Three Kitchen Fairies

Time to start writing.

Most kids love to be read story books everyday. Others, like my five year old daughter, use a bedtime story just as an excuse to spend more time awake. I have waited long enough to finally see some interest on her part for her ABC's. Yes, I’m impatient . But I also know that when a child learns to read a whole new world reveals right in front their eyes.

All of the sudden my little girl is not only proudly reading her first words, but also she is starting to write them too…

 

What did the trick? I think is a combination of our perseverance in reading to her everyday (even when she pretended she wasn’t listening), her lovely, lovely kindergarten teacher, and Mafalda: a comic book from 1965 that we brought from Argentina years ago.

The moral: Never give up on your child. Each of them learn at their own and different pace. She is listening even when she is pretending she is not. Amazing!!! LOL

P.

PS: The funny thing: she is writing in both languages English and Spanish.

Back on my feet

The latest news on the USA economic disaster totally hit me. It is really hard to come face to face with the inevitable truth: people loosing jobs, prices rising, and the increase in the number of foreclosures. A realtor friend told us that there are families that just left the keys on the counter and walked away...it breaks my heart. Oh yes, I've been feeling too sad to write, and although I tried to sew my sorrows away, it ended up being a "sew and rip" exercise.

Yesterday, I decided to stop mourning the death of a glorious economy, the culture of consumism, and the "American dream." I'm back on my feet to face whatever life throws at me. I'm going to enjoy my life, my girls, my loving hubby. We (as a family) need to re-think life; and try to approach it with a more simplistic view: less materialism and the principles that define us. I have to come up with a list of values and plan upon that. Bad times are coming. We will have to hold on to our dreams, to our family, and to God.

It's is a great time to introspect.

P.

Another thing to show off.

Because the subjects where totally different, and I could not direct one theme into the other in a graceful way, I will be posting twice today. Writing for this blog is quite a challenge for me. Not only it forces me to practice my writing "skills," which I have not exercised since college; but also I have to do it in English (my first languages is Spanish,) which adds difficulties to the process. OK, what I wanted to show today are these little bags I'm been working on...

Although it is so hard for me to find the right pair of jeans, I do love to work with denim for these kind of creations. It makes these totes sturdier than regular cotton. I designed the birdies, they are made from scraps of fabric and glued to the denim with little pieces of heatnbond. I love the outcome, and of course they already have owners. Did you notice the "branches"? Those where made with the free motion setting, and lots of practices. The sewing and un-sewing technique.

That's what I wanted to show you...Another thing, I noticed my stats are going up which makes me really happy. These means I'm not talking to myself, well I am; but you know what the idea is. So, if you like my blog, would you leave me a comment? I need some feedback.

P.

Almost fall.

Unofficially fall has arrived at our house. On Wednesday, we had our first field trip to the apple orchard. It also was our youngest daughter's first preschool filed trip ever, imagine the excitement. She followed the teacher's instructions. And she rode the bus, which is a big deal when you are three years old and the only one who doesn't ride the bus regularly. I was so excited that I forgot my camera, duh...Anyway, we took our apples home and made apple pie.

 

This little contraption totally made her day, she loved it, and I loved it too...

 

She was so excited to mix the flour, finding lumps of butter here and there... Some of the mix got to the floor, and some on her face too.  If I could show you her face when we served the pie for dessert after dinner...

I'm not a big fan of recipe cards or books for this kind of casual baking. Our crust is very simple. This is something that my mother in law taught me, her easy way to tarts and pies. Three parts of flour by one of butter, salt, sugar and cinnamon to taste, and warm water as need it. Fill your crust with sliced apples, half cup of brown sugar, and one teaspoon of corn starch. Put it in the oven at 375F for half an hour, and then lower the temperature to 350F for another half an hour, and voila...

P.

Tonight...

 

After my "mom shift" I'm off to work...

Life is good.

P.

Beautiful weekend.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday are the only days that should exist in my calendar. The rest of the week we race. A rat's race from here to there, to there, and furthermore, no finish line.

Last Saturday we went to the Greenfield Village in Dearborn,MI.

The buildings that Henry Ford bought and installed there take you for a walk through history. We enjoyed it so much, but what I think we loved the most was having a great

  

family time. We learned about the slaves in the plantations...

 

...their eyes opened wide as they saw a demonstration about how yarn was made in the 1760's.

 

I wish I can stop the time and keep my family forever as it is now.  My girls...their giggles, their laughter, their naughtiness, and their love set the rhythm of my heart.

   

It is hard to think that they are their own selves, bittersweet taste. Some day we'll have to open the door and let them go.  And I hope that by that time, we've provided them with the necessary tools to live a happy life...

 

...and filled their hearts with beautiful memories.

Back to the race.

P.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

At the time of my mother’s visit, Jose and I took a chance to go out and enjoy ourselves like when we where “single. “

Paloma: How about a movie?

Jose: Chicks movie again?

Paloma: No, it’s called “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” it’s with Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Scarlet Johanssen.

Jose: (silent and looking not very convinced). You have a crush on Barden, you think he is handsome.

Paloma: You like Penelope Cruz, and besides she and Scarlet Johansson seemed to be having and affair.

Jose: OK (big smile on his face).

 

Oh my!! What a movie!. This is Woody Allen’s resurrection as a great cineaste, as an artist. For those who have not seen the movie: stop reading, watch the movie and come back to read my post. Those who already watched the movie feel free to keep reading, and to leave a comment telling me that I’m totally crazy or that I’m good at this.

First of all, the settings. Although I’ve never been to Barcelona, this movie takes you there in a wonderful tour of astonishing landmarks, and the most romantic settings. The music of Giulia and the Tellarines, still impossible to classify, totally set the mood of the laid back character of a summer vacation in Spain.

Let me state that Javier Bardem, besides being everything that a girl with a good pair of eyes would appreciate; is an amazing actor. He is totally able to camouflage himself into the character that he is in every movie.

As Juan Antonio, Javier Bardem personifies the perfect Latin lover: laid back, bohemian, romantic, and self centered artist. I think that he himself personalizes the demands of a happy, passionate and fulfilled (in every sense) life.

Vicky and Cristina are, on the other hand, two different elements that we find in practical life. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) uses her intelligence to get ahead. She has plans, and deadlines. She believes that she is even-tempered until she met Juan Antonio. Cristina (Scarlet Johanssen) is the kind of girl that is usually called immature and childish, and at the same time she is curious and adventurous. Cristina has a zest for life, a continuous self-soul search. This characteristic is usually gone in most of us by the time we have kids. From then on we become more Vickis than Cristinas.

I don’t know if Allen planned his film this way but the way I see “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is as a parody of life itself. Juan Antonio representing life itself demands freedom to express himself, to live. He represents new experiences, passion, and the unattainable perfect love. And Maria Elena challenges every bit of common sense in life with the most amazing display of tantrums thrown by a wild woman in love. I loved her dialogues half in English and half in Spanish. Oh!! I wish that speaking with that heavy accent would make us all Hispanic women beautiful and sexy like she is…

 

Obviously this film is lusciously sensual and sexy.

But if you try to get a moral from the story, I would say that “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is about the ability to turn things around. To try new things. To do what others call a “failure” like the marriage of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, and turn it into and act of courage, like Juan Antonio did when he decided to have the woman who tried to kill him under his own roof. To go to where you have not been before and to find happiness. It’s about being able to bear unbearable passions in your heart and to canalize them into something amazing like the art of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena. Moreover like the art of Gaudi transcending through ages.

It is about saying “thanks but no thanks”, and not to settle for any less than your dreams and your desires. About perhaps not knowing what you want, but knowing what you don’t want. Like Cristina, just keep looking, keep trying, don’t stop dreaming of what life demands from us to give us who we are in return.

P.

A little bit of everything.

I will start by saying that the last two weeks went by really fast. It was a good idea to spent it all with my family. My mother, and sister where here for the last week of summer vacation. And although it would've been a good idea to sleep in late every day (because my mom could take care of the girls,) I did woke up early, 7 o'clock "early" every day to spent as much time as possible with her. My poor mom was exhausted by the end of the week...We cook together as we usually do.This time we made humitas.

I was born in Peru , and we live there for nine years. My mom had the chance to learn lots of Peruvian dishes that now have a taste of childhood to me. We incorporated my daughters in the cooking process. To my mom's disbelieve, the girls were able to wrap these little Peruvian delicatessens...

 

These are called "humitas." Similar to tamales, humitas are wrapped in fresh corn husks. The humita itself is made of grind fresh corn, hot peppers, ground beef, and spices. The cooking procces took us a whole morning and half of the afternoon, but we had a great time. My kitchen fairies were so happy to help cooking at the same time that we talk about family traditions and heritage.

There was also some time for crafts. my little sister wanted a custom made board for her room. She stated: "you have to make it for me, as a present" yeah, the privilege of being the baby sister...

 

Here is the board. And last but not least, we enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day with a "picnic at Pinckney..." by the Silver Lake shore.

 

What I still don't get is why labor day is celebrated in September and no on May 1st like the rest of the world. If someone knows, please enlight me with a commentary on this subject.

Now the girls are happy to be back to school. And for the first time in 8 years, I'm enjoying myself home alone. I started some crafts that I'm planning on showing you next week. I'll be starting to write my next post today. It's going to be a good one so don't miss it.

I wish you a wonderful weekend.

P.