Mt Pocono, Pennsylvania

Last year I visited Pennsylvania for the first time with my older sister and two of our very good friends. As tradition goes, every year for her birthday my sister travels to New York ( and I usually tag along!) This time we planned a weekend trip to Mt Pocono before arriving to New York. Our friend Nando made all the arrangements. We rented a lodge and had a very relaxing time. We went horse back riding, cooked at home,  and we laughed. Did we laugh!

view from our kitchen~hello there

 The Fab Four!

Happy Memories!

can't wait for this year's celebration.

Las hormigas~ The story about a hero

There was once a little girl living in Mexico with her parents and Grandparents. One

summer day the little girl's Mom had to work in the field so she asked the little girl's grandfather if He could keep an eye on her. She was only one year old and very much interested in her surroundings, and how she loved nature and animals. In the blink of an eye, the little girl found herself in the middle of an ant's nest. Several ants were crawling on her legs when her Grandfather rescued her.

He rescued her from being bitten. 

----

That little girl was me. Yes my Grandfather was my hero.

Go Isabelita ! Go pick some pecans for your Mother.

That's what my Grandfather told Beli the last time we visited him in Texas. 

And now.....I close my eyes and I see him. I hear him. The endearment in his voice. How he said my daughter's name. Isabelita. Isabelita venga para aca y saludeme.  Mi Abuelito, He was a great storyteller and loved to tell me about when I was a kid living in Mexico.  And he would always tell me  the ants story. How I was sitting in the middle of an ant's nest when I was one year old, and how he rescued me. It's difficult to write this....

People grieve in different ways. He had a good fight with cancer, he was determined to do all the treatments and go to all his  doctor's visits. You see, we kept the truth about his cancer being terminal, but he knew, he knew all along.  I think he taught us a great lesson. Be strong. He never complained about being in pain. On my last visit I saw  how he wanted to us to know, his whole family ( 10 kids, and 23 grand-kids and 22 great-grand-kids) that he wanted to keep fighting.  He didn't want to give up without a good fight.

Today  January 17 is his birthday. He would have been 79 years old , we remember him with a big smile.

Mi querido Abuelito. 
Siempre me voy acordar de las hormigas.
And your Great-granddaughter will always know what a wonderful,
caring and strong man you were.

The Rose In My Garden

Spirited kids are like roses in the garden.

They need more attention. Throw a little water on the other flowers and they grow. 

Not the rose-it needs special treatment. It has to be pruned and guided in its growth.

If you treat a rose roughly, it will wilt in your hands or stab you, make you bleed.

But there is not another flower like the rose in my garden. Its rich perfume fragrance titillates my senses. Its satin soft petals tickle my fingers. Its blooms are so vibrant they stir my soul. 

Spirited kids are like roses-they need special care. And sometimes you have to get past the thorns to truly enjoy their beauty.

As you learn about your spirited child, learn about yourself. Become aware of how stimulation, transitions, and new situations affect you. Be more cognizant of your energy level, your own need for routine, your joy in change.

Do not fear intensity. Don't let it scare you. Intensity is passion, zest, and vitality. 

Love your spirited child for who she is.

Let her make you laugh. Let her share with you how she sees, hears, and experiences the things around her. Allow her to enrich your life. Because she is more, she will make you more.~(Mary Sheedy Kurcinka from her book, " raising your spirited child")

My precious, strong willed, independent, joyful, energetic little girl whom I admire and love, 

she is my Rose.

Watercolors~ Thank you pictures

For Christmas our sweet neighbors gave Beli a teddy bear that sings Feliz Navidad

as a way to say thank you I asked Beli if she would draw something for them.

this is her painting.

2 snowmen

trees and

a rainbow.

Baki would be proud.

Have a great weekend!

30 Day Vegan~ My own personal challenge to healthy eating

I watched a documentary and I decided to take a challenge.
Has that ever happened to you?
Decide you want to make a change after watching a film?
So here I am.
On my fifth day of completely cutting out dairy and eggs and seafood from my diet
(the red meat and chicken were easy as I've been a vegetarian for over 10 years-
with the minor exception that I occasionally do eat seafood)

Breakfast usually consists of a smoothie or a protein shake.

For lunch, I have been preparing various versions of winter squash soups.
Sometimes I use butternut squash or italian squash as the base to the soups.

For afternoon snacks the options are endless: soy yogurt, almonds, hummus.

Dinner: YUUM, guacamole: lots of tomatoes and jalapenos, green onions and lime juice.

This week I went grocery shopping to prepare my pantry for my vegan challenge. Hubby asked me , " so what's left for you to eat? I replied by telling him that now a days we have many choices just have to read the labels for hidden milk products.

Let's see what $115.79 bought me.
34 staples:

.........................................

1.73lb of Ten Bean Soup Mix
2lb of dried black beans
2 packages of dates
dried cranberries
2lbs dried navy beans
dried cashews
 1lb organic rolled oats\
walnut meal
yellow popcorn
2 almond milk yogurts
3 packages of organic tofu
1 package of lean soy meat
1 package of soy milk
veggie singles pepper jack cheese ( after reading the package label I realized it's no vegan)
1 package nut thins crackers
1 liter of extra virgin olive oil
1 cauliflower
1 celery stalk
6 cucumbers
1 eggplant
1 lb of italian squash
1 jicama
4 limes
8 red bell peppers
1 red cabbage
1 package of red leaf lettuce
sweet potatoes
yukon gold potatoes
organic raw almonds
2 packages of frozen butternut squash
1 package of frozen corn
bananas
tomatoes
and green onions.

I felt very excited to come home and start my menu for the month!

So far I've prepared veggie burgers ( a bit burnt! but still tasted ok) with roasted bell peppers and potatoes
garlic and parsley mini pancakes using rice flour
and baked green beans, carrots and potatoes
and stir-fry tofu with onions and jalapenos (picture not shown)

I do have a sweet tooth so I made a vegan and gluten free version of these whole wheat cookies

 the list of ingredients were endless:
( almond flour, coconut flour, raw sugar, walnut meal, vanilla, shredded coconut, cinnamon,
soy milk, baking powder)....they were a bit grainy but
Beli seemed to enjoy them!

Well I better get back to planning more meals.
Sorry for the long post!
Next one should be shorter.
I will be updating you along the way
and tell you how it's going.

Have a wonderful week my friends!

Dos Mil Trece~ 2013

Nuevo Ano~ New Year

New Opportunities

New Challenges

New Memories

New Goals

I've been absent from blogging for months (not sure why I haven't been as motivated to do so...)

2012.

was amazing

challenging

 and heart- breaking.

New Year's Resolutions?

Like most people I want to eat healthier, travel more, be a better person.

So 2013.

I welcome you.

What about you, what are your new year's resolutions?