Dinner at the Edland's

Anna and David Edland by one of their Christmas trees

Kato, one of their three cats (also Red Beard's sister), sleeps soundly in the company of warm and cozy teddy bears

The Edlands have many family heirlooms.  Among one of them, is a beautiful dining room set, which Anna cross-stitched the seats of.  A project that took her almost 5 years!

Last night, we had dinner with our good friends and neighbors, the Edlands.  Anna and David Edland are the parents of Mateo's friend, Malachi.  They have a lovely, warm and cozy home up the street.  Anna made a wonderful chicken dish which is their version of Chicken Cordon Blue.  They served it with baked baby potatoes and steamed veggies.  The meal was delicious and the company and conversation was, as always, delightful.  I made a lemon pudding cake with candied lemons and lemon simple syrup with some beautiful Meyer lemons I got from my dear Aunt Felipa.  We feel so blessed to have the Edlands in our lives.  Anna has the rare and coveted blessing of working from home.  So on most days, she is able to take Mateo to and from school and is happy to include him on their weekly stops to one of our local eateries (Pollo Loco, The Habit, Panda Express, etc.) on the way home from school.  Mateo spends a lot of time at their home and he is treated like a son by David and Anna.  As a mother, there is nothing that touches your heart more than knowing that your child is truly loved and cared for by others.

When we were looking for a home in this neighborhood, we looked at and fell in love with several other homes before we found ours.  We had our hearts broken a few times on escrows that fell through or sellers that changed their minds.  Each time that happened, I felt our dream slip away farther and farther.  I felt discouraged.  Finally, we stumbled upon the house that we now call home and although it was in less than desirable conditions, it was in the right neighborhood.  So we embarked on a construction project that took almost 3 years but we made it home. Our home.  And even though our home is the embodiment of what our humble dreams call our dream home, it is made even more special by the fact that we have such wonderful and caring neighbors as Anna and David.  I guess the moral to the story is never lose hope and trust in God's plan for your life.  Sometimes, the things we cling on to are not meant for us and there is something better in store for us.

Happy New Year, Everybody!!!  May God bless you all and bring you happiness, health, love and friendship in 2013!
SC

How we did Christmas 2012

This year, Mr. Casillas and I had the honor of hosting my family's annual Christmas Eve gathering.  Each year, we more or less follow the same routine: Appetizers, wine and champagne; the Christmas play (performed by the children, directed by Lorena, narrated by Lori); Music by Ricky and Mateo; Christmas songs (everyone gets to sing their favorite Christmas song; and this year, Viviana treated us to a sweet Power Point presentation on what Christmas means to her; Dinner (tamales, ham, prime rib, and lots of side dishes); Presents (but before we open them, we have a prayer and everyone takes turns saying what they are grateful for); and we end with dessert and coffee.  Then we just hang out until the wee hours.

I feel so blessed to have my family together for this beautiful event but my heart goes out to those who have suffered loss during this season: to the families of the children of Newtown, Connecticut; to our dear friend Ammie who lost her father this Christmas Eve; to all of the families that are struggling; and to those who do not have anyone to spend Christmas with.  I pray that our Lord may find his way into their hearts and bring them peace and hope.

Merry Christmas, everybody from our home to yours.

Christmastime at Mom's

I wish the season of Christmas was longer and I had more time to visit loved ones and see all of their beautiful decorations.  It's fun to see how the person's unique style is accomplished in their Christmas decorating.  But Christmas decorating is more than just expressing your style.  It is about recalling cherished memories that this beautiful occasion seems to evoke.  With each ornament or figuring that is taken out of its box, dusted, and carefully displayed are stories, feelings and memories.  Maybe it's something you bought on your travels or something you received as gift from someone special.  Maybe it reminds you of a special time, a special event or even a special meal.  Maybe some of your decorations have been passed down and each time you look at them you are reminded of a loved one that is no longer here.  They may not be the prettiest of decorations but they are special all the same.  In our home we have an eclectic collection of decorations and because of the memories they carry, they will always be in our home.  I'll share some pictures of our Christmas decorations soon.  For now, enjoy some of the decorations from my mom's home.  I just love her sense of style and creativity.  Christmas is such a beautiful time.  It is a time to renew our faith and prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior and it is a time to honor traditions and cherish memories.

God bless all!

Our Turkey Experience

As promised, here is the report on our first turkey:

It looked great coming out of the oven but I think it was a little on the dry side.  We followed a recipe that I found on Whole Foods' website for Honey and Rosemary brined turkey.  We didn't baste it or inject it because everything I read said that you don't have to do that when you brine.  I don't know if that would have made a difference.  The taste was good.  I was hoping to be able to taste the rosemary and honey but it tasted like normal turkey.  We'll try again next year!

We had a wonderful dinner at Rebecca's and Ariel's home.  Rebecca also made a turkey that she brined.  Her turkey was nice and juicy!  I have to ask her if she injected or basted.

We also made stuffing.  We like to add chicken sausage, ground pork, ground beef, black and green olives, dried cranberries, dried apples, golden raisins and regular raisins.  I love stuffing!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blessings,
SP