Jalapeno Poppers

Here is a quick and easy recipe for jalapeno poppers. I got this recipe from a friend who got it from a friend and so on.

There are only 3 ingredients:
jalapenos
cream cheese (block form)
bacon



First I wipe off the japapenos witha damp paper towel. I usually wear plastic food prep gloves so the jalapeno juice doesn't get under my ring and burn for the rest of the day. Cut the jalapeno tops off and slice lengthwise. Remove the seeds.




Next, take some cream cheese and place it into the jalapeno. It doesn't have to be exact or perfect. After all the jalapenos are filled with cream cheese, wrap the pepper with a half slice of bacon. This part can be a little tricky but you can stretch the bacon around it twice. Also you might have to rewrap so that the bacon end ends up on the bottom of the pepper. That will keep the bacon from unwinding while baking.



Place the finished jalapenos on a baking sheet (you can use aluminum foil for easier cleanup. I usually bake them at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. The jalapenos are more of an olive color when done or not as vibrant green when they were raw. Note: the finished product is very greasy (after all, it's bacon) so drain on some paper towels. Wait about 10 minutes before serving because the cream cheese is VERY HOT. Usually these are not very spicy but I found out it just depends on the jalapenos. The batch that I made for the photos came out really spicy.

My 2006 Recap

Here is my year in review:

1. January: Joshua's checkup with his MD causes concern and he is tested for autism. The clinical pyschologist says no autism but another pyschologist says autistic behaviors so Josh is eligible for LAUCH preschool. After 9 months of therapy and preschool, Joshua has blossomed and started to make great progress.

2. I turned 40 years old...not such a big deal as I thought it would be. Life goes on but I really hate all the gray hair that pop up in my bangs. I refuse to color my hair so I take time to snip the gray hairs.

3. For my birthday, we took a nice trip to Maui where we did nothing but relax. We did the same things we could do at home but the change in location makes all the difference in the world.

4. Hector was made partner at work in June which have his paycheck a nice boost. As a result, we remodelled our kitchen which is almost finished. Overall we had a good experience and I'm having lots of fun buying things to fill the kitchen.

5. In August we travelled to Phuket and Singapore. We ate lots of exotic fruit, rode elephants and groomed monkeys. Phuket is a gorgeous island with jungles and beautiful beaches. Singapore was equally beautiful but in a civilized way...lots of high-rises, malls (practically every block has some kind of mall) and landscaping that made the city wonderful.

6. Hector and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in November. The time went by so fast and we are looking forward to more fun & happiness in the future.

7. This was the year where I lost a good friend (long story but she moved away) and found an absent friend. Even though both are within driving distance, each has their reasons for not staying in touch. I will just have to deal with that which makes me more grateful to my real friends.

8. Overall, I had a wonderful year. My family is healthy and happy. They and my friends enrich my life and hopefully I give them the same. Here is to a happy 2007!!

Remember that my kitchen would be done by Christmas? They did finish the construction part on time but we hit a snag with our range. First, the shape of the range did not fit into the cutout made in the island. Second, the tile and cabinets made our range too tall. Third, Hector discovered that our gas range has an electric oven. I saw this fact on the manual and didn't think anything of it but when Hector was going to hook up the range he noticed that it was different. We have a 120V outlet and the oven needs a 240V outlet. He assumed that since it was a gas range, it should be a gas oven and I just didn't know any better. So finally today, we are having another electrician come out to change the outlet. I'm still not sure what is going on with the height problem on the range but the latest I heard is that the granite people are supposed to come out again to make an edge.

Hector was overnight call so he has a 3 day weekend! Yeah. I can see him playing Zelda on the Wii waving his sword around. Gotta get out of the way. Maybe today I will hit some furniture stores and look for a sideboard table and some chairs. We don't have any definite plans for New Year's eve because Hector has to work the next day but we'll see what happens.

Oh and we never did get the DirecTV HD hooked up the other day. We waited until 11:30am and had to call to find out that DirecTV is out of satellite dishes so we have to wait until January. Well, it would have nice if they had called us to let us know instead of waiting around all morning. Bah.

Here are the latest pics from the past few days..Joshua and his birthday pie.

His real birthday cake...I had to buy pumpkin pie because Tyler doesn't like chocolate (go figure). This the lightest tasting cake and it has to be my favorite cake. Oh and Joshua likes it too.

Lupe and her sons, Albert and Nathan at their home Christmas Eve.

Hector's niece, Jean with her children and Uncle Carlos.

Josh's Birthday

We celebrated Josh's 4th birthday yesterday...it's too bad that his birthday is 2 days after Christmas which I totally blame the OB/GYN for that. I was planning a scheduled C-section for January 2, 2003. Get it? 01-02-03. But no, the OB decided to call me around December 21st to say she decided to take off on vacation so the c-section is moved up to December 27th! Grrr. So after the hub bub of Christmas, we're ready to wind down. I try to get out to the after Christmas sales and load up on stuff for Joshua which is a another stressful situation. My mom came over while I went out shopping and to get some cupcakes. Unfortunately, King's Hawaiian bakery ran out of cupcaked so I got a pumpkin pie and a dobash cake (chocolate chiffon with chocolate pudding filling) which is to die for! After lunch, we lit some candles on the pie, sang happy birthday and he blew out his candles! Yeah!

Hector came home early and scored a Wii at Toys R Us. I had a great time playing the sports disk it came with. There is bowling, baseball, tennis, golf and boxing and this controller uses the basic movement you would use in playing the real sport. So much fun although my arm aches a little today! He-man and She-Ra came by to exchange gifts and enjoy cocktail hour with us. I made apple martinis for the girls and Hector made dirty martinis for the guys which went along with our veggie platter and Hickory Farms sausage/cheese plate (thanks Kat). It was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we headed over to Vince's for some of their awesome spaghetti! Ugh...it was so good!

Kitchen Update

This is at Hector's request that I post the latest pics of our kitchen. People at his work need to see the progress! Okay, we are still unpacking boxes so there are things scattered about but we managed installing the range hood and I think we did a good job. It wasn't that bad; a few minor tweaks and we did it. It was cool to save $800 that the installers were gonna charge us. We also put up the pendant lights which turned out really nice and so far everyone has like them a lot.

Hector put up the TV on the wall so we're hooked up. Tomorrow the DirecTV guy will come by to hook up the HD component. Woot.

Merry Christmas

I hope that your holidays were filled with joy...we had a great time at Lupe's on Christmas Eve. We had our usual Christmas meal of tamales, chile verde, rice and beans. Becky (another sister) was sent out the day before to get the tamales from Liliana's (so awesome) but as soon as everyone opened their tamales, we knew that these were not Liliana's tamales. These tamales were very flaky and fell apart as soon as the corn husks came off and tasted different (not in a good way either). Of course Becky was staying at home because she didn't feel well which made us suspicious. :)

Jean (their niece) brought her 9 month baby Jaymes who is cute for words. Lupe and I had lots of fun cooing and holding him. My kids had a great time playing hide and seek with their cousin. We exchange presents and we allow the kids to open their presents. Joshua got a Naruto action figure and he absolutely loved it. He carried it around all night and most of today. I got my new telephoto lens for my Canon which is so cool. I can't wait to try it out...it is heavy so I'll need lots of practice using it.

For Christmas day, the kids woke up around 8:30am ready to open presents under the tree. Tyler scored on the video games and I got him Heelys. Joshua got a little Thomas the train fold out sofa/bed that Tyler picked out for him. Tyler gave me the Animal Crossing game for my DS and I got a new 80 GB video iPod & MAC makeup gift certificate from Hector. At lunchtime we headed over to my mom's place and had Chinese food. Yum. Lately I've had a scratchy throat and slight cough that is getting worse each day. Hopefully it won't get real bad; it's annoying at this point. Carlos, Hector's brother is hanging out at our house today so they've been playing Zelda. Hector is on call tonight but he gets to take call from home and gets tomorrow off. Yeah. It'llbe nice to hang out together for another day.

Christmas Eve Eve

Are you finished shopping? I finished this morning while Hector took Tyler for some last second shopping at Target. I whisked Joshua to the mall to exchange an item that Carlos asked me to buy for Hector. I'm not going to mention anything else about it in case Hector reads this. I did more wrapping and this year I actually wrapped the gift cards. My friend Nancy gave me a photo wrapped in paper which was folded and used only one piece of tape. So I kept the example and practiced a bit. The wrapping in not as precise or perfect as I'd like but it'll do.

I got my photo calenders today too which I totally forgot about. It's good thing I don't have to mail any out! Kat is coming over tonight to exchange gifts and we'll hang out here. Christmas Eve will be at Lupe's house and it sounds like most of the nieces and nephews will be there too. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Ugh, I tried signing on to itunes last night and got a message that my screen name is not active or password is not correct. Then I tried changing my password but still no luck getting in. A message came up that I should call AOL to change my password so I grind through all the automated menus to get a consultant. After several minutes, he transfers me to the cable technician and we try all sorts of things for about 20 minutes. Finally he gives me case number that will refer the problem to the engineers due to a server problem. I hope it gets solved soon...

What a weird day...first of all Hector asked me to buy a DirecTV HD receiver with DVR and another HD receiver for our TVs in the kitchen and family room. I found the receiver with no problem at Best Buy but the HD with DVR receiver was another story. Apparently, DirecTV is not able to up with the demand and the salesman says there is a long waiting list so far. I was bummed about it but decided to give Circuit City a try. There were some salesmen around but I didn't ask any of them whether they had them in stock; I just wandered the aisle and what did I see? An unopened HD & DVR receiver sitting on the shelf and it looked like it was the last one! I haul it over to a salesman who looks at me strangely as I'm verifying that what I'm holding is the correct thing Hector wants. He says yes that several people came by yesterday looking for the very same item and their inventory says there are zero in stock yet I am holding it. Unbelievable! The man calls his supervisor to verify it because the computer still says zero in stock and finally he rings it through. Yippee...it's mine. I usually don't have much luck finding the "hot" items during Christmas but I did this year!

I was so excited with my unexpected find that I was just gonna take the rest of the day easy and unpack some kitchen boxes. But T called to pick up her Christmas cards which is cool. We talk for a bit then she gets in her car to head to Target and her car makes this horrible noise. We spent some time trying to figure it out but hey, we have no idea what it is. It's decided we wait for her hubby to look at it after work and meanwhile I can drop her off at work this afternoon. T figures it is a good time to start on her Christmas cards...when the phone rings. It turns out to be a long lost friend who I haven't spoken to for a year or so. I'm fairly consistent in calling and leaving messages for her and she usually takes about 2 weeks to return my calls. But in the past year, nothing. After several months, I give up and send out my Christmas cards. Well, I guess that reminded her that she hasn't spoken to me in a year and calls. All is good and she promised to visit at least once a year (we only live about 20 miles apart). I guess I'll take what I can! :) My day certainly turned out lively.

ho-hum

So far, no solution to our kitchen range problem...the tile guy came by today and cutting the tile out won't be enough for the range and counter to reach. I had Hector call the kitchen contractor to have them come and look for themselves. The people don't seem to understand that the island is too low for the range so I want them to fix the counters. Hector thinks that if they can add a 1/2 inch border around the cut-out will make up the difference. This has really delayed the end of this remodel. Ugh. Besides that mess, I helped Hector put the island hood up and it looks pretty good. He also put our new TV on an articulating mount so it swivels out from the wall then put it flat against the wall when we're through. For now, my little Christmas party will have to wait...

Another Date

Today, we had another date scheduled. The Los Angeles Kings vs. the Dallas Stars and this time we didn't take the pickup truck! There was rain today which can sometimes tangle up the freeway but we were lucky and actually arrived 30 minutes before the game. Both of us received a Kings T-shirt free because we happened to be one of the first 500 fans to show up. Yeah.

The game started out poorly when Dallas took the lead in the first period. The Kings rallied and caught up soon after. By the end of the thrid period, the teams were tied so on to overtime. No change in score either so on to a shoot out. Unfortunately, Dallas scored and won the game. Overall, it was an exciting game and we had lots of fun.

Night On the Town

Hector and I went on our date Friday night. We headed over to the new section of the Del Amo mall where an open-air promenade debuted a few months ago. A Lucky Strike bowling, PF Changs, AMC theatres and various stores are located there so we wanted to check it out. We took Hector's pickup truck there and as we drove by the main center, we noticed several police cars parked in front. Hector mentioned them and I said that in the beginning there was a fight so maybe they just have more security for the weekends. Hector turns into the parking structure and turns into a parking spot but has to reverse to straighten out the truck. Looking back, we see flashing blue lights behind us! Yikes...Hector parks and then gets out to find what is wrong. A police officer orders him back into the truck. Meanwhile, we're like what did we do? So the officer asks for registration and all of a sudden I know his registration expired and that's the reason. Hector admits it right away that I had reminded him several to times to renew but he didn't. The officer said, "You need to pull over immediately when we flash the lights." Hector apologized very nice and honestly we didn't notice or hear anything until we tried backing up. I was telling Hector that we were in a car chase for about a block and didn't even know it. So Hector got his holiday citation which is no ticket! He is so lucky but what a way to start our date.

We decided to eat at Ra Sushi restuarant which has a very cool vibe and pumping music. We placed out order and throughout the night we had the worng food brought to us 3 times. It was either a mistake on our actual order; we ordered spicy tuna handrolls and were given spicy tuna rolls. Or someone brought some other customer's order. It was kinda annoying after the first time. We ordered a whole mess of sushi, appetizers and drinks and the grand total on the bill was $112. For that amount of money, we'll head over to Morton's or Spago since the food at Ra was okay but nothing special.

Afterwards, we browsed the stores and went into Bath and Body Works. Believe or not, I have never been inside one before. I had lots of fun and Hector amused himself. They had a Hello Kitty section so I snagged a Hello Kitty mirror which is very cool. My sister in law gave me an awesome purse mirror from Neiman Marcus about 10 years ago and it was the best little mirror. Light, compact yet pretty, that mirror served me well. I always had that mirror in my purse but somehow I lost it so I found a replacement. Yeah!

As you can see, Hector goofed off while I shopped. He found a silly hat with little pink balls on the top along the center. Very funny.

The Dark Side

Yes, I officially went over to the dark side....I have a Myspace page . I blame it all on She-Ra who lured me there. At first I didn't see the point since I have this blog but myspace has been helpful in finding former classmates from high school and college. Plus it is fun to leave fun comments (unlike blogger) where you can use animated graphics etc. So that is my confession and that's maybe why I don't post as often lately. I don't have too much to say except if you have myspace, please add me as a friend! :)

Christmas Cards

I picked up our holiday photo cards this morning at Costco. I uploaded the photo online but I still had to wait in a long line to pick them up behind the counter. I guess they do that because I had to pay for them. They came out really nice so I'm pleased with my Canon. This year I didn't have enough time to take proper Christmas pictures and I couldn't find matching shirts for the boys. Luckily I had a nice vacation photo of the boys in Phuket and they both happened to be wearing orange shirts (see above pic). I ordered 75 of them but gave 25 to my mom and I had just enough for my mailing list. So if you don't get one this year...sorry!

Here are some pics from the past few days. Tyler showing his archery skills and it was lots of fun too. Not much to tell...I uploaded our Christmas photo to Costco which was really easy to do plus I didn't have to deal with the crowds. I uploaded several pictures in the running for this year's card and then Costco shows all the templates with the selected photo inside so you can see what that pic will look like. I cropped the picture and added text and place my order. BAM! My order will be ready for pick-up tomorrow at 10 am. Sweet. Then I started uploading more pictures for a photo calendar...I think I used about 40 pictures for the various months and you can put more than one photo per month. So easy. I added captions and can even click on a certain day to personalize it for a birthday and insert a picture into that day. I was lovin it! I figure it'll be the perfect Christmas gift for my mom and Hector's family.

Boo!

Hector tried putting the stove in and now it doesn't fit! This particular brand has notches on the side at the front end which doesn't allow the range to completely slid-in due to the granite. Also with the tile in, the island is lower than it's supposed to be so the range is a bit taller than the island. Argh! Okay, we figured out the range will have to be changed because it just won't fit. I already got a rebate check from them which I haven't cashed yet so do I tear it up since we plan to return it? Man, this throws a big monkey wrench into my kitchen but hopefully we can find the perfect range.

Nothing exciting today...the rest of the appliances arrived this morning. Hector will try installing them later...he is currently working on the dishwasher. I emptied out the old fridge and cleaned the shelving. After Josh went to school we took it to Cucamonga as a gift to my sister-in-law Lupe. Happy Birthday!

Where does the weekend go?

Saturday was a fun and jam-packed day. Our friend Dan and his son came by to visit which was lots of fun. They live in San Diego so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. Also my best friend Kat came by to hang out. She wanted to check out my Guitar Hero 2 and update her Myspace page. While the kids were playing, Dan became interested about Myspace looking at all the women he could potentially date. :) It was like a kid in a candy store...ah well, it is the place to meet people. The guys took off leaving the kids with Kat and me so Tyler and Daniel practiced shooting boxes the backyard with a bow & arrow. I was surprised that Tyler picked it up pretty fast and shot the box on his second try. After a while the boys got tired of shooting and went inside to play video games. This is when Kat and I tried our best with the bow and arrow. It was lots of fun and goofing off. It was something I wanted to try and finally did.

Today started early with breakfast at Denny's with everyone. I was bummed that Denny's stopped serving my ham & mushroom bowl. It has potatoes with scrambled eggs, ham, mushrooms and cheese on top. Now I don't know what I'll order for breakfast...

This afternoon I went window shopping for counter height chairs. My first stop was Levitz and I had to browse around before I found the dining room section. There were a couple of chairs I liked and the price was reasonable but I'm not sure if 4 chairs will fit. One chair looked okay for $130 and when the salesman checked it was in stock, it came up as $99. I'll have to bring Hector back to see them.

Next door is Linen N Things which was really fun to wander around. I browsed through every section taking my time. When I was little, my mom had to drag me to places like this...who wants to look at towels? I admit now that these stores are very cool. I was starving so I went to Togo's around the corner and ordered my favorite sandwich #29 chunky chicken salad (with almonds). I was so happy to go home to eat my sandwich...I looked at my watch at it is 2:00pm! Yikes...Tyler is out of school at 2:13pm so I zoom off to pick him up. Thankfully, we got home so I could eat my lunch in peace. Now I'm sleepy...

New Fridge

Here is my new fridge...it is the kind with the french doors and bottom freezer. we decided to skip the ice/water dispenser since we rarely use the one in our current fridge. I didn't like the taste of the water or ice but for this new one we got a water filter so hopefully that will help with the ice.

Construction done

I can't believe it but the kitchen construction is finished. The granite counters and backsplash were installed and glued on with a super-stinky compound that smells like magic marker magnified 100 times. Ugh...I still have to have the windows open in this chilly weather to air out the smell. Of course I had to run to Bed Bath and Beyond tonight to do some shopping for some new dishes, dish towels and curtains for starters. Why can't they make their shopping carts bigger? I did some damage but thank goodness for the $150 Visa gift cards to take a big chunk out of the total. I love the colors of the new dishes and how it looks on the granite. Tomorrow I'll start transferring items once I line the shelves while waiting for the new refrigerator...now my work begins.

What?

Having a Mexican/Latino last name gets me some funny looks when people attach the name to my face (I'm Chinese). It cracks me up when I get mail from Latina magazine trying to get me to subscribe and coupons for diapers completely in Spanish. Yesterday, Hector handed me some mail from Verizon...addressed to me. .

Yeah, I'm chocolate...maybe white chocolate. I might have to adopt this new slogan, "Chocolate. As Latino as me."

To ward off the cold...

Not much is going on...waiting for the men to install the counters. So in the meantime, I'll leave some old pictures for your enjoyment. These will be summery type/tropical pics since it's a chilly 45 degrees right now in SoCal...

I'm feeling warmer already! Sigh! To all the lucky ducks that get to escape during the winter school break to anywhere sunny & tropical...have a nice time and I wish I were in your place!

It's a Miracle

OMG...I called to check on the granite this morning and Patricia just called to say the counters will be installed tomorrow! Wow. Tomorrow, my kitchen will be done...all we have to do is install the appliances and range hood & 2 light fixtures. Hector & I finished painting last night and it looks great. So then I have to call Lowes to have everything delivered on Monday. Yeah...now I have to look for some counter height chairs and we've already been scoping out a new TV for the kitchen too. Too bad I can't run out today to shop but I'm waiting for my tile guy to seal the grout....but maybe later. :)

Bah!

Last night, Anthony (Hector's nephew) and his girlfriend Nancy stopped by to visit. Anthony was so excited because he scored tickets to KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas which is always a great show. He offered to take Hector but he has to work all weekend. We asked why Anthony take his girlfriend but she is not into KROQ music. Then he asked me!! Yippee...I jumped at the chance especially since it is night two when Snow Patrol, Beck and Foo Fighters are part of the lineup. But now after thinking about it, I'll probably pass since Hector works overnight and I don't have anyone to babysit for 9 hours Sunday night. Oh well...it was exciting while it lasted.

Holiday Party

Last night was the holiday party given by Hector's department. The dinner was held at La Gondola in Los Angeles...imagine an Italian restaurant that is also Kosher! This was to accommodate one man & his family so that they would be able to eat & enjoy the evening. The food was very good and the kids' portions were enormous (we had to take it home). We were in a private room with 4 large tables with a separate entrance. Our kids were entertained with gameboys and other children. The only thing bad was that dinner was served so late so the kids didn't eat until 9:30pm. By 10:30pm, dessert was served and most of the kids were passed out at the tables but mine had no problems. At least there were plenty of appetizers to start and I think the kids filled up on those.

I had the rib eye steak with mushroom peppercorn sauce, fresh vegetables and potatoes. Dessert was a chocolate ganache which was so rich and a mango flambe which was so good too. I'm still stuffed today! Hector had to work today so I took the kids to church, washed my car, did some quick shopping and ordered take-out for lunch for me. The kids are going to spend some time with Grandma so I need to catch up on laundry and straighten up around the house.

Santa is Coming!!

Another item is done on our kitchen checklist...the floor. The tiler and his helper took 3 days to finish and the floor looks great. The person who calculated did a little good a job because there are no extra tiles at all!! I mean zero, there are only little bits and pieces left.

The cold tiles will take some getting used too but should be nice in the summer. I need to wipe the tile down a bit because of the dust and grout but I like the look.

The police department sends out Santa through the neighborhood to say hi and pass out candycanes. Tonight was our turn for our area...a police car drives ahead to announce Santa's arrival while other police cars block the street ahead & behind Santa for safety. I almost forgot about it and managed to get the kids' coats & hats on. We're lucky because Santa stops right at our corner one house down. It's a nice tradition that the city does for the community.

New Math

Last night during Josh's bathtime, he was counting but this time he went past twenty...twenty-one...all the way to twenty-nine...inside I was happily reciting with him waiting for Josh to say THIRTY! Twenty-nine, TWENTY-TEN!! I started busting up because he obviously thought that is what comes next. He even went further with twenty-eleven and twenty-twelve. Too cute!

Cold Snap

Is it cold where you are? The cold swooped in suddenly this week and it's a welcome change for me. It rained in the morning Monday so now we have smog free skies and cold, chilly weather. Southern Cali doesn't get too cold so this is nice! I enjoy wearing sweaters and Uggs...I'm eager to fire up my wood burning stove but I'm waiting for Hector to get my 1/2 cord of firewood. I get to use my little hachet that Hector gave me to make kindling. I totally dig my winter fires although I'll jump at any chance to light a fire in my stove! I was practically rubbing my hands together with glee when I saw that some old kitchen shelving looked perfect for kindling.

More Lantern Festival

At the Lantern Festival, we had fun goofing off. There was an area of cut-outs for faces for Batman, Bruce Lee etc. The kids had fun doing that.

Ramblings of a hectic household

I started off the day with good intentions. I was planning to sit-in on Josh's class to see how he participates and also show his teacher how he interacts with me. We dropped off Tyler at school then Joshua had a follow-up checkup with his dentist. He did very well...he didn't seem to remember anything bad about his last visit. Josh ran in the building and even knew which door to go in. The dentist was really sweet and nice so Joshua didn't fuss too much at all. I took the extra time this morning to run to Toys r Us to see if I could find a certain toy that Tyler saw on TV. I had to ask Tyler what the name was because I couldn't remember; he told me and I was able to find it. Yeah! But now I think I'm gonna return it because I saw it at Target on sale $20 cheaper. When we got home, the phone rang. It was the kitchen company saying that the tile guy was coming and so was the granite guy! Ugh, there goes my plans for the day. I had to hang around and supervise. Then there is the question of grout...apparently there are about 40 choices of grout colors. I have until tomorrow morning to make my decision. The picture frim the showroom has the same exact tile we are installing but a light (grayish) grout but Hector thinks a darker grout will look better. I'm leaning towards the darker brownish grout too which can be sealed so it won't stain or discolor. Okay, on a different note, I went to dinner with He-man and She-ra last night at Joe's Crab Shack which was so yummy and nice. Hector was not feeling like going out for dinner so we changed it to Joe's since Hector wasn't going (he doesn't like crab). He also took care of the kids so I had a leisurely and fun time out. I definitely needed those few hours of no kids, no house issues etc.

Lantern Festival 2006

Last night we went to the Lantern Festival in Inglewood. A few weeks ago, Hector could see the lights from his work and found out about it. There was lots of exhibits lit up, a few carnival type rides and food court. Another cool exhibit was a dragon made of dinner plates and Chinese soup spoons. The best part was the Chinese acrobat act which we really enjoyed.

Final Cabinets

On Saturday, our cabinets were finished. I really like how they came out. I now have storage galore and soon plenty of counter work space.

Thanksgiving pics

Here are some pics of the kids at my mom's place Thursday.

Joshua needs a haircut...

Tyler and Joshua with their Thanksgiving hats.

Cabinets

The cabinets are mostly up and the men will finish with them today. We have Lowe's coming out today to measure to install the range hood over the island. For some reason Hector thought the cabinets would arrive already assembled but no, everything was still in flat boxes. The 2 men put the cabinets together and will do the pantry and remaining island today.

Here is the section where the microwave is supposed to go. Currently we have a large microwave on the counter that took up the entire counter and it also collected various junk on top of it. My goal with this new kitchen is to eliminate clutter and keep things minimal.

As you can see, painting is not yet finished. I didn't paint the backsplash area because we ordered a full backsplash of granite. I might have to double check that because to me it looks like a lot of space to cover. The painting that I did do (near the cabinets) already suffered some scrapes/peeling in my new paint. Bummer!

Guitar Hero 2

Last year, my friend Kat gave me Guitar Hero for Christmas. This is an awesome game for the wanna-be rocker that really has no musical talent (like me). There are some great songs (old and current) to play that even Tyler recognizes the songs on the radio as the song from Guitar Hero. I didn't let Tyler play this game because I thought he was a bit too young. Of course, Guitar Hero 2 came out in time for this Christmas and Tyler wanted to give it a try. He only plays Shout At The Devil but he loves to do the tutorials and practice. So we have to go practice now so we can challenge Uncle Carlos at the Christmas Eve dinner!

Yesterday's dinner was an experience. My mom wanted to host the dinner this year which was fine with me because our kitchen is under construction. My mom lives in a 1100 sq ft condo so she is not used to entertaining so she asked for my help. It's a good thing that I knew where my flatware and serving bowls are. My mom ordered all the food from Whole Foods where she shops all the time. I arrived around noon at her place to help heat up the turkey etc. and guess what? Her oven doesn't work...it gets warm & I can see the pilot light on but no heat! Arggh...my aunt and her family are on their way! I called Hector to come over and look at it. Thank goodness, he fixed it so the oven works. Phew. Other than that minor snafu, it was a very good dinner. I think everyone(except out kids) went back for seconds. All the sides disappeared and some turkey was left for sandwiches today. My mom was so tired after it was all done but she did it. Maybe I'll be adventurous and host next year...at least I have some time to think about it.

one more thing

My oldest son, Tyler, was downstairs while I was getting ready. I set my hair and while coming down the stairs, I met Tyler.

Tyler: You look really pretty, Mom!

Me: Thanks, Ty....but I'm wearing curlers in my hair to curl it.

Ty: Oh...I thought you looked kinda funny!

It was a sweet thought, though!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally, is a great dad who can balance fun & discipline and keeps me happy. I'm thankful for my two sons who never fail to amaze me with their antics and can remind me to live life to its fullest. I'm thankful for my mom for all her hard work & sacrifice to raise me even though we don't always see eye to eye. I'm thankful for my friends who listen and allow me to be me. There are many things that I'm grateful for so I'm going to enjoy today and relax. Happy Thanksgiving!

My Appliances

For the kitchen, we'll be going the stainless steel route for appliances. After we purchased them, we realized that each item is a different brand which is funny. Some people would want everything to match but we're okay with our assortment.

The refrigerator is LG French Door type that will be cabinet depth. I guess the cabinet depth types are popular because they don't stick out as much as the traditional types. A typical fridge will stick out about 6 inches from the cabinet while the newer ones come out about 3 inches. You lose cubic feet since they are only 2 feet deep but I will be able to see everything and not have to bend down to find something.

Our range will be a Frigidaire gas slide-in range. Your basic stove and oven. It has a convection oven which I'm not familiar with but I guess it'll be time for me to learn. I was never much of a baker but I think I will attempt more once the kitchen is complete. As for the dishwasher, I really loved my recent one that Hector bought about 3 months ago. It's Whirlpool and we found the same exact one in stainless steel so we're set. My mom will inherit my white Whirlpool since hers went kaput. Lupe will get out white, side by side refrigerator that goes with her updated kitchen. See, everyone is happy.

ho-hum

waiting for the guys to put down the subfloor...if they ever arrive! I got the phone call confirming their time around 10 am. and it's already 11:30am. I called to find out what's going on and the answer is, "They're on their way now." Hmmpfh.

blast from the past

Ok, my friend sent me an old pic from Halloween circa 1995 or something like that. I was working at the pharmacy in Rolling Hills with Kat and all the other fun people. I can't believe she had this picture...I think this is the year she went as Catwoman (yowza) so I'll check to see if she has a pic of that!

This was a risky outfit for me at the time since we work in a professional place but I was always pushing the dress code envelope. I was actually showing a bit of midriff...gasp!!

Saturday was lots of fun. We went to Tyler's soccer party at the bowling alley and had pizza. Tyler did pretty good bowling with his left arm and won the game in our lane. He was so happy to receive his own trophy and gift bag! The trophy is engraved with his name and he already put it on his bookshelf.

Hector's nephew, Anthony came over to visit and we went to Koji for dinner. We stuffed ourselves with kalbi ribs, bulgogi and sushi. Yum. After dinner, we headed over to Gameworks where Anthony was going to compete for a plasma TV. Last time he was at Gameworks, he qualified by winning his heat in an Indy 500 racing game. When we got there, he found out that there was a mix-up and only one other guy showed up. We had to wait to find out if the contest would go on with only 2 players (there was supposed to be six). Meanwhile we took the kids around to play various games and win tickets for prizes. Finally we found out that the race was on and Anthony had a 50/50 chance of winning the TV. The first contest was for Lakers tickets that had 6 contestants and a girl in car #2 won. Hector was trying to tell Anthony to take that car for his race but he took the first car. It was a close race but Anthony lost...bummer. Oh well, better luck next time.

Some pics to enjoy over the weekend. Here are the kids enjoying their dump truck. We bought this about 6 years ago for $10 and it's still going strong. The best part about this truck is that they can sit in the back so if we push the truck hard enough, it goes all the way across the family room. Weee!

Today is the last day of soccer. Although Tyler got his cast off Wednesday, he still cannot play sports. We're heading off to the end-of-season soccer party at the bowling alley. I compiled all the pics I took over the season on a CD to hand out to each of the players. We need to head out and do some kitchen related shopping so I'm outie.

Poor Josh...I've neglected his playtime at the park this week because of the kitchen remodel. He has adjusted to our new routine of driving the 2 blocks to school. We usually walk but once we get to school, the park is right outside the gate and he'll want to stay & play with Amber and Alex. I've noticed that Joshua is adapting to change more easily without tantrums (although those were rare). His teachers were happy to report his great progress and they were surprised how much he talks when I'm around. They invited me to spend some time during his school so they actually see how much he talks & interacts.

Josh's teacher was excited to share about him interacting with a little girl. They showed a video about how to talk to someone by looking at the person's eyes and speaking in a clear voice etc. When walking to the playground, Joshua looked at the little girl and said, "Hi Rachel." The teachers' said they don't speak out loudly or excitedly because it startles the kids but they were gesturing wildly as if to say, "Did you see that?" It was great to hear that Josh is listening, understanding and applying what he learned...I got a little teary. It seems like such a simple thing but it's a big deal to know he has improved so much.

I'm so READY for the weekend. The hard work still continues but I have a week to prep and paint the kitchen. I think that our nephew Nathan will be helping out with painting so that's fun and good. I am leaning toward a green color that is more on the olive side but not as dark. My recessed lights are almost finished and the ceiling is done. The framing is not even from when the house was originally built but it looks okay.

I've also begun working on a Christmas photo card. I bought Photoshop Elements so maybe something very cool and creative will emerge. I rounded up some travel pictures which is my theme for this Christmas. Well, see how it turns up. Keep your fingers crossed.

Progress

I've been super busy. Of course the kitchen redo is stressful but it's coming together (a bit faster than I expected). The lighting and electrical is today along with Josh's preschool evaluation. He is doing very well and since he started their SMILE program, he is progressing quickly. Because his birthday is late December, he gets to benefit from another year in preschool before starting kindergarten.

Last night I was stressing because I had to choose the pendant lights for our island but it all worked out okay. First of all, I can't believe how much the store wants for each pendant light (I was thinking about 3 of them). I ended up getting a pendant-like light which actually works out better. I only need one box in the ceiling versus figuring out 3 spots for regualr pendant lights. The fixture I chose has to be ordered and shipped but we can leave it for later. Mostly, I need to pick a paint color and get started on that this weekend.

Yesterday, Tyler had a MD appointment and his cast is off! What a relief! His arm was dirty, slightly smelly and had sand stuck to it. Tyler still needs to be careful and no sports but at least he can bathe properly and hold a pencil/scissors. And definitely NO MONKEY BARS!

Buh Bye, Ugly Kitchen

Wow, the demolition part is over for now. The best part is that it only took them 1 hour to take all the cabinets and applicances out. Nice. I am sleep deprived so I'm ready for my nap now. Here are some pictures before when I was trying to pack up the kitchen.

The guys were very nice and worked quickly. They tolerated my camera but I'm sure they see that kind of behavior all the time.

They even swept up and carried all the trash out. So on to the next step.