What does a family birthday party in Las Vegas look like? Well, when you're talking about my family, it looks something like this.... (be sure to take notes. =D) My niece, Nicole, organized the dinner for my sister (her mom), Miriam at Caesars Palace. It turns out that on Miriam's Bucket List was an item that read "Celebrate my ...
Archives for August 2009
Pastelito Delivery Service
The temperature has been in the double digits around here. So cooking has been a pretty low priority. If I do cook, it will usually involve the crockpot and rice cooker and me NOT in the kitchen for hours. But last week, I baked! Yes, BAKED. And I'm not just talking about the day I spent too much time in the sun. (That's a story for ...
Wedding vows. Graceland. Elvis. SWEET!
At the end of July, my niece Helen and her husband, Daryl celebrated their ten year wedding anniversary with a renewal of vows. (I know. Awwww....totally sweet, right?) The blushing bride.... Of course, after ten years there are two adorable children in the mix. The lovely Miss Daisy.... And the Grand Poobah of Cuteness himself, Mr. ...
Must Have Cuban Coffee
Kikita wrote this post under the influence of caffeine. You have been warned. Mmmmmm . . . do you smell that? That is the smell of the perfect Café Cubano. One more time, deep breath . . . Yes! Glorious! Everyone grab your "tacita", sit back and enjoy it! What's that? YOU. DON'T. HAVE. ANY. CAFE???? **Kikita se desmayo!! (Kiki ...
From Varadero. With love.
I entered the list of names into Random.org. I hit send and came back with a winner. I was sad because I had twelve entries and only one sign. =( But I loved each and every story. And I suppose I could just make eleven more signs....or I could just name the winner. *sigh* Congratulations to the winner of the Varadero Beach sign, made by me with ...
My Redemption Song
This post was written by Kikita. A few months ago I received an email in my inbox and all it had was a picture attached.This picture: Did I notice "El Gran Combo" (a group that, as a salsera, I have grown to love)? Of course not.I only had eyes for Willy.Immediately, I send Mami an email. There was no question as to whether we were ...
The Writing Sample
NOTE: Lucy is now in the 11th grade. She has been homeschooled for most of her school life. She was asked to provide a writing sample for a class she's petitioning to get into. As someone who stares at blank pages hoping and praying for inspiration to come, I totally enjoyed this. I think you will, too. (She wants to be a published author one ...
Life skills 101
Adam, my 23 year old son, made soup. From scratch. (I know. Shut up.) Here's Adam in the kitchen making soup and Poseidon the Cat, supervising... He made The Best Tomato Soup EVER. That story and of course, the recipe are posted today on Tiki Tiki. (just follow the link above.) It's our first day of (home)school for this school year ...
God is in the details.
When I was a kid in Cuba and lived in Havana, we never spent summers in the city. Never. We would leave the heat and humidity behind and head out for Varadero Beach. Ahh, Varadero. Home of pristine white sand, warm water and some of the best family-summer memories of my life. Varadero is where we "did summer." And we did it well. In ...
Who’s got the power?
How a discussion around the dinner table brought me to an amazing and life-altering realization which turned out to be subsequently good for my self-esteem. =D Hint: It involves a scrumptious Boliche (Cuban Pot Roast) and Superpowers.... Read all about it today on Babalú Blog. Then come back here and answer this question: "If you had a ...
I *heart* the internets!
As if I wasn't busy enough in real life.... I'm also stretched a little thin in my cyberlife. (Is that a word? It should be.) There's a quiz over at the Tiki Tiki I want you to take. Come on, be a sport. Grab a cup of coffee and click on over. (Plus, it makes me look really good if there are lots of comments. Thanks! =D) ...
How to celebrate your Sweet 16th (Cuban Style)
If you're going to celebrate your 16th birthday, Cuban-style. There are things you need to know. First of all, ask your mom to make Arroz con Pollo and then invite a small army of friends. If you play your cards right (and you usually do) she will recruit your big sister into the cooking process and they will cook tons of it, so you will ...
Fiddling on the Roof
The following post was written by Kikita. For Lucy's Happy Sweet 16th Birthday, Mami got tickets for us all to see the stage show “Fiddler on the Roof” on opening night. (Luckily, opening night also happened to be Lucy's birthday, is that so accidentally cool or what?) Anyway, the moment Topol walked out onto the stage the audience ...
Sweet Sixteen
"She looks so much like you." I get this all the time about Lucy. And yes, I guess she has my same round face and squinty smiling eyes. And sure, we have many similarities, but I can clearly see the very distinct person she's becoming... She has her very own sense of style. She is artistic in her own right. And knows what she ...
Monday Blog Hijackery or “I’ve known Marti for longer than I haven’t”
It's Monday. Which means it's time for another Blog Hijackery. (Yay!!) Because you know that I am all about documenting my life, and I have such great friends, I thought this would be a fun way to do both. So Monday Blog Hijackery was born. This one courtesy of my BFF, Pam. Her blog is called It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple ...
