LaBlast

Gabi is now 3 months old! Where has the time gone? 3 months! It's time for me to workout! I've been pretty lazy, for the last few months. You know, I was "cooking a baby" there for 9 months. All of which, I was so incredibly sick! I didn't realize that "Morning Sickness," would last 9 months!

Then I had Gabi. And I was pretty much restricted, because my Abuelita said so, for 6 weeks. 6 weeks! I can't give you a reason, why I've been pretty lazy, for the last 8 weeks. I mean, I take Gabi on walks. But that is usually when it's halfway warm. This year, we're having a pretty cool winter. And I don't want our Munequita to get sick. And well, the nearest store/mall is a little ways away.

So I started talking to our Commadre about this. Then I talked to my doctor. So I was completely cleared of everything. Which means that I can start working out again! Which is a good thing! I've worked out pretty regularly, since I met our Commadre. She's totally encouraged me to stay healthy. Even when we toured, I worked out. I had DVDs. At the least, I walked. So I'm going to kick this off, with a daily 1 mile walk. And these DVDs.

LaBlast looks like fun! Something different. Interesting. Come on, it's dancing! So this should be so much fun! I'm really looking forward to it. And my friends are really into it too! Jels and I are going to start walking together. She walks all the time, with Baby Jels. Sals and I have agreed to meet up a couple of times a week. Maybe to do LaBlast together. And of course, my Commadre and I, are planning some hikes. Maybe, when I've been at this for a while, I'll go with her to the gym. But I'm going to have to train for a while. She's in great shape!

Honestly, I'm really excited about all of this! I'm looking forward to daylight savings. That way Gabe can join Gabi and I. I think nightly walks, will be good for all of us. Maybe, we'll even add Marianna into the mix. I just want our lifestyle to be healthy. To teach our Munequita, it's good to take care of ourselves. Yes, I'm ready, and excited for this!

Love Her Makeup...and Her Style!

By now, I'm sure that we all know, I like to watch Pretty Little Liars. Part of the reason I like to watch, is I really enjoy Aria's style. Her makeup and clothes. I know, this character is supposed to be 15 years younger than me! But I really like her edgy style, with classic makeup.

Let's just be honest here, I look nothing like Lucy Hale! Other than, we're both brunettes. That's were our similarities begin, and end. Lucy is 9 years younger than me! Has a complexion more like, La Chiquitita. But I can dream. Right?

There is just something about Lucy's style. Both on Pretty Little Liars. And in real life. When I saw this picture, it made me want to recreate this look. Maybe Manders can help me. This would be a nice look, for a Valentine's Day date. I'm just saying. :)

So Sweet!

Every once in a while, I get online, and just search. I usually have some sort of idea of what I'm looking for, but I usually get lost on the internet for a while. That's what happened last night. I was searching for something interesting. Cute. To sum it up, I was looking for something cute, for Gabi.

What exactly I was looking for, I don't know. I can't even remember what words I typed into Google. Just that I came across this, on flickr. And I'm instantly in love!

I wonder if this set is for sale? It just makes me think of Gabi! And Valentine's Day. Wouldn't this be cute? The colors, sort of remind me of chocolate covered strawberries. Just a little tone down. If Valentine's Day wasn't 2 weeks away, and if I knew 100% that this was for sale, I'd definitely buy it! The perfect Valentine's Day gift, for our sweet Munequita. Maybe I should ask our Commadre, about making something similar. :)

Have You Heard...

Everywhere I look, I'm hearing about the show GCB. And honestly, I'm getting excited! Kristin Chenoweth is going to be in it. That alone makes me think, that this show should be great! I miss Pushing Daisies. Kristin was amazing in that! But GCB looks to be a great addition to ABC. It looks hilarious!



Absolutely hilarious! Since ABC has cancelled Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives, I was hoping for another good show. And this looks like the perfect addition to my Sunday nights!

Lucky

Tonight, I just thank God. For many reasons. My family is happy, healthy, and safe. Did you hear about the tornadoes in Alabama? My heart goes out to all those people! I just can't imagine what they are going through. I've been reading Trina's tweets. Just trying to understand what's going on. And let me just say, my heart is breaking for every one of the victims, of the Alabama tornadoes.

Then tonight, our dear friend, called. To see if we could attend a prayer service. A friend of La Chiquitita, has a very sick little girl. She is in heart failure. And only 3 years old! I just can't believe it. Why does this little angel, have to suffer so? It's incredibly sad!

It made me stop and think. I'm lucky. My family is lucky. Yes, I'm saying lucky. We're all healthy. We're happy. Well taken care of. Gabe has a good job. We have food on the table. And a roof over our heads. Did I mention our amazing friends and family? This just makes me so much more grateful to God.

I think we get comfortable in our lives. We take things for granted. We forget, that not everyone is so lucky. I stop tonight, just to think about all these things. All the things that I am so grateful for. Things that I know, matter in life. Gabe and I are so fortunate. In so many ways. And tonight, I'm realizing just how lucky we are. I'm very grateful for God's blessings.

Finally!

After what seemed like forever, I finally got to see The Help. And it didn't disappoint! Have you seen it yet? I may have missed it in the theater, but I got to see it!

We went to Target the other day. We needed to pick up a birthday present. And some essentials. Before I knew it, Gabe and I were stocking up on some movies. The $5 specials. And I spotted The Help. It wasn't on sale. But I couldn't pass it up. I'm so glad that I bought it. I'm going to make a confession here, I've watched it 5 times, in 3 days! It's that good!

Once Upon a Time

I must admit this much, I'm in love with Once Upon a Time. When I first saw the commercials for it, I was just not interested. But I did catch the first episode. And I've been hooked ever since! The holiday break, drove me nuts! I just wanted to see a new episode.



Am I nuts? I hope not. Because this is the first show, in a very long time, that just makes me happy. It reminds me a lot of Grimm's Fairy Tales. A book that I adored as a little girl. Yes, I've always been a big believer in "Happily Ever After." My husband makes me believe it too. He's just amazing! My real life Prince Charming!

End of an Era

Years ago, I started watching Extreme Makeover. I loved it! Loved seeing how people got a well deserved "pick-me-up." You know what I mean? It seemed to give them added energy. Light up their soul. And it really sucked me in. So when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition began, I was sucked in!

Week after week, I watched. Lives were changed. I even nominated 2 people, that I know. So they were never picked, for the show. But the show was so uplifting. Made me smile. And of course, made me cry. The homes were beautifully constructed. The stories were heart warming. It just made my soul smile.

Sadly, the show was cancelled. Last night, the last episode aired. And I was sad. It really made me sad. I'm going to miss this show. Miss Ty's "bigger than life" personality. What a great show. Lately shows are all about partying, self destruction, and chaos. But EM:HE was a feel good show. It changed so many lives. And I will miss it!

Just What We Needed

Days ago, Gabe and I stumbled on Tuesdays with Morrie. On TV. I'd read the book, years ago. But I'd never seen the movie. Let me tell you, it was really good! Very emotional. Touched my heart. In fact, it got me interested in the book again.

On a recent trip to Wal-Mart, we watched as a worker, literally threw crates of movies, into a huge bin. Tons of the them. Then slapped on a $5 tag. If you haven't guessed it by now, Gabe and I are big movie fans. And bargain shoppers! This little run in, made me want to just die, and go to heaven!

We picked through the movies. Finding some good stuff. A couple for Marianna and her sisters. 2 for David Jr. A couple for our Commadre. Who also shares our movie passion. And then, we found this one...

Our Commadre happens to be a big reader. And she just happens to read Mitch Albom's books. Which she got me hooked on too! While we were living in Florida, she sent me a copy of The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Gabe was working. I made my lunch, grabbed my book, and headed outside. I sat by the pool, and read the entire book! It was really good!

This movie was a must! Gabe and I finally watched it Thursday night. So good! Now Gabe wants to read the book. Which, I have to say, is a miracle. He's not a big reader. But this movie really intrigued him. I just can't wait to give our Commadre this movie. I know she's going to enjoy it!

Between, I just realized that I need to read For One More Day, and Have a Little Faith.  I need to plan a trip to the bookstore. :) And watch 2 more movies! When will Oprah air this again? How about this Lifetime movie?

Hot Chocolate...Yum!

It's been ridiculously cold lately. Around here, that's not common. Actually, it's very unusual. That's lead to me and Gabi spending lots of time, snuggled in our bed. Trying to stay warm. Yes, there are lots of warm blankets involved. But all I can think about, is a cup of hot chocolate. With lots of chocolate sprinkles!

I was telling Gabe about it. Last night, after Gabi's night feeding, Gabe went to put her down. Yes, she's sleeping in her crib. And no, we aren't bad parents. :) He seemed to be gone for a long time. But when Gabe walked into our bedroom, I was all smiles! He had the perfect cup of hot chocolate. With whipped cream. And lots of chocolate sprinkles! Yes, I married "Prince Charmin'" himself!

My Take...on One of My Favorites

When I was little, my abuelita would always make pumpkin  bread. For Thanksgiving. It's so yummy! Weeks before Gabi was born, it's all I could think of. But I didn't want to bother my abuelita. So I set out, to search the internet. And I found this recipe.

Let me tell you, it was delicious! Not as good as my abuelita's bread, but pretty darn close. Yum! Did I mention that it makes 2 loaves? I'm almost 100% positive that I ate 1 and 3/4 loaves. Shhhh! We won't tell anyone. It was that good. So here's the recipe!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

How to:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

While my abuelita was out here visiting,she did a little baking. And I got 4 loaves of her bread. Just for me! I was over the moon with excitement! Then I told her about this recipe. She tried it out. And really liked it. But this time, she wrote down her recipe. Yay! Now we'll have plenty of pumpkin bread. My favorite fall treat!

Some Much Needed Sparkle

I'm officially past due. 8 days! And I'm quite miserable. I barely fit into my maternity clothes. I haven't seen my feet in months. Months people! We've been trying everything, to get our Munequita to come. Nothing is working. Let's just say, I needed a little "pick me up."

La Chiquitita is always wearing the best accessories. Something fun. Interesting. Things that I don't usually see. I asked her the other day, where she shops. And she told me about Charming Charlie. It's Accessory Heaven! Now I know, why all the girlies like to go shopping with their Tia Bonita! Best shopping ever!

Yesterday, I met my friend, during her lunch break, at Heaven on Earth. Any mujeres' shopping Heaven! No lie! Charming Charlie, we are going to be besties. No lie! I'm so glad we met today. :)

I'm positive that I mentioned, this, I don't fit into any of my clothes. Not really. And our baby girl, doesn't seem like she is ready to come. At most, I should only be pregnant 1 more week. They'll induce next Friday, if I don't go into labor. This means, I need a few outfits. If our Munequita doesn't come in the next few days, Gabe is going to teach, at the Conference this week. I'll need to at least meet our friends for dinner. I desperately needed something, to make me feel better.

That's when Charming Charlie surprised me! I went in. Wobbling. Exhausted. And was surprised! While my friend has control, she only left with 3 pairs of earrings, I had absolutely none! I left with almost $200 worth of stuff. Overdue or not, earrings, bracelets, and purses always fit! Oh, and I get to wear all of this, long after our precious little girl is born.

Yes, this Momma-to-Be, needed a "pick-me-up." La Chiquitita knows exactly how to make you feel better. I'm so grateful for my dear friend. Lunch, laughter, and shopping. That's what our afternoon was made of. It was exactly what I needed. Hopefully our Munequita was bitten by the "Shopping Bug," and is motivated to meet her Mommy and Daddy!

Thinking of Christmas

Gabe and  I started talking the other night. We figured that we better get moving. On our Christmas shopping. Because, I don't see the 2 of us, doing much shopping, after our Munequita comes. We made a list. And tried to decide on some gifts. I ordered some stuff online, last night. And I set out shopping today.

For the kids, I just knew, that I needed to go shopping. To an actual store. I ventured out. Wobbled actually. Half hoping, that I'd prompt our little girl to come. That didn't work, but I got some shopping done. Look at what I found for Marianna!

You see, our Goddaughter just loves animals. Jungle animals. It's something that Mariella and her enjoy. Together. Their room, is slowly turning into one cute, jungle inspired room. When I saw this, I knew it was a winner!

When Gabe got home tonight, he immediately wanted to play with it too! And he was quick to tell me, we still have 2 months to wait! Can we do it? Or will we give in. Just so we can play with Marianna and her little ark...

I Think I'm 15 Again

I swear to you, that I'm 15 years old again. Playing with makeup, writing Love Notes to Gabe, shopping like there's no tomorrow, and watching shows for teens. Yes, watching shows for teens. Like Pretty Little Liars. Oh, this show, just hits all the right spots!

I heard about it from Cari and this mujer. That was late last Spring. When it came out on DVD, I bought the 1st season. And when I wasn't dying from morning sickness, I was watching this! When I was done, I bought the books. Started watching season 2. You can say it...I'm hooked!

Last night, was the last episode...until January! What am I supposed to do until then? Besides the obvious...have our little princesa! Why do networks do this? Get you hooked, then make you wait months, for the next episode. So frustrating!

If you haven't yet watched it, you should. It's online. At least season 2. Like I said, season 1 is on DVD. The books are good. Not as good as the show, but a nice way to pass time. Now for me to start counting the days...until January 2nd...

The Help

My good friend, has been talking about The Help for a while now. Since I'm on partial bedrest, I asked Gabe to pick me up a few books. He came home with 10! That I've been reading. Then I remembered this one. Immediately, I put down my other book. Which, by the way, I can't find anywhere! I started reading. And I had The Help, read in about 3 days!

It's that good! Now I want to see the movie. When does it come out? I've been out of the loop, of all these things, for a while now. But I just have to see this movie. It has to be amazing! I just know it does. The book was incredible. Definitely something you should try!

If Only...

I can't possibly be, the only one, that thinks this way. That $75 is a little steep, for a piece of jewelry, that isn't gold, silver, etc. A handmade piece...yes. But a little steep in price. Something that I really like. I really want. That's this bracelet...

Something deep inside, wants me to contact this Etsy seller. To see if she can make me one. I don't exactly know what it is, but I really do love this bracelet. It's simple. But elegant. I can imagine it, being one of those pieces of jewelry, that I wear every day. I just need to get past that price tag!

New Blog...and Names

OK. So I've been trying to survive all this morning sickness. And well, it's not going so well. That has lead me, to look for something that makes me happy. Or at least smile. During the day. While Gabe is gone working. And I'm home, just trying to survive. That's when I found this blog. For the last few days, I've been reading this blog.

This particular post, made me smile. It's so Gabe and I! We've been talking about baby names. Our list, is already almost 100 names long! Almost hourly, our name choice changes. 2 days ago, we had a name picked out. Almost set in stone. Ready so start buying our Munequita some cute things. Then, almost instantly, we hated the name.

We've got 4 months of this to go. I can imagine, Gabe and I doing just this. Picking a name. And in the last few days, completely changing our minds. Oh goodness! But really, go read this blog.It's a good one! Maybe I'll learn a few things from Brie. Who happens to be further along this "Mommyhood Road."

Zoe. Peas. Zoe.

One of the reasons, that Gabe and I, were so excited about moving home, was to spend more time with Marianna. We try to spend as much time with our Goddaughter as possible. Being that we pretty much missed, her first 11 months.

It's been great to spend time with Marianna. I'm sure that Sals is often relieved when we show up. Taking one of her ninitos off her hands, even for a few hours, must make things a little easier for her. I still don't know how she does it with 5!

To be honest though, having Marianna, is helping Gabe and I. Not only do we enjoy spending time with her. Teaching her new things. Enjoying her company. We are getting some much needed practice! Yes we are!

Recently, I realized, that she is slightly obsessed with Sesame Street. And I know what you're thinking. What kid isn't? I'm pretty sure, that Maribel has a little something to do with that. She is in love with Abby Cadabby! And guess who Marianna's favorite character is? Zoe!!!

Not the cutest little thing. But she is a hoot to watch! Zoe is all about dancing. I've never seen her without that tutu on. Whenever Marianna comes over, we have to watch Sesame Street, in the morning. Both in English and Spanish. You just have to watch Zoe in her "Zoemobile." With Rocco, her pet rock!

We may have bought Marianna Zoe's Dance Moves. For her birthday. 2 copies. One for her house, one for ours. And generally, it's what we watch, when she wakes up from her nap. Yes, Marianna is all about Zoe! And it's so fun to watch her! I can imagine, when she is big enough, that she is going to want to be a "Lerina," just like Maribel!

One of our favorite places to visit is this website. Marianna will go to our computer, and point. Telling me, "Zoe. Peas. Zoe." She just lights up, when we go to this website! Especially, this page. Let's just say, Gabe and I are stocking up, on things from this page. Oh ya!

Maybe Gabe and I are becoming fans too! That wouldn't be such a bad thing. I think our little one, will probably have their favorite character too! I wonder which one. Until then, maybe we can convince Sals and David to have a Sesame Street themed 2nd birthday party for the twins. Wouldn't that be fun?

Most Precious Gift!

When I was a young girl, my favorite book was Grimm's Fairy Tales. I read it, and read it, and read it some more! I've always been a big fan of fairy tales. Of "Happily Ever After."

When we told our dear friend, that we were expecting our first baby, she was over the moon! Just like I had expected. What happened next, I didn't expect. Not at all! She came over with this book...

And told us, that it didn't matter, if we had a boy or a girl. That she was just praying for a healthy baby. For us. And this book, would be perfect for our baby! I'd have to agree 100%. It also doesn't hurt, that our friend is a big reader. Something is telling me, our baby is going to be blessed with many books! I just can't imagine a more perfect gift.

Shopping for Ninitos

It's almost Marianna's 1st birthday! Our goddaughter. Let's just say, we're so excited! Yesterday, Gabe and I went shopping. And let's just say, we had way too much fun, for adults, shopping for kids' toys.

I've recently noticed Marianna, playing a lot with Baby Jels' mailbox. Hmm, where did this mujer buy it? I don't know. I should have asked her. Instead, Gabe and I went on a hunt. And well...we found it...

I'm going to say it, I think we totally overpaid...$35! But that's because we couldn't find it anywhere. And ended up at a toy store. In hindsight, I should have looked online first. But we found it. And had a fun time, playing with all the toys!

Don't tell anyone, Gabe and I are just overgrown kids. Ya, I know. We're in our 30s, but honestly, we sometimes act, like we're 5 again. :) I'm pretty sure, Marianna is going to love her little mailbox. Oh, and we were also on the hunt for something cute. You know, for David Jr. What do you think...

With 4 older sisters, well, we figured that David Jr. could use something "manly." A tool set just screamed "Boy" to me. This is way too cute! We couldn't pass it up. So much so, Gabe bought 2! We're planning ahead here. What do you think? I can't wait to start shopping for our own little one!