News Around Casa de Espinoza........

Things have been a little bit crazy around here the last month.  I almost feel like a single mom and.....I do not like it!  Packing lunches, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the house (ok, not too much of that) plus taking all the Christmas light calls, doing estimates, billing, making orders.....Oh lets not forget this little guy too.....getting into EVERYTHING! UGH! Calgon take me away!

 My Parents arrived on Sunday and life just got a whole lot easier! Finally,  I actually had time to write this blog post, although it took me a whole week to put together.  A little here and a little there.   By the time Mateo goes to bed at 7pm, I don't have any desire to get on my computer.  In fact, I have been in bed by 9:30 almost every night! Ahhh sleep! 

Anyhoo, I thought I would just run down some happenings here at my house:

• I turned 39.  Yikes! One more year in my 30's and you know Im going to make it a good one.  Ernesto surprised me with a much needed massage and we went out to dinner....just the two of us.  It was the first time since "the last supper" the night before Mateo was born.   We ate at The Shed, in Glenwood Park.
• I discontinued the no-poo experiment a few weeks ago and boy did it feel nice to use my guarana & ginger shampoo/conditioner.  If you hair is really damaged, I could see how the no-poo could help you, but I did not see the benefits.  It did make my hair shiney and soft, but my is already healthy.  The only reason I tried it was to get curly hair, which sadly, did not work. I gave it 6 weeks or so, and that was enough.  The first day I washed my hair with shampoo, Ernesto noticed it when he saw me.  Case closed.
• Thanksgiving was a wonderful day.   It was the first time Ernesto has been home [during the day] in a month and a half.  Boy was that nice!  He put lights on our house and it looks great.  We roasted a turkey and made all the fixins too.  It was just my brother Brrrian, his girl Kyja and us, but we put a dent in that 15 lb turkey.  
•  Brrrian has been here for the last few weeks helping Ernesto hang lights.  It has been great having him here.  Mateo and his dog Bruno have become the best of friends.
• 
•  I have 2 more Craigslist finds.  A[nother] rug and a huge upholstered square ottoman from West Elm, score for just $60.  I will reupholster it...someday.
• Mateo's hair is getting long!  Ernesto refuses to let my [persisting] mom trim it, even though if we don't push it over to the side it is hanging in his eyelashes (he threatened to "trim" the flowers in her garden if she does it anyway)  So we have the mexi-mullet going now.  Ill have to upload a pic of Ernesto when he was little.  Yep. Same hairdo. 

•  Oh Yeah...and that too! Im pregnant!

14 Months Old {Mateo's Monthly Photo}

One Year Milestones!

I have a baby book that I bought before the little Mexi-can was born.  I swore I would write everything down and keep up with all that happened.

I know that sounds like a prelude to failure, but I haven't really failed.  Has the book been filled out?  No.  However, I did jot down a lot of dates with happenings, and most of those happenings have pictures/videos that coincide with them.   I thought, just for safety purposes,  I would publish this to vivacindy in case I lose that little list, or heaven forbid all my pictures.

(Can you imagine what a nightmare that would be?!  I actually just backed up everything the other day with my new 1.5TB hard drive purchased at B&H)

Mateo's First Year Milestones
Smiled- Nov 1 (6 weeks old)
Rolled over- (back to stomach) Nov 30
Laugh- Dec 15 (3 months)
Plane ride (to Canton) - Dec 21 (3 months)
Scooting - Feb 17 (5months)
Rocking on hands and knees - 5 months
Solid food-rice cereal & sweet potato - March 21 (6 months)
Stopped swaddling - March 25 (6 months!)
Said "da" - March 31 (6 months)
Self sooth to sleep [without crying] - April 1 (7 Months)
Crawling - April 13 (7 months)
Sitting up - April 25 (7 months)
2 bottom teeth- 7 months
Climbed stairs - June (9 months)
Clapping- June 19 (9 months)
Waving- 9 months
2 top teeth - 9 months
Walking- 11 months
"Talking" on a cell phone - 12 months

Beside my 10 million pictures (organized on iphoto),  I have a ton of videos clips of my little mexi-can.  I have started a 'one year recap' video to combine them and it is going to be priceless....when I finish it. 

What about you guys?  Have you kept up with baby books, dates, pictures of your little ones?  What has been a good system for you?

13 MONTHS OLD {Mateo's Monthly Photo}

Atlanta "Pumpkin Patch"

 

When I did a search for "Pumpkin Patch in Atlanta," my choices were many.......many many miles outside of Atlanta.  What about us folks who don't like to go outside the perimeter? ha!  Just kidding...but seriously, we were just looking for a place with a lot of pumpkins [close by] for our little mexi-can to climb all over.  (We could save the entrance fees and hay rides etc, for another year.)

We found that place at Brookhaven Christian Church  (4500 Peachtree Road 30319) just north of Buckhead.  This is really a public service announcement. The details of this year's sale were not listed on the web,  so I called the church myself....and here you have it Atlantans:  

Sale runs from Oct 14th- 31st.  11am- 7pm. Cash only.

It was great!  Just what we were looking for.  Mateo had a great time running around.  I had to tell him several times that the pumpkins are not pelotas.  (balls-ha!) Crazy boy!

The selection was wonderful and the prices?  Well, is $18 too much for a pumpkin?  Don't answer that!  It was for a good cause.  We were there on opening day and there were rows and rows of every size.  We bought a very tall pumpkin, a fat one and several cute little ones for my dining table.   The church even had photo props! Good times!

Up next!  Pumpkin carving!

Gangnam Style!

Im sure by now you have seen/heard about Gangnam Style, the crazy Korean song & video that is being played everywhere.  We heard on the local news that the video had over 400 million views on You Tube.  Mateo was mesmerized the very first time he saw it.  (and he has never stopped for more than 20 seconds to watch anything on tv/computer)

When I first saw it, I thought what the hell is this?? But after the 5th time of watching it I was singing along and doing all PSY's crazy dance moves.
If you haven't seen it, take 4 minutes to enjoy.  If you have kids, play it for them, you'll be amazed how much they like it!
Warning:  This song is addictive [and fun!] and will be in your head all day.


I enjoyed reading a post about this song by a Korean living here in Atlanta.  Oh, and by the way, her design blog is great too!

No-Poo : Week Two Update

Well, I reached the end of week two no-poo, and I am still on board.  No stranger to grease and grime, my hair is holding up quite well.  I would definitely say that I am still in the "funky phase"  (de-greasing?) ...at least I am hoping this is a phase.  

I "washed" my hair 3 times last week with the baking soda & apple cider vinegar (acv) rinse.  Afterwards my hair was soft, shiny and surprise...NOT greasy at all.  The below pics are before I "washed" my hair, 3 days after the last time.

3 days no poo

Not too bad when in the ponytail right?
 Once taken down, it gets a little worse.

looking a little more oily when taken down

And this next one is after brushing with the bristle brush from roots to ends.  A lot.  To distribute the oils. 

Not pretty, in fact, that is downright embarrassing.  Let me just assure you that I did not leave the house looking like this.  If I just put on a hat and you see the rest of my hair, you may be sold.  Look how lush and shiny it is.

Is that a little bit of waviness that I see?

 

At this point, I really don't foresee the no-poo making my hair curly, but I do think it will be healthier.

Craigslist Personal Shopper!

I have been thinking for a while about a potential business opportunity.  This week an obvious sign presented itself and confirmed there just may be a need.

Do you think you could you benefit from a Craigslist personal shopper?  Do you want to find unique pieces, with a story/history at discount prices?  Do you want the things in your home to look like they were collected over time instead of bought all at once in a store? A mix of old and new?

Maybe you do not enjoy "the hunt" for treasures?  You are not a "searcher"?   Maybe a little too  impatient to sift through crap until a gem presents itself?   Or maybe none of that is true, but you just don't have the time to search.  It does take time and patience.  And just like thrifting, Craigslist requires that you search often to get what you are looking for.  Does any of this resonate with you?  Keep reading.

This is how the story/obvious sign went.

 One of my readers has been wanting a campaign dresser for months.  Specifically a nightstand, but I think she would take any piece if the price is good.  (Right, Treff?)  Anyway, the other day she emails me a link of a 6 week old listing from Craigslist.  A [would-be] score of the century.

Not one, but five campaign pieces.  $100 obo.  Like I said, deal of the century.  As you can imagine, she was very upset, and kicking herself for not having searched before.  Look at them too, they seem to be in great condition.  A dresser, nightstand, cabinet, desk and shelf. (The long dresser is exactly like my green one.)  I would've drove to Ohio myself for this set (or begged paul's shuttle - ie: my dad - to bring).

At the time of publishing, the listing was still up!  I have gotten excited several times after seeing an ad only to find out it was already sold. Hello people! Take that shit down after your sell it.  Eventually it will expire, but boy is that annoying.

Anyway, back to the personal shopper.  This story could have played out differently had I been "on the job" searching for a campaign dresser.  Granted, this would have been tough to find with not one good search word in the whole ad.  Brass anyone?  But on the other hand, this is how you find the true steals!  This seller had no idea what this set could've gone for, or just didn't care.  Sometimes you just have to sift through the listings to find something special.  I can do that.  I do that.  Every. Day.

 By doing daily searches for my potential clients wish list items, I could find what they are looking for, email them the link and they could buy.  No searching required.  For an extra  fee, I could also negotiate the price (something I am great at) and arrange pick up.

If this service is not already available, someone will surely start now that they have read this.  I mean designers are buying great pieces for a deal and up-charging their clients, this would be a way around that.  It would be a great service for busy designers as well.

So since I am just in the "idea stage" I am willing to do some pro bono work.  If you would like a free trial, place your info IN THE COMMENTS BELOW (not on facebook please).  Tell me your city, and the item you are in search of.  Be as descriptive as possible.  I will be in touch!

Postre al Limon {a lime creme dessert}

Let me start by saying that this dessert [in the words of my friend Janie] is sinful. 
Once you have a taste, it will be very hard to not finish off the whole dish. Seriously.  It happens. Be careful.

It's quick, easy and inexpensive to make.  And yes, sinful too.  Please let me know if you make it and how you like it!

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can media crema (in Mexican section) or  14oz half & half
1 can evaporated milk
2-3 packs of Marias cookies (also in Mexican section)  Could substitue animal crackers
juice of 7-10 limes


TO PREPARE:
Put the 3 cans of milk and lime juice into a blender until mixed well.  Layer the cookies and milk mixture into a 9x9 glass dish, starting and ending with the milk.   Put in the freezer for at least 2 hours and take out approximately 30 minutes before serving. 


Spanish Version:

1 lata de lechera nestle
1 lata de media crema nestle
1 lata de leche evaporada carnation (clavel)
2 o 3 paqutes de galletas Marias
10 a 12 limones. (jugo)

Poner en una licuadora las 3 latas de leche y el jugo de los limones y batir por unos 4 minutos hasta que la cremita quede bien batida.  En un refractario vaciar un poco de la mezcla y poner una capa de galleta maria bien acomodadas que queden apretaditas, despues otra capa de la cremita y otra de galletas, asi sucesivamente hasta que llenes el refractario. Meterlo en el congelador por 2 horas y sacarlo a temperatura ambiente hasta que se ponga aguadito y a comer y disfrutar!   Riquisimo, rapido y barato!

Designer Dining Chairs?!

I know some of you think I am crazy for buying my Craigslist brass dining chairs.

 I actually went through a lot of second guessing after I had them home.  But I thought I would share what I found while browsing google images in search of inspiration for reupholstering them.

Milo Baughman Brass Base Dining Chairs

They look familiar, right?  You'll never believe what they are going for on 1st Dibs.
$4900 for a set of four!

I paid $185 for SIX CHAIRS!  Granted, mine are not the real deal, but the design is exactly the same.  This just re-affirms that my initial gut feeling was correct.  These are cool chairs.