and whining find a place of expression. I write three pages in longhand and don't stop writing until those three pages are done. I write without censorship or judgment. Like Nike encourages, I just do it.
The concept of these "morning pages" are from the book, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. And it helps to get the mental clutter out first thing in the morning so I can get on with the rest of my day.
In the second, nicer edition of my journal duo, I write at the end of my day, and list all of the things that I'm grateful for. (There are definitely days I can only muster up gratitude for my coffee-maker and my pillow, but that's not important right now, either.)
The idea of the Gratitude Journal is from a book I read years ago called Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnac. (She gets a little too spacey and new-agey for my personal tastes, but the concept of the Gratitude Journal is genius.)
Writing my journals in this kind of tandem have helped, not just my writing, but my attitude. I tend to look for things to be grateful for as I go through my days. Writing the three morning pages helps me to de-clutter, not just my brain, but my emotions.
What I've found as I have maintained this writing discipline in my life is that I don't complain as much or as often. I've found I'm much more grateful for the simplest things. I've found that I tend to look for good and positives.
But most of all, I've found that the more I express gratitude, the more I seem to have to be grateful for. Hmm....I wonder which came first?
So, tell me, do you journal?
Happy talk, keep talking happy talk
Talk about things you like to do
You got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true? ~ from the musical, South Pacific
My daughter, Amy Kikita, spends a lot of time online.
Today is her birthday (27) and I wanted to do something special to celebrate. "No time," she said. "I have a ton of work to catch up on."
Fair enough. I guess it's good that she has a work ethic at all....
But I also know that in between uploading and downloading and keywords and doing the online internet marketing stuff she does, she also checks her Facebook Page.
*insert lightbulb over head here*
I got excited when her other Facebook friends agreed to play along.
So, this is an example of what she found when she logged on this morning.
I think we made history today. This is the Very First Virtual Birthday Party I've ever thrown.
Thanks everyone for participating (I will keep loading photos through the day if you want to send them to me or post on Facebook).
So, Happy Birthday, Amy Kikita! Enjoy your party!
For the record, I'd like to mention that the clean-up after this party is a snap! =D
I often wonder how my Cuban grandmother spent her days. I wonder what she cared about and how she decided what to have for dinner.
I have stories, of course, from my mom, about how she would make desserts every night. Homemade desserts EVERY NIGHT, people! Doesn't that just sound glorious?
I know some things just by word of mouth. She had an old coffee can that was the perfect size for a flan. She kept chickens. The lights in their tiny port town would be turned off at 9 o'clock, but she would continue to read late into the night by candlelight.
Perez-Puelles family. Circa 1930. My mom, Luz, is the 15 year old in the 2nd row on the right, with the Wilma Flinstone pearls.
How I wish I knew more about their lifestyle. I am absolutely fascinated by the minutia of those lives that came before mine.
I know this intrigues my kids, too. I tell them about rotary phones and curb feelers and they have a hard time believing I was actually alive and survived those barbaric times. ;-)
This is one of the reasons why I blog. I know my kids are fascinated by how I grew up and so I write "now and then" type stories. But more than that, I know that my own ordinary days will be important for them to remember. So I write about the real things we do and the places we go and the people we do them with.
Last week I decided to take up the challenge by Ali Edwards to document A Week in the Life. The idea was to take photos of all the activities we did, what we ate, where we went, what we bought, etc. And then make notes about each day. And finally to compile all this information into a photo album.
Can I just tell you that I really enjoyed and got into it.
So this week I am sorting through the hundreds (!) of photos I took last week. The observations I made about the week were nothing eye-opening, but I'm glad I stopped and paid attention.
I love the familiar rhythms and routines that make up each day in particular.
For example, every Monday I change the sheets on our beds and put up fresh towels in the bathrooms. This particular ritual makes me profoundly happy. I have such a sense of accomplishment. If nothing else gets done for the rest of the week, on Mondays there are always fresh sheets on our beds and all is right in my little world. =D
So, I documented the process and made notes about each thing I did and the places I went and the people I love.
I took photos of my bed looking all fresh and inviting with the clean sheets that, of course, you can't see, but I know are there and which make me so happy.
And I found that we drink a lot of coffee.
And I did a lot of driving. (Don't worry! Jon took the photo.)
And I admit that we occasionally eat fast food. (Well, if you can even think that the perfection that is an In N Out Burger could possibly be in the same category as other fast food places....)
Some days I pumped gas (which, by the way, I totally hate, but that's not important right now).
And witnessed drama. =D
Here are Lucy and Jonathan in the high school drama classroom playing a
spirited Improv game
of "Playground Dis."
I tended to my garden.
And I worked out. (Actually, I try to get out of this as often as my conscience will allow, but that's not important right now, either.)
I made phone calls.
And of course, I blogged. (Here's a screenshot from last week.)
Laundry was a constant.
As were dirty dishes.
And we also had a house guest. =D
I documented grocery shopping.
And took photos of my people in their natural habitats. ;-)
Those are just a few of the random snippets of my days.
I'm working on the album this week and I've decided to put it together digitally and upload it to Shutterfly for printing.
In the album, I will include my meal plans for the week, grocery receipts, bits and pieces of conversations, and even a look at the weather (from my iPhone app).
Each day's photos will be spread over four pages. I've only just started, but this is what the general layouts will look like with photos and words.
I figured out that even though I do a lot, I can't do everything. (But I'm still doing a lot!)
So, besides cooking and laundry and educating my kids and doing life, what else is going on?
Well, Jonathan and Lucy are both in Drama Productions, so I can say with complete certainty that right now:
Drama is My Life. =D
The show Jon is in is called Give My Regards to Broadway and includes a cast of 24 in 18 numbers. And I'm in charge of costumes for them all. Do the math. That's like 400 costume changes.
Lucky for me, I'm just overseeing this madness, and not really having to sew much. I have a crack team of Costume Helpers Goddesses who are making adjustments and fitting these beautiful pieces to each kid.
Not to mention my Embellishers. (Hey, that works on multiple levels!)
My job is to oversea this craziness and make sure those young thespians look wonderful. (All I need is a tiara and a scepter.)
So, if you're wondering where I've been....
You can find me somewhere between the band uniforms...
and the fake beards....
Right in the center of it all with a big grin on my face. =D
My mom will be 96 tomorrow and we had a birthday party for her this past Sunday at her home.
There were the usual gifts of soaps and lotions and sweet-smelling stuff that she so loves. And she was delighted by the turnout and the sentiments expressed.
She received lots of cards filled with love (and cash!). Because she's going to be spending some time in Miami before going to Cuba, we figured she could use it for her upcoming trip.
But this trip is also a Family Reunion. She and her big brother, my Uncle Fernando (98!), who lives in Miami are going to be reuniting with their other three siblings for the first time in 50 years. Although a couple of them have visited from Cuba at different times, the five of them have not been together in the same spot for half a century.
My mom, Luz (we call her Luza) and her brothers and sisters will probably spend most of their time remembering their early childhood and the games they played as young children in Puerto Padre, Cuba. That's their hometown.
So for her birthday, I made a gift, not just for her, but for all five of them for their upcoming reunion.
I made tshirts for each one with the name of their hometown of Puerto Padre. (I also made matching tags out of cardstock, but that's not important right now.) How cool is that? (Thank you. *takes bow*)
I was hesitant at first when I came up with the idea. Tshirts for 90 year olds? I know. It doesn't sound very smart. But I figured these would be a perfect, one-of-a-kind gift for my aunts and uncles, and of course, for my mom.
If I had any doubts, they were quickly wiped away when I saw her reaction and her misty eyes.
She was so excited and proud. She fiercely loves her siblings and their early shared memories are still bright and present in her mind and imagination. She can't wait for all of them to dress alike and be a "clan" once again.
So the Perez-Puelles siblings will be wearing their One-of-a-Kind gifts to their Once-in-a-Lifetime Reunion in Havana next week.
Once a week, I get to escape my real life and go play. (I know. My life pretty much revolves around playing already, but that's not important right now.)
My days are usually busy with homeschool projects, trying out new recipes (and feeding my family in the process, of course), caring for my mom, and general I'm-homeschooling-two-teenagers business.
But one day (technically, one morning) a week, I get to go play. With adults. (Somebody pinch me!)
We meet at Tamera's. Her home and gardens practically sing out her love of all-things-artistic.
Of course, she's a lovely and gracious hostess. And everything she does magically turns to art. Even setting up supplies...
Our other friend, Gwen is teaching us mixed media techniques and we're working on art journals - at least that was our original plan.
So with paint covered hands, we give each other ideas, or ooh and ah over someone's use of color.
And we talk. About kids and husbands. About dreams. About regrets. About things we love and things we hate. And even when we disagree, we find common ground.
The really delicious beauty of this time together is that not only are we sharing paint and stamps and ideas, we're sharing life.
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