Sasha's First Birthday

I originally started this blog a little less than a year ago when I found myself bored of playing games on my iPhone, or bored of Facebook, or bored of Pinterest, while nursing my then newborn, Sasha Camille. Alas, a year has gone by and here I am, ready to post her First Birthday Bash photos. Even after one year, I still cannot believe that we have a little girl. Well, after having three boys and deciding that we were done (we honestly felt we weren't lucky enough to have a little girl), we were shocked when we found out I was pregnant and even MORE shocked when the doctor said in the delivery room, "Congratulations! You have a baby GIRL!". Seriously?! Seriously! Who is THAT lucky?! Well, we were. We ARE! This first year has been an amazing journey. Not only for myself, but for four boys that are probably almost as excited about Sasha as I am.

I don't know if any of you know me very well but, I have a particular personality. I've never quite figured out what I'm good at, well, because I kind of like everything! I was a brainiac in High School but only did 1/2 of a semester right out of High School. I then worked for J. Crew, Pottery Barn, and then Armani Exchange. I did visuals, stock, and management. Anyway, I've always liked decorating, life styling. So planning birthday parties came easily for me when it came time for the boys' parties. I was even planning five months in advance! But, when it came time for Sasha's party, my one little girl's party, I was BLANK. No ideas. Nothing. Absolutely nothing came to mind. I asked for suggestions on Facebook and nothing caught my attention. I searched and scoured Pinterest, and still nothing. One month away from her party and I finally set my foot down and decided on colors! Everything else just kind of fell into place.

There's no real theme here. And maybe if there was, it'd be a Mexican Shabby Chic party.

We had Chile Verde, Barbacoa, Frijoles A La Charra, Potato Salad, and Mexican Rice.  All homemade by my amazing mom, Aurora, except for the Potato Salad.  

That was me.  

This cazo belonged to Apa, my materal grandfather.  It was one of several that he owned and cooked with.  It is made of copper.

My little girl fell asleep while eating her lunch!

 Her bedroom is blue.

That's how convinced we were going to have another boy!

Cousin Sophia Tovar

Brother #3 Vitaly Lane

Great Grandma Betty Lane, me, and Sasha, 

right after I woke her from her nap.  

Probably not the best timing for this once in a lifetime picture!

Pan Dulce: Concha and Tortuga, Polvorones, 

Galletas con azucar y canela.

My sister Myra made the small conchas.  

And of course we had cupcakes.

Me and my Sasha.

Transformers Bounce House.  

It was mainly for her three older brothers!

Swim Time! This is my niece Aliyah Tovar.

Cousins Dominic and Anna

 Lucas Tovar and biggest brother Ethan Lane (left to right)

Digital Photo Hoarder?

Now that we all have digital cameras, we never print our pictures. Why? Because we'd have thousands to sort through! I've had a few people ask me what I do with my digital images or how I organize them. Here is my answer.

I began when Sasha was born. I decided that I would make a photo book of the highlighted moments of the season. So, a book for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I use the online company Shutterfly. The site is user friendly and they have so much more to offer. The main reason I chose Shutterfly is because they send coupons for free stuff! Hence, my 20 page hardcover photo book that only cost me $8 and some change! So, my advice, sign up for their emails and just wait for a promo code. In the meanwhile, I have a mac so I can "flag" my pictures that I'll be using, choose your photos for your book. Allow 2-3 days of working on it here and there if you have kids!

Enjoy!
Sarah

Click here to view this photo book larger

Visit Shutterfly.com to create your own personalized photobook.

Last Day of School Treat

It's the last day of the school year for Ethan, 2nd grade, and Enzo, Pre-School. We were very fortunate to have had great teachers for them. I also thought that the friendships they made during the year are some that will last throughout High School! This is off the subject but I just heard Enzo shout from his room, "Mommy, Vitaly ate a dead fly!!!!". I think I'll just ignore that. He needs protein in his diet anyway, just teasing. So, I started making Enzo's treats yesterday and made Ethan's at 7:00 am this morning!! Talk about procrastination! I was actually very pleased with them and decided I should share so, here goes.

Enzo's Pre-K Class Treats

Tools:
Baby Food Jars (I used the small meat jars for the kids and larger ones for the teacher)
Spray Paint
Newspaper
Ribbon, Raffia, Twine, whatever you have on hand
Attachment (optional)
Candy of some sort (I used m&ms since I don't like sticky candies)

I measured about 1/4 cup candy for the small jars. I made a paper funnel for Enzo so that there wouldn't be any spills. He used the 1/3 cup scoop to pour.

I sprayed two extra lids since a little guy, who shall remain nameless, decided to check on them while they were alllmost dry! Enzo wanted a candy apple red and they looked great!

I added a little good-bye rhyme that I found online, tied it to the bow and done!

See you later, Alligator!
After a while, Crocodile!
Gotta go, Buffalo!
See you soon, Raccoon!
Be sweet, Parakeet!
Take care, Polar Bear!
In a shake, Garter Snake!
Hit the road, Happy Toad!
Can’t stay, Blue Jay!
Bye-bye, Butterfly!
Give a hug, Ladybug!
Toodle-loo, Kangaroo!
Time to scoot, Little Newt!
‘Till then, Penguin!
Adios, Hippos!
Hasta Mañana, Iguana!
Give a kiss, Goldfish!
Get in line, Porcupine!
Out the door, Dinosaur!
On the bus, Octopus!
To your house, Little Mouse!
Our school year now ends.
So good-bye, my Dear Friends!

Until Kindergarten!
Your friend, Enzo Lane

Ethan's Class Treats!

I almost forgot to include Ethan's 2nd grade class treats. I figured, with his personality and grade, this was a little more appropriate! These were super easy to make. I used round flat cards from Paper Source (my go-to paper place). Ethan pasted the printout (which helped out SO much but I had to look away because of my ODCness!). I used a hot glue gun to affix the smarties and voila! I saw the idea on Pinterest but never found where the idea originated from. Super easy, super fast!

Well, hello there! Long time no write.

Well, hello there. I know, I know. It's been about six weeks, I know! So much has happened now let's see here... my sister Myra and her husband Chris welcomed a second little boy, Levi Daniel on Jan. 13th, my niece Sophia turned two one month later, Nick turned 33 a few weeks ago, I became addicted to eBay, we had great dinners with friends, my other sister, brrrrrp... What?! Addicted to eBay?!

It is true my friends. eBay. Ahh eBay. I wasn't looking for trouble. It just happened. I would be sitting in my chair with Sasha (doing her business) and I was just so tired of all the same games, over and over and over and over. Words with Friends. Hanging with Friends. Pinterest. Family Feud. And I'm even sorry to say, Tetris. I was just so tired of them and I needed something different. Something new. Something exciting! But mostly something new. So I did it. I opened my eBay app and started to browse.

At this point, my brain had acclimated to the fact that we now have a girl and only four months after her birth I began thinking about bows and her wearing them. I checked Etsy.com and found some really cute baby ones and when I was going to "checkout" I about laid an egg! I thought to myself, "I could totally make it myself and she'd have a better variety!"

So now let's rewind a little. I knew I wanted to make her own bows but didn't have anything to make them with so... BAM! eBay. I bought this and that and this and that. After all, it was only $.99 and free shipping, BAM! I won't say what all I bought but... I have a good supply now!

So, my time nowadays has been filled with bow making. Big over the top to ittty bitty baby ones. I also decided that I would start selling them on Etsy once I can get the pictures right. It's fun for me as I am learning something new.

As for this blog... I promise to do a better job of sticking to it. And as I'm finishing writing this, I just got outbid on some ribbon that I really wanted but now it's out of my price range. *sigh* oh well! Next!

Food: The Forgotten Legume

Who doesn't like a hearty soup in the winter? I mean, they make you feel warm and snuggly. I grew up on beans and rice, yes, I'm Mexican, but I never really ate any other kind of bean besides pinto (oh and Ranch Style Beans in a can and I'm not really sure what kind of beans those are...hmmm). The first time I was introduced to this forgotten legume was when Ethan (who is now 7) was beginning to eat food that was more complex and with more texture when he was about 9 months oldish. Who is the mystery legume, bean, whatever you want to call it? It's the lentil. Yes, the lentil.

You may have heard about them in the Bible (My Dad always makes the same comment about how the birthright was traded for a bowl of lentil soup by Jacob and Esau e-ver-y time he has it, I love it.) but really, that's about it. When do you ever see a lentil recipe featured in a magazine or on a commercial during Super Bowl Sunday. Let's face it, legumes have been out for who knows how long but you know what? Who cares?! They are amazingly good for you, hearty, and delicious (not to mention CHEAP!). This soup is made with linguica but can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the meat steps. Follow me along this food journey that will, like I said earlier, make you feel warm and snuggly.


Little Lentil Stew

Total Time: 45 min
Serves: 6 with some leftovers for lunch

Ingredients
evoo
1 head of garlic, peeled
6 oz. Portuguese Linguica, chopped (You can also use Mexican and follow the same instructions)
1 medium onion, diced (I used purple, yellow would go nicely also)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (I had red skinned gold in my pantry so that's what I used. If you have a potato that you can leave the skin on, by all means do so, I did.)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 head of celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 lb lentils, rinsed
6 c chicken stock
1 t ground cumin
water

I highly recommend purchasing a Dutch Oven in at least a 5qt size. They are versatile and user friendly. You can roast, satué, fry, braise, pan fry... endless possibilities. The one I used here is a round 5.5qt Le Creuset. Pour about 2T of evoo in a large dutch oven or stock pot and sauté the peeled cloves until they have turned a little golden brown, remember to keep everything shiny. Add the linguica to the garlic and sauté until the linguica is cooked and aromatic. It's ok to have the bottom of the pan "colored" with bits. Those will add to the flavor later.



Once you are happy with the linguica, remove from the pot (leaving the garlic in) and add the chopped onion. Cook and medium to high heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Those flavors will make it WOW!



Once the bottom is cleaned up, add the remainder of the veggies along with the lentils. Sorry, onion guy shouldn't be in this picture. He should be long gone!



Add your stock and fill the remainder with water until everything is covered. Mine came out to be about 9 cups of fluid. Add 1 t ground cumin and stir until everything is well mixed. I didn't add salt since the broth alone is salty enough for me



Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and bring the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes but remember to mix about every 5 minutes or so (I did 20 and like to check it from then on).



Once the potatoes are easily pierced and the lentils are not tough, the stew is done. Mix in your cooked Linguica. You can remove the garlic cloves or serve them to your garlic loving spouse. Hahaha <--- bad garlic breath! jk Yummy!!!