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 ...
Cuban-American Life
I hope you enjoy my posts about my crazy and wonderful Cuban-American life.
My sweet lort
My Cuban cousins first met Eric about five years ago. They loved him immediately and, of course, gave him a nickname. (I think it's some sort of ancient mandate originally written into our constitution that all Cubans should have a nickname, but that's not important right now.) When they learned he was of English ancestry, that did it. ...
All funned out.
Oh yes, I did. I had that beautiful pastelito refugiado (that I picked up yesterday at Porto's , she said proudly). For breakfast! With a hot cup of coffee. In front of that delicious crackling fire. And I sat. And didn't speak. And just decadently read my book. And when the kids woke up they joined me. With their books. And there we sat. ...
Stuff I only do when I have out-of-town guests and then remember how much cool stuff there is to do around here.
Okay, so I could be thinking of really cool stuff I can blog about, except for I have other responsibilities this week. There's nothing like having out-of-town guests who want to see everything they possibly can in the few days they're here. So, I'm obviously not blogging,I'm being the quintessential Tour Guide. "Prima ...
I’ve been busy.
You're probably wondering where I've been the past few days. I've . . . Traveled from Balboa Island to The Fun Zone on a ferry with my cousins.Left footprints in the sand of beautiful Laguna Beach.Visited the World's Largest Thermometer in Baker, CA. (Gateway to Death Valley - what a great touristic selling point!)Posed for a picture in the ...
It starts. . .
I have creative kids and I'm always proud to share their exploits. This particular film was made by Amy, but the song was written and performed by Adam. It was the highlight of our family reunion. I've told you before about our big, fat family reunion which I held here in my home in 2002. It was in that post that I explained about what ...
What would you take?
Adam sent this to me yesterday via his phone with the message: "3 blocks away." I recognized the intersection immediately. My friend, Kristen lives at the end of that street and yes, they had to evacuate their home and are safe and staying with friends. (Thank you, God!) The story is the same all around us. My nieces in San ...
Learning to say “I love you”
It's funny how our roles have reversed. I worry about making her meals and making sure she eats. I help her dress.I take her places. Yesterday we spent hours at Armstrong's Nursery. (I think I inherited my love for gardening from her.) We walk and examine every beautiful bloom. We are admiring the pictures of the bulbs and deciding together ...
Because I live in a Parallel Universe (in which ninety is the new fifty)
I often get asked these two questions: "Do you still have family in Cuba?" and "Have you ever been back?"The answers are yes and no. In August of 2002 we hosted a family reunion here in Mission Viejo. Three of my mom's four siblings were able to come - two of them traveling from Cuba and one from Miami. There ...
Portrait of a tortured artist
My life is busy in the best possible way. It is busy with people and projects. Some of the busyness is imposed from the outside, but every now and then I go on a creative bender and my life gets crazy-busy. (are there support groups for this??) I homeschool my two kids and I cook and I scrapbook and I blog and I design and I just ...
