In four days Baby K

In four short days, Baby K will turn four months old! How time flies...

January 15th 2014 -- Baby K can ALMOST sit up on his own!  Shall happen soon!

Hopefully this half of Baby K's family shall see much more of my sister and her son during the next third of his life -- difficult to really grasp that he will have spent a third of a year with us already!  (Not including his time in utero of course!)

ALSO, TOMORROW, my aunt is getting married!! She and her husband-to-be have been together (or at least together-ish) for many MANY years now : )  Very happy for them both!!  She just wants to get the papers so not a large wedding at all, but has said she wants to have a celebration once she moves from Nevada back here to CA and we shall celebrate then!!

Goodbye visit (Mexico) - after Disneyland and CA Adventure!

Yesterday and today the "new" family within the Mena family went to both Disneyland (stayed in Anaheim overnight) then to California Adventure; finally were picked up late this evening and came by for a short goodbye visit!  Time has flown by so quickly, hopes that they have a safe journey home and remember what a wonderful time they had visiting different family and friends!

Two Disney images:

Double map of both parks

Mickey and Train Station
as entering Disneyland!

Photo of gifts being sent back to Mexico:

Two family images (as mentioned yesterday) -- yep, all tired:

What a whirlwind week -- still shopping to do tomorrow, but our Mexico family has all of their arrangements in order so tonight was goodbye for now!

Visit from Mexico

As I mentioned this past Sunday, we were planning to have dinner with family [friends] who are visiting the U.S. from Mexico for a very short visit (only one week!  Usually they stay in CA for a week but spend at least a second week traveling elsewhere in the U.S.)

Not only did the family visit (and we had a wonderful dinner!) but my sister also came over with her son Baby K!!  Overall a very happy Sunday!! While I forgot - of course - to actually take photos once dinner started, I did take two or three photos of the set up as well as Baby K... Oh, and as usual, I was asked again (in person instead of email this time) to go and visit Mexico.

Baby K "talking" with his abuelo (grandpa)!!

Prior to dinner (snacking)

Table set for dinner!

Keeping food warm (they got stuck in traffic
in Hollywood! Luckily all food was enjoyed)

Several large roadblocks on my end about going to visit Mexico (although I know they would take GREAT care of me, have gone several times in the past with family) -- firstly, I do not practice my Spanish often AT ALL so I feel inadequate when I do visit and everyone is beyond fluent and speaks quickly; secondly I feel guilty about having others pay for me to go somewhere that I am afraid of the potential violence (not from the family, but the news I keep reading about the drugs and negativity in Mexico in general!!); thirdly, concern for my health... All keeps me saying "not right now, but thank you very much for the offer to visit!!" ... Part of me knows that my reasons are silly.  A larger part of me wants to regress to a child and run to hide under a blanket until life is "safe" again.  Anyway, enough.  Two last photos from Sunday -- also they should be coming by at least for a quick goodbye, if not for dinner tomorrow (Thursday) night!!  So we will get to see them twice instead of just once which is great!!

Tia J walking Baby K to sleep

Baby K asleep
(January 19, 2014)

Shall try to get family photo tomorrow ::HUGS::

Atop the Christmas Tree

Slightly blurry (sorry about that, my cell phone zoom is not great and no, have not gotten a camera still - not really worth the extra money at the moment) -- however this is the Angel that sits on top of my mini Christmas Tree!

Yes, I still have my tree up in my little space -- it is only four feet plus behind the curtain that is the window with the air conditioning unit balanced... Figured the weather will start to (slowly) warm up again soon, so why not leave the tree up?  After all, it only was put into place a week before Christmas

Very likely one day I will wake up, decide to put away the ornaments (less than 20 -- compared to the garlands and regular Christmas tree this is nothing!), and the pre-lit tree will be placed back into its box.  In the meantime I am allowing it to remind me of good things which is lovely!

From the kitchen: Apple Charlotte

From the Kitchen : Apple Charlotte
(Taken from my 2014 Downton Abbey Desktop Calendar)

"Apple Charlotte is an easy recipe for a busy cook. To make this traditional English cake, line a buttered pie in with pieces of bread and cover with a layer of peeled apple slices, or pureed apple, and sugar. Continue to layer bread and apples until the dish is full. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Turn the cake out onto a plate. Sprinkle with sugar and serve."

Personally I love any type of baked apples/apple pie/apple crisp/etc served with vanilla ice cream ~ Hopefully you try this and you/your guests enjoy it!!

Gift of Flowers

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Gift of pale pink gerber daisies!

Just had to share this photo of some lovely flowers I was given for a "just because" gift.  Am anticipating a fun (but long) evening -- family friends from Mexico are in town and spending the afternoon/evening with us! Also a chance that my sister and her son Baby K shall visit...

Something good to read

"Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations"

Off to read some more...