Handmade: Manufactured by hand; made with love

This year, not unlike other years, I wanted to go the handmade route. Thank to Jacki, I thought I'd get better organized about it this year, so I made a spreadsheet! This isn't to say that I have completely ruled out store-bought gifts, but will be enhanced. Here's the deal:

• 1 Handmade Gift - This is something sewn, crocheted, or baked. In the past, I've given cookies, aprons, scarves, salsa, reusable bags
• 1 Small Store Bought Gift - This is usually something needed and my loved ones have specifically requested like socks, pot holders, spatulas, specialty foods
• 1 Donation to Charity - I have a monthly budget that goes specifically towards philanthropy/donations. I make note of these donations and jot down a reason why I chose the charity I selected. For Christmas, I send a note to the person who has inspired me to donate to the cause, how much was donated in their honor, and why I donated. Having my notes helps me remember what sparked the reason and well, it is just another way to pay it forward. It is nice to receive gifts, but I like to think that people's actions have inspired me to give on their behalf to a cause they believe in. For this reason I feel like the donation has that much more meaning. Some of the organizations I have supported:  MDA - Muscular Dystrophy, CF - Cystic Fibrosis, American Heart Association, Promise House - Runaway Teens, Susan G. Komen, American Cancer Society, Texas Tech University, Alzheimer's Association, and HIV AIDS Alliance. Additionally, we adopt one angel from the angel tree and shop for their gifts on Black Friday.                                          

With that said, would you like a teaser of some of the handmade goodness? The theme this year (last year was aprons) is comfy fleece!

Also, this is the 1 crocheted items I have successfully completed. It is a scarf for Brother. He already knows. I had to measure it on him to make sure it was long enough. I really like the way it turned out! If crocheting didn't take me forever, I would totally make a few more of these!

Yeah, I tried to start this project too, but haven't bee very successful. This is what I want to do, but I have no idea what that shorthand is trying to tell me. Can anyone clue me in? I think these scrubbies are top notch and I know I can make them, I just need a bit of guidance.

Also, I wanted to can crab macaroni and cheese, but then I realized that I don't have a pressure cooker and seeing as how I've never canned anything in my life, I'm better off sticking to baking a dessert in a jar and handing that out as a gift. I need to run to Paper Source to pick up some labels and this weekend, it's gonna be a baking dream up in our home, hopefully. Oh, and hopefully Don will whip up some of his awesome salsa. We already have the jars and the equipment, we just need to do it!

Now it is your turn, what do you do? Do you hand make anything? Do you give gifts? Do you donate in someone's honor?

Mari's Generic Cards

When Mari is invited to birthday parties, I always scramble for a last minute card. One year I had ordered five custom cards similar to this one and I breezed right through them within the first month. This year, I have purchased 12 and I don't think it will take me all year to use them. This is a great time saving tip and will help to personalize any gift, especially for the parents of the kids in her school who only know her name, but not the face.

Modern Stripe 3x5 folded card

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

2010 Family Photo

This year we gathered together for Thanksgiving with my family like we have done for the past five years. Something new that we started last year was to take a more "formal" family portrait to have. This year, since we were in Lubbock, we opted to have Don and I take the photos. I mean c'mon. We we take other family's photos, we should take our own. However, it was a little tricky because we didn't bring the tripod and it was naptime for a certain Sugarbean. Besides, we all know that we take our Christmas photo by our fireplace WITH Guapo and because we had other sessions after ours, we had to leave him at home. Not to worry, though, we got some great shots of everyone else in the family and I wanted to share with all of you!

Here's a photo of me in action:

Don was doing his very best to blind my sister and her family with our reflectors. LOL! Next up, while I was testing out the light, I caught this awesome one of Brother. His shades are pretty snazzy, 'eh? Plus, you have to love that self-portrait I took. If you look really close, you will see Mom and Daddy by the tree.

Anyway, even with the out-of-control reflectors and the poor spot I chose for the portrait (hindsight), I caught this beauty of sister with her kiddos. It blows my mind how big they are getting!

Also, if you know my Brother, you know he is quite the joker.

This is his amazingly beautiful gal, Melissa. Isn't she just simply gorgeous?


Not to leave them out, here is a photo of Brother and Melissa together. I have a bajillion of them, but this was the one that I have immediately ready:


This photo is by far one of my favorites that I have ever taken of my folks:

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

With love ♥,
Melissa, Brother, Momma, Daddy, Zeni, Sam, Ian, Me, Tesla, Mari, and Don

Cheesy

When we take roadtrips, Don and I like to talk and snack. I do my very best to try to be good, but inevitably, I indulge in the over-processed goodness that small convenience stores like Allsup's offer. Usually, I'll munch on a beef and bean burrito, but this time, I had a craving for something crunchy and chocolate. I opted for Cheetos Puffs and an extra large Reese's peanut butter cup. The combination of the two was sweet goodness! Mmmmm...And then Mari piped up from the back, "Mommy, I want a Cheeto!" What? How did she even know what a Cheeto was? Seriously. I hid the Cheetos, offered her the Vruit drink and handed her some fruit leather. Although, why was I not sharing with my daughter, when the one in utero was happily flipping over Cheetos? Double guilt!

Anyway, while we were away, Don and I played. No really, we were wearing our photographer hats and at the end of the day's session, Don pulled me aside and asked me to pose for him for a couple of shots. I've been trusting him more behind the lens, which is saying a whole lot because I'm not entirely comfortably being out front. Even though I felt less than stellar, I sucked it up and did as requested. Wow, am I happy I did. I'm so proud of him. He got some amazing shots! These two are some of my favorites:

 

Afterwards, since we had some time and a free babysitter, we headed to dinner together and loved it. (even though the food did make me sick, but that was my bad because it was full of lactose evilness) I so appreciate having some special and quality time with my husband. When we can capture those moments "on film" makes it that much more special. 

I'm eagerly looking forward to our "formal" session that we'll have in February. He wanted to do something different and out of the norm. We'll see what happens.

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here....

Don and I didn't want to inundate our child with unnecessary gifts and get caught up in the commercialism that is modern Christmas. However, because she is a little one (and I remember what it was like to believe in Christmas magic), I didn't want to take that away from her. Not so long ago I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she told me, "Taco Bell and a Pink Dress." Well, she has since dropped the Taco Bell part and has consistently asked for a pink dress. I haven't yet found the "perfect" pink dress, but I did order this lovely frock for an upcoming holiday party.

I do love the amazing sequins and removable jacket. Best of all, it is washable. Here's to hoping it is every bit as good as I want it to be.

Also, when we were out and about shopping for some shoes for Don about a month ago, she fell in love with this Melissa & Doug grilling set. She was happily playing with it and when we left, she insisted on putting all of the pieces back together where she found them. I found a decent price for it on Amazon and ordered it! I do like the wooden toys that they make and putting the food on the skewers definitely practices her "threading" skills.

While I was out on ol' Amazon, I went ahead and bought her some fridge food to fill her tiny fridge in her play kitchen. I know she's going to go bananas over it!

Finally, I have had my eye on this Branford Limited Dollhouse offered by OneStepAhead since last year, but I can't stomach the price tag. I loved my two dollhouses growing up, but I distinctly remember finding one in the alley and the other was found at a garage sale. I would like to have one to give her soon, so she can have a "home" for all of her Barbies (while she still likes to play with them!). Instead, thanks to another mom, I happened upon these amazing instructions for making one out of a bookshelf! We'll see. This might very well be reserved for a birthday present.

Speaking of which, I did score this amazing balance bike for less than $50 off of Zulily! Membership is free and you get access to great deals!

Ok, I wasn't done just yet. Zulily made me think of Tesla. Yes, I bought some gifts for the next baby girl, even though she isn't out of the womb. Granted, these "gifts" are more for us, but still. First up, I bought two Charlie Banana diapers: one aqua and one black. They were on good sale at Zulily, so I picked them up. I was seriously kicking myself for not being able to get the purple or green ones! I also picked up a Pura stainless steel water bottle/sippy cup. The bundle included the water bottle, lid, silicone nipples, and toddler sippy top (both infant bottle & toddler bottle in one). We loved the glass bottles we used with Mari, but we only had two, and one of them was broken (ok, ok, I broke it!), so we were down to just one. We still have the old plastic ones that are BPA free, but I like the idea of stainless steel for her water, for some reason. Plus, it will grow with her as she gets older. She will have her own bottle, Mari will have hers, I will have mine, Don will have his, and Guapo will have his. I can already picture all of our water containers on long bike rides. :)

What are the top items you guys are giving this year for your kids? Did you all take advantage of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals?

Soon, I'll discuss what we are going to get for ourselves and what we will be giving this year too!

November 20: National Adoption Day & Adopted Ed Book Review

I was given the opportunity to do a book review for Adopted Ed by the One2One Network. First off, I thoroughly love books that rhyme and are like one long poem. This books cadence is an easy read, very much like many of the Dr. Seuss books. Next up, are the illustrations. Oh my, the colors on the pages simply pop. It is truly beautiful. The faces of the each character are very welcoming and age appropriate. I also liked how Ed had stars on his bedspread, and later he had a star on his shirt. I'm not sure if that was on purpose or not, but it really helped to bring the story together. Another thing, I loved that the illustrated versions of his adopted parents and friends were indicative of a myriad of cultures and backgrounds. This warmed my heart.

The story is simple, "I'm adopted. I'm special." I am not adopted, but the thought has definitely crossed my mind. I grew up only knowing a handful of adopted people, but each one I met lived ordinary lives, just like the rest of us, but each one was also extraordinary. Adoption is a completely different type of love. My favorite line in the book, "With her special Mom wisdom, in her simple Mom way,..." Honestly, if I've have ever been at a loss for words, it is when I need the strongest words to help and teach my daughter. Somehow, I find them with some wisdom I never knew I really possessed and it is always simple enough for my daughter to understand. (That's God's grace.)

This book isn't at all biblical and I think it is a great resource for adopted parents or for children to help them better understand and appreciated adoption. Most important, I think this book has a wonderful message of acceptance of others and tolerance of others who may be different. "Life is to be enjoyed, whether you're young or you're old. It matters not the cloth we're cut from or even the mold." So poignant and so very true!

I would highly recommend Adopted Ed to anyone. If you are curious to learn more about the author and his story, you can find out more here.

**I was selected to be a reviewer of the book Adopted Ed from the One2One Network. I was not paid for this blog post. I only received a copy of the book to review. Receiving the book did not in any way influence my review, I just merely received the copy.**

HDMR: Burlesque

Holy moly Bianca, this thing doesn't even open until Thanksgiving, how in the heck are you doing an HDMR right now? Well, special thanks to my friend who invited me because she scored a ticket (plus 1) from Gordon and the Whale. Backstory: I had to bend time tonight because I had a work dinner in Uptown. I inhaled my food and thanks to an amazing server at Victory Tavern who put my order in early and got it out just as fast, I enjoyed dinner before zipping down the Toll to West Plano Cinemark. Of course there was a bit of traffic. Of course I had to park near the end. Of course the winds were blowing 30 MPH against me. But I made it in line (the 2nd to last line, mind you, but near the front of it, so I had hope!) I scored our wristbands when I got a call from Val letting me know she'd gone to the wrong spot, but she'd make it. Sure enough, moments after they called the line before ours, she ske-daddled in and I slapped on the purple wristband. Not 5 minutes passed when the manager of the theater came to us and told us the disappointing news: the theater was full. WHOMP WHOMP...BUT...We were welcome to go watch any movie for free. We went to get in line and were trying to figure out which movie to watch when I cop approached a rather angry (and flamboyant) man who was more than upset about being left out. His gesticulations were over emphasized by the Cher face held in his hand by a large Popsicle stick. Both he and Cher were pissed! I was worried that things were about to get out of hand in the theater and this poor guy was going to take a ride of a different sore, when all of a sudden, he scurried away like a happy rat who discovered cheese. I was intrigued and followed suit, because there could only be one reason to go from bitch to bliss in .5 seconds. He and Cher were gonna have some Cher! We hurried along and scored entry!! The two rows in the absolute front were not occupied, so that's where we had to sit, but I was grateful to just have a seat. :) Alright, alright, I've punished you enough with the backstory. On to the review.

Wow. Seriously. Wow. I hadn't been this excited to see a show since The Devil Wears Prada. I was hesitant to show my excitement because the probability of me getting to see this in the theater were slim to none. Also, not all musicals (especially the ones featuring famous singers) are great. But I had hope. I adore Stanley Tucci. Thanks to this season of The Good Wife I have a greater appreciation for Alan Cumming. This is probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing Cher in concert and I'd heard rumors that the ever adorable Kristen Bell actually played a semi-villian. Oooh...juicy. And then there's the gem of the show, Christina Aguilera, who has always held a special place in my heart because that little thing can sing, but it doesn't ever seem like she ever gets near the spotlight of some other chanteuses in the industry...and frankly it's a darn shame. She is completely and totally adorable in this film and not only that, but you believe in her spunk and the character. You find yourself pulling for her and craving more and more. That voice!! Aaack, I love that voice. Cher, oh momma, you more than got it going on! I only recall seeing her sing two numbers, but whoa! Finally, Cam Gigandet and Eric Dane, whooo, you guys make some nice eye candy to look at. The guys behind us were oogling and making comments that had me quietly giggling. Cam Gigandet's body reminded me of the way Don's body was when I met him, just not as tatted up, nor as tan, but wow. I fell in love with my husband all over again and for the rest of the movie, I didn't see Cam, I saw Don. So much so that I was a little more than jealous that Christina was kissing him. Talk about having to put the hormones in check!

My next favorite thing in the movie were the costumes. Oh the glorious glitz and glam of burlesque costumes make you wanna dress up, but with very little. *wink* I wanted to run right out of there and grab my glue gun and some sequins because surely there's something in my closet that needs bedazzling! (Sidenote: hate you...Louboutin for making a cameo with some gorgeous shoes...hate you! Making a gal drool with envy.) The movie itself is so sensual, visually and melodically. One tiny tidbit just for my dear friend Mandi, you will enjoy and appreciate the make-up! Girl, that's my inspiration for my company holiday party!

Finally, there's the music. Seriously, I want the soundtrack, stat. Unfortunately, not every song featured in the movie is actually on the soundtrack. However, every song they sung is on there, so that's definitely good enough. I can't wait to sit alone in my car and belt out the tunes in my own way. ha ha!

I highly recommend this movie, especially if you are fan of those powerful soulful solos of Christina's, that amazing snarkiness of Stanley Tucci and his eyebrows, and of the ever fantastic Cher. It will not disappoint. (and if it does, don't tell me because I don't want this bubble to pop).

Tesla Update...Whoaaaaa-ooooh---ohh, I'm halfway there...

20 weeks, my, my, my where has the time flown by?? Seriously? Insanity. Today, I had a doctor appointment and I forgot that this is the one with the big sonogram. Last month, when we did a quick look, the sonographer noticed a bit of a calcification around the heart. She assured me to not worry about it and that in most cases it would have disappeared at 30 weeks. At 18 weeks along, that sure did seem like a lifetime away. Of course, being who I am, I started to obsess a bit too much until I reached out for some prayers. Fast forward two weeks and no trace of any calcification build up whatsoever. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts!!!

On with the update already woman, we don't have all day. Ok, ok, ok...sheesh. You guys are about as patient as Mari is when we tell her we're giving her mac and cheese for dinner and she turns into a mini Veruca Salt. Whoa!

Stats:
2 arms, 2 legs, 5 fingers on the left hand, couldn't make sense of the right one (it was tucked under her head), 2 ears, a healthy brain, stomach, kidneys, 4 chambers in the very healthy heart, long feet and legs, and very expressive hands just like her sister. She weighs about 14 ozs (eeek!) and I feel her from the top of my belly to the lowest part of my abdomen. She was moving, but slowly, patiently and really laid back...just like her daddy. :) She yawned, just like she has the other times. Ahhh..such a hard life in there!  When she was bored, she curled into me and started to suck on her thumb. Adorable. Can you tell that I've fallen in love all over again? As for me, I'm nearing the 200lb mark (omg, really?!?!), but my BP is holding strong at 108/68.

Thank you again for the prayers and well wishes! Only two more monthly visits, then I drink the sugar drink and then visits are upped to twice a month. Insanity!

The Fight...Recap

On Saturday, Don and I headed out to our first ever boxing match. I was very, very excited about it. I don't normally like fighting of any sort, so to say I was a tad bit apprehensive was an understatement. But something about the pomp and circumstance surrounding it had me intrigued. I have always had a fondness of watching fights on TV, so this was going to be an event. Leading up to it, I had done a slight bit of research on the two boxers and much to the dismay of my fellow Mexican-Americans, I was rooting for Pacquiao. I'm a big fan of scrappy. Those of you, like me, who have never heard of him, I will give you a brief recap. He's small. He's like 5'6 (which makes me think he's that height on a good day). He's a congressman. He's a devout Catholic. He was in the military. Even more impressive is that he's won 10 world titles in 8 weight classes!!! That's insane! To be fair, I'll link Margarito too. Honestly, I remember watching him box in his earlier years. I didn't recognize him with the ornate clothes and the fancy haircut/facial hair. Don was actually a fan of his pointy beard. I thought it was neat too. If they were having a contest in style, I fully believe that Margarito would have won. I say this because he came looking like he was ready to walk the catwalk or do a promo shoot, not actually fight!

First off, here is where I give a shout out to my friend who so generously gave us the tickets. She was probably more than aware that Don and I needed a date night and this was just the thing! Prior to this, neither one of us would have willingly sought out to purchase tickets to a fight. This was definitely something new and exciting and Don and I like to have adventures! The above photo is taken from our seats. They were really amazing indeed!

There were 3 fights on the undercard (not sure if that's how you say properly or not). The first one was meh. It had me fired up and ready for the fight. Although, only one guy actually had an entrance. The next fight was not very exciting at all. I actually took a short break to buy some coffee and grab a beer for Don. The final fight before was very invigorating. The winner, Mike Jones, was the only American on the ticket. He walked into a very spiritual slow song that kinda killed the hyped up entrance to his opponent. Both of these guys were bigger in size than the previous ones. During the breaks between the rounds, the ring gals would prance around holding the digital sign. One of them would dance. One of them looked like she could barely walk. The other did a sashay-dance thing. Unfortunately, the attention was taken from them when they would cut into the dressing rooms of the players of the main event. Our section seemed to be flooded with Margarito fans and Mexican flags. There was a sprinkle of Pacquiao lovers.

Before the main event started, the lights went dark and the announcer introduced Nelly! I had no idea that we were going to be treated to a mini concert. For the record, I took the above photo. It is actually a picture of the ginormous television screen at Jerry world. Isn't that some amazing quality? He sang two songs: Country Grammar and Just a Dream. I have to say, that he has some of the best teeth I've ever seen! What a totally random thing to say, but it is true. I know they have to be capped because at one point he had a solid gold grill. I digress, back to the fight...

This is the beginning of the fight after the fighters have made their respective entrances. If you look on the screen above the ring, you can see Michael Buffer, the professional announcer. They both had strong entrances. They were both cordial. I was a little bothered that Margarito hesitated to touch gloves with Pacquaio on the first round, but didn't mind doing so during subsequent rounds. Before the start of each round, Pacquaio did the sign of the cross and pressed on.

The fight went all 12 rounds and wow. That Margarito took a beating, but I admired his courage and moxie. He would NOT give up, despite having a fractured orbital bone. Yeeesh! To read a better recap of the actual fight, I would suggest you go here (read it from the bottom to the top).

For those of you interested, I wore a long black maternity skirt and a lace tank top with lots of jewelry. It was chilly out that day, so I had on a long sweater as well as a scarf and my coat. I wore my red Toms because I knew that we would probably have to walk a ways. I had my fancy black satin shoes in hand to change into once inside the stadium. When we pulled up, I must note that we paid the premium price for parking, which was $50. Yes, that's a lot of money to pay for parking, but here's the deal. We didn't pay for the tickets. My sister watched Mari for us, so we didn't have to pay for a babysitter. Even with buying drinks (coffee & beer), we had an amazing date for not nearly what it would have cost us. Considering where we were sitting, if you added the cost of the tickets, the babysitter, parking, and beverages, you are looking at total value from $500 to $750! I was feeling like we were living large, let me tell you. Any reason to dress up and look like some pretty arm candy for my husband is a wonderful night! Despite the jeans shopping experience from earlier in the week, I was feeling gorgeous and glam. Thank you Xochitl! You have no idea how much that night meant to us.

Music Review: Norah Jones...Featuring

I know you all have been on pins and needles awaiting my review of the new Norah Jones album, especially since I first mentioned it here. I've been listening to the album for the better part of a week. I've listened to it in the car. I have listened to it while cooking. I have listened to it on my headphones while working. I have even listened to it while blogging!

First up, there are some very classic Norah Jones sounding mixes. There are some newer types of songs that she has experimented with and that was quite a refreshing surprise! It is released on November 16th and to order your copy through Amazon, click here.

Overall, I enjoyed this album. I completely and totally enjoyed all parts of it. There are so many different sounding songs and this made me appreciate all of the different collaborations that much more. Some songs sounded better in a different environment, but overall, it is a good and easy listen! I broke down what I thought of each song below:

Love Me is a familiar song, one in which she has sang with the Little Willies. Virginia Moon didn't grab me immediately. But then I shut my eyes and pretended I was seaside enjoying dinner with my husband and well, I swore I could feel the tender summer breeze on my face. Turn Them with Sean Bones didn't immediately jump out at me. Honestly, the song passed so quickly, I often missed it. Baby It's Cold Outside with Willie Nelson was by far my biggest disappointment. It isn't a bad song, but I really do enjoy this song. Surprising, I really enjoyed the Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell duet in Elf. This didn't pack quite the same punch as that version.


Bull Rider with Sasha Dobson is a fun tune that had me tapping my foot along to the beat. I love how she fully pulls the notes out of BuuuuulllRiiiiderrrrr. That's like melted butta! Ruler of My Heart sounds like a familiar Norah Jones song with the back up of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The Best Part is an ethereal sounding melody that is so sensual, so tantalizing, I feel a bit naughty after hearing it.

Then we have my favorite bunch of the album. Why a bunch? Well, because the next three songs fit so perfectly, so wonderfully, that I thoroughly dug on all three of these songs on their own. First up is one of my favorites, Take Off Your Cool with Outkast. It is so cool, so sassy, so very much Outkast. I dug it and had it on repeat for a bit there. Followed by Life is Better with Q-Tip, is a funky, groove sound that had me bobbing my head. Then Soon the New Day with Talib Kweli, was another smoothly funky sound. It was like warm caramel for my soul.

Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John with Bell & Sebastian brings it down and takes it all a bit slow. This is the perfect song to listen to when traveling down a country road on a rainy day. Very chill.
Here We Go Again with Ray Charles has me missing ol' Ray. His voice is so comforting. And then, hers coupled with him. Wow, that's just some good stuff. Loretta with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings makes me think of an older country song when it was more harmonious and it told a story. It took me back to the songs my dad liked. Dear John with Ryan Adams stabs me in the heart. The melancholy tune, the sadness in the voices, wow...so powerful.

Followed by the upbeat and cheery Creepin' In with Dolly Parton is just what you need after the emotional drain. Court & Spark with Herbie Hancock is a largely instrumental piece that showcases her piano talents.More than This with Charlie Hunter is another breathy song with the typical sounding Norah, where she carries the notes with a smoothness that is all her own. Blue Bayou with M. Ward is a familiar M. Ward song. This isn't a bad thing. I like M. Ward. I found myself wanting to hear more of his voice instead of hers, but I still enjoyed it, just not as much as some of the others. I would have preferred to end the album on a different tune.

At a glance, while skimming over all of the collaborators, you will immediately notice that there is definitely something for everyone. I would recommend this album, especially if you are a Norah Jones fan! If you want to have a listen to some samples for yourself, check out the Amazon Music Sampler. But if you are sold and want your own copy, click here to order on Amazon. I don't think you will be disappointed. :)

*I was selected by one2one network to review the new Norah Jones album. I did not receive any compensation, other than a copy of the CD to write up the review. Thank you One2One.