New Beginnings

 It's not yet January 1st and already I am making New Year's Resolutions.  I guess there is no good time like the present to make changes.

After several months of basically doing nothing but work, I am ready for a change.  I don't know why I fell into such a slump.  We are working on a very mentally draining project at the university.  I could blame it on that.

Or it could be that the less I did, the less I wanted to do.  You know when you are in a creative groove, the more you create, the more creative you become.  It's like that, only the opposite.

Unfortunately, my creativity is not the only thing that I let go.  I fell off the health bandwagon too.  I feel so tired when I come home from work, I have not been cooking very much and I have been eating very little whole foods (thanks to the catered lunches at work), and I just about stopped exercising too.

So, after weeks of feeling exhausted, guilty, and blahhh, and ten lovely pounds later, I am starting over...again.

Feeling recharged, I went for a run this morning, made myself a healthy breakfast and resolved to finish my knitting project as well as other projects on my list.

Later today, I will go to the grocery store and buy lots of fruits and veggies and I will say stay clear  of the lunches at work.

I will try to keep up with my blog.

I've missed me!

More on the boutique sale

Friends, I was in such a rush to get my post done before work this morning that I forgot to mention that we will be joined by my sister Cari who is going to sell her beautiful jewelry collection and my friend Jennifer who will be selling her cute little crayon rolls.

Hope to see you there this weekend!

Hi there

Hi all.  I'm sorry I have been away for a while.  I have several posts that I had planned to do this month and I cannot believe that this Saturday we will be in October already!!  I didn't even mention that September is National Sewing Month.  So I thought I would stop by and drop a line so that you won't forget about me.  That and also I am tired of seeing the same picture every time I come by.  Aren't you?  Well I have been sewing up a frenzy, which is part of the reason for my absence from my little blog.  My mom and I are getting ready for a boutique sale at our church (St. Bruno's) which is on October 8 & 9.  We have been sewing aprons, baby quilts, dresses, hair accessories, etc.  So if you are in the neighborhood, please come by and check us out.

I also have been wrapped up in a whirlwind of fund raising activities for Mateo's band trip to New York.

So anyway, please don't give up on me.  I will be back soon!

Hugs and kisses!

I've run away to join the circus

My circus life fantasy

Big Dreams ,Tiny Houses

I have many wacky hopes, dreams, I guess.

One of them is that one day, I would live on a farm. I think I've mentioned this before. And if living on a farm is not possible, at least I would like to raise chickens and have a vegetable patch in my backyard. Mr. Casillas is not too keen on the idea nor is he a farmer. He is more of a city dweller. But I guess I can keep dreaming.

One of my other dreams, well I can't really call it a dream, it's more like a curiosity, which especially strikes me when I have been cleaning my house for 6 hours straight and yet there is no end in sight, is to live in an Airstream trailer or a tiny little house. I like to day dream what it would be like to have only 1 toilet to scrub, to have only about 300 square feet of floor to clean, less furniture to dust...then I think about all of our stuff and realize that we would need to attach a big warehouse to our tiny house just to hold all of our junk! I think I am more in love with the idea of living in a caboose after reading and seeing Water for Elephants. I guess I would also need to join the circus. Sometimes I feel like I'm already in a circus.

But if I win the Lottery some day, I will buy an Airstream and decorate it and roam the earth. Ahhh.

Check out this caboose which was converted into a house. How cute is that? Would you be able to live in this?


Check out the rest of the story and this cool blog on tiny homes here.

Good Morning, Day!

The other morning as we were getting ready for the day, Mateo pointed out the most beautiful sunrise peering out from our backyard. It was orange and purple and was just beautiful.

In a previous post, I wrote about being grateful for mornings because no matter how bad the day before was, the next morning always makes it seem better and is an opportunity to start afresh.

Each new day brings a new opportunity to make things good; to make peace with the world, and those you love; to work hard and be thankful that you can; to pray.

Each new day may also bring new sorrows that weren't there the day before.

And so it is with wonder and awe that I greet each day and what that day may bring.

But glorious sunrises like these can only mean good things.

I hope your sunrises are beautiful too!

Love,
SC
xoxo

Another Catch Up Entry

Hi there. I know I said that I would not do this again but here we are. November is just about over and I think I only did one entry the entire month! Not that there have not been any exciting happenings to blog about. I guess I just needed a little break. So let's catch up.

Weekday visit by Nico and Ethan

Nico (our godson) and his brother, Ethan, visited us the other night because their mommy, Julissa, had to attend parent-teacher conferences. We were so glad to have them over since, lately, it has been really hard for us to get together. Nico and I baked chocolate chip cookies (from a package). He was really excited to wear one of Mateo's aprons and help out. However, he and Ethan waited until the cookies were done to inform us that they didn't like chocolate chip cookies. Say what? I thought every kid liked them. Not these kids. Well, more for us. They snacked on Goldfish instead.

Scouting for Food


Mateo's Boy Scout troop participated in the annual Scouting For Food. All of the food that is collected by our district scouts was delivered to a site and our troop was in charge of sorting it and boxing it up before it got delivered to a charity. Way to go Boy Scouts!

Nutella Crescent Rolls




Yummy! I saw this recipe on a blog the other day and had to try it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the blog that I saw it in to give proper credit, sorry! Anyway, these treats are so easy and yummy, you have to try them:
Unroll dough
Spread with Nutella, crushed hazelnuts (I used pecans) & raw sugar
Roll back into crescent shapes
Place on cookie sheet & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes
Enjoy!
*Note: the first batch (pictured) came out a little pale so I brushed a little evaporated milk to the tops of the second batch before baking and those came out golden & much prettier.

Thanksgiving Day! Yay!

There's H, hamming it up (he's serving the ham)

For Thanksgiving, we went to Lorena's and Ricky's house. We had a wonderful time and the food was delicious. We are so blessed to have so many great cooks in our family! I am still getting my feet wet with the cooking but I am really enjoying it.

Piro, Mia and Mateo

I cooked (warmed) a ham and made Ina's pumpkin cupcakes with maple-cream cheese frosting! Delicioso!

The ham was a ready-made ham that just needed to be warmed up. Usually, I will add a twist to the glaze but this year, I just made it straight out of the packet. So no need to carry on with the details.

The cupcakes, on the other hand, were so moist and delicious and the frosting was just the right amount of mapley cream cheesy goodness. My sister-in-law, Iliana, shared this recipe with me that she got from House Beautiful Magazine. It is an Ina Garten recipe, so you know it's going to be good:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Maple Frosting (recipe follows)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped Heath bar bits.

Maple Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 Tbsp. Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Note 1: I did not use the Heath bar topping because I didn't have any but found them to be just the right amount of sweet.
Note2: Since I was short on time, I did not look for the maple flavoring mentioned but I used whatever I could find at my grocery store which happened to be imitation maple flavoring. Although the frosting was yummy, I'm sure it would have been better with the one mentioned. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Black Friday Football


The Friday after Thanksgiving is usually reserved for shopping and football. This year, we drove out to Murrieta to visit our friend, George. George also happens to be my sister-in-law, Jeanette's brother. George is an avid deep sea fisherman, and that is how he and Horacio became friends. Anyway George is a USC alumnus and a huge fan. If you don't get this within the first 30 seconds of walking into his house, you need to have your eyes examined. So all they (the boys) did on Friday was watch a marathon of football games. Fortunately, we (the girls) snuck out to do a little shopping.


I made Argentinian empanadas to take to George's. These are little hand-held meat-filled pies. They are not as laborious as I anticipated but I am still not as skilled at making pie crusts or dough. Try as I might, I just can't get it right. So these empanadas turned out a bit dry. The filling was tasty but the crust or dough was too dry. Mateo quickly reminded me of my chicken potpie with a similar fate. These, I have to say, are not worth the effort. It is much better to buy them. I won't even bore you with the recipe. If you are daring enough or have the desire to one up me, you can find plenty of recipes online.

My mom made sopes (a small fried bowl made of corn dough) for us at George's.
Of course, she had to wear a USC apron.

Happy Birthday, Cari!

My sister, Cari, is a turkey baby. I mean, her birthday always falls around Thanksgiving. This year it landed right on that day. I made her a slouchy beanie from a pattern I got at Raverly. She looks cute in it! Instead of the cotton worsted weight yarn, I used a skein of Vanna's Glamour in platinum and a skein of Vanna's Choice in linen together. It gave it a more hefty feel which is better for the season and it made a bit slouchier.





Well folks, that is it for now. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I start a new job on Wednesday. Hooray! I will be working in the HR department at, none other than, USC. Go Trojans!

xoxo
sc

I thank you, Lord!

I made this wreath for our front door. Inspiration was found here.

Isn't it great that this month we have a day on the calendar dedicated to thankfulness?

Yes, I have so much to be thankful for. So rather than bore you, I will only list my top 21.

Yes 21.

I am thankful:

1. for our loving and merciful God.
2. that at this very moment, my sister-in-law, Ederlen, is undergoing surgery (masectomy, reconstruction, and partial removal of liver). This surgery is major and although I wish she would never had needed it, I believe that this will be a defining moment in her journey to becoming cancer-free.
3. for my husband and child. They make me crazy sometimes but I am happy to be crazy for them! Horacio, my love, my rock. Mateo, God's gift. I will never know a greater love than the love I feel for them.
   
4. I am NOT thankful that I got laid-off from my job in January, but I am thankful that in being at home I was able to be here for my parents and brother when they needed me most.
5. for drug treatment centers and the people who work in them. With their help and God's divine intervention, my little brother has a second chance.
6. for my sister, Cari. Although she is the baby, she is such an inspiration to me in so many ways.
7. for my brother, David and his wife Jeanette for their hospitality and willingness to share the burdens of life.
8. for my nieces and nephews. They fill that little empty space in my heart and they quench my longing for more children. I am thankful for their naughtiness because then they make me feel better that I only have one!
9. for my parents and the balance and stability they provide in my life. Especially my mom, my friend, my confidant.
   
10. for my mother-in-law, "Mami Nacha." She is the essence of dignity, humility, and elegance.
11. for my cousins. God's merciful way of providing extended family so that we never have to feel alone.
12. for my aunts, Felipa and Concha for always making me feel like a daughter.
13. for the joy that knitting, crocheting, sewing and crafting bring to my life.
14. for my friends for accepting me and laughing at my silliness.
    
15. for prayer.
16. for God's Word.
17. for nature. There is nothing that makes me feel closer to God than when I am admiring nature and its beauty.
18. for mornings. I love mornings. No matter how bad yesterday was, each morning brings renewal.
19. for forgiveness.
    
20. for unconditional love. There is nothing we can do to merit love. If it not be for unconditional love, we would not know true love.
21. for my faith. Without out, I would not be able to sit here now and be thankful for all of the difficult valleys that I have gone through.

Perfect Day

It is raining here today. Very strange since on Monday we had record breaking heat at about 113 degrees in Downtown LA. The heat continued all week, but this morning it was gloomy and overcast, then thunder and lightning came, and then big fat drops of rain. A perfect day for curling up with Mr. Hook and a basket of skeins.




A not so perfect day for having just cleaned your windows! Harrumph!



Although now, as a write, the sun is peeking through the clouds and there is a beautiful glow coming through the french doors of the studio. But I can still hear thunder in the distance. Horacio says that it is pouring where he is just about 45 minutes away. What is going on? No, don't say it. I know what you're thinking. You are thinking what most Southern Californians think when we have hot and rain together. I had that thought too but I dare not utter the words. I'll just say this, it has to do with sudden movements of the earth. Yikes!

I just hope that the weather makes up its mind and stops raining so that we can go to tonight's football game. It is Middle School Night tonight and Mateo and some of his band buddies will be performing with the high school marching band. Can't wait!

Knittingly yours,
SC
xoxo