Please join me...:: Por favor unan se a mi...

In prayer, if you can, at 8:30 pacific time (11:30 eastern time). Little L will undergo surgery at that time. I will be praying for her, her family and the Doctor's performing the surgery.
:: Para rezar por la pequeña L, a las 8:30 pacifico (11:30 este). Ha esta hora comenzara su sirugia del cerebro. Estare resando por ell, su familia y los doctores qye la van a operar.
Thank you:: Gracias

*Prayers*

Today was a very sad day. Late last night, I found out that my best friend's two year old little girl has some sort of mass growth in the base of her brain. My friend had called me weeks before and mentioned how her little girl had not been feeling well. She had headaches and would vomit and not want to eat. We figured it was a virus and as the days went by and this continued to happen off and on we began to worry, but both of us (and all her family for that matter) kept looking at all possibilities with fear to truly imagine the unimaginable. I know this is hard for my friend. I wish I was there to hug her, kiss her and just...be there. Times like this is when distance becomes such a burden (We are on completely opposite sides of the country). Yet how can I let her know that my heart, mind and prayers are with her and her family? Words aren't enough at times, especially times like this.

Through out the day little L (my friends daughter) was going have several tests done, including and MRI. I am waiting to find out what the results are. I pray and pray that all will be well. No matter what, she will have to undergo surgery to remove the mass growth.

Please friends, family and loyal readers pray for little L, my friend and her family. I believe that prayer can move mountains and the more of us pray the louder it will be. God has to hear that, right?

Comadre, amiga, I am with you.

Torrejas

Torrejas is a Mexican dessert type dish served usually around time of Lent. It is a bread similar to French Toast, dipped in a sweet piloncillo sauce.

After reading Maya's post on piloncillo I realized I didn't use any piloncillo in cooking yet it was something always present in my mom's kitchen while I was growing up. So I called my mami and asked her for some traditional recipes that used piloncillo as and ingredient. And then she mentioned Torrejas. No lo podia creer (I couldn't believe) I had forgotten all about Torrejas! So I decided I needed to make me some and out the door I went ready to buy some piloncillo.

That night we had Torrejas for dinner. I know not a very healthy dinner, but I was just too excited to wait for another day. My little nenes left their plates empty! It was nice to have them clear their plates without a struggle. Ha. M,m,m, se me esta haciendo agua la boca (my mouth is watering) just looking at the photos. I need to make more! This time as a dessert. De verdad (really).

The following is my mom's Torreja Recipe:

Nota: (si les gustaria leer la receta en Espanol, diganme y se las tradusco con mucho gusto).

Syrup
2 to 3 piloncillos
2 cinnamon sticks (you can find them in the same area you find piloncillo. I find it to be a lot cheaper if I buy the Mexican Cinnamon's sticks [or any Latin kind], then the ones in the supermarket spice section).
2 to 3 whole cloves
pinch of salt

Torrejas
Several Mexican bolillo rolls (or if you are in an area (like me) where there is no place to find some Mexican bolillo you can use a large French bread loaf)
2 eggs
oil to fry (I used vegetable oil)

For the syrup you need to boil about two cups of water in a large pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and continue to boil until the water turns a nice brown see-through color. Add 1 more cup of very cold water. Return to a boil. Add two or three whole cloves. Continue to boil and add another cup of very cold water. When it boils again, then add 2 to 3 piloncillos (this really depends how sweet you want it. I used only two and it was very sweet). Continue to boil until they dissolve completely. Y listo (ready).

For the Torrejas you will need to separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Beat the egg whites with a hand beater until spongy and firm. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat until they are mixed well. Cut the bolillos (or loaf of bread) into slices of about two inches thick. Dip each slice in the egg mixture and then on to a very hot pan. Cook completely and turn over. Pat the cooked pieces with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Serve syrup in a soup bowl add the torrejas and a disfrustar! (enjoy). Ah yes, you will need a spoon. Yum.

No mami, mi Easter, no!...

I was surprised when little R said it as I put away the Easter decorations. It is the first year he notices and cares. It made me sad to put them away. I explained to him that we would bring them all back out next year and the year after and the year after that. That didn't make him feel any better. Mami was putting away his Easter. Me rompio el corazon (he broke my heart).


This was one of my best Easters ever by far. Full of smiles, full of kisses and full of Egg Hunts! Yes you heard right. Three to be exact. A and R loved every one of them. It is so different to view the holidays through your little ones eyes. There is so much joy and wonder.


We started off the Easter weekend at my local moms club Easter Egg Hunt. This was great practice for baby A. At first it was too cute to see her trying to bend and get the eggs in her pink tin can. By the last day she had it down! Que orgulloza estoy de ti mi nena (I am so proud of you, mi nena).



Then we headed out to NC to visit with Aunty N. It was a perfect clear spring weekend. Everything was in bloom and it made for great pictures.


Saturday we attended another Egg Hunt and then on Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful Easter Service at Duke Chapel. It is the second time I visit Duke University. A lovely place and a perfect place to take pictures of flowers, trees, old buildings, you name it. I wish we would have had more time to visit their gardens. But we had so much fun eating our lunch at a cool outdoor swing/gazebo type of picnic table. I know, it sounds crazy and odd and it sure is hard to describe. I should have taken pictures of it. Next time I visit.


And after lunch little R decided to run around the nearby outdoor stage. A followed and then cousin G. They were having so much fun, we stayed there for quite a while taking pictures of them playing...


...and A trying to imitate everything her big brother does. Here she is walking on the edge of some stairway (with the help of grandpa). I love those sweet chubby piernitas (legs).


I even remembered to take a picture of me. Or my feet. See my toenails? The plan was to get them polished. Never had the time. That is the story of my mami life. Get the little ones all cute and ready and then you are out the door, camera on hand, taking a picture of your feet and realize. Hijole! I forgot my toenails. Nimodo.

Photo taken by my hubby

But who cares about pretty polished toe nails when you can get besos (kisses) like this everyday all day! Yo no (not me).

Ah it was a lovely Easter indeed.

Bizzar Bazaar

I had a wonderful time this past weekend at our local Bizzar Bazaar. It is HUGE craft sale at the race center which takes place twice a year (and I make sure to go to both). You can find anything and everything hand made. From soaps to hand carved wood furniture. You name it, you find it.
:: Este fin de semana me la pase de maravilla de compras en el gran Bizzar Bazaar. Es un show grandisimo donde venden de todo a todo echo a mano. Puedes encontrar desde jabones a muebles de madera grabados a mano.

I love walking through the multi colored isles filled with treasures for me to discover. Which by the way, I planned to take photos of, but so it happened that it was also little R's first trip to Grandpa's farm. Yes, his first all boys trip (more on that later). Anyway, hubby took the camera to take tons of pics of him. Now that was hard! Being away from my sweet boy (for two whole days) and being away from my camera. But the sacrifice was worth it. He loved it! And I am very contenta (happy) for that. I'll make sure to take picture of the next Bizzare Bazaar in the fall.
:: Me encanta caminar por las hileras coloridas y llenas de tesoros para encontrar. Les cuento que mi plan era tomar muchas fotos den el evento, pero dio la casualidad que este fin de semana también fue la primera vez que le tocaba a mi pequeño R ir (con papi y abuelo) a conoser y quedarse a dormin en la granja de abuelo (luego les cuento mas). Pero bueno, mi marido me pidio la camara prestada, y como se lo hiba a negar si mi nene saldria en todas las fotos. Les cuento que esto fues super dificil para mi. El pasar dos dias enteros (y una noche) sin mi pegostito y a la ves estar lejos de mi camara. Que sacrificio!

Are this things cute or what? Ooooh, do I love going to the Bizzar Bazaar. I can always find so many wonderful handmade things for me, my house, friends and la familia (family), and in this case for little A. I saw the dress and I had to get it. Won't it look adorable by itself or over some nice worn jeans? Claro que si! (Ofcourse!)
:: Apoco no estan lindas estas cosas? Hijole, come me gusta ir al Bizzar Bazaar. Siempre encuentro tantas cosas tan lindas echas a mano ya sea para mi, mi casa, mis amigos, mi familia y en este caso para mi linda A. En cuanto vi el vestidito sabia que lo tenia que comprar. No creen que se vera lindisimo ya sea solito o arriba de unos pantalositos de mesclilla? Claro que si!

An the bows, lots and lots of bows. Hum. Now that I look at the photos I realize I coordinated. Ha. Not intentional at all, se los prometo (I promise).
:: Y los moños, cuantos moños. Je, je. Ahora que me pongo a ver las fotos mas detalladamente, noto que he cordinado todo. No fue intencional, enserio.

And my favorite part of the ensemble (because it can be worn as such) are the shoes. Are they adorable or what? I want some for me!
:: Y mi parte favorita del ensamble (pues le puedo poner todo esto junto) son los zapatos rojos. A poco no estan padres? Yo quiero un par para mi!

By the way the vintage suitcase was also a great find. I got it at a consignment store the weekend before for a great price! I can't wait to discover all the uses for it. For starters it will be filled with muchisima (tons) of dress up clothe.
:: Por sierto la maleta la encontre ase dos semanas en una segunda a muy, pero muy buen precio. Me encantan las maletas antiguas. Ya imagino para todas las cosas que la puedo usar. Pare comenzar, estara llena de los disfraces de mis nenes.

Are there any local craft shows you like to go to? Share with me, I would love to hear of other great shows around the US or around the world.
:: Cuentame si tienes algun lugar favorito donde te gusta comprar o vender cosas echas a mano.

I can say "Hola!"

I have been a member of my local mom's club for about two years now. And though I love it and all the mamis involved, there really aren't any mamis that are Latinas (Well, maybe one more mami other than myself). Despite the fact, I always (or at least 99% of the time) speak Spanish to my kids. Many mamis where interested in knowing I was raising my kids bilingual and many then began to mention they would love for their kids to learn an second language. In particular one mami who is married to a Latino, but he does not speak any Spanish to his girls. I gave a lot of thought to this and came up with I can say "Hola!" A class where the little ones can learn Spanish words through music, story time and crafts. I shared with the only other mami Latina in the group the idea and she loved it. Then I introduced it to the president and she agreed. I am happy to say we are on our third month of I can say "Hola!" and the turn out has been amazing. At first we had a handful of mamis and kids and this month we have a full house (literaly!). I am very excited. In fact I need to start getting my house ready and rearranging furniture to fit everyone tomorrow. I also need to finish working on the lesson plan. Ha.
:: Ya tengo mas de dos años como miembro de el grupo de mamas local. Es un grupo que me fascina y las mamis que toman parte también. Des afortunadamente no hay (mas que yo y otra mama) mamas latinas. A pesar de esto, yo les hablo a mis nenes Español todo el tiempo (o por lo menos un 99%). A muchas mamas les intereso el que yo estuviera enseñándole a mis niños ambos idiomas y muchas me comentaron que les gustaría que sus niños también hablaran otro idioma. Pensé en estos comentarios y fue cuando tuve la idea de crear I can say "Hola!" Una clase donde los niños pueden aprender palabras en español por medio de música, baile, lectura, y manualidades. Le conté de mi idea a la única otra mama latina en el grupo y le gusto. Después le presente la idea a la presidenta del grupo y estuvo de acuerdo. Estoy contenta de anunciar que estamos en el tercer mes de I can say "Hola!". Al principio teníamos pocos mamis e hijos, pero este mes tenemos casa llena (literalmente). Estoy super emocionada. Hijole, tengo que irme a limpiar la casa y acomodar muebles para que todos quepan. También a terminar la lección se ha dicho! Jajaja.

For now I will share with you more pictures I've taken of spring sprouting around us. How I love spring and how I hate allergies!
:: Por lo tanto las dejo con mas fotos que he tomado de la primavera. Como me gusta la primavera, pero como odio las alergias!

SpanglishBaby Giveaway

Just letting you know that at SpanglishBaby they are having a great Victoria Secret giveaway. Stop by and check out their site. If you are a mami interested in raising your kids bilingual this is the perfect site for you. I recently ran into it and love it. There are some great resources you can find and use.
:: Solo les quiero comentar que pasen a visitar SpanglishBaby. Muy buen site biligue. Si eres una mami como yo, interesada en que tus hijos crescan biligue este es el sitio para visitar. Tienen muy buenos recursos que puedes encontrar y usar.

Muffins Anyone? :: Bollitos?

The other day I found my self in my kitchen thinking of what I could make for breakfast that was tasty yet healthy and easy. Now let me explain, I l-o-v-e making breakfast. You know, the all out kind of breakfast you get at places like Denny's or Craker Barrel. But lately, little R has gotten so picky about what he wants and doesn't want to eat, that its making it near impossible for me to make a nice big hearty breakfast. And I am not the type of mami that will cook different things for everyone. Hijole no! You either eat what I make or you don't. And well, lately he doesn't. He is already to skinny for me to let this happen. So I had to give in (even if a little) and I made muffins for breakfast. Healthy ones that is. I just used the recipe on the Malt-O-Meal box and added a little extras. They came out yummy! And the best part, little R ate them all! So far little A eats everything I give her, so obviously she ate all of hers as well.
:: El otro dia me encontre en medio de mi cocina pensndo en que podia hacer para desayunar que fuera facil, rapido y nutritivo. Dejenme les esplico: A mi me gusta hacer desayunos grandes. Como esos de los que sirven en los restaurantes Denny's o Craker Barrel. Pero ultimamente mi pequeno R se me ha vuelto muy especial en lo que quiere y no quiere comer, que se ma hace casi imposible cosinar un desayuno grand y nutritivo. Y yo no soy el timpo de mami que le cocina a cada uno de la casa algo especial para comer. Hijole no! O se comen lo que hago o no coman. Y pues ultimamente mi pequeno R, decide no comer. Y como el nene ya esta bastante flaquito esto me preocupa. Por lo cual el otro dia me tuve que dar por vencida (aunque sea poquito) y les cocine bollitos. Nutritivos, claro. Simplemente use la receta de la caja de Malt-O-Meal y le anadi unas cuantas cositas mias. Salieron deliciosos! Y la mejor parte es que mi pequeno R se los comio toditos. Con mi linda A no tengo problemas, ella se come lo que le de. Y claro, se comio todo su bolllito.




Recipe for Malt-O-Meal Maggic Muffins

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Malt-O-Meal (or any hot wheat cereal), dry
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 egg
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
I also added 1/2 tsp of lemon extract
and I also mixed in some finely ground flax seed (about 1/4 of a tsp)


:: Receta para los Bollitos Magicos de Malt-O-Meal

1 1/4 taza de harina
3/4 de taza de Malt-O-Meal (o cualquier cereal de trigo), seco
1/2 taza de azucar
3/4 taza de leche
1/4 de taza de aceite vegetal (yo use aceite de olivo)
1 huevo
1 cucharada de espauda (levadura en polvo)
1 cucharadita de sal
1 cucharadita de vainilla
yo tambien le anadi 1/2 cucharadita de gotitas de limon
Y tambien le anadi semillas de lino bien molidas (como 1/4 de cucharadita)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir together until all ingredients are moisten (include the lemon extract and flax seeds). Pour batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pans, filling cups 3/4 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.
Makes about 12 muffins.
:: Calienta el horno a 400 grados F. En un recipiente grande, combina todos los ingredientes. Mesclar hasta que todos los ingredientes queden mojados ( a qui tambien incluye las gotitas de limon y semillas de lino). Echa la masa en el recipiente para hacer bollitos, llenandolos 3/4. Hornear de 18 a 20 minutos o hasta que el centro se sienta firme al tocarlo.
Hace como 12 bollitos.

Enjoy with some jam, fresh fruit and a nice cup of warm tea!
:: Disfruta con mermelada, fruta fresca y una taza de te calientito!