I get to attend some pretty amazing events as part of my blog life, but none more anticipated (and shrouded in secrecy) as the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Press Junket. I received the coveted invitation which was pretty much a 'save the date' with no information as to the time and place. Can you imagine? Of course, I responded ...
Cuban Halloween
Styling a Quick and Easy DIY Thanksgiving
I love a beautifully set table. I do. It doesn't have to be fancy or elegant, although it could be. My preference is for fun and welcoming. Here are some examples of Thanksgiving tables that I've done in the past here, here, and here. Today I want to share how I went about styling my Thanksgiving tables last year. So, buckle in and welcome to my ...
Here, have some “Pi”
Do you love fall? I truly do. Although, here in Southern California, Fall is a little schizophrenic. We have very cool and blustery days and then the sun will come out and suddenly it's just a regular beach day. It even rained one day in September. We didn't know how to act, of course. We just don't know how to "do" weather. However, the calendar ...
October 31st.
I've been saying from the beginning of this month that I was too tired to "do" Halloween this year. I insisted that they were getting too old for this. (Notice I didn't say the "I" on that one? I know. Shut up.) Let's just shut off all the lights and sit upstairs in the dark and watch movies and ignore the ...
When the Zombie Apocalypse Happens, Havana Will Be Ready
And now for something completely different.... I don't usually enjoy horror movies. Wait. Let me rephrase. I don't like horror movies. At all. In fact, I hate them. They're usually so... well, horrific. (But I did enjoy An American Werewolf in London back in the day, mostly because of the comedic elements, but I'll deny it if ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Elena’s Story
Marta here: Most Cubans are familiar with Santayana Jewelers. They are a mainstay of the Cuban exile community in Miami. I'm delighted that Elena Santayana has graciously agreed to share her family's stories. Her memories of growing up Santayana are both hilarious and poignant. (Translations to her Cubanisms are marked with a red * and are at the ...
My (Super) Hero
A few months ago, my son, Jonathan (16) breathlessly runs in. "Mom, you've got to see this!" He then proceeds to show me the following movie trailer:Explosions! People in peril! ! MARVEL SUPERHEROES ! ! (Win.Win.WIN!) He knows (because I've told him repeatedly, as I have all four of my kids) that I was a nerdy ...
No “El Tri-co-tri” for you!
My mom calls. "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 ...
Kikita and the Ashes Go To Cuba
(I, Kikita, wrote this post.) If you're Cuban (or any other type of Latino) I'm sure you know about New Year's Eve Traditions. This year I decided that, since I was now 26, I would do things MY way. First, I did all of the classic traditions on Miami time. When it was midnight in Miami (9pm here) I was listening to a Cuban song, ...
Pumpkins. Food. Costumes. Food. Candy. And food.
There are so many things about our Halloween celebration that I love. I love the dressing up and the treats. I love the combination of purple, orange, black, and green (It's all very 60's mod to me, but that's not important right now). I love the cute decorations. (These were from a particularly brilliant last minute pdf. download ...
