10 Random Facts Tag

I was tagged by Vicki
Here are the rules:
1. Each blogger must post these rules.
2. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. You need to choose ten people to tag and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and also to read your blog.

10 Random Facts/Habits about ME:
1. I like Spam. (not junk mail. Meat in a can)
2. I haven't had a pedicure in two years.
3. I haven't had a haircut in a year.
4. I need to start taking care of myself!
5. I drink my coffee black.
6. I'm a huge Charlie Chaplin fan.
7. I've never read a Harry Potter book.
8. I've seen 92 of the American Film Institute's Top 100 films.
9. I hate moths. Hate hate hate.
10. I only shave my legs once a month during summer months (the hair on my legs is so fine and grows so slow! Lucky me!) And in the winter time, fuggedabout it.


Not going to tag anyone else...don't have 10 people! Instead, here's a link to even MORE random facts about me from a previous post....

Thanksgiving Menu Redux

Now that I've had time to digest, I thought I'd reflect on the first Thanksgiving Dinner we've ever hosted. Was it is a success? Definitely. Would we do it again...hmmm..ask me again in a couple of years.

We had lots of food..way to much food. We did enough in advance so that Thanksgiving day itself wasn't too hectic. Well, except for the 30 minutes before dinner when we were trying to get all the food heated up and on the table. THAT was madness.

We had a few additions to our original menu, here's how it all worked out:

Starters:

Salami Crisps with Basil and Sour Cream. The Salami was either chewy or burnt. Not very successful.

Bruschetta with Mozarella, Tomato, and Basil. Delicious...threw in extra garlic for extra yumminess.

Chestnut Soup. Made this a couple of days in advance. Will always be remembered in my mind as the big chestnut debacle of 2008. I'll spare the details but it took 5 stores and 2 hours in line to finally get the darn chestnuts. Soup was delicious although in the mad rush we almost forgot to serve it.

Turkey and Sides:

Citrus marinated turkey. One of the best turkeys we've had. So moist and flavorful, thanks to a 36 hour brine. The citrus marinade was so subtle so we could've done without it.

Candied Yams. Simple Simple Simple. Delicious, Delicious, Delicious. Just sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and butter. Lots of butter. "Paula-Dean-would-be-proud-of-me" butter.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and regular Classic mashed Potatoes. Can't go wrong with either.

Green Beans with onions, walnuts and bacon. (by Mom P.) This was one of Lauren's favorites of the night. She couldn't get enough!

Stuffing with Italian Sausage. (by Mom P.) I actually just had a spoonful of this and the little bit that I had was yummy. It must have been good, it was gone within minutes!

Creamed Corn Gratin with bacon and onion rings. Corn. Cream. Bacon. Fried Crispy Onions. Gooood.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Lasagna. Cinnamon and nutmeg in Lasagna? Say What?! But it worked! Thanks, Chris for making this and not taking the leftovers home with you.

Roasted Butternut squash and carrots. These were leftover veggies that I tossed in Olive Oil, Herbs de Provence and drizzled with a bit of balsamic before roasting in the oven. Perfect.

HRH's Cranberry-Orange Relish. Who knew a little orange zest could make all the difference? This is how we're going to make cranberry sauce from now on.

Desserts: Nothing really to say about the Desserts except they were all so good!

Thanksgiving Two-Fer Pie. Pecan and Pumpkin pie all in one.

Chocolate Satin Pie. Chocolate cream with an Oreo cookie crust.

Cranberry Apple Pie.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies.

Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Cheese frosting.

Fruit/Ambrosia Salad.




You think we had enough food?!

What's up Doc? 15 Months

Amidst the Thanksgiving craziness, Lauren had her 15 month appointment. For the first time she got to stand on the Big Girl Scale. Her stats:

Height: 30 Inches
Weight: 21 lbs.

She's right around the 25th Percentile...a big improvement from where she was 3 months ago (she was around the 12th percentile). Her docs were very happy about that.

Everything looks great she seems to be right on track. Knows her name? Check. Has at least 10 words? Yup. Recognizes friends vs. strangers? Oh yeah. Pointing and communicating. Definitely. Walking and Running? You betcha (albeit a little pigeon-toed). Straight Eyes? Check. Lots of teeth? Um...not quite. She's a little behind in the tooth department. She should have 9 by now..but has only 5.25 but Doc says not to worry. We were advised to give her a sippy cup and forgo the bottle of milk before bedtime in favor of plain water to avoid cavities on the few teeth that she does have.

She also had her MMR and Flu shots. Seeing her docs holding her down for the shots gave Peter flashbacks of the time we rushed her to the hospital when she was 5 days old and her docs spent the night giving her every test imaginable (including a spinal tap...poor baby).

Two shots and two minutes of screaming later, she was sniffling in her daddy's arms and giving both of her docs the stink eye. She looked at me and said, "Let's get outta here, mama!" Well, not really, but that's what she was thinking, I'm sure of it.

Unfortunately for her, we have to go back in a month for her Flu Booster shot.

Advent Conspiracy

Remember my post about having a Buy Nothing Christmas? Turns out my brother and his family have committed to a similar idea, their church is participating in a movement called The Advent Conspiracy. This video totally captures how I've been feeling about Christmas lately. I'm glad I'm not the only one in my family that has decided to do something like this.



You don't have to participate in The Advent Conspiracy...but I hope it's got you thinking about how you celebrate the season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cook. Watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Cook. Watch Dog Show. Cook. Spend time with family. Cook. Laugh. Eat. Play. Eat. Pray. Eat. Give Thanks. Eat. Wash Dishes. Eat more dessert. Play some more. Think About eating leftovers tomorrow.

That's about how our day went. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.

Mom update

Many of you have asked me via email for an update on my mom. Thanks for asking, that's really sweet.

She's doing great. She's still in pain and gets 'hapo' so easily (winded...or out of breath). She's been out of the house a few times. To see her doc, to Kohls and Mervyns, and once even to the Commissary. We have to wheel her around in her wheelchair when we go shopping. At the Commissary she learned how to run one of those chairs with the cart attached. She knocked over a candy display but otherwise she was a pro at it, zipping up and down the aisles and weaving in between the grumpy retirees (she didn't hit any of them, thankfully).

She's been to church twice and our pastor hugs her everytime he sees her, followed by mom saying "Thank you for the prayers" and then she cries. Mom gets so emotional. It's the Vicodin, she says.

She hates being on meds and wonders how people get addicted to Vicodin because it makes her feel like crap: dizzy, nauseated, floaty, sleepy, and not like herself. If it weren't for the pain in her back and armpit she'd like to pour the Vicodin down the drain.

She's able to watch Lauren with the help of my sister. She just can't pick her up and I occasionally catch them snoozing together on her bed. Very sweet.

She's on her way to recovery and gets annoyed by the whole breathing thing. She used to take walks everyday and do her exercises in front of the TV. Now she can barely walk around the house without getting winded. She's no longer using her walker so that's a good thing. Her doctor said it will take months for her lung capacity to increase...and mom's patience is wearing thin.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers for her recovery. She'll be up and dancing before you know it!

Thanksgiving Menu

Our Thanksgiving menu is almost finalized...here's what we've got planned:

Appetizers:
Salami Crisps with Basil and Sour cream
Chestnut Soup with Sourdough Crostini

ThanksGiveMe Turkey with all the trimmings:
Citrus Marinated Turkey
Cranberry Orange Relish
Creamed Corn Gratin with Fried Onion Rings and Bacon (OMG this sounds so good)
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato dish (still searching for a new one...if I can't I usually make this super simple and easy version)
Chris is making a butternut squash dish
Jen (my sister's friend) is bringing bread or rolls
Dressing/Stuffing by Mom P.

Desserts (we never have less than 5..seriously)
Thanksgiving Two-Fer pie (Pecan and Pumpkin in one pie. Together! Yum? Not sure how this will turn out)
Misc. Pies and sweets to be brought by Mom R. and my bro's family
Apricot Almond Cake (if I have time)

I'd better start prep TODAY!

Go Pinoy!

We Filipinos, especially Filipino Americans tend to be full of pride when we find out that any celebrity, athlete, politician has even 3 drops of Filipino blood mixed in. Sometimes we claim them as one of our own if they're even married to Filipinos (like Wayne Brady and Dusty Baker). A few prominent Filipino American Celebrities: Lou Diamond Phillips, Tia Carrera, Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame, Rob Schneider, the girl from the Pussycat Dolls, Vanessa Minillo...and now welcome to the club: Giants Pitcher and Cy Young award winner: Tim Lincecum! Woot woot!

Most of you might not care, but I am a huge Giants fan and didn't know that Tim Lincecum was half Filipino...he does not have any obvious Filipino/Malay features and most Giants fans were unaware, even my bro who is THE WORLDS BIGGEST GIANTS FAN. The Giants had another Filipino American pitcher, Eugenio Espineli, but he doesn't rock as much as Lincecum. I believe Timmy the Freak is the first ever Filipino American Cy Young award winner. Now that the word is out (he talked about it during his press conference after winning Cy Young) I bet sales of his jersey in Daly City are gonna go way up.

LIke a Sponge

One of Lauren's favorite books to read at bedtime is Chaat & Sweets, part of the World Foods series of kids' books. The book describes different Indian chaat with colorful illustrations and paper cutouts depicting the various foods. She loves the colors of this book; vibrant yellows, bright pinks and greens, and ornate curlicues.

There's one page with the line that goes: "I like chutney and paneer pakoras, fritters made of CHEESE!" (I usually add a dramatic flourish to the "cheese") Well, last night I was about to turn to that page and before I even got to it she exclaimed, "Tsis!" I did a double take...did she just say "Cheese?!"

I was blown away! She didn't just recognize the illustration, she knew it was coming up on the next page before she even saw it! To test and see if it wasn't just a fluke, I reread from the beginning and again, before I turned the page she said, "Tsis!"

Even though I like to think she's smarter than most kids (every parent thinks their kid is gifted..til they come to the realization that..um..well, maybe not) she's probably right on track..neither advanced nor behind. What's blowing my mind is that for the first time I'm realizing that OMG she's paying attention to everything we say or do. She's like a sponge absorbing all the words, all the colors, all the tastes and sounds...good and bad. Here I thought she was only paying attention to the colorful pages of a storybook when she was really taking in so much more. She was learning the sequence of the pages, and probably recognized the rhythm and the rhymes.

I promise I will not complain the next time she hands her book back to me and says "Boo?" (translation: please read it again!)

If you've got little kids, the World Foods board books by Amy Wilson Sanger are the best. There's first book of Sushi, Yum Yum Dim Sum, Hola Jalapeno, Let's Nosh (Jewish foods), Soul Food and Mangia Mangia! I've got them all memorized! When I go to a sushi restaurant, I can't help but say, "Miso in my sippy cup, tofu in my bowl. Crab and avocado fill my California Roll!"

Overheard at Grandmas....

T (my niece): Grandma, knock knock.
Grandma: Who's There?
T: Ba
G: Who's Ba?
T: GRANDMA! You didn't do it right!!
G: Huh?
T: You're supposed to say "Ba Who?" Like "Baho" (which means "Stinky")
G: Oh, Baho...hahahaha...
T: ...grumble grumble..

Say Cheese!

Cheeeeeeeee!!!!!!

See my 4.5 teeth?

Blogthings

I stole this from Vicki....

This is so true. Especially the last line. Everyone knows that when I play board games or any kind of group game, I will get all Monica on you...(that's an obscure 'Friends' reference in case you were wonderin...)

You Are Chinese Checkers

You live a hyper, fast paced life. You rarely ever slow down. You are good at juggling many things at once. You are the ultimate multi-tasker. You enjoy being in a group - in fact the bigger the group, the better. You are an enthusiastic competitor, and you can be a little ruthless when you play games.

What Board Game Are You?

Green Baby Shower

I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks in preparation for a Green Baby Shower for one of our best friends. Here's what Lynn, Mary Jo and I did to incorporate the theme of green and eco-friendly:

• Invitations were printed on seeded paper. Just plant the card into soil to grow your own herb garden of basil and chives, the seeds are embedded in the cardstock.

• To decorate, we used fresh-cut flowers from local organic growers and origami made from recyclable paper. We folded origami animal families. I love the mommy Loch Ness monster and the even more elusive Loch Ness baby.

• We did not use any disposable plates and utensils. I actually brought out our pretty cloth napkins.

• When possible we used organic and/or locally grown ingredients for food/drink. I used organic flour, cocoa, butter and eggs for these cupcakes
  

• Gifts were encouraged to be organic and/or non-plastic.

• The diaper cake centerpiece made from eco-friendly diapers. We decorated it with more supercute origami animals.
  

• Party favors for the kids: Coloring book from the Discovery channel's "Planet Earth" series printed on recycled paper, organic animal cookies, and origami paper. Packaged in a cute reusable insulated lunch bag. For the adults: Handmade goat's milk soap, organic loose-leaf tea, and a reusable shopping bag that zips up to wallet size.

• We tried to go green all the way but Peter didn't want to serve organic beer and wine. You know how he is with wine...forget green, he'd rather it taste good.

• Our keepsake craft was to design and embroider felt onto cotton fabric squares. They will later be sewn together to make a quilt for the baby. I had so much fun doing this, I am seriously considering learning how to sew and quilt.

• I think this is the cutest cake topper ever. It looks simple, but it took us over an hour to make! Who knew an origami chick was so hard to do? Tim did a great job with the egg. I had only one left so there was a lot of pressure to crack it just so...

The mommy and daddy to be!

There's nothing quite as cute as...

...Footie pajamas

Where'd Daddy go?

Lauren points towards the garage as she hears the car driving away. She's sad that daddy's gone to work.

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes tonight and I'm posting about them because Peter claims they're the best cupcakes he's EVER had. I used 65% bittersweet chocolate for the cupcakes and 85% for the ganache. If you're a fan of bittersweet or dark chocolate like Peter, then you will LOVE these.

MMM. Don't they look good. Just looking at them makes me thirsty for a tall glass of milk.



For the recipe, visit a fellow "Tuesdays with Dorie"-er, Clara, from Iheartfood4thought

Christmas Wishlist Tag

Early Christmas Tag

I just got tagged by Vicki, so here it goes. And in keeping with our Buy Nothing Christmas, I will add that I don't mind receiving used or re-gifts.

Christmas Wish List:

material stuff:
1. Books I hear Marian Keyes (my favorite chick lit author) and David Sedaris have new ones out. Kinda out of the loop in the new book area. Have been trying to read more lately.

2. Stand Mixer. Been baking a lot lately and I keep having to borrow my moms mixer since my hand mixer broke.

3. Cookbooks

"big" stuff:
1. Sofa or sectional for the family room
2. Landscaping in our backyard

others (for the baby):
1. pajamas
2. books..she loves books
3. wooden puzzles

super wishes:
1. Time to spend with my family
2. Health for the whole family
3. Contentment
4. An addition to our family (yes, we're thinking about it)

We Wish You a Buy Nothing Christmas

Peter and I have made a radical decision. This year we are going to try to have a BUY NOTHING CHRISTMAS! GAh! Whatchootalkinboutwillis?

I came across this article, Hundred Dollar Holiday, and it really got me thinking. How much did I spend last year? Do my friends and family remember what I gave them? Do I remember what I received? I wracked my brain and I couldn't remember what my mom gave me last year...isn't that terrible? Do I have so much STUFF that I don't remember where and who it all came from? Did the true meaning of Christmas get lost in the piles of wrapping paper and ribbons? Was I so busy shopping that I didn't spend enough time at home, reflecting and celebrating the REAL Christmas? I looked around our house and was just appalled at how much stuff we have accumulated...I still had things in boxes that I never used, clothes with tags on them and even stuff still in their shopping bags that I'd forgotten that I'd even bought! I wondered if other peoples' homes looked like that. Do we all just have too much STUFF?!

So, I suggested Buy Nothing Christmas (you can read about it here) to Peter and he agreed. We're not going to go cold turkey, we will have a Buy (Almost) Nothing Christmas. We will TRY not to spend on gifts.

I told my sister about it and she looked at me funny and the first thing she said was, "Aww, how boring..that's gonna suck!" I told her not to worry...we will still give gifts! I LOVE PRESENTS!!! But our gifts will be homemade or creatively recycled. We will enjoy baking, knitting, and crafting. If we do buy anything, we will try to limit our spending or only buy a gift of "experience" like tickets to a show or something. So all my friends and family out there who are reading this: I promise that all of our gifts will be thoughtful and heartfelt...and don't be offended by creative regifting! Early shopper that I am, however, I've already bought some things for my friends' kids...so too late to change that. If I happen to come across something that I can justify because I know the recipient will absolutely love and treasure it, then I may just go ahead and buy it. It's the reckless and thoughtless buying that I'm trying to curb.

After explaining to my sister that weren't going to spoil the gift-giving fun on Christmas morning (or midnight, when we open presents at our house), she joked, "Do you know how to make an XBox 360?"

How about an XBox 360 cake?

I hope you guys understand what we are trying to do and hope you don't think we're being grinches or fuddy duddies. If you want, join us! Let's take Christmas back from the big box stores! If you don't want to have a Buy Nothing Christmas, then at least keep some of the ideas of less spending, less impact on the environment, and experiencing more joys of the season.

For creative ideas and alternatives for gift giving, visit this site with ideas on how to simplify the holidays.

Yes We CAN!

Si, Se Puede!

Kaya Natin 'To!

Cutest. Yoda. Ever.

As Halloween approached, people asked about Lauren's costume? Will she be a princess? Some kind of cute baby animal? Or adorable insect?

None of the above.

Lauren was Yoda. Peter was Darth Vader, I was a Jedi. We were one of those annoying matchy matchy families. And we loved it!

Cute I am.

Her costume was so perfect...especially since the weather sucked. The thick, fleece jedi robe kept her warm. The headpiece/hat (also made of thick, soft fleece) shielded her ears from the cold and her head from the rain.

Some of the characters that showed up at the party. If anyone showed up without a costume, we threw sheets over their heads. Instant Ghosts!


Yoda with a cheerleader and Dorothy


My friend, the Addict (don't ask what kind)


Lauren, Darth, and Grandma in front of our neighbor's garage..complete with inflatable cemetery...I thought it was a bit much, but the kids LOVED it!

We had a little get-together at our house. A couple of my friends brought their kids and we all went trick-or-treating. A couple of big 'kids' got some funny looks from neighbors handing out candy :::cough::Cowboy and Cowgirl in our party who are in their 20's:::cough:::. Young at heart, I guess. Halloween has no age limit.

Lauren uses the force to get an extra piece of candy.

Our neighborhood was the perfect Halloween host. There were practically no cars on the road, well-lit streets, impressively decorated front yards and friendly neighbors. After trick-or-treating we made our way back to our house for pizza, corn chowder, deviled eggs and rum-spiked apple cider. The kids decorated Halloween cookies and the adults relaxed and watched the game on TV. I had a great time, I think my friends did too. I hope this is the start of new Halloween tradition. I'm already thinking up next year's costume.....

Even Yoda needs milk! Getting ready to take a walk with Uncle Ed the next morning

Lauren enjoyed sorting her candy. We enjoyed eating it.