Good News: We are Expanding!

Yep, we are pregnant again! We are expanding our little family and my belly is expanding too - I am now 15 weeks. Here is the little nugget, who is sure to be another boy.

Of course, we will not be finding out the sex ahead of time (per our usual). Timing could not be worse with a due date of November 2...right in full swing of Christmas lighting season. That is going to be CRAZY!!! But we are excited!

My friend spilled the beans on Facebook a couple weeks ago while we were out to dinner with them, but he quickly rephrased. My niece is quick with her phone and captured a screen shot to text us right away.

Its not that is was too early to announce it, but I had been working on a blog post and wanted my Viva Cindy readers to be the first to know. Ha!

Last November, I turned 41. Believe it or not I'm not the least bit bothered by being in "my forties." In fact, I am happy with where I am at this age and I'm actually not feeling any real "drag" yet. Although, hell yeah, I wish I was younger. I try not to do any "how old will we be when the kids are in high school/getting married/etc?" calculations. It is possible that we will be 50 in less than 10 years anyway? How do I feel so young?

Anyway, on my birthday, I had good news and was not able to share it. I wanted to show you this picture ....

I know!! One of my cutest pictures ever. My little Marcelito a big brother too!! So exciting!!

We made Marcelo's shirt early. Like 5 weeks pregnant early. Ok, we may have jumped the gun a little, but we were excited to tell our parents. It was the day after Mateo's 3rd bday so my parents were at our house. The next day we put Marcelo in that shirt on the way to the airport with them. (they were flying home to Ohio and we were flying to San Diego) They were not focusing in on the shirt. Finally on the MARTA, Ernesto held up Marcelo right in front of them so they would read it. Ha! THEN they were surprised. Shocked even. My dad started laughing and said "you're kidding" as to say "are you guys crazy?" I think we all know the answer to that question.

Also dad, I would like to remind you that you had FIVE kids!

When we showed up in San Diego the whole family was getting together for a carne asada and low and behold, we were not the only ones that had a pregnancy announcement! Ha! Ernesto's brother Tavo and his wife Erin were pregnant too! What a surprise! (Little cutie Zackary Ray was born in March!)

We would've been having that baby THIS MONTH!!! But instead I had this picture to show you...

My first ultrasound at 11 weeks. Were you expecting to see a baby in there? Me too. It's called a blighted ovum. I had never heard of it. Probably a few of you have. It's very common. Actually 1 of 2 miscarriages are this... so maybe you have even experienced this? This horrible thing called a blighted ovum...that fools you into thinking you have a baby growing inside of you. Pregnancy symtoms and all. (which for me is just being extra tired, but still)

The egg fertilizes, attaches in the uterus and then somewhere when the cells divide to form the baby and the gestational sac...ONLY the sac develops. Wah-wah. Disappointing to say the least. I do feel like this

 

I had never understood waiting to tell people [until the "safe" 12 weeks]. Until now. Although a lot of you may not have known (I had not put it on FB) a lot of poeple did and that was the worst, going back to tell people. I got over it pretty quickly, probably because I never actually saw a baby in there. But women...you know, the excitement starts the moment you pee on that stick.

Enter 2015...and I can still use this adorable picture [with a little help from Picasa editing]...
It is the main reason we tried to have a baby again, so this picture would not go wasted:)
I guess this is when I start showing my belly shots again. Im thinking of what I could do differently this time. Stay tuned!!

 

A Cinco de Mayo Birthday!

We are actually on a flight right now heading to the windy city for a little romantic getaway sin niños!! I have a great couple days in store for him. (and consequently me too) He has never been to Chicago and it has been a loooooong while for me. (high school maybe?) I don't remember anything, so Im really excited.

The idea sparked when I saw there was "an event" going on there the day after Ernesto's birthday. I have a little list of other things to explore while we are Chi-town. I will be sure to tell you all about it and share our photos of what is sure to be a fabulous couple days!

Ernesto's birthday party turned into a kids piñata party last night, but he said it was perfect! It's really all about these guys anyway.

Yes, Marcelo is wearing a mariachi jacket. Found at a thrift store, thank you very much. I made shredded pork tacos and beans for dinner and everybody loved it. (thanks for the recipe Brrrian!)

Mateo was so excited to hit the piñata he could barely stand it. We invited the neighbor kids over and they went to town swinging.

After they got all sugared up, we broke out the cake and ice cream!

Of course, sticking to tradition, I got a pic of all the party goers in a sombrero. (this vintage one scored just a couple weeks ago at a yard sale)

The boys wrapped up some golf balls, a golf shirt and workout clothes for him and then proceeded to UNwrap everything for him.

At the end of the night, I told Ernesto he better get packing for our trip. What? Where?

Of course on the way to the airport this the morning, he did guess where I was taking him, which was pretty impressive. He said is it in the mid-west? I said yes. That was the only hint he needed. We have talked many times about taking a trip to Chicago. We are both pretty excited for a couple days of fun!

Hope you have a great week too!

 

 

FELIZ CUMPLEAñOS ERNESTO!

Today is Ernesto's birthday! I know a Cinco de Mayo birthday is so fitting for this mexi-CAN.

And he's 43!!?? Damn he is a good looking man!

**Picture taken at a pre-birthday dinner at Canoe with our good friends Flyod and Richard.

The birthday boy is off golfing today with my dad and 2 of his friends. A perfect day! My mom and I are here with the kids. We are blowing balloons, wrapping presents, stuffing the piñata, braising pork for tacos and baking a delicious chocolate cake.

I was thinking about all of the things that I love about him and after I started writing them down, I found it was going to be very easy to come up with 43 things....So here goes!

43 Reasons I Love Ernesto

1. He is HOT (forty three - shmorty three) and he makes rediculously cute babies!!!

2. He makes me think Im attractive.....even when I know I'm not.

3. He is very generous. whether it is treating friends/family at a restaurant or bringing the kids "surprises," or loaning out his truck, or tipping the cab driver $10 on a $6 fare, or giving away our appliances (instead of me selling them on Craigslist) He is a very giving person. Life feels generous when he is in charge.

4. He doesn't just cook, he is an excellent cook! He is also the main cook in our house and I feel so lucky. He does not make boring food and tries new recipes all the time. He can make something great out of nothing.

5. On that same note: He knows how to entertain. Something he no doubt learned from his mama. One dish will never do. There needs to be a variety and he makes sure his guests are always satisfied.

6. He can make our kitchen sparkle. I clean the kitchen, but he really cleans the kitchen. it makes me so happy when I walk in and its clean.

7. Tagging onto that: He is very domestic. Cooking, laundry, taking care of the kids, grocery shopping, cleaning bathrooms. He doesn't see house work as "womens work."

8. He is handy. And handy is probably not the best word for him, as it goes way beyond that. I can probably count on one hand how many times we have hired someone to come fix something at our house(s). He builds things too!

9. He doesn't give me decorating advice. In fact, he rarely has strong opinions on our decor which is pretty fantastic because I can make all the design decisions. However, this is not to say he doesn't have good taste -he just likes what I do to our house.

10. He never gives me grief for shopping. Ever. He has even encouraged me to buy something after I came home and said something was too expensive. (this could be to make himself feel better for his shopping-but I'll take it!)

11. He chooses to be happy. He is in a good mood daily. I don't ever worry about him "waking up on the wrong side of the bed." It just doesn't happen.

12. He is a great lip-sync-er. This is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud at any given moment.

13. He has a cute little bubble butt.

14. I love how he dresses. In all of our years together I have never said (or thought) "oh my god, what are you wearing?" He dresses simple and stylishly and needs no help from me to be approprietely dressed for any occasion. He just always looks cool. **he does have this one tank top that I am not really fond of, but I don't hate it. (you know which one Im talking about mi amor)

15. He thought AC/DC's song Dirty Deeds [done dirt cheap] said "Thirty Theives Thunder Chief"

16. He is a great lover. I know my brothers want to know the details, but I won't elaborate on that one.

17. He is always up for an adventure. Spontaneity is a beautiful thing and although with kids we do things a little differently now, he is still always up for adventures and last minute fun!

18. He isn't a planner (just like me!) He can go with the flow, handle last minute changes and come up with alternative ideas on the fly.

19. He doesn't have a prejudice bone in his body and he is not judgemental. Two very important qualities I want to pass on to our kids.

20. He can mingle with anyone. We could walk into a party together and not talk the whole night because we are mingling with others.

21. He speaks Spanish. Duh!

22. He is Mexican. Double duh!

23. He often asks me "Why are you so beautiful?"

24. He is a genuine person. He never pretends to be something that he is not. You know what you are getting from him right away and that is a genuinely nice person.

25. He is a hard worker. He started our lighting business almost 12 years ago and has built it into something that affords us a wonderful lifestyle. Hello working 4 months of the year!!!

26. He's laid-back and knows how to relax. A hard worker and a relaxer? Yes, that is two Mexican stereotypes that he fits to a tee.

27. He loves my a$$ and says he would like it even BIGGER!! This really aliviates any pressure of gaining weight. Ha! A dream, right ladies? Seriously though, he is just an a$$ man...I guess he has to be though.

27. He is affectionate. To me and to our kids. It's nice to watch.

28. He is the biggest teaser ever! To me and to our kids. Sometimes scary not nice to watch, but it's that fun-loving personality that I charish.

29. He is cultured. Having traveled to different countries, he has learned that "our" way is not the only way. This is so important and in keeping and open mind and being accepting of others. He finds it interesting and exciting to learn how people live/eat/talk differently than we do.

30. He loves to travel. I mean we wouldn't be together if this was not the case. Luckily, just like me, he has a wanderlust that hasn't wained over the years.

31. He is a great travel guide/navigator. I am usually the "planner" before a trip. And that is to say I pick a destination, set a date and buy a Lonely Planet book. I am a total follower once we arrive and I love letting him be my guide.

32. He cuts his own hair. Been that way for years and he does a good job.

33. Working out is a way of life for him. We have been workout partners since we met and although we have had lulls over the years, he has made excercising a priority. He is a good trainer too.

34. He is a great papi. Boy oh boy do our kids love their papi. He takes them to do fun things, brings them "surprises" often and makes them laugh a lot. He also can take care of business. I feel totally confident when I am away and he is in charge of our kids. As it should be. I mean, he is their papi after all, not a babysitter. Does he do things differently than mami? ABSOLUTELY. But he gets the job done.

35. He is silly. I had so many wierd words and sayings (ok, a whole language) when we met, and he has adapted to using it, or at least humors me when I talk to him in a language that doesn't really make sense. We have also added to this language over the years and boy do our families think we are strange. We have a lot of fun though.

36. He is not a complainer. Working outside in the rain and cold 10 hours a day for 75 consectutive days would make me complain. But not Ernesto. He also worked in an insurance office for several years. I job that he did not like with people he did not like and never did he compain. There is a theme here.

37. He loves my family. He is close with my siblings and my parents and treats them as his own.

38. He doesn't hold grudges. If When we fight, it gets resolved quickly. He is able to say he is sorry [when needed]. It's so much easier to be happy than hold a grudge and he gets that.

39. He is obsessed with dedicated to golfing. Although his #1 hobby takes away time away from me and the kids, (which we have a lot of, mind you) I like that he is determined to become a better player and has found something he loves to do. For years I teased him that he had no hobbies, and now he doesn't have time for any others.

40. He has discipline. When he says he is not going to drink beer for a month and loose 10 pounds, he just does it. (and he did that last month)

41. He always kisses me before he leaves the house, when he arrives home and before we go to bed.

42. He has a good sense of humor and likes to laugh.

43. He is open minded. Religion, race, gay rights, politics (ok he is a democrat!) But!! I love that he listens to republican talk radio regularly. He is not set in his ways, and with information not coming from all once source he is able to keep an open mind.

This along with so many other things makes him extremely attractive and just a great person overall.

Happy Birthday Ernesto!! So happy you are mine mi amor! I could not have found a better match!

 

22 Months {Marcelo's Monthly Photo}

WEEKLY WISHES #12

1. Finish at least 10 new necklaces and 10 new earrings.  I have created a lot of new pieces.  

2. GARDEN!  Yes, I did garden, but I have so much more to do.  The vegetable garden is planted, but some plants still need moving around. 

3. Post an update on our patio progress and my garden.  DONE! You can read it here! 

4. Secure a buddy pass for my sister.  Done!  A big thank you to Sandy, my dear friend and a loyal Viva Cindy reader!! Jenny is flying in Thursday!  Let the girls weekend begin! 

This Week's Wish

1. More More More Jewelry!! 

A Look at the Garden/Sneak Peak at the Patio

Rain Rain and more rain!  They say April showers bring May flowers.  They are not kidding!  My Garden is growing at record speeds and I can't keep up!  I finally planted half of the vegetable garden this week.  Lowes and Home Depot were both having a sale: 5 veges or herbs for $10.  I bought our favorite peppers, Habanero, Serrano and Jalepeño and also added some basil, mint and parsely.  (FYI-I saw that HD was still running that sale, so Lowes probably is too)

My neighbor caught me pilfering rosemary [for my pasta one night] from a house on the next block and 2 days later there was a rosemary bush on my doorstep.  Ha!  Thanks guys!  I was planning to buy one! Really!

Tomatoes still need to be planted.  Ernesto bought an heirloom tomato plant at our farmers market and I always like to plant grape tomatoes and sun gold cherry tomatoes.  They only thing is that these plants get HUGE and if not properly supported look really messy!  Regular tomato cages can't handle these.  Im not that worried about this, but every year it bothers Ernesto.  

Sooooooo...I have requested (as a Mothers Day gift) that Ernesto help the boys build me a few obelisks to keep these tomatoes in check. These look easy enough to build and the supplies are only $20 each. Done. (I hope!)

My addiction Clematis vines grows.  Literally!  I now have 14 of them around my garden and last week Aldi had them for $5 each.  I picked up 2 more.  How could I not?  Two of them are blooming now and they are just gorgeous!  

Some blue pots are planted.  But since we will be in San Diego next month, I have to leave some open for all the succulents I will be transporting.  You know I don't leave California without my plants!! 

So yes, the garden is looking great!  The backyard is a different story.  One section has been covered up for the past 5 weeks to kill all grass and weeds.  It was so bad, we just wanted to start over.  That area will be tilled this weekend, paying special attention to any remaining weeds.  Afterwards we will be laying new sod! Yeah grass!  On the other side of the yard our patio is more that halfway finished.  

My inspiration?

I have long loved plants growing in between pavers.  We debated pea gravel as opposed to pavers and I love the look but in the end we chose a material that our toddlers can not pick up and throw at each other into the grass.  After I was set on the 24x24 cement pavers, wouldn't you know, I couldn't find them ANYWHERE!  Home Depot and Lowes both dicontinued them, and I called many different places in Atlanta with no luck.  

Let me just say that I am sooooooooo glad mi esposo is handy.  One day he said, "I can make those."     And so he did. 

He got started with a wood mold of two squares, his wheelbarrow and bags of cement.

Due to all the rain we have been getting here, the whole process has moved at a snails pace.  At best, he can only do about 4 squares per day, and those need to dry 24 hours before removing the mold.  Some days we he was not able to work at all due to rain and others he would sneek in one square before scurrying to cover it up before the rain hit.  Needless to say, we have been living with a muddy mess and little space for the boys to play.  Of course they are not ones that mind getting a little dirty.  They have been right there "helping" papi.

. 

Slowly but surely we are starting to see our patio take shape. And I an LOVING it!!                

We are planning to install a shade sail above the patio, so we can actually sit out there without roasting in the sun.  I am envisioning a lounge type area and Im totally inspired by this patio that Emily Henderson just designed using all Target decor.  God I love Target! 

Right???  Don't you want to come hang out at our house? Ill share a full how to post and reveal once it is finished.  If it ever stops raining! 

WEEKLY WISHES # 11

You haven't seen this series in a while, but I had to ressurect because it's time to get some shit done! 

April is always crunch time.  I have a ton of work to do in my garden and I need to make a ton of new jewelry for my Spring shows.   This year is no different.  

We are leaving town in mid May for several weeks and I feel like that is a hard deadline to get some things crossed off our house to-do list.

Without further ado....

This Week's Wishes

1. Finish at least 10 new necklaces and 10 new earrings.  I need way more, but this is a manageable goal. (I hope!) I am working with a few new materials (leather and brass sheets) so some more time will be spent on newer pieces, but the Zafiro classics I can create a lot faster.

2. GARDEN!  I just purchased about 10 new plants/veges that need to go in the ground (which needs to be prepared) and it would be nice to do it while we are in this rain rut.  Would save me a lot of time watering them myself.  Also need to transplant several plants before they get to big.  

3. Post an update on our patio progress and my garden.  Both are looking fabulous, I can't wait to share.

And that is it folks.  Nothing lofty this week.  This is really all that needs to get done.  I have way more I WANT to do, but I won't try and fool myself that I have time for more.

SHOOT!

4. Secure a buddy pass for my sister.  She always flys here to help me with Inman Park Festival. I need my right hand girl!  Any Delta friends reading and want to volunteer before I have to beg you?!

I hope you have a great week and GET SOME DHIT DONE! 

Gardening 101: Propogating Succulents

It all started with jade plants back in college.  Well, wait.  I was raised by the queen of gardening, so I think I can say a seed was planted (pun intended) at an early age.  
But is was in college that my obsession began with jade plants and other succulents and sedum.  One of my roommates was majoring in Horticulture and she actually got me a job in the greenhouse at Ohio State.  HUGE!  Chalk full of gorgeous plants.  And needless to say I learned a lot about propogating and nursing sick plants back to life. Every corner in our apartment had plants, and this obsession has stayed with me.
Another obsession of mine?  Blue glazed clay pots!  
For many years I filled my outdoor pots with different plants in the Summer.  But in recent years I discovered that succulents and sedum are actually the perfect plants for Atlanta Summers.   My pots look beautiful and need little care.  Win-win!
Even though Atlanta winters are not rough, it still gets down to freezing and a lot of succulents will not survive.  Needless to say I loose quite a few plants over the winter.  Instead of buying all new, I like to propogate over the winter to defray the cost of filling all of my pots.
Indoors, these easy to care for plants need bright light and water roughly once a month.  Overwatering is the main culprit for their death.  If they are not getting enough sun, you may start to notice them getting a little leggy reaching for more.  The leaves stretch furthur apart, and this is a good time to propogate them. (see tallest stems) 
The plant above is called Sedum Rubrotinctum, or common name Jelly Bean Sedum.  It is extremely easy to propogate.   But the following process wiill work for any kind of succulent.
Many of my plants started from cuttings of California leaves and cuttings that I brought home on an airplane and propogated and rooted.  Want to learn how to do it yourself?  Here we go.

HOW TO PROPOGATE SUCCULENTS
1.  Carefully take leaves off the stem by moving side to side until they snap off.  If the leaf tears, you will not be able to root it. 
2.  Next you wait!  The step is very important.  The ends need to dry out and callus over or they will absorb too much water once put on the soil and will rot.  This drying process takes at least a couple weeks.  You will start to see the little roots emerge and this is your signal they are ready.

3. Set succulents on top of soil in a well draining pot (ie: it has a hole)  I use a soil mix called Cactus & Succulent Mix.  I actually do not water until they start to form the little babies.
4.  Add water sparingly.  When your plants look like this they are ready to be watered.  I usually give the soil a good soak about once a week or when the soil is totally dry. Set pot in a window with bright indirect sunlight and watch each one grow.  Plants can be transferred to individual pots.  I am short of pots at the moment, so I am letting a little forrest grow until they are a bit bigger and I can just transfer them outside to my front steps.
Good luck and have fun!

Happy Easter

I hope you guys had a SWEET Easter!  We certainly did.  The weather was gorgeous here in Atlanta and our neighborhood network threw together an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning.   It was a HUGE hit with the kids.


The Easter bunny made an appearance at the park.  Mateo was ready to give a list of what he wanted in his Easter basket......but then got a little to scared to approach himself.  Marcelo on the other hand, walked right up to him for a hug.
I love our neighborhood so much!  Any other friends want to move here?  Its a great place for families and has the best farmers market!  (which starts this Sunday. Im so excited!)
 

Easter was laidback and wonderful.

 
Mateo was crazy excited for the Easter bunny and drug us downstairs at 6:30 am to make sure he had eaten the carrots and arugula we left out for him.  Mateo found his basket behind the laundry room door in less than one minute.  Marcelo's was hidden behind the living room curtains, and big brother spotted it first. 

 

The Easter bunny brought candy, a few small wrapped toys and a battery TOOTHBRUSH!! What a smart bunny.  They were excited to brush!  They enjoyed the spoils without too much parental control. What the heck!?  

Ernesto worked a little on our patio (which should be finished soon!) while the kids played outside.  Smita & Rashid, Sean & Lucy and their kids celebrated with us at a 5pm ham dinner.
We colored eggs with the boys on Saturday, for the third time.  They really like this activity.   Ernesto We had an accident with the Easter egg tree one night and we had a lot of eggs to replace.  Our huge tree of 24 eggs went down to 8. 
The makeshift tree/orchid was festive along with some gorgeous yellow tulips and a buquet of purple hyacthins.

Although nothing compares to my mom's holiday celebrations, we were able to throw together a memorable feast, complete with great friends around the table.  I stuck to my moms traditional menu of ham, potatoes, salad and eggs, but was missing two key items.  The homemade bread and fresh horseradish.  Ugh!  Like I said, nothing compares to my mom's holidays. 

Did you follow any special traditions or maybe creat some new ones??

21 Months {Marcelo's Monthly Photo}