I have a love/hate relationship with the digital age we live in.
I kind of hate that unless your phone is turned completely off anyone can find you at any time. For the record, I never, ever turn my phone off. Not while I have kids out in the world, which is most all the time, but that's not important right now.
But I love when friends send me photos and we can share exactly what we're doing at any given time. It's the modern-day "thinking of you" greeting card.
In December, Lucy and I made vats and vats of Cuban eggnog, or Creme de Vie. I packaged it in the best, most beautiful bottles I could find and made custom tags to attach to them.
We delivered the local ones and I sent them out to friends that don't live in our immediate area code, too.
In this modern age, the "thank you" usually comes electronically (and I'm absolutely fine with that) and many times the gratitude comes with a photo.
Like this one, with the note that read:
"Thank you for the yummy treat and the beautiful bottle too! xoxo"
That's my dear friend, Desi Arnaz Jr. (be still my foolish heart!) sipping some of my famous Creme de Vie. *sigh*
Our kitchen cabinets are now in the process of being painted and it's taking a few days. So now that I've got my shiny and beautiful new appliances installed, I am still unable to cook and the mess is starting to get to me. I have lost my mojo and am feeling out of sorts creatively.
I haven't even had the energy to bust out my real camera, so the following photos are ones I've taken to with just my iPhone to document our lives this past week.
So here's our life according to my iPhone photos...
(I'm kind of enjoying the toaster, butter dish, and honey vignette, but that's not important right now.)
My dining area is full of everything that was in these cabinets. This is what I was greeted with as I came down the stairs this morning:
We managed to get a meal on the table in our cramped little kitchen the other night and that made me happy.
And we even managed a date night in our front yard.
The very big and bright one is the moon, the other object seen below it is Venus. We also located Jupiter and used the high power lens to see 4 of the moons. (I know. Nerdy McGoober.)
And because I'm Cuban and I feel guilty if I'm not giving you something...
My friend Pam turned me on to the coolest free camera app for the iPhone. It's called Orange Camera and has a bizzillion fun effects.
Get it. Use it. Love it.
I'll be taking a break for a few days to try and find my mojo again.
I mean my creative-flow-type "moe-joe." My other, Cuban "mo-ho" is somewhere in one of those boxes.
My big, fat, Cuban family consists of pretty much the same people year after year. Except for the occasional birth, marriage, or divorce, I'm still related to the same people.
It's still just "us." (Sometimes "us" can get to upwards of 40 people, but that's not important right now.)
We Cubans have our BIG Christmas celebration on December the 24th. Nochebuena. (Which translates to "Good Night.")
For as long as I can remember and many generations before me, my family, like most other Cuban families, look forward to roast pork and black beans and white rice and yuca con mojo and fried plantains on December 24th.
Every year, on December 24th, we celebrate our Nochebuena with that grand-there's-nothing-like-it Cuban feast.
Every year, on December 24th, we get together as one big family and exchange gifts.
Every year, on December 24th, we stay up late and drink Crema de Vie and enjoy the Christmas festivities.
Every year. On December 24th. For as long as I can remember. The date has always been the same. The menu has never varied. Neither has the guest list.
And yet......
I always make invitations. Which I send to the same people I've been related to all my life. Who have been celebrating Nochebuena on December the 24th for their entire lives, too. And who all know we'll be getting together for our annual Nochebuena Celebration on December 24th.
Chances are, we've even already discussed where the party is going to be held, too. (This year we're going to my sister, Alina's house.)
And yet.....
I send out invitations. Every year.
Nochebuena, 2006:
Nochebuena, 2007:
Nochebuena, 2009:
Nochebuena, 2010:
And now.....(drum roll, please)......
Nochebuena, 2011:
I'm quite proud of this year's invitations. Aren't they just beautiful? I'm so into the whole "subway art" thing right now. I created them in Photoshop CS5 and uploaded the file to my local Kinko's (excuse me, FedEx Kinkos) so they could print it on coated cardstock.
I'm seriously so very pleased. =D
I just mailed these out to all of my big, fat, Cuban family. Who live just a few miles from me. With whom I've been celebrating Nochebuena for all of my life. On December 24th.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein
Honestly, I know it's a little insane. But it's Cuban Christmas Insanity.
My dad and most of the Verdés side of the family grew up playing multiple instruments. He loved, loved, loved any kind of music, but was an afficionado of classical and played both the piano and the cello.
As much as I love my salsa music, oldies, and classic rock, I love listening to classical when I'm working on an art project. I think it soothes the nerves and helps me relax enough to tap into my right-brain creative self.
The LA Phil advertises this family-friendly series as one that makes symphonic music come alive for kids.
From the LA Phil website:
When the young Felix Mendelssohn sets out on his first adventure to Scotland, his beloved sister Fanny is heartbroken that she has to stay home. Fanny breathlessly awaits Felix's letters, which sometimes include lines of new music. And through his music -- inspired by crumbling castles, lively bagpipes, violent ocean waves, and the enchanted Fingal's Cave -- Fanny is transported to her brother's side. If we really listen, we get to go to these mystical lands, too.
The ultimate family event, combining fun and fantasy, makes the LA Phil part of your child’s wonderful world. Led by the LA Phil’s Dudamel Conducting Fellows and directed by theater artists, this series of captivating orchestral concerts will give your children (ages 5-11) the opportunity to create memories they’ll never forget.
My "youths" are 15 and 18, but they were completely delighted (as I was) with the entire program.
Before the concert there were art, dance, craft, and storytelling workshops.
But our hands-down (hands-on?) favorite was the Instrument Petting Zoo where the kids were encouraged to touch and play (Hey! That works on two levels!) with the musical instruments.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall is that crazy, space-age, jaw-droppingly-beautiful building in Downtown Los Angeles.
It would be worth a trip to LA just to experience the magic and majesty of the place.
But the music. Ah, the music...
My kids were definitely the two oldest at this event, but they're both musicians so they were able to appreciate the beauty of it all. They were captivated by the program, by the hall, and of course, by the Instrument Petting Zoo. ;-)
Could this boy look any happier?
Mendelssohn's Mystical Landscapes will be performed again this coming Saturday, November 12th, 2011. Click here for details and tickets.
We are already making plans to return for other events at the hall - Hello, Handel's Messiah Sing-along (!) Extra coolness points - the concerts are awesomely affordable for families.
And the exposure to such beautiful music in such an amazing setting definitely impacted us personally.
Jonathan:"Mom, I might need to get a violin."
See what I mean?
{A special thank you to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil, the Toyota Symphonies for Youth, and alPunto Advertising for the wonderful musical memories.}
"Van a ir al tri-co-tri?" She's asking if the kids are going out and Trick or Treating.
El Tri-co-tri. You have to say it phonetically, TREE-COH-TREE. It's what Trick or Treat sounds like with a Cuban accent. The "El" is just to make it grammatically correct.
El Tri-co-tri. Noun. (Or verb?) The act of dressing up and begging for candy from your neighbors. (Must be a verb.)
No, I sigh. I think they're too old for El Tri-co-tri.
But I love the decorations and I love a good party. And one of them suggested a Nightmare Before Christmas Theme and then it kind of took on a life of its own.
I was in charge of food and decorations, because that's what I do best, but that's not important right now.
I decided to do it all in Tim-Burtony-inspired black and white.
I created the Nightmare Before Christmas silouettes as Photoshop Brushes and pasted them onto paper plates. I think they look very cool if you don't get too close.
I went to a local thrift store and grabbed some black picture frames which made me happy because I was feeling lazier than usual and didn't feel like painting them. (I know. Shut up.)
Then I made the Halloween Subway Art in Photoshop and just printed it out to fit the 8 x 10 frame.
And I messed with a photo of our black cat, Bastet. I really like the look in her eyes.
I painted some pumpkins with black acrylic paint, because again, I was too lazy to carve them. (Don't judge me.)
And voila! Insta-Halloween decorations! *takes bow*
Here's Jonathan explaining what they decided to do instead of El Tri-co-tri.
It makes me happy to see them all dressed up and having fun.
Sally and Jack Skellington:
Amy Kikita as a Golden Goddess. Here she is in her Divine Form:
The Mayor and the Corpse Bride:
Edward Scissorhands (pretty awesome, no?):
Lock, Shock, and Barrel:
Victoria (the live bride from the Corpse Bride):
Here they all are in all their black and white glory:
So, a good time was had by all, and even if they didn't get to go do "El Tri-co-tri..."
They did get to enjoy some fabulous Cuban food. ;-)
I've homeschooled my kids for years now. Ever since Lucy and Jonathan were both in elementary school.
Last semester they both went to the Cooler-Than-Thou Local Art School. But the days there were way too long for people who were used to having lots of time to do their own creative stuff and they both independently decided they wanted to come home again. (This, of course, made me deliriously happy, but that's not important right now.)
And so they did. Lucy came back to finish her senior year and Jonathan his freshman year. They came back so much more appreciative of what an alternative home education has provided them. Both of them plunged back in to their new (old) environment with lots of energy. Lucy especially.
Yesterday was graduation.
Commencement is already such an emotionally charged event. The graduates are excited. The parents are nostalgic. And for one brief and shining moment, your teenager can do no wrong. ;-)
Lucy was chosen to give one of the two speeches at graduation. She chose to do it in a "spoken word poetry" style (of course, she did). She didn't leave a dry eye in the house.
Please enjoy, "Exact change."
As she spoke I quietly wept in the dark auditorium. I had done my job well and this moment was my reward.
In this moment, Eric and I knew that our homeschooling "experiment" was a resounding success.
God speed, my girl.
Congratulations to all of the members of the Pacific Coast High School Class of 2011. You did it!
Here's the full transcript of Lucy's speech:
Change. Exact change.
Stepped onto the bus for the first time, handling the weighty stack of quarters my mother had given me the day before. The bus driver smiled not because I was new but because I was welcome. Light blue carpeted floor and walls that slid back and forth to create new rooms. It was smaller than I had expected but more spacious than any bus I had entered before. A subterranean hum of conversation played tag with the necessary silence.
Wide-eyed and comfortable as long as my lips remained pressed together, I spotted the older passengers, the ones who had been there for ages already, fidgeting because their stop was fast approaching. Absent-minded and exhausted, they offered me their charmingly sarcastic advice, ready to move on to their next adventure. My small hands were tempted to draw faces in the chill of the windows but I restrained myself because I felt too new.
I sat myself next to the girl who wrote poetry on her hands and drew pictures of dinosaurs on her guitar like the dozens who found their freedom and their passion as soon as they took their seats. She pulled me aside by the arm introduced me to Santa Claus, who wore a blue-buttoned shirt and ironed trousers. The tour guide described the economy of the English language while encouraging respect and responsibility, familiarity and friendship, patience... and enthusiasm. I once sat next to a boy whose hair was far too long and I played games with the actors. To them, everyday was Shakespeare and the evenings were his sonnets; our world was a small stage and all of us were merely players, constantly ad-libbing our lines. I paid appropriate wonder to the ones smarter than myself and nudged the quiet ones out of their corners, asking them who they were and why they chose this curious mode of transportation.
Three times on our journey we stopped, each time was as long and memorable as seventeen sand-coated summers. I admit we had our favorites, like the restaurant surrounded by palm trees which served only burgers or the two patriotic cafés. Different drivers took their turns and the familiar faces left the bus, quickly replaced by the wide-eyed expressions I once wore.
The hot days leaked through the glass and stained our clothing with the heat, inciting frustration and self-doubt. But even amid the gray sunrises when our breathing was visible and painful, we still took photographs and danced as we changed seats. The drivers who had chosen to take cars instead were struggling with maps, distractions, backseat drivers, and meetings they were always late for. The same destination; just a different way of getting there. Accused of becoming lonely, the term “socialization” was thrown at the windows often.
By the time I knew everyone as well as they’d allow me, we were sitting near the front of the bus. We knew where we were headed and which stop was ours. The new visitors shuffled towards the back, warily observing the rest of our eccentric, chatty, absurdly lovable and thoroughly modern family. When our drivers questioned us about the trip, we wrote on colored post-it notes and decorated the windows. We had learned how to be honest with ourselves and we learned how to ask for help with our baggage.
As we finally step off the bus, in tasseled caps and ill-fitting robes, we may stumble over to the ones who have been there our entire lives. We are able to raise our heads, look them straight in the eyes and thank them. Even though we’re older and a bit worn, almost too exhausted for expressions, we manage to turn and smile at the bus drivers as they each offer a large wave goodbye. On a Wednesday afternoon, in the year 2011, we’ll remember that these drivers got us where we needed to be when we needed to be there which happened to be every Friday before 3 o’clock. But I implore you to recall that the ones standing outside paid for our fare and were always waiting for us to get home safely at the end of the day. After some tearful goodbyes and hugs that aren’t tight enough, you will board your next bus, heading towards somewhere only God knows. And wherever you may be going, please remember that you got to be where you are today because of change. Exact change.
We left Cuba when I was so very young that I barely remember my grandmothers. I think my dad's parents had already passed away by the time I was born. And I have just the few mental snapshots that a five year old can retain of my mom's mother.
Here's a beautiful old photo of her, my maternal grandmother, Osmunda Perez-Puelles when she was pregnant with my Tio Fernando. (Incidentally, Tio Fernando will be turning 100 in Miami next week.)
The only abuela I have ever known is this woman in this 100 year old photograph.
My mom says that maybe that's why I have always loved old people. And it's true. I am very aware of the richness of life that most older people have to impart to us "youngsters." That attracts me tremendously.
I hope to be that wise old woman myself to my (as yet, unborn) grandchildren someday.
It's from this perspective of not really ever having had a grandmother in my life that I worked on this beautiful project for Tiki Tiki Blog.
It's a fabulous collection of stories by seven women who fondly remember their grandmothers and share their reminiscences.
Tiki Tiki readers submitted photos of their grandmothers and I am extremely proud to say that I designed this cover and created this E-book, Celebrating Abuela. (I know. Shut up. Get the sandpaper...)
Of course, I also added the photo of my mom, Luza (left-hand side of cover), because she is the Quintescential Cuban Grandmother.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you from me and my big, fat, Cuban family and from my good friend, Carrie at Tiki Tiki Blog. She's completely genius when it comes to collecting and editing these wonderful stories. (My job is just to make it all look pretty, but that's not important right now.)
And to those of you who still have her with you, celebrate your abuela.
I can't remember when this started, but as long as I remember we have been making invitations for our Nochebuena Celebration on December the 24th.
It's always the same people (with a few added guests). They all know when and where the party is because we have been discussing it for weeks. And, Duh! We do this every, single year. But still, the invitation must be sent out.
And of course, because I can't just go to the store and buy a cute invitation, because that would be way too easy. I always end up playing a game of "One Up" with myself. As in "What did I do last year?" (This is last year's invitation.) I have to go "One Up" from that and take it to the next level. (Please don't ask about the logic of this. There obviously is none.)
So, here's this year's NocheBuena invitation. (drum roll please.....)
It's a long tag. The gift-giving directions are on the back and there's a snowflake attached. (I am just feeling the snowflake love this year, but that's not important right now.) It's got a red velvet ribbon, making it suitable for hanging on the nearest Christmas tree.
If you decide to come, just please remember to RSVP. We will be happy to move some furniture around, set an extra place and make room just for you. =D
Do you send invitations? Phone calls? Emails? Texts? Tell me.
Just in case you were curious, here are our invitations from 2006, and 2007.
And because I'm still in the giving mood, there are some cute Spanglish Gift Tags I created that are FREE for you to download over at the Tiki Tiki.
[Creative Notes: The tag itself is from Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals and it's called Remembering December. The scrolling typeface is called Mutlu Ornamentaland the smaller curly print is appropriately called Santa's Sleigh. Both are from dafont.com. I inked the edges of the tag to give it some character.]
It will go down in family history as The Year We Hauled the Red Chair Down to the Park.
Here's how the whole thing went down:
Eric and I went on a pre-Thanksgiving cruise (on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which I still have to write about, but that's not important right now). That very same (pre-Thanksgiving) weekend, my son, Adam and his girl, Stephanie came down from Redding.
Eric and I got home on Tuesday night. Adam and Steph were taking Lucy and Jon back to Redding with them on Wednesday. And they were driving so they had to leave relatively early in the day. Amy Kikita had to work but she didn't start until 11. And so, exhausted and bleary eyed, all of us managed to get ourselves out of bed because I wanted my Christmas Card Photo Shoot, please.
Our next door neighbor, Raphael (the amazing pro photographer) agreed to get up and shoot us. (That works on multiple levels...)
And because I didn't want us just sitting there being all "Hey, look-at-us-with-our-just-for-the-photo-shoot-Christmas-card-faces on," I insisted he attempt to get the Real Darbys.
Which is why we were NOT wearing coordinated outfits. We don't coordinate in real life, so no coordinated dressing for the photo shoot.
I had Adam and Jonathan haul one of our red leather chairs down to the park. That was quite fun for the neighbors. (Actually, I think they're used to the UDB* - *Unusual Darby Behavior.)
Adam got into it right away. Big red leather chair in the middle of the park? Let them talk.
Here are my men. I love this.
Then me with my girls. (My eyes were more swollen shut than usual, but whatever...)
Then Rafe did a few of the kids.
How cute are they? And then....the silliness began.
We couldn't help ourselves. It was too tempting.
We were having a blast, but none of them sang out and said "Christmas Card is me!"
Until we hauled the big red chair out into the middle of the street. That's when we really dominated the neighborhood. These were pretty much the favorites. I liked the element of surprise it adds.
But we finally all agreed on one that represented us best.
Even with Jon melted, we felt like this was ....US!
Your thoughts? Do you have a favorite? Tell me.
Also, if you click over to TikiTiki, you'll see this same card on another post, we have a wonderful offer over there. One lucky Tiki Tiki reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Snapfish.com. It's a pretty sweet deal! Go now!
