One by one, each family arrives. Some juggling diaper bags and babies, others carrying pies or cases of drinks.Of course, they don't knock. There is no need. They are my family which means this is their home. "Mi casa es su casa" and all that. The people who are already here let out a big "Yay!" and ...
Celebrate
I'm Cuban. I throw lots of parties. You shouldn't be surprised.
We are fa-mi-ly . . .
I am the youngest of six. We are five daughters. FIVE. CUBAN. WOMEN. With five strong and sometimes (many times) opposing opinions. Which is totally fitting for Cuban women. I have a brother who lives in Texas (I sometimes wonder if he didn't move so far away because he got a little tired of living with so many Cuban women, but ...
The Dating Game or The Kevin Bacon Game (Date Edition) or . . . WHATEVER! Let’s just PLAY!!
I am making some Bacon-Wrapped Date Appetizers over at Babalú today (which got me thinking about other stuff in that really random A.D.D. way of mine, but that's not important right now). And I have a ton of other things going on in my life AND I'm also preparing to host My Big Fat Cuban Family here for Thanksgiving next week. So, I could just ...
What to pack for a Guilt Trip
I have to confess I've been feeling guilty.Guilty in that really deliciously tragic Cuban-martyr way. I haven't spent much time with my mom and visiting aunt. (Say it ain't so!!!) Because . . .I've only been shuttling my cousin and her husband All Over Southern California.And homeschooling my kids.And cooking gourmet meals.And running my ...
Giving thanks
When people come into my home I have a very high value for them to feel welcome and relaxed. I want them to feel like they are special and that they "belong" here. I don't know if I always achieve that goal, but I always try. This is one of the ways I show hospitality. I make and send invitations. For ...
Es pa’l jalo uin
It's not about the dressing up and getting candy. Heck, I can do that any day. ;-) It's that now we have put Traditions in place. And they must be respected.First it's the trip to the pumpkin patch to choose the best carving pumpkins and I always make them pose behind the cut-outs. (They were much more willing when they were ...
20 – Gato Fino
Of course I'm superstitious. It's part of my Cuban DNA. I come by it honestly. As a Cuban baby I had the mandatory black azabaché (to ward off the Evil Eye, Envy, Illness, Bad Luck and Violence) pinned to my clothing before I was even able to open my eyes to the world.I still look at my watch and wince a little when we're at ...
Mi casa es su casa
I loved playing house when I was a little girl. I know that's really politically incorrect for little girls now, but I grew up rocking baby dolls and setting my kid-size table. Being a little Cuban girl, I was groomed for homemaking, but really, I am hard-wired that way anyway. When Eric and I got married, we spent our wedding night at the ...
Making a Man
This is a page out of a scrapbook I made for Adam. (the entire album is in the column on the left - titled: Adam's ABC Book) It tells the story of The Splinter. Here's how it goes: Adam played lacrosse in the 8th grade. Lacrosse is like ice hockey but without the ice and much more violent. In other words, a blood sport. =( After his very first ...
Party people
We celebrated Ben's birthday with a pool party yesterday. It was a beautiful day and great fun and I can't believe I forgot my camera. =( But here are a few of the cousins at the "after party." Where was this "after party?" Well ... the girls are sitting at the foot of their grandmother's bed...in the hospital.(everything ...
