Celebrating New Year's - the Cuban way.You have to pay close attention now, because this is a little complicated. In preparation for midnight, you will need: 12 grapes. (One for each month of the year) Champagne or cider. (to wash them down) A bucket of water. (representing anything bad that happened in 2006) And a suitcase. (that's if you're ...
Archives for December 2006
Wise guys
I'm a sucker for smart guys.I always thought my dad was the smartest man I ever knew. And I believe he was...Until I met Eric. This is probably an "over-share," but here's what I find attractive in a man: Is he smart? Is he sensitive? Does he have a good sense of humor? The rest are all negotiables.My husband has these 3 ...
Dance as if EVERYONE is watching…
Besides taking our food very seriously, we Cubans enjoy our music even more. We are big fans of "old school" Cuban music. Particularly Celia Cruz and Beny Moré. My niece, Kelley, got married in May, and Amy (of course) filmed the wedding. Everyone you see in this is related to us somehow. If you've been reading my blog, you're probably ...
Too Much Christmas
We took the kids to a movie tonight. "Night at the Museum" - totally loved it. It seemed so strange to just sit and relax, but we sooo needed it. Because besides producing a short film, shopping and wrapping, shipping, and cooking, and doing a myriad other Cuban Christmas related tasks, we also celebrated with the other side of the ...
Cucufate Pictures Presents . . .
An explanation. My mom was in Miami last year visiting her big brother (she's almost 93 - what are these people made of??). She was helping him clean out closets and things and found an old box full of old 8mm and Super 8 film reels. There was footage of my parents back in 1950. There we were as small children playing in the sand in Varadero ...
My Big, Fat Cuban Family
Noche Buena.There were 32 adults and 6 kids under the age of six at the party. It was LOUD. As only a house full of Cubans can get. We all talk at the same time and try to make ourselves heard. Somehow we manage to keep track of all the conversations, even with all the multiple levels of voices. There was much laughter and chaos. The lovely kind ...
Bionic Women
What would I do without my helpers?Not only was our road trip to Portos a great success, but I got to spend the morning clowning with my girls. They are both so amazing. They have shopped and wrapped and filmed and edited and baked and cooked and put up with me through all of our preparations. All with extraordinary grace and poise. They haven't ...
The Great Race
The countdown has begun. We are out-of-our-skin-excited because.... We're taking a ROAD TRIP to Porto's Bakery in Glendale. woo-hoo! Amy, Lucy and I are braving the busiest freeway system in So Cal for the most amazing papas rellenas, pork tamales, croquetas de jamon, pastel de pollo, and of course, refugiados. And I haven't even mentioned the ...
Violetas on my mind
I am a Cuban woman and I wear expensive perfume most of the time. (BTW, if you didn't know.. the two are synonymous.)I don't feel completely "dressed" without my perfume. Perfume and lipstick. Those are my staples.The other day I read this beautiful post over at Babalublog about memories triggered by familiar smells. Titled: El ...
Dating my kids
Because my kids are homeschooled we really do spend most of our waking hours together. The Payoff? I KNOW THEM. I spend time with each one, for the most part doing something they would like to do. The girls are easy. They are 23 and 13. And we end up doing "chick stuff" together. Plus we have our standing date on Tuesday ...
The most intimate gift
I often get asked what I'd like for Christmas or what my favorite present is. To be honest, the presents that turn out to be my favorites are ones I hadn't even thought about... but someone else did. I'd like to share with you one of the most intimate gifts I've ever received. My husband knows I have a favorite calligraphy artist. His name is ...
Salud!
I don't know anyone who truly likes egg nog.And then they try our Cuban Egg Nog and all perception changes. We call it Creme de Vie. ("creme" rhymes with Auntie M. and "vie" rhymes with More For Me! =D) Rather than making cookies for gifts, we make and "package" the Creme de Vie. (we also keep a whole lot for ...
‘Tis the season
I have nothing thoughtful or clever to say. (I know that's not really news.) But seriously, I am completely just enjoying the season. And I just wanted to share.We have our tree up! I know some of you were worried about this - here's the proof. And the rest of the house is decorated, and my cards have been mailed, and my Cuba to Go! orders ...
Easy does it?
I had no internet connection for the entire day on Thursday. For someone who is so techno-dependent this creates some difficult decisions. I chose to go have coffee with my friend, Kristen. And then I thought, "hey! I can probably get a bunch of other stuff done, too!" Well...that is, I might have been able to get other stuff done, if I ...
Entertaining Angels
We had an unexpected house guest last week. (I know. those of you who have been reading this blog are wondering how we do it. But read on and you'll understand the why.) Meet our fabulous friend, Jonathan Hunter. He was involved in Saddleback Church's Global Aids Summit. But he needed a place to crash, and of course, knowing that we are right ...
