My Big Fat Cuban Family

Modern Day Thank You Notes

2012-02-13T12:01:11-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with the digital age we live in.

I kind of hate that unless your phone is turned completely off anyone can find you at any time. For the record, I never, ever turn my phone off. Not while I have kids out in the world, which is most all the time, but that's not important right now.

But I love when friends send me photos and we can share exactly what we're doing at any given time. It's the modern-day "thinking of you" greeting card.

In December, Lucy and I made vats and vats of Cuban eggnog, or Creme de Vie. I packaged it in the best, most beautiful bottles I could find and made custom tags to attach to them.

We delivered the local ones and I sent them out to friends that don't live in our immediate area code, too.

In this modern age, the "thank you" usually comes electronically (and I'm absolutely fine with that) and many times the gratitude comes with a photo.

Like this one, with the note that read:

"Thank you for the yummy treat and the beautiful bottle too! xoxo"

That's my dear friend, Desi Arnaz Jr. (be still my foolish heart!) sipping some of my famous Creme de Vie. *sigh*

He can keep the bottle. I'll keep the "xoxo." ;-)

Gratuitous Photos of My Four Kids

2012-02-09T11:35:45-08:00

All my creative energy is going into my kitchen remodel. Well, most of it.

Another high percentage of my creative energy is going into designing sets and costumes for the high school production of Grease (Jonathan will be playing the role of Sonny).

And did I mention that we've torn up the downstairs bathroom? Probably not, because I'm kind enough to spare the internet from enjoying photos of my discarded toilet in the side yard and my bombed-out-looking-bathroom. You're welcome.

All that to say this: I'm having trouble stringing two words together to make a sentence because my right brain has taken charge over my entire being and is diverting all energy to sets, costumes, kitchen, and bath (not necessarily in that order).

And did I mention that I'm mostly "visual?"

So I thought I'd just post some photos of my kids today.

Because they make me happy.
Because these photos perfectly captured their relationships and personalities.
Because I can. ;-)

Lucy & Adam. He was seven when she was born and that was upsetting to him for a while.

He's obviously over it.

Now it's like they share a brain.

Amy Kikita really, really wanted her Ruby-Slippers-on-Crack in the photos.

I told her she didn't have to be so dramatic.

That's my girl!

Theirs is the perfect love/hate sibling relationship.

My girls, in spite of the 10 year age difference, are friends. That makes me happy.

Jonathan and Adam are working hard to perfect their smolder.

But, I like their happy faces better.

These two sometimes act like they're twins.

Lucy just really, really wanted her harlequin tights to be documented.

I really, really miss having Adam around.

Because he always makes us laugh.

And laugh.

Jonathan and Amy. He's sixteen. She's twenty-eight. But they share a love for Battlestar Gallactica and Dr. Who. Go figure.

I love that they were all wearing red and black and looked all color-coordinated. (It was Christmas.)

I love when they are all together and making each other laugh.

They are all so different and yet so very much alike. One thing I know for sure, when they smile....I can't deny any of them.

Thanks for your attention. Now it's back to my kitchen and bathroom and Greasers and Pink Ladies. I may yet post photos of my discarded toilet, but that's not important right now. ;-)

The Biggest Insult

2012-02-06T04:47:00-08:00

My kids are generally pretty nice to each other. Of course, there are the occasional sibling fights that crop up when someone's in a foul mood or has had a bad day and chooses to take it out on those closest to them.

For the most part, they get along great and are friends. The exception being that the older ones would take advantage of the gulibility of the younger ones and taunt them whenever they had the chance. They're still doing this (but that's not important right now).

This usually happened at the dinner table and it went something like this:

One of the two younger ones, usually Jonathan, tells some sort of joke.
One of the other siblings: "That's not funny."

This became the biggest insult in our home... for years. "That's not funny," or even worse, "You're not funny."

The highest praise in our family is to get a laugh. So then, the highest goal (especially at dinner time) became to make the other siblings think something was funny. Extra points if you could make them accidentally spit food or pass a liquid through their nose. (I know. Terrible mother. Shut up.)

Believe me, this can be a tough crowd.

Once the Biggest Insult was out there, the un-funny one, sometimes Lucy, but most of the time, Jonathan would kind of do an emotional retreat and come out swinging the next time.

This scene repeated itself over and over on through the years and on many occasions. But, as Nietzsche once famously stated, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." This has been proven true in our quest for the dinner table laugh.

Fast forward to present day. My kids have been hanging with friends and playing Improvisation games for a long time now - it's what all the cool homeschool kids were doing, at least at our house. As an aside, I think each of them has an extremely well-developed sense of humor. I know I'm the mom here, but I promise, it's true.

A couple of years ago, Adam began teaching an Improv class at their high school. Lucy did it last year and this year, Jon collected a group of students to perform as a fundraiser for their drama program.

I know he's my son and everything, but I can genuinely say this with no equivocation: HE. IS. FUNNY.

I guess all that dinner table abuse really paid off. ;-)

This is a fine mess I've gotten myself into...

2012-01-30T10:07:55-08:00

We're still living in a bit of chaos.

Our kitchen cabinets are now in the process of being painted and it's taking a few days. So now that I've got my shiny and beautiful new appliances installed, I am still unable to cook and the mess is starting to get to me. I have lost my mojo and am feeling out of sorts creatively.

I haven't even had the energy to bust out my real camera, so the following photos are ones I've taken to with just my iPhone to document our lives this past week.

So here's our life according to my iPhone photos...

(I'm kind of enjoying the toaster, butter dish, and honey vignette, but that's not important right now.)

My dining area is full of everything that was in these cabinets. This is what I was greeted with as I came down the stairs this morning:

We managed to get a meal on the table in our cramped little kitchen the other night and that made me happy.

And we even managed a date night in our front yard.

The very big and bright one is the moon, the other object seen below it is Venus. We also located Jupiter and used the high power lens to see 4 of the moons. (I know. Nerdy McGoober.)

And because I'm Cuban and I feel guilty if I'm not giving you something...

My friend Pam turned me on to the coolest free camera app for the iPhone. It's called Orange Camera and has a bizzillion fun effects.

Get it. Use it. Love it.

I'll be taking a break for a few days to try and find my mojo again.

I mean my creative-flow-type "moe-joe." My other, Cuban "mo-ho" is somewhere in one of those boxes.

Out with the Old (relatively speaking) #firstworldproblems

2012-01-24T10:14:23-08:00

Picture, if you will, the following chaotic scene:

I'm delighted to report that my kitchen appliances were delivered a few days ago. The refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, and microwave all match. (What?) This is a first for me in my lifetime. And I'm very happy, but I'm still not quite sure how to act.

However, I couldn't stall the delivery of them for another week, which meant the painting happened just a few hours (!) later. So that was our weekend. Moving stuff out of the kitchen and piling it into boxes and storing everything in the dining room.

WARNING: Real life photos of the mess we've been living in. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The stove needs a special installation because our house is so old that the old gas valve didn't speak the same language as the new stove and so I am without a way to cook, and just to make things more interesting, the stove is sitting smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. (So high is my stress level that I just used the phrase, "smack dab.")

My old appliances were happily being hauled away at about the same time.

While all this was happening, the painter was in the midst of turning my kitchen a beautiful seafoam green.

And because of all the traffic and painting, the floor ended up needing a serious deep-cleaning. (Many thanks to Eric and Jonathan and their trusty toothbrushes. Love my guys.)

So we're in the throes of packing stuff and moving and painting and cleaning and avoiding the walls because of the fresh paint, when, in the middle of all the crazy, I remember that it's my weekend to have my mom and I'm late picking her up, so I drop everything and haul over to her house to bring her back with me and this is what happens next...

Here's Luza in her mink coat, sunglasses, and walker. She strolls (or "rolls" if you want to get technical) into our home and declares,

"What a mess!" (To anyone not familiar with the Cuban culture, Cuban grandmothers are allowed to say pretty much whatever is on their minds at any time, and nobody even thinks twice about it.)

"I died my hair red. Do you like it?" (For those not familiar with my mother, she will be 98 next month and this moment pretty much sums up her entire personality.)

She then sat down right in the middle of all the chaos and started commenting* on the painting, the cleaning, and the entire mess.(*commenting is Cuban code for "criticizing every detail," but that's not important right now.)

What I learned from this experience:

My family is pretty amazing.
I love seafoam green walls.
My mother is a piece of work.
They don't have support groups for Adult Children of Cuban Mothers. (Just trust me on this one.)

Dear Desi... (A birthday love letter.)

2012-01-19T05:26:00-08:00

A few years ago, thanks to the magic of the internets and because of a series of happy accidents, I got to meet one of my Cuban childhood crushes.

In fact, you can read about My Adventures with Desi in the Blog Category that has his name, Desi Arnaz Jr. (I know I could change the category name to "My Adventures with Desi." I don't, because I just really like seeing his full name on my blog * sigh*, but that's not important right now.)

It's Mr. Marta's-Childhood-Crush's Happy Birthday today. =D

Dear Desi,

I wish you the happiest of birthdays today! Much love and good wishes!

Besos,

Marta

P.S. I promise to make you some of my famous arroz con pollo and maybe some more pastelitos on my next visit.

Feel free to leave Desi a birthday greeting on this post. I know his wife, my friend Amy will make sure that he sees it. ;-)

I know. I'm a fool. *sigh*

Stop SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T00:26:27-08:00

Imagine no Google. No Wikipedia. No Facebook. No YouTube. No My big, fat, Cuban family.

End piracy, not liberty. Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web.

IMUSA Orange(!) Caldero - A Winner

2012-01-16T20:45:43-08:00

Can I just tell you how much I love how well you guys answered my question: "What favorite recipe of yours will taste fabulous when made in this beautiful Orange(!) caldero?"

Plus, your comments seriously made me hungry, but that's not important right now.

I also want to thank you for the enthusiasm you've shown for IMUSA USA. They are a lovely sponsor for these giveaways and they've generously offered to partner with MBFCF for the rest of this year. I'm so looking forward to the next cool product they'll be offering my readers.

Without further ado, the winner of the beautiful Orange(!) caldero is:

Congratulations, Susana! Please send me an email with "Hey, Marta! I won stuff on your blog!" in the subject line so I don't accidentally delete it. I will then forward to IMUSA USA so they can send you your cool Orange(!) caldero.

Thanks, everyone for your support. You can find IMUSA products at all Macy's stores.

I'm going to be making picadillo tomorrow in my Orange(!) caldero. ;-)

Orange(!) is the new black. (A Giveaway)

2012-01-12T14:47:44-08:00

I am waiting (a little impatiently) for my fabulous new kitchen appliances to be delivered. I think we're still about a week out from that. You would think I'd be totally content now since I'm getting all new appliances, but you know how it is, suddenly everything starts looking like it needs upgrading or replacing. *sigh*

There is, however, one item in my kitchen that still makes me completely happy and that is my IMUSA USA Orange(!) caldero. I use it constantly and am always looking for new recipes to make in it.

Arroz con pollo. Carne con papas. Sopa de pollo. All made in my beautiful Orange(!) caldero. I am starting to think it has magical properties because everything I've made in it tastes amazing. I have to add that I also go ahead and put the Orange(!) caldero straight on the table, not because I'm lazy (shut up. I'm not!), but because it's so seriously beautiful.

My good friend, Chef Ana (don't-hate-me-because-I'm-beautiful) Quincoces shares her recipe for some amazing Pulled Pork Sliders in her Orange(!) caldero.

Brilliant, no?

Doesn't that just make you want this beautiful Orange(!) caldero to cook something fabulous in?

Here's your chance.

My friends over at IMUSA USA have graciously partnered with MBFCF to host this giveaway for a beautiful Orange(!) caldero.

Oooh! Yes, please!

Usually, I would only ask you to leave a comment to enter the drawing for the giveaway item, but I want to give you each a couple of chances, so....

1) To enter this drawing, please leave a comment on this post and answer the following question:

What favorite recipe of yours will taste fabulous when made in this beautiful Orange(!) caldero?

2) For an extra entry, please go "like" IMUSA USA on Facebook and come back and leave me another comment telling me:

"I like IMUSA USA!"

So that's not one, but two entries apiece. Yes, I'm generous like that, but that's not important right now.

Remember that if you want to enter the drawing for this beautiful Orange(!) caldero, you must leave a comment (plus the 2nd comment if you do the Facebook liking thing) on this post and I'll choose a winner on Monday, January 16th 2011 at 8 PST.

Buen Provecho! And thanks, IMUSA USA!

This fabulous Orange(!) caldero is also available at all Macy's stores.

{Disclaimer: IMUSA USA very generously sent me that beautiful Orange(!) caldero for my own use and to review the product and also offered one as a giveaway for one lucky MBFCF reader. The opinion that it is fabulous is my own.}

For the love of Belle - Beauty and the Beast in 3D

2012-01-10T16:14:39-08:00

When my daughter, Amy Kikita was young, she was completely enamored with The Little Mermaid, as probably most 7 year olds were at the time. Ariel was spunky for a princess and went after what she wanted. I think she identified with those qualities.

Years later, Disney gave us Beauty and the Beast and when it was available on VHS, we promptly procured a copy and our sweet Lucy had found that Belle was a princess who had qualities she could admire.

My mom calls Lucy, "La Bella Lucy." And our Master Teacher throughout our homeschool years always called her "Lucy Belle." Coincidence?

I think not.

We had seen the stage show, Beauty and the Beast last year, but last week I was invited by Disney Pictures to the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood to experience Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 3D and I couldn't have stopped Lucy from joining me if I had wanted to. She was out-of-her-skin excited with the prospect of finally seeing the drama played out on the big screen. Not to mention that we just both happen to love being on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Check out the look on her face. Can't you just see her excitement?

Because it was Disney, and because it was at the El Capitan, we were treated to an amazing organist who played every song from the movie as we all took our places. (Totally made me happy.)

Then, Belle and the Beast came out to dance and welcome the audience along with canon blasts of rose petals. (Oh, yes!)

We got to don our 3D glasses, which I'm starting to kind of like. (I know. Shut up.)

And were treated to the new Disney short Tangled Ever After - The Rings, which was absolutely hysterical. Here's a preview:

When the movie began, we quietly sang along to each familiar song and even though we knew the movie by heart, decided that it was absolutely worth seeing it on the big screen. (The Tangled Ever After short was seriously laugh-out-loud funny. Almost worth the price of admission, but that's not important right now.)

And because I'm a big, sentimental uber-geek, I sat there thinking how cool it was to be sitting with a fully grown-up Miss Lucy Belle and enjoying that piece of her childhood as it came to life before us. And, okay...I might have wiped away a tear or two. (But I'll deny it if you tell anyone.)

I encourage you, if you've only seen the small screen version of Beauty and the Beast, or haven't seen it in all its glory, to find a theater playing Beauty and the Beast in 3D in your own town. It's playing in selected theaters opening this coming weekend, January 13th and runs through February 2nd. I swear you don't want to miss it.

And then, because the story is set in France....we ate crepes...

...and we lived happily ever after. ;-)

Did you see Beauty and the Beast back in the day? Are you planning on seeing it again this time around? Tell me.

{Disclosure: Disney Pictures invited us to the pre-screening of Beauty and the Beast 3D. The opinions about the show are my own and the crepes were delicious, but that's not important right now.}