Things from my Dad

Have you heard "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac"? That song reminds me so much of my Dad.

My Dad is 81.

He is slowly loosing some of his brain capabilities, he doesn't have Alzheimer's. He had a stroke a few years back (actually 2 in a matter of weeks) and now his brain is "Shrinking". The never violent, always calm, caring and sweet man is changing. The only person who he seems to ALWAYS and FOREVER love is my oldest son. They love each other so much, he is the only Dad he ever knew. He is the best Dad a girl could have (actually in his case: 5 girls and a boy!) I keep thinking about my Dad and how sad it is that we are so far away. I want to remember and keep all the wonderful memories and I though I'll make a list of things that are truly my Dad:

* Always help others. My Dad always tries his very best to help others.

* Be forgiving (one that I still struggle with) he forgave people that did him wrong and never looked back.

*Never EVER let someone go hungry.

*My dad always says "My Kids are always going to be my kids; wetter they are 3, 14 or 54 yrs. old" In this age where people just wants to send them off I though it was very inspiring.

* Never ever offend the person you love. Think if that insult that you are about to say is really worth hurting that person, maybe permanently. Words cannot be taken back.

* Be fair

* Value Education. My dad said that an education was his only heritage for us.

*Julio Iglesias! ~ oh, those long trips in the car listening to Julio Iglesia's over, and over, and over.... Love it!

* History is sooooo much better when someone is telling you the tales.

*His favorite saying is:" If your problem has a solution, why worry. If your problem doesn't have a solution, why worry".

*Never underestimate the power of ice cream. He use to buy 2 buckets (the one the ice cream places have in their fridge -5 gallon?) each week for us. Granted he had 6 kids so that was not too much for us.

I wish I could be closer.

I wish he can come more often.

I wish I listened more to his lessons.

I wish I hadn't disappointed him.

I wish he knows he IS the best Dad ever and that I love him dearly.

My Mom is a witch

Not literally though (I think)

why is it when something is happening to me she "just" happens to call?
Seriously, is creepy. I mean, we are not close or anything, not like I call her to let her know whats happening in my life. Don't get me wrong, we talk, we ask how the family is, about Dad, who's getting married/divorce and all that jazz. I just don't tell her everything. We are two different from each other and have never gotten along.
This is why is so strange to me that every time something is happening to me she just...calls.
I remember when I was pregnant the first time around, she told my Dad "Get prepared 'cause Patricia's pregnant" yeap, she knew.
Every.single.time. something is happening she calls. is like a sensor thing. Breakup with looser boyfriend #222 (kidding) she called. Broken heart? Called. Money issues? Called. Health not so good? Called.Then of course she called last night. I didn't say anything and she basically just ask if all was well, but its creepy. LOL

I wonder if I have that.
I wonder if other Mom's have it. Do we get a microchip inserted when we delivered those babies to let us know when they need us? when they are sad? when they are scared? when their hearts are broken?

I've always been ridiculously close to our oldest. I mean, not that I'm not close to little man, but lest face it: he is only about 6 months old and we are indeed as close as we can right now. I know what each cries mean and know the difference between "I'm hungry" or "I'm sleepy" and I finally realize that right now, he is the boss.
But with Big guy we've been like best friends and even though we respect each other we can joke around and be silly. I believe he trust me and I have the most absolute trust in him. I've been blessed with good kids.

I sure hope that I got that microchip-six sense deal going on with them. I wish I can sense when they need me, when they need to talk or when life gets too hard. I hope and wish that instead oof them telling me all is well when I call they can feel close to me and tell me they worries.

Over and out.

My Dream Home and I'm Sick again :(

WARNING: Very Long Post

I'm Sick again :( bummer.

At least a little better than some family members that have been sick for weeks. Poor blond Princess (AKA Goddaughter) has a Sinus infection.

So I figure I post about my Dream Home and what I would like to have in it. When I had the home in the good-old-Garden-State the house had a lot of space and I had so many plans on how to change it to my taste: European Country kitchen, Fire pit, French doors, etc. But since I no longer have it now I can dream even in a bigger scale for OUR next home!!!

{Please note these pictures I've been collecting for a long time. Most of the time I have no clue where they came from, sometimes I just googled "Farm Sink Pictures" and this is what I got}

Look at this beauty!!!!~ love the columns on the front.

Below Dream Home from HGTV 2009, now this is what I call a porch!!! beautifully done:

Again another one with a porch, Hubs and I agree we would love to have one and have some rocking chairs in there:

And one more, so you get the Idea: Porch = good!

Now, I would love a basement that I can transform into a cozy family room with one wall (or corner) for my scrapbooks. but if we can have this in there I'll be golden (HGTV Dream Home 2004):
It probably wont be red (nothing against the color) but I love everything about this room.

Now a sample of a bedroom I like (HGTV Dream Home 04):

We have a beautiful dark wood bedroom set that I love, I just need to find a Iron bed and will be set. I know this headboard is not metal, I just like the whole color scheme going on. Now onto a what I called a dream of a laundry room (HGTV DH 2009)


Also love this one from Sausy's Sprinkles that lady has taste:

or Trifty Decor Chic's she is amazingly creative.

Now, if you didn't guess it my favorite HGTV Dream Home was 2004. It is the one that I can see ourselves living in. Absolutely gorgeous. So here is the dinning room and the family room from that house:

I love spaces that feel like you can kick up your heels and relax. That chair next to the TV armoire is what we called "Silla de Guano" in the homeland and I would love to find one here.

Now I'm going to bored you to death with pictures of my dream kitchen. Up to Hubs and I got together I never EVER enjoyed cooking. Did I said ever? ever, ever, ever. growing up I loved to clean and my younger Sis loved the kitchen. The only thing I liked making was desserts. I just hated the though of HAVING to make a meal. UGH. But then hunky hubs told me I didn't have to cook if I didn't want to. I know it's stupid but suddenly knowing that I don't have to cook if I don't want to made it a lot more fun for me. I started to learn the things I like to eat (Mexican food here I come!) and right now I have to say I enjoy making a nice meal. So after working as a Design Consultant (oh- yeah, I forgot to tell you I major in Interior Design in college) gave me so many ideas of what I wanted in a kitchen and what style I liked.

I discover that I want white distressed cabinets. Back home we use dark woods always. But I like the french or European Kitchen styles and I think that white cabinets look better. here is a few examples:

Love all of these. I also want a Farm sink:

Now look at this beauty below, It's called an AGA cooker and it's from England. As a design Consultant the Co. I was working for was one of the major retailers of its products. We even had a working kitchen designed around it where someone will make demo's with it. Its stays on 24/7 {no knobs} and each oven its set a different temperatures with 2 hot plates on top. A dream I tell you (Oh and it comes in all sorts of yummy colors including purple!)

And finally I want a nice tub in our bathroom. Here are some images I'm currently in love:

The image above? Yeah~ that's fabric on the walls! LOve! (this is from RMS)

Above another RMS from HGTV.

Above HGTV 04, below HGTV 09 (which BTW I only like the tub, that's too fancy for me.

I hope I have inspired you for your Dream Home, or perhaps you already live in it :)

To the Rennaisance and back!

OK, so here is a little bit of what we did this weekend. My in laws came over from good-old-NYC

on Saturday and since this was their first time visiting us here we showed them the town, the new homes being built, the park, etc. Then of course SHOPPING! we headed to the mall just to wonder around and see what specials/deals they have (turn out a lot!!!). We wondered around mostly cause my FIL decided to go AWOL on us and we tried to find him. Finally time to eat and we treated ourselves to Mexican, the hubs and I are HUGE fans but turns out my MIL has never been to a Mexican Restaurant, who knew? Thankfully everyone enjoyed their meal and by the time we got home we where exhausted and just hit the bed.

Sunday was great. I love-love-love the Renaissance Fair!!! My friend had already gotten us tickets to go for my Birthday and this is something my in laws don't see very often {and by that I mean NEVER}. It was great, lots of people dressed up, lots of food, music, shows, shops, food, artisans, food, jousting, etc. (see a pattern here?). Here are some of the shoots I got there:

I love, love, love this guy costume!

A look around...

Interesting picture, I know...those are some skinny jeans my friend!

I was following the Zorro, can you spot him?

Eeeeeeerie

We found Gandolf!

Oh, and I found this little fellow lying on a hammock so i just had to take him home!!!

THE WEEKEND IS OVER YAYYYYYYY

I usually drag Monday's cause I cherish the time the hubs and I have on the weekends with the baby, seeing Karina and her family and all that. Especially in the fall but this weekend..well, lets just say I'm HAPPY AS A CLAM that is over with. So I'll post more tomorrow when I have some rest and energy in me...ugh...for now I leave you with a picture that fully indicates how I felt.

They said a picture speaks more than a 1,000 words:

I'll take Lestat over Edward any day!

Before you start screaming at me and telling me I'm insane, let me tell you that I'm currently reading book two of the Twilight Series "New Moon" and I will continue to read them because, well, I love to read. I am definitely trying to give this a chance, yes I saw the movie. No, I don't think its the greatest Vampire movie ever. I've been addicted to Vampire Literature and films from early teens and started collecting these from the time I was 17. I read my share and saw even a few more.

I just don't get all the fuzz. I think the movie was good, entertaining- yes (but then again I love "Coming to America" so I may not be such a good judge).

In my humble opinion Anne Rice is a MUCH better writer than Stephenie Meyer. Anne books have a way of mesmerizing you and making you feel you are actually there. The desperation, complexity and sadness of some of her characters can be felt thru her written word. Her books are so amazing that, when I finally had the chance to travel to New Orleans, I felt like I've already been there 'cause she wrote so much about it and with such detail.

Above is Anne Rice's Former New Orleans home, where the book "The Witching Hour" was based on. The house is currently owned by Nicholas Cage.

I'm sorry but sometimes I just want to grab Bella and slap her senseless. Sorry!!!!

Maybe because I am not a teenager, but even when I was and felt madly and deeply in-love; that love that can take your breath away; I had so much more sense. She is just so pathetic in some parts that I actually had to stop reading and exclaim: "Oh C'mom!".

I am entertain mostly with the cast around it. I do like the story behind "La Push" and Jacob and all that. I like Vampires period, no matter how bad/silly they may seem. So yes, I will continue to read and view this movie. After all, I am a Vampire fan and it's my duty to keep my mind occupied.

For me, Lestat is such a passionate and complex character. He was the real deal to me. Him and Gary Oldman in the Bram Stocker's Dracula. I mean those are men I could fall for. Edward? not so much.

And to think that "Buffy" was so long ago! I even have a collectible watch to prove it!. Even "First Bitten"...do you remember that one with Jim Carey. Or "A Vampire in Brooklyn" hahaha, I do love it all. So I guess maybe I'll change my mind about it. Oh, and in the subject of Vampires, I am not completely convinced on "True Blood" or "Vampire Diaries".

Again, I cannot see myself falling for Vampire Bill, but I like Ana Paquin's acting and all the other characters there. Saw the first Season so far so let's see what else Season II brings. My Sister recorded the "Vampire Diaries" for me, and it was ok...didn't hold my attention for long or maybe it was because I had a fuzzy baby on my lap. At least I know I'll be entertain for a while.

If only Anne Rice will go back to writting about Vampires *Sigh*

One year!

Yesterday, a year ago, I was on my hair appointment in a beautiful Hotel in the Caribbean.

My younger sis was with me (like always!) and we where discussing how her hair should be.

I was getting very nervous with each passing moment. Ahhh, the person doing our hair was so nice, she was getting ready to do my makeup and then...I lost it! I started crying and she and my sister started to blow air at me, the lady was trying to give me a shoulder massage so I could calm down and relax. The funny thing is...I was Happy! I was ecstatic with joy...just in a few hours I was going to be married to the most amazing man ever and my best friend.

You see, I never though this day would come. In all the years after that I dated...actually I dated a LOT. Unfortunately I had to kiss a lot of frogs before finding my Prince. I really though that I was never to be married and just be my child and I; and to a point I was OK with that.

DH and I dated when we where younger- not even 20's- and even though we got along we moved in different directions, going to college and things of the sorts, but we ended in good terms. He was one of the few guys that was actually OK with me having a child.

Then fast forward 12 yrs, one day 3 years ago, I was posting a message online in a forum from our old town and he saw it. he emailed me and bet me $1,000,000 that I didn't remember him. I was so surprised!!! Of course I did! We started talking online, then chatting on the phone. just like old friends, he was actually trying to convince me to give this other guy a chance. Then he moved to NYC and we started talking even more, everyday. When finally we decided to get together for dinner and a movie...well, that was then and we've been together ever since!

He has been my best friend and confidant. He truly showed me that love does not have to hurt, that someone can love you back the same way you do for them, that he wanted to take care of me and be with me and have a family together. He really got talking with my oldest and trying to connect thru sports. They are such good friends now. The day of our Wedding my son hugged me and said to me: "I'm so happy for you Mom, we've been waiting for this day for so long".

The truth in those words. This year has been amazing, we welcome a new baby into our family, finally settle in a new place and had some challenges but it dawn on me finally that I'm not alone, there is someone with me, and I'm the luckiest girl. I got a good one.

Happy Anniversary...and don't think I forgot you still owe me a Million Dollars!