Dear Mari,

This past weekend you turned 1. The night before, I was scurrying around with your older cousins preparing for your party. We were up late into the night dancing and singing while we iced your cake. Some of the others were playing Xbox and all of us had a shot to take the edge off and get the weekend properly started.

I finally snuggled into bed around 1:30. At 8AM, I woke up, excited, nervous, and a big ball of emotion. I thought of everything that happened this past year and remembered that first moment I met you, and let my finger become enveloped in your tiny, strong hands. I started crying and rolled over to your daddy. He awoke and held me tight and told me that everything was gonna be ok. We both reminisced about all of the amazing things you've accomplished and then said a prayer to the Lord for blessing us with you.

I was up and dressed, ready to run some last minute errands. You were up around 8:30. At 8:41, we all paused to sing Happy Birthday to you! Your big brother Guapo was eagerly singing along and happy because he knew it was a special day as well. Mommy, Grandma Carol, and Nina Danika did quite a bit of running around. When we got home, I tagged your Daddy, so he and Nina Danika did some running around of their own. The family began to arrive and we all pitched in to prep the day. Mommy and Daddy dressed as flying monkeys.

We rolled out the yellow brick road, the sign was hung, the pinata ready, the cake was smiling away. Favors patiently waiting to be taken to their new homes. It all came together so nicely. We were so surprised with everyone who showed up and were happily taking it all in. You took a 3 hour nap before the party and when I went to wake you to dress you for the party, you weren't in too much of a shock. You took a few minutes to wake up, and during that time, you watched your favorite part of The Wizard of Oz. You pretty much ran around the entire time of the party, smiling, eating, playing and playing. You had lots of fun!

You pulled the first string off of your pinata and thought that was the greatest thing. On the second pull, your friend Joselyn pulled the string that opened the pinata up. Stickers, candy, pencils, and other goodies poured out of it, while I launched the confetti sticks. Confetti happily rained down.

You had cake for the first time and chocolate too! You really enjoyed the bounce house. Even after all of the guest had left, you and your father ran back into the bounce house (the brinca brinca) to have some more fun. I joined in the fun, thinking how great it was to hold you in your frog jammies while we flew in the air laughing hysterically. The entire day was perfect weather! We had a full moon, so the light from it shone through the bounce house, as the twilight twinkled off of your angelic face.

You were blessed with lots of gifts, hugs, and kisses, too! You made some new friends and played along with the ones you were well acquainted with. There were so very many details of not just the day, but the entire weekend.

On Sunday, you were spent. Mommy and Daddy knew you'd be down for a nap, so we all went to see Taken and you slept the entire time. Heck, you were up and down for naps until 6PM. Only waking long enough for a diaper change and feeding. That evening, you were back to normal, playing with all of your new toys (the fairy wand, pelican, puzzle, purse, and riding cart). I especially loved how you took your new toys over to your old toys and played with all of them. You even took out your books and started to read them and that especially warmed my heart!

Again, by the end of the night, you were ready for bed. You'd been sitting in Daddy's lap playing Xbox with him when you gave us the I'm-ready-for-bed look. We sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to you like we do every night and within seconds you were sleeping again.

You are absolutely perfect and precious and such a wonderful addition to our family. I know most parents say that to their kids, but you are so easy going and vibrant. You are a completely even mix of both of our personalities and I think it is safe to say you are more adventurous than either of us were at your age. You aren't afraid to try new things and you aren't intimidated by new people. You do like to observe before diving in, though. You do a wonderful job of sharing. There's always a smile on your face...your 4-toothed smile (2 others are trying to break through!).

I love you, sugarbean and I'm looking forward to another year of wonderful memories before celebrating the next one!

Love always,
Mommy.

Marisabelle's 1st Birthday Complete Set

highlights

Busy week. No time for typical Bianca-style prose. Highlights of the week include:

• Reconnecting with my sister. Thanks for an awesome day and the Super Bowl as a backdrop!
• Marisabelle sick with an ear infection on Monday.


• Daycare call, "Mari has 103.4 fever."


• I arrive, "Mari has 105.2 fever!"


• I get home, in panic, the nurse tells me, check it w/ out the forehead wand under her arm, 102.1 Whew


• We get an Rx for the same antiobiotic that we had 3 weeks ago.


• My instinct says no. I call a friend (thanks Julie!).


• We go homeopathic route and 3 days later, no fever, no earache. Just runny nose and productive cough. Yaaay for nature (gently hugging tree). Suck on that bacteria that kills the good bacteria in my baby's belly that causes nasty-nasty diaper rash!


• Frantic cleaning for Marisabelle's party.


• Homemade tutu for the twins for Mari's party.


• Cake/food coordination with primo for party.


• Dinner party prep for next Saturday.


• Working 10+ hours days. Woohoo!


• Laughing hysterically with Brother on IM.
• Looking forward to Taco Villa bean burritos!
• Planning NYC travel for the end of the month.


• More frantic cleaning for the party.


• pause to breathe

Not much sleeping, lots of caffeine, and super duper overdrive. Still, I'm shining on believing that I'm defying gravity.

Shine on friends, shine on!

p.s. I heart my five fingers Vibram shoes that fit like a glove! They rock. I kinda want to go and get the red and black pair too!

Just keep snappin'

This past weekend I did a photoshoot with a friend. Prior to the subjects arrival, my lovely assistant helped me test my lighting by sitting for me. We had a little bit more time to kill, so I figured I'd sit in front of the camera for a couple of shots. This one is my favorite of the bunch. Yes, I'm laughing hysterically, nearly as crazy as my hair is in this picture!

Have a fabulous Monday!

Here's the link to the photo session:

Twins 1 Year Photos

I keep on falling....

We've had a lot of ice. It started sprinkling the ground last night. In the faint moonlight, it was like tiny glittering diamonds in the backyard. I knew the excessive crevice next to our front curb was freezing over. When we'd gotten in for the night, it was a 4 inch puddle of ridiculously cold water. I'd carefully avoided it and wondered if it was smart to park our car in the middle of it. But hey, it's an SUV, so it should be fine, right?

We don't have any space to park the car in the garage. With moving the office to the now guest bedroom/office, converting Mari's room from the office, and tucking away my craft space anywhere it would fit, all that was leftover moved to the office. When Don started to clean out the attic to nail floorboards down, most of what was up there moved to the garage. Needless to say, we have our very own U-haul personal storage, but I do miss the garage...especially on days like today.

I got up extra early to make it out and be at work early or on time. I was listening to KLUV oldies station when they announced all of the traffic jams. I figured, ok, I'll delay leaving just a little bit. I took out the flat iron and killed some time. Half an hour went by and the traffic jams multiplied. I sighed and went into my closet to decide what to wear. I heard them say it felt like 9 degrees outside. Great, I thought, as I stared at the bleak closet, upset that I still didn't have my clothes back from the dry cleaners. I had some capri pants that I didn't want to have to make work, but I didn't have much of a choice. I slipped on some thick opaque tights and work my black capris. I didn't want to wear my knee high boots, so I slipped on my gray booties and thick gray sweater. I didn't care about the traffic jams, I just needed to get on the road. I go outside to start the car and get it good and warm, but what happens? The doors are frozen solid!! I can't even pull it open. Nothing. Bleh!!

I march back in and fire up my laptop. I guess I have no choice but to work from home until the sun comes out to melt the ice a bit. I said a quick prayer asking God to let Don and Mari sleep in so I could get some work done. Today, I really needed to focus as best as I could. I knew any little thing could be a distraction. ADD was on high alert! I got in two solid hours before my hunger kicked in. I made breakfast for myself and Don and went to get him up. Mari still slept. I asked him, so do you think I can go in to work now? He looked at me quizzically, but just kept on reading. I mentioned the frozen door and how I couldn't open it. I could hear water dripping outside, so I thought, sure, it should be melted by now. Oh, I should mention that when I discovered the frozen car, I came inside, peeled off my layers of clothes and when I was stashing them away, I found a sneaky pair of trouser pants that were hiding in the back and I was oh-so-grateful they were there!

I went to change and put on my trouser pants and a different sweater. I said screw the shearling and tossed on my yellow ski jacket. I had on my Crocs and opened the door. Success!!! I started the car and put everything on full blast. I tied up some loose ends on the laptop, kissed Mari and headed out the door. When I made it to the car, I realized I was still wearing my bright red Crocs. I turned around and went back in to change shoes and grab my gym bag. To err on the safe side, I opted not to wear heels and put on my black shiny flats. I threw my bags in the front seat only to discover that the front windshield was a thin block of ice floating on melted water. My windshield wipers were frozen to the bottom, so I knocked the one on the drivers side loose, and much of the ice on the windshield began to shift slowly downward.

I stepped off the curb to walk to the passenger side and lost my footing. My right foot slipped to the left and my left foot followed suit from the curb, but it also flew back some. I felt myself about to land face first into a couple of inches of solid ice. I freaked out enough and jerked my body just right to land smack dab on my right backside. OUCHMUTHAF------! My right ring finger was the only part that was scraped, the rest of me fine, except that I had the air knocked out of me. I caught my breath and heaved out a loud moan. I took inventory of everything and cautiously stood up. There stood Don at our door, mouth agape, staring concerned. I shook my head and he asked, "Are you ok?" I looked at him and nodded. Embarrassed, I thought to myself, "I just freakin' fell. Are you kidding me?" But instead of having a pity party, I dusted myself off and acknowledged I was more embarrassed than anything. I laughed it off and recounted my story to him.

Then I remember, I used to fall A LOT! And those times hurt quite a bit more than this one. I thought two things when I was falling: 1. Don't fall on the left arm, b/c then you can't hold Mari and have your right arm free. 2. Don't land on your face. Actually, falling when I tried learning to snowboard hurt a helluva lot more than this one incident, so I figured, 'eh, I was ok.

I made it into work and one of the really cool things today was when I walked down to Starbucks to treat myself to a little happy. Initially, I was a little freaked out when I read the sign posted on the door cautioning us for falling ice. I figured, "just my luck to be nailed by a huge chunk of ice on the way to Starbucks." Lucky for me, it didn't happen. But I did catch a glimpse of a beautiful bride in the lobby of the Crescent hotel. It is a rare occurence to see a bride on a Wednesday on such a cold day! I felt special, but probably not nearly as special as she felt.

Anyway, I hope all of you aren't nearly as clumsy as I was today! Be safe and stay warm!

A Quince to Remember...updated with pics

This past weekend, we traveled over to Abilene, Texas to take part/attend a Quinceanera. Those of you that grew up around here (or West Texas for that matter) have probably attended or been in one of these. This was a quaint little Catholic church, curiously tucked behind an Episcopal church. The colors outside were vivid and I couldn't have been blessed with a more amazing sky. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously cold outside and none of the girls were brave enough to pose outside for me. Next time...

I had one when I was 15, and I remember someone remarking to me by the myriad of colors (race) in my court. Apparently, the court consisted primarily of hispanic members. Not me, though. I had to be different, but at the time, didn't really know that I was being different. Anyway, it was one of the very best birthdays of my life and I loved every moment of it. I really liked all of the details from my special day and the sacrifices my parents made to give me my party. At the time, the biggest priority for me was the cake. I had to have a big and beautiful cake. Sure enough, they delivered. I'll have to see if I can dig up an old photo of it and scan it in. And details...well, my father had t-shirts printed up for me to hand out to all members of the court, as well as my padrinos. It was a plain white t, that had the words "I Survived Bink's 15th" and the date emblazoned in emerald green on the front. Here you can see one of the surviving shirts that Brother had saved (and squeezed into) to wear on my wedding day. He crossed out 15th and put wedding and crossed out the date and put on the wedding date. What a jokester!

Back to the post at hand. Miranda calmly looks out to her friends waiting for the Mass to begin.

Miranda made for a lovely Quinceanera! She had the big billowy white dress. She had her 14 damas. And like mine, her colors were emerald green. Here they are posing before the big dance. I taught them how to pose by poppin' that hip out. I love the little one up front. I stole this pose off of Lynn Michelle's site.

I took my camera and did my best to take photos, but lighting was not my friend and neither was the Abilene weather. (I was non-stop sneeze-tastic for the ENTIRE time I was there!) Every time I went to take a shot, I would sneeze and I got all of this camera shake. My lens has image stabilization on it, but not for my big monstrous sneezes. :( Can you tell how sad I am? Not so bad, though, because she did have a professional photographer, who coincidentally used the same camera I used and a similar lens. He just had a fancy light-holder-ma-jig, which allowed for better lighting. 'eh, whatever. I'll have to post a couple of my favorite shots as soon as I upload 'em.

Here she is presenting roses to the Virgin Mary.

I love how her mother's hands are gently crossed over, often full of worry, but always open for love.

The two standout highlights of the event centered around her mother, Tricia. Growing up, Tricia used to babysit me. She was so kind, patient, and gentle, and put up with all of my orneriness. I remembered her constantly giggling at my antics and to this day she can be a gigglebox. But then I saw her differently. Aside from the fact that each printed item had been hand typed on a typewriter (which takes not only mad typing skills, but out of control patience!), she made sacrifices as a single mother. She walked her daughter down the aisle during the church ceremony. And when she got up to proclaim her hopes and dreams for her daughter, well, I just lost it. I was a big ol' ball of emotions. It was at that moment that I became even more grateful for my folks. Glancing over at Mari, I knew that Tricia's hopes and dreams mirrored my own for Marisabelle. She unabashedly displayed her true emotions.

Miranda listens to her mother's hopes and dreams:

AND THEN...at the dance, when it is typically the father/daughter dance, Tricia walked out and proudly took her daughter into her arms and danced with her. She could have easily shrugged it off to her grandfather, but no this was her right as a parent, and she deserved the first dance! I was seriously upset that I'd taken Canoncita (as I lovingly call my silver bullet) up for a nap. I had Tiny Nikon out, but it couldn't keep up with the dance and the lighting. *sigh*

Receiving the final blessing from the Father:

This is one of her grandmothers (maybe great grandmother?) walking down the aisle. She was being escorted by her grandson. I LOVED that she wore the old school black head covering exactly the head covering women used to wear to church back in the day. Love it!! (yeah, and no comment about the camera shake. It was all I could do to not sneeze for that split half second, but I felt it coming on.

Anyway, if you haven't ever been to one, I highly recommend checking it out if you get the pleasure. If you are still around in 14 years, then you are invited to Marisabelle's. We're already stashing money aside for it and you know me, planning away each detail!

Amazing Day!

Today's day really started with last night. It was yoga night and I told myself that no matter what else I had going on, I was going to make it. I'd packed my clothes on Monday and had 'em in the car for Thursday's class. I was knee deep in work, but forced myself to stop.

I'm glad I went, even though it was tough. It really opened up my shoulders and doing those headstands and backbends really showed me that I'm a teeny bit more flexible than I thought I was. Of course, some of those poses showed me how "soft" my muscular parts had gotten, so I really need to concentrate on lifting more.

Anyway, I slept really well last night. This morning, I woke up and even though I was running behind, it wasn't so bad because my mom was there. No stress from having to drop Mari off at school. She actually woke up earlier than normal and watched as I got ready in the morning. Happily contorting her face to match mine while I brushed my teeth and applied a little bit of makeup. She watched intently as I put on my jewelry, delicately running her hands over each piece after it was set in place. I held her closely and tightly and walked to my mom's room to give her a heads up that I'd be heading out soon. I made Mari's bottle and that's when Don returned from his That Man is You meeting from church. He finished prepping the rest of the day's bottles and the cloth diapers while I took Mari to my mom. I nestled her in tightly next to mom while she smiled at me and shoved her bottle in her ravenous mouth. So sweet.

I walked outside and IT WAS GORGEOUS!!! It was a lovely 55 degrees and I was so happy to be able to wear my sandals and skirt! Today is going to be a great day, I thought to myself.

I get in and the sun started to peek out from behind the overcast clouds. I don't have a window in my office any more, but I can do a slight lean to see outside and it makes me happy. For lunch, we had sushi! Do you know that I've been craving sushi for weeks? Do you realize how utterly happy I was to eat sushi?? AND THEN...one of the ladies here had a milestone birthday, and she's not a big fan of cake, so they brought in a cookie cake. Do you know how long I've been craving a DELICIOUS chocolate chip cookie? Actually, that one has only been since Wednesday, immediately AFTER I ate one of those heavenly delights from Potbelly, but still. MMMmmmmMMMMmmmm...Good!

And maybe tonight, just maybe, Don and I will head to the movies and watch a new release! I'm not holding my breath, though. I'd be perfectly satisfied with renting Zoolander. I've been wanting to see that again ever since Brother mentioned it a few weeks back. Speaking of silly comedy movies, is anyone else excited that Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Tropic Thunder? He was really good in it! No, like really, really good in it. I swear, I love how he gets lost in his roles. When he played Chaplin, I saw Charlie Chaplin, not RDJ. Is that just me? Yeah, I have a mild crush on him, but no where near compared to the one I have on this guy.

Have a fabulous weekend!

New School

These past several weeks have been tough on Marisabelle since she's gone from one thing to the next. It started off with a really bad diaper rash. When she got over that, she started having this nasty cough. Then, she got that bad stomach virus that was going around. Which was immediately followed by an ear infection, which led to another yeast diaper rash. In the process of switching over to the Bum Genius cloth diapers on the weekend, her skin became irritated by the new detergent and triggered eczema, which we knew was inevitable, we just didn't know when.

*sigh*

On Tuesday morning, I had yet another altercation with the woman that watches Mari. This was similar to the lecture I received the Monday before, and the Monday before that. Afterwards, I immediately called my father seeking guidance and reassurance. I was visibly disturbed and decided that enough was enough. I'm so very glad that my mother was feeling up to par, because he put her on a plane and Mom was happily cuddling and holding Mari in her arms by that evening. I love watching her with her grandmothers and how she just goes with the flow and enjoys their companionship. That afternoon when I'd picked up Mari to take her to the doctor so we could get cream for the eczema, I exchanged some words with the daycare provider that despite me holding back, I would not say was a prouder moment of my life. I don't like being that curt with someone that I respect, but when they lash out at you too much, you just have to put your foot down and assert yourself regardless of how much more "experience" (or age) they have than you. I won't repeat the details, but needless to say, I walked out on her while she continued talking because I was done listening.

Tuesday night began the hunt/research for a new place. I did a lot of praying and reflecting. I normally do some praying, but I actually turned my phone off and prayed long and hard about it all. I constructed a list of all of my wants for Mari based on how I know her. Of course, you want someone who loves and cares for her, but more than that, I know she's a social child and I want her to have peers to interact with. I want her to learn and be exposed to new things everyday. I want her to freely explore her surroundings and learn how to share, cooperate, listen, and imagine. I don't want a television monopolizing her time like it did at her old school. I want her to respect adults, not fear them. I want her to feel safe. I want her to be happy to go to school, but happy to see us at the end of the day. I want to proudly display her artwork on my fridge. I want her to grow her relationship with God and understand the importance of praying before a meal and being thankful for it. I want her to know cleanliness and hand washing.

Yesterday, I called two places and this morning we've settled on one after both Don and I visited. We're both very happy with what they offer, it is very close to our home, the hours are the same, she'll be around 6 other kiddos her age, she'll be in a positive learning environment with a curriculum, playing all day long, and she will be introduced to Christianity on an age-appropriate level. There is a low teacher to student ratio (1:4) and one of the teacher's in her class is Asian and I'm going to ask that she speak to Marisabelle in her native language so she can be exposed to it. I realize that potentially I won't understand some of Mari's words, but that exposure to language is far more valuable and heck, it could even expose Don and I new languages and cultures. The school is a little more in price, but well worth it for the extras that she'll be getting. (Plus, they take credit cards and so we'll get points for her school! yaaay!) I'm so very excited and despite the disagreement with the other woman, I think this is actually a better situation for Mari. Plus, she gets to spend time with my mom, which I think any time she can do that is a good thing. (I can't wait for those last couple of weeks in the spring for her to hang out with her other grandmother!) God's grace has shone through and His plan for us continues to surprise and amaze me, but it really is for the best.

She starts her new school on Monday. While they provide meals for the kids, Don and I are on our food kick again and really aren't ready for her to be eating corn dogs and tater tots. Quite frankly, her little system would be in shock! This week alone, she's had a more complex diet than I used to eat as an adult 5 years ago. She loves couscous, wild rice, avocado, mushrooms, risotto, blanched carrots, rosemary chicken, pork tenderloin...well, you've seen the meals we prepare. Marisabelle gets all that except for the fish. At her old school, I made her food as well, and she would eat it up too! Anyway, I need to get her a lunch bag and her Grandma Carol will be making her nap mat. For the first couple of weeks, we'll make do with a regular crib sheet and blanket until she gets it for her birthday! Have any of you mommas done bento box lunches? I'm thinking of doing that for her as well.

So that's why I've been MIA for the past several days. What an incredible time in our nation's history and I'm certain many of you thought that I would have an opinion on it all. I loved the Inauguration ceremony. I loved the outfits. I though Michelle Obama looked stylish and graceful in her pistachio colored suit during the inauguration, but I would've preferred to see her and President Obama outfitted in different clothes. It seemed to me they were channeling their inner Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are going to dance, then work that dance and showcase the flowiness of the dress. Instead, it just seemed like it was constricting for their dance and she just kept having to move it out of the way. I'm excited about the new presidency, and more importantly, I'm hopeful. I don't know what the next 4 years hold for us, but I'm optimistic. Then again, I think more of that has to do with what is going on in my own personal life. :D And for something completely random, I saw this quote of the day on Perez's site about rapper T.I. and even though the entire thing doesn't really make much sense, I'm glad he's showing his gratitude for God at the Hip Hop Inaugural Ball:

"I want to thank God for somehow … I know he perfect. So I'mma thank him for
everything. I'mma thank him for making me drop out of school. I'mma thank him
for making me run the streets. I'mma thank him for making me sell crack. I'mma
thank him for making me have shoot-outs. I'mma thank him for allowing me to
watch my partners die in my arms, So I'd be fearful enough for my life and
paranoid enough to go out and cop machine guns and silencers so I catch a fed
case and I have to put up $3 million for my bond so I have to spend seven months
of my life in my house, so I have to spend a year of my life in prison just so I
be validated enough to get out there and touch the youth because they know that
I done been through it, and if I say it, it means something. You know what I'm
saying?"

Also, I got Marisabelle's invitations and they are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!! They are on their way to the post office today! Tonight, I'm yoga-ing it up and will come to center once again. Hopefully, I'll post the dinner pictures from last night so you can see the yumminess! Delish.

And for Jeev:

Salmon Tacos
1 lb Salmon
Sprig of Rosemary
1 1/2 c. Cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. Low Fat Sour Cream
3 c. Romain Lettuce, chopped
Whole Wheat Tortillas

Place salmon skin side down on a 1 quart microwave safe dish. Season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 c. chopped cilantro and add sprig of rosemary (I didn't have fresh rosemary, so I just sprinkled a teeny tiny bit of it on for a bit of flavor.) Place in microwave and cover. Cook on high for 7 or 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, add 1/2 cup sour cream and remaining cilantro. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Mix until blended well. Warm your tortillas! (I forgot and they were falling apart. bleh!)

After salmon is finished cooking, put your taco together. Tortilla, lettuce, salmon, and sour cream topping.

To make it better, we thought of adding a bit of jalapeno to the sour cream, including tomato if you like it, and maybe a hint of chipotle to either the salmon or sour cream dressing for some added flavor.

6x6 Meme

A little 6x6 meme. The directions are simple.
1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or where ever you store your pictures.
2. Go to the 6th folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder.
3. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes with the picture.
4. Tag 5 people you know (or don't know) to do the same.
5. Leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.


This homemade flower was waiting for me on the door the last day of my birthday month. It happily smiled at me and I was so excited to see this note that I completely forgot to look for my gift. I just ran inside to grab my camera to snap the photo before I went on my hunt. Don told me that Marisabelle asked him to create a scavenger hunt for Mommy's gift and I loved it! It was a nice surprise, especially unexpected and a fabulous way to celebrate the last of the birthday month.

I tag: Kelly, Jeev, Jenna, Chae, and Kandice.

Happy MLK Day!

Today we had a full day planned and while we did little on the list, we did get lots of things accomplished. First of all, I had some wonderful quality time with Mari. Don gave her a bath and I soaked the cloth diapers before washing all of them. Then, we headed out to meet an old friend for lunch. Where did we go? Mooyah! Delish. We were having such a great conversation and the place was getting packed, so we headed on over to Starbucks for little bit of chit chat. I ordered a Berry Chai Infusion and Don had a Cafe Mocha. While it was a little too sweet for my tastes, it was ok. The conversation as the backdrop is what made it better.

Mari had a fantastic day of running around and being happy, which was a wonderful change. Even though she's suffering from a regular body rash and remnants of a diaper rash, she was back to that happy, inquisitive, exploring baby that we love.

After lunch, I headed on over to the nail salon and had a mani/pedi with wax, as well. In the spirit of Mari's Wizard of Oz themed party, I opted for Ruby Red Slippers by OPI. A shiny red polish with bits of glitter. Fun, fun, fun!!! I hurried home to meet Don and Mari so we could go to the doctor. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to see the doctor today, and Mari's pediatrician was out, so we'd scheduled an appointment with one of the nurse practioner's. Well, over an hour later (after our scheduled appointment), we made the decision to leave since it wasn't an emergency. After all, she only had a minor rash and we were surrounded by a sea of kiddos that were coughing and hacking up all sorts of things and I certainly didn't want her exposed to. Bleh! We left and weren't rude about it, just walked out and told them that we decided to cancel the appointment. Fortunately, our doctors nurse did call us to follow-up, so that was nice.

I came home to prepare dinner.

Grapefruit Cod with Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Escarole and Mushroom Cranberry Couscous
This recipe is entirely too long to type out. If you want it, I'll make a copy of it and send the PDF. ha ha! It was delish and the cranberries added moisture to the whole wheat couscous. Who would've thought that grapfruit went so well with fish??
Estimated cost: $20 because we invited 3 friends over AND we have leftovers for 1.5 meals. :D

Who is going to watch the Inauguration tomorrow? (p.s. I had planned to do some volunteering today, but those plans fell through. Did any of you do any volunteer work today?)

Cooking frenzy...

Sunday night is usually cooking night, but I felt like I was in the kitchen most of the day today. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of the salmon tacos I made at lunch, but man, were they yummy! One of my besties was here and after the fact, she revealed to me that she didn't particularly like salmon, but she really enjoyed what I made for her. Hooray! Let me know if you want me to post that recipe. estimated cost: $12, but it fed 4 adults with leftover salmon for a salad and another meal.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the food.

Bianca's Palak Paneer
1 bag spinach
1 pkg paneer
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 c heavy cream
hot madras curry powder
cumin seed
tumeric
ground coriander

estimated cost: $5

Thaw your frozen spinach in the microwave. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic. Afterwards, add tomato paste and stir together. I usually add a few of my cumin seeds with the onion and garlic. Add your spinach and about 1/2 - 1 c of water. Let simmer for a bit and begin to add your spices. This time I kinda spilled the tumeric so it's extra yellow! LOL. While it simmers together, brown your paneer in a bit of oil. After it is sufficiently browned, add to the the palak. Mix together and add cream and any remaining spices. Sometimes, if I'm feeling sassy, I add a bit of red pepper for some kick! That's it!

This is how paneer comes. I picked it up today at my Indian grocery store only to discover that they are going out of business and the last day they are open is on the 22nd!!! Eeek!! I was very upset, however, EVERYTHING in th entire store is 20% off. They had Indian music on sale 2 for a $1 with an extra 20% off. I nearly bought some just because it was such a good deal. Anyway, when you chop the paneer, it can be a little tough. Also, it leaves this chalky residue on your hands. I don't know why. Can anyone tell me?

If you look close, you can see the bits of white on my fingers.

OMG...that looks delish. I may have to sneak a few more bites from the leftovers!

Ta-daaaaa!! Here is the finished product. Again, a little on the yellow side because of my tumeric mishap, but it's all good. It was still very delicious!

Chicken with Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, and Broccoli Rabe Served on a bed of Vermicelli
1lb Chicken
1 head of Broccoli Rabe
1 pkg of Mushrooms
1/4 pkg of Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 pkg Vermicelli

Brown chicken, blanch broccoli rabe, saute mushrooms. Throw all cooked ingredients in the pan and add tomatoes. Toss around for a few minutes on low heat. Cook verimicelli according to package.

Estimated cost: $6, including the cost of 1/2 a bottle of vino and my asparagus screw up. (Chicken tenders and tomatoes were on ridiculous sale at Neighborhood Market!)

Sauteeing the mushrooms in butter. It was at this point that we realized we probably needed some more food ingredients since we remembered we were out of eggs. These mushrooms represent less than half a package, but we were going to work with what we had.
This is the broccoli rabe settling in for a quick stem bath. See how happy it is?
Time to cool down in an ice bath. Part of the blanching process. No, your eyes don't deceive you! That is asparagus. Unfortunately, I killed the asparagus, which was the original green ingredient in this dish, but I had to toss it out. Folks, this is what happens when you try to cook 4 dishes at once. On top of what I photographed, I was also making wild rice and boiling carrots for Mari's food for the week. On a positive note, however, I came up with a new simile: Tossed out like soggy, overcooked asparagus. Feel free to use it! You know you like it!
Alrighty, all the ingredients were begging me to dance together in the pan, so I finally agreed. Here they are getting jiggy with it in the warm oil. Awww...look how bright and colorful that is.

Voila, finished product. Yum! Healthy too! Of course, we complimented our meal with a $7 bottle of Jacob's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Each only having one glass, and we'll have the other glass for the next meal. Doin' it like the Italians because red wine makes the heart happy.

Salud!

And what about Mari? Her meals this week:
Chicken and Carrots with Wild Rice
Blueberry, Banana, and Pear with Oatmeal

She tasted both and gave a resounding approval demanding more. Ultimately, I had to satiate her with her own chicken tender and some pumpernickel bread. She seemed to really enjoy them both! Oh, and she finished her dinner off with a bit of pear bites too! Isn't she cute in her little apron. Since she was helping me, I figured she needed to wear one too!