Sunday, April 13, 2014

Patience

Patience is not a virtue of mine. Baking is... but is baking a virtue? I dont know, I'll have to google it later but I am sure it is though :)

Well, today being Sunday, I decided it would be a great oportunity for me to try out my new... uhm... what us elegant folk call "vintage" baking dish I got at the garage sale yesterday, haha!

I followed the recipe perfectly and even took the time to grease and flour my baking pan. Doesn't it look just divine? :)

Like I said, once all ready for baking, I set it in the oven and waited the whole 80 mins required by the recipe. And I waited... and waited... and waited....

and waited...

and waited...


Doesnt it look amazing?! This is what happens to those who patiently wait like me! We are rewarded with the most beautiful things ever!!!

All I have to do now is wait  until it cools and then flip it over. That would be like... 30 mins? something like that right?


Bah... i dont have time for that nonesense...
So I flipped my cake over...
Yeah...

The lid fell off... and my body entered a state of shock...
I should have waited... maybe its still salvageable though...
I can wait for the cooling time... and carefully put the lid back on... and well... no one will notice. Right?
Except that would require patience...
And well... who has time?
So I stubbornly flip my super steaming hot cake and...


Well, I got mush.... Mother of Pearl!!!!!!!! Stupid cake!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaarg!!!!
What else can go wrong?
Nottin right?

Except that I am dying to have a taste... After all this was supposed to be my master artwork... and the kids are all expecting it to be ready in the morning... they will be disapointedd...  a little...

So what the heck...

I scoop up a little chunk of steaming hot cake... and pop it in my super ultra sensitive mouth... and well...

Now I sound like Elmer Fudd. Crap! I never do learn!

Well... what else did I do today? I made a healthy smoothie for the kids today... and no one complained :)

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Material things

The weirdest thing just happened to me... I was about to sit down and write my post today but my phone just rang and it was my dad. I dont really remember when the last time it was that I spoke to him was but... I dont know, our conversations never really do last longer than a few seconds anyways. And of course, today was no different than the usual, except he did sound different. My dad just sounded really down.

I must admit, I am a bad daughter, I dont usually care about how he is doing and when he does call, all I am thinking are the ways I can get off the phone as quickly and painlessly as possible. But today, something was off... and well, our conversation went something like this...

Me: Hello
Dad: Hey mi tutito (my nickname), how are you doing? (Already I knew something was off... I dont know how to explain it, I just knew)
Me: Im doing good just sitting here enjoying my chair, Im tired.
Dad: Thats nice, I'll let you rest now.
Me: Dad, how are you doing?
Dad: Not too well. Well it was nice talking. Take care (and he hangs up the phone)

Yeah, that was it. Our conversation lasted a few seconds long and that was it. I am worried but there is nothing much I can do about it. I cant call him back, I dont know where to reach him. Yeah... funny father/daughter relationship we got going here...

Anyways... Ive had a nice day. The youth in our church had a garage sale today. We were there really early in the morning. Some even started at 6:30am to help set things out for the crowd that would be arriving at 8am.

I got tons of things, honestly, it was the coolest garage sale i have ever been too. I scored these puppies for 0.25$ (the lot)!!! Can you imagine that?! I mean... Im sooo excited!!! I got tons of things!!!! :)


We also had the visit of one of Belbo's friends. We had her from 8am until 7pm. She turned out to be real sweet and it was a really nice visit, I think the girls are talking about having a sleepover soon too. Im glad they had fun :)

I am tired now. It has been a real busy day. I got to make a new friend and she came over after the garage sale and hung out for a couple of hours and then i got a call from another friend and it was nice... we talked long. I havent been so social in years!

Well... Im glad I am home alone, with the kids... Soon they go to bed and I take my long bath and enjoy time alone with my thoughts of people and things I love.

Ha... maybe ill make some time and go wanelo-ing for a little bit :)

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Man eater

My poor little oli macaroni, got off the school bus this rainy wednesday afternoon and ran all the way home as fast as her two little shanks could carry her because today, she got to spend a couple of hours being big sister to a litttle baby girl :)
I love babysitting but I must admit, that i am relieved when the kids arrive home after school. they do help me so much and are incredibly sweet with little al.

And little al? Well, he loves the kids too. But... i wasnt expecting this...

when I walked into the living room... i found little al... attacking my baby oli!!! you can clearly see, she was attempting to eat half of oli's face off...

yeah..

I think I need to be careful from now on... You know... in case little al gets a little hungry around my kids...

you never know :)

Anyways, things are back to normal, baby is gone and the kids are doing their homework... and I am about to make my way to the always dirty kitchen. sigh... is this all their is in life? cleaning and cleaning?

Bah... I say it is enough. One day, when the kids are older and moved away, i will be missing my hectic tired days and yes.. my messy house.

It is in this messy house that our memories are made :)

haha... now the test is... can i gently remind the ocd and anal part of my brain that some messiness is ok?

suck... I better be quiet, get off my bum and go clean up some now.

sigh.

i dont mind the clutter so much you know. Its the... Nasty dirty kitchen that gets to me... Arg. Everything else is ok. Well... The kitchen and the bathrooms... Those are the grossest in my opinion.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Surprise!

I am so happy tonight, I literally got the coolest surprise ever!!!

For the past few weeks, Ive been mommy to two little kids on mondays. This past monday was my last monday doing so. And tonight, their sweet mommy came over and gave me this helium balloon along with a box of chocolate.

Such a cute and sweet detail. It has literally made my day :)

I am a lucky girl, I am surrounded by friends that care about me. I think... i need to do this too for someone.

Tomorrow, I will go get a balloon and a box of chocolates and drop it off somewhere just to show i care about them.

Now... All i need to finish this evening in style is a nice warm bubble bath :) I think I'll be doing that now. Right after I put the monkeys to bed.

Ooooo and before I forget... I got a new calling today... That makes three now. I kindly suggested I get released from the other two lol. Im so excited about sunday!!!! Today has been a good day :)

Monday, March 17, 2014

Attention seeker

A certain young man has captivated my attention today. He knows exactly how to keep me busy. It seems I spend my day runnign around him more than ever, especially now that he has learned to walk.

I marvel at the fact that in the space of a few hours my home is turned upside down by a young man who can barely keep himself straight when walking and resembles more a drunken man leaving a party in the wee hours of the morning.

His sister did fairly well too. Thank goodness it was nice outside and thank goodness my kids had a day off from school today too, they kept busy and played well together :)

Bah, I cant complain really. They are good kids and I enjoy having them over... even though I do spend my last hour looking at the clock, wishing for their father to hurry his work day and come pick up his little treasures.

Well, my house is once again clean and it is almost bed time for me. I am tired. I hope I sleep well tonight. I am looking forward to dreaming tonight :) hugs!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

A History Lesson

I realize that this coming 2014 winter will be my 16th wedding anniversary. I dont think that Ive even noticed the clock ticking all these past years, Ive been too busy being a mother to notice I guess.

Sometimes, I do feel a little nostalgic for having married so young in life. I spent all of my twenties changing diapers and burping babies. I guess that for a moment there, time did seem to stop for me, I remember pacing the floor back and forward for hours at a time with a colicky baby while hoping that his screams would not wake anyone else in the house that also searched for sleep like I did. Sleep... the most precious gift one can offer a new mother.

I remember watching the slow moving hands on our old clock and wishing they would discover the game of cat and mouse and decide to play together just so that morning would come and once again return a happy baby to my arms. But such wishes didn't come true for me, I walked alone and sat alone with my baby... I even shed a few tears to keep my baby's tear company during those lonely nights.

Yes, I did spend all my twenties nursing and caring for all of my kids and honestly, if given the oportunity to choose my future when I was a young girl, I would have walked down the same path. I would have chosen all the happy moments, along with all the bad and sad moments. Because of it all, I am who I am today. And because of it all, today I am blessed with 5 wonderful and sweet kids that are growing up too fast.

I still look at the hands of time... but this time, I pray to them to let me enjoy my babies as little kids just one more moment... But they have caught on... and no longer linger at every single step taken. They run now... they run and run... taking along with them my kids and their precious youth from me... But it is not only their youth that time is stealing. You see, time has already had tons of practice for it has stealthily taken mine while I was too busy tending my children all this time... I look in the mirror now and I realize that I am thirty six now and I no longer have that smooth elastic skin I once thought would forever house my body.

No... all I have left are scars that have aggressively taken over my tummy while forcing it to stretch and contort into new shapes while allowing for me to have the hability to be part of Heavenly Father's creation. I also have little visible lines that have settled on my forhead... They belong to all those nights I lay awake worrying about my babies and other personal demonds that have also picked me as host for their amusement. They have toyed with my vulnerable heart all too often. It too is weighed by experiences long ago lived. Those moments, have left footprints on my heart and although we can learn to step over them, they are still there. I see them all around me at different moments in my life... appearing when I am feeling most weak and alone.

I realize that although I might not often speak of these things that I feel and think... I realize that my story is written all over my body, to be discovered by those who love me enough to notice, this is who I am. I am a mother... I am a mother who's life has been blessed in the deepest of ways through my children. I am Gina, the same little girl that my uncle made laugh when he dubbed me his Yina Piccolina. I am the same... grown up now but with a story to tell.

My tale... I will write. Little by little i will let you into my history... little by little I will tell you about every single worry wrinkle that slowly appears on my skin... I will tell you about every single laugh line that is sweetly keeping my smile company as it finds comfort there, it's now permanent home.

Ive learned a lesson tonight as ive written this personal entry... I can never listen to Eminem again while writing. His music messes with my head, makes me remember things, makes me feel things... makes me forget my initial purpose that made me sit down and want to write.

My initial intention was to come and share a photo with you. This is what I wanted to share...

Earlier today, my husband made a salad for dinner tonight. So I wouldnt have to worry about that too. I had little baby Alice to watch today and the kids to feed while attempting my little magic act of being in many places at the same time. Tonight was Young Women and I needed to take both girls while trying to figure out how I was going to go pick them up when they were done with their activity while having my little boys and their bedtime at the same time... Things get overwhelming some times for me... It's barely Wednesday and Ive already been out every single day and evening away from home because of scouts and other things that clutter my calendar.

So to help me, he made a salad...

It was lunch time and I was hungry... So I asked if he could give me a little bit so I could eat while I played mommy to little Alice.

I guess I need to be careful with my wording next time.

When I asked for a little bit for lunch, I was actually hoping for something a little more than this...

This is what I got and this is what I stared at for a few minutes as the fact that I had just been served something less than a child's portion.

This did after come in the smallest of bowls in my home... bowls so small, we rarely eat off of them... along with that ridiculous small spoon... Maybe this is the new american craze... have your salad with a litle spoon and in a miniature bowl!

I guess I should be grateful, at least I got half a cucumber in there. Im grateful for it, but feel kinda bad because it is barely now that I notice it's presence... At lunch time, I must have just swallowed it whole, since i dont even remember it.

So yeah... ha. let me see... what positive can i take away from this interesting experience Ive had today?

Ahh yes. Never write on an empty stomach while listening to Eminem. For the result will end in a crazy a*s blog post.

Im not going to read through this... I know this entry makes no sense... but honestly, it is just me allowing myself to spit out words i dont often let be heard.

That will be all for now.

Thank you.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Dinner Time

I have spent most of my day cleaning today. I did have a doctor's appointment this morning but I was still able to get back home in time for the cleaning fest to continue.

Ahhh... that reminds me... I need to spot clean the carpet somewhere here in the living room... i'll have to add that to my little little checklist.

I'm also in the middle of preparing a home cooked meal that I am hoping will knock my kids' socks off this evening.

I call it... Well... I don't know what to call it yet.
I heated up a little bit of oil in my old trusty cast iron. I really don't know what I did before I got this puppy. I love it! It's perfect for cooking in my family.

I seriously have no idea what exactly I was planing for dinner but husband kindly left out a big roast beef out for me in the morning to thaw out.

So, I made sure the oil was really hot and I place a well seasoned piece of meat in it... Hoping to sear it perfectly on both sides. Once it was seared on both sides, I added some onions i had already prepared. ( I do think... I rushed this step... I should have seared it longer... sigh).

I cooked it a few minutes just so I can get the onions all tender. While I waited for this to happen, I was rushing to get my potatoes all cut up that Isabel had left for me on the dish rack drying from being washed and scrubbed. I also was able to season them. I think they look pretty. I hope they take on a delicious flavor as they cook.

I carefully added all the potatoes to the hot cast iron pot and made sure they were all tucked in around the roast beef.

Then for the final touch... I decided to add a cup of chicken broth... to help make sure the meat stayed all juicy and tasty and didnt over dry in that hot pot.

Finally, I just ended up covering it and i threw the whole lot in the oven I had already pre-heated at 325F (convection) and as I am writing this post... The aroma escaping from my kitchen is amazing.

I will be checking on it in a few but until then, all that is left for me to worry about is making a nice yummy salad for dinner and maybe... maybe... what else could i add... Idk, hopefully this is enough to feed my army tonight :)

We dont want them to go hungry now do we? :S That would be... bad...

Well, I hope this does taste good...

Hahaha! Isabel just walked into the pantry and exclaimed "Oh it's so clean in here!". Lolol I did clean and organize the pantry last night.... Hey... did you know it was a walk in pantry? Yup... I was shocked my self actually. Its been a while since we didnt have to fend for our lived every time the door to it was opened... I might have even lost a child in there at one point or another... Like the Bermuda Triangle... Jeez...

Verdict:
Turns out everyone loved dinner tonight. I got the "do again" from my kids. We ended up just making heating up some string beans and ate that for dinner. As for me, I liked it as well :) Now... what am I going to cook tomorrow? ...

Lucky Me

Yesterday was an important day in my life. I have finally taken a big step that allows me to receive acceptance of my own life with open arms. I never did expect for this moment to come the way it did but it has and I am going to embrace the slow coming change that is slowly approaching the place where i stand in life. I will cherish every single day, I will prepare myself to be a better woman. I want to be a better woman. I am a lucky girl for all that I have.