Welcome Charlie!

Congratulations to Alicia, James & Annabelle! Charlie is finally here...(Charlotte Mary Elizabeth), born April 23, 2010 at 1:35 pm.
And I just remembered I had not posted pictures of her baby shower present.

So in honor of Charlie's birth I decided to post some pictures of the little onesies, hat, and bear friend I made for her...

Congratulations to the proud family!!!

OH BARCELONA...

Great article in the New York times...
The food is just beautiful.
A tapas place...what I would love to own a place like this!
I propose moving to Barcelona...
language                  CHECK
desire to move         CHECK
food                         CHECK
all I need is the cash...a job...a place to leave...and to convince my husband!
check out the article...
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/travel/18Barcelona.html

dresses...

# 2
I finally got around making her other dress.  This one I made out of one of Daddy's Polo Shirt that he had stained with hot sauce a while ago (he still thinks it was not really stained...that he is now one shirt down.)
I had some ribbon with a design of little cupcakes in pink and red...so I used it for the border.  Is a little long for right now...with a couple of washes it will shrink, and with how fast she grows it will be short very soon.  She wore it yesterday with a pair of pink tights underneath, she looked very cute.
This is the dress...drum roll

Sunday night dinner!!!

Is always great to have someone else cook for you...specially after trying to cook for Ella Maria and me every day.  So to have Ben (with Ella Maria's help) cook dinner...well, lets say I could get use to this.
Panko crusted Sole (fish)...roasted mushrooms...broccoli...rice pilaf...lemon butter sauce.  It was all delicious!  We were all so hungry that I forgot to take pictures..so you will have to use your imagination on this one...
And for the "grand finale" we had Chocolate cake for dessert.  I had made chocolate cake earlier in the afternoon, at nap time.  Well, what can I say...we were all craving it (we ALL were).  Ella Maria had the idea of chocolate cake a few days ago and we never got around to it.  Yesterday when we came back from grocery shopping I decided to get my hand dirty and get it done.  When I told Ben that I was going to make it he said: "great...I was craving some Chocolate cake and a cup of tea". So it was something that had to be done.

It was perfect...just what we all wanted!

 

This is Ella Maria saying Mommy is Number 1!!!

And this is what was left over of the cake...it wont last long!

This is the recipe I used:
cake:
2 ea Eggs
2 cups Sugar
beat until pale and foamy
add bit by bit
1/2 cup Oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil, cause that is what I have home)
2 tsp Vanilla
in a mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients
1 3/4 cup AP. Flour
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder (use Dutch Process for a darker yummier cake)
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Then add dry ingredients to egg mixture, alternating with the
1 cup Milk
when all well mixed add
1 cup Boiling Water
the batter will be very loose, but that is good.
Put in a well grease mold, and bake in 350 degree oven.  Until done.
(I made two 9x5 pan loafs)

For the frosting:
melt 1 stick of Butter
stir in 2/3 cup Cocoa Powder
when well incorporated alternating add
2 cups Powder sugar and 1/3 cup Milk
stir in 1 tsp Vanilla
beat till has spreadable consistency.
(the original recipe calls for 3 cups powder sugar...I though this was too much, with the 2 cups I added it was sweet enough.  But, if you like hurt on your teeth sweet add that extra cup of powder sugar.)

ENJOY!

scramble eggs...

Today Ella Maria was very excited to have eggs for breakfast...not because she absolutely loves eggs for breakfast, because this time she got to cook them with Daddy.  If this means that she will clean her plate the way she did this morning...I'm willing to let her cook every meal.  Things seem to taste better when she gets a chance to help you out, she loves getting dirty in the kitchen.  Maybe we will make some cupcakes or a cake today...I promise she is the one asking for it, I have gained enough weight in this past 5 months.
Time to cook...
first she needs her stool...checked
then is time to start cracking eggs...mix...get the toast in the oven...get the pan hot...put eggs in the pan...scramble...salt & pepper...serve.  Time to eat everyone!
She did a great job, she was very proud of herself...and we are very surprised to see how quickly time passes by.  She is growing too fast, just yesterday she was just learning how to get up on her feet...oh, my little monkey is a big girl now!

City Garden...

We promised Ella Maria a garden for the summer.  She was so excited, she would talk about it everyday.  She got a garden tool set as a present...and she was eager to put them to good use.  Sunday after breakfast we went to the garden store and got all we needed.  Flowers, strawberries, oregano, scallions and leeks.  This are all things we though we would like to have...enough for our limited space out in the terrace.  Strawberries for the summer are a must have (Ella Maria loves them), flowers always make everything pretty, oregano is kind of our multipurpose herb, leeks to have them as "baby leeks", and scallions...well I just like them.  We are happy with the selection.
So this morning we got up to get our garden planted...it was sunny with a cool breeze.  Beautiful spring morning.  We got everything planted, and we all had lots of fun! Ella Maria got to use all her garden tools, play with dirt, water the plants, and had a little plant dance...she was so cute!
The best part of this story are the pictures...

Sunday morning breakfast...

Sunday morning use to be "pancake day"...well, not anymore.  Ella Maria decided she doesn't like pancakes anymore!!! (so, I will be craving pancakes for a while...cause I'm the only one in this house that really LOVES pancakes, :( tears rolling down right about now!).
OK, so I woke up early in the morning and made some currant, cranberry scones.  I put the currants, and cranberries to soak the night before (got them drunk) in some rum and water.  Get them nice and plum, it will keep the scones moist.  They were in the oven in no time, and it wasn't  long before the smell of the scones had invaded every single room in the apartment.  All that is left to say is that they were delicious!  Fresh, warm scones right out of the oven for breakfast...yum!

dresses...

#1
I'm eager for summer to finally be here!!! I just want it to be a bit warm, be able to go out without a jacket, have a picnic or two, and get Ella Maria to splash in the pool.  I'm ready, ready, ready...
So I decided to make Ella Maria a sun dress, maybe that will bring the warmer weather faster.
I got this pretty smock fabric...green with lots of  pink, yellow, orange, purple flowers.  Lets say is very colorful, and she looks great in bright colors.
Is a very simple tube dress with some ribbon for the shoulder straps...not bad for a begginer.
She could not wait for me to be done..."is my dress ready mommy?" I got that question at least 20 times during the 45 minutes it took me to get it done.  So, as soon as I was done she had to put it on...here are some pictures for you to see:

I had some fabric left over, so I made myself a skirt...don't worry you will not see Ella Maria and I all matchy-matchy any time soon, or ever!
Now I'm ready to make dress #2

for the sweet tooth...

I have the biggest sweet tooth anyone can have...and now is even worst! This is why a Marble Pound Cake was on order.
I tried this recipe from the Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  It calls for buttermilk...but I don't keep buttermilk on hand, and going out to the grocery store just for that was out of the question. So it was time to improvise...one thing I have in the fridge for Ella Maria's bagels is cream cheese, so cream cheese was to be used.  Instead of the buttermilk I used 2% milk (always in the fridge) and added 50 grams of cream cheese...and well, it worked great.

Ella Maria could not wait for it to cool down..."lets have cake mommy!!!"
When the cake was out of the oven I glaze it with some syrup just to keep it moist...we had it later in the day when it had finally cooled down.  It was moist, sweet, chocolaty, and all I had craved for!
And now we are going to have it for mid morning snack...cause just writing about it made me want to have another piece!
Recipe:
1 stick      Butter
1 3/4 cup  Flour
2 tsp        Baking powder
1/2 tsp     Salt
1 cup        Sugar
3 ea          Eggs
1 tsp         Vanilla 
2/3 cup     Buttermilk (or 50 gr Cream Cheese)
1/4 cup     Cocoa Powder (dutch process if you have it)
1/4 cup     Boiling water
Cream butter, cream cheese (if using it), and sugar until smooth and fluffy.  Add eggs one by one, when all incorporated start adding in thirds the dry ingredients alternated with the buttermilk (or milk if using cream cheese).  Mix until all well incorporated...boil the water,  in a separate bowl mix the cocoa powder and the boiling water...let it cool slightly. Separate one third of the cake batter and mix into the cocoa mixture.  In a well greased pan (9x5) arrange the batters in a mixed pattern.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 20 to 25 minutes...(for how long chef? Chef: Until is done!!!)
Enjoy! 

for the monkeys room!!!

I spend a lot of time looking for great things in Etsy...I love, love, love that site. Not that I ever buy anything.  But, this is something I would love to have for the kids room...It will depend on what the little one in the oven is.
I love all of the designs he has...the trees with the flowers, the tree with the monkey, the monkey on the swing, well one too many to choose from.  Decisions...decisions...decisions...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44370925 

We still have some time before we find out...August 15 is the due date, so I guess we will find out then.
And that will give me some time to figure out what to do with the room they will be sharing.
For a while we will have to divide the room and figure out a way that we can fit Ella Maria's daybed and the crib...or maybe we can just get the bunk bed that we like from IKEA and try to set it up for them.  This are all just ideas.
This is the bunk bed...I will like it all white, or natural wood (I don't think they make it, but it will be nice.)

I have it "all figured out"...yeah right!!!

others...

I been experimenting with bags...I got this great fabrics from "home", OK from Guatemala the country I'm originally from.  Home is the US now!

The fabrics are just so beautiful...and I have many ways of combining the colors so the bags can be reversible.  This is the last bag I made as a birthday present for Alison...Ella Maria's Fairy God Mother.

It has a purple stripe pattern fabric and a solid almost orange color, I think they work great together.

Is a reversible wrist bag, and this is the final product...
Maybe I can start getting some orders...they will make great presents for Mother's Day!  Just let me know...

It's been a while....

So, I know that it has been quite a long time since I post something...(not that I have any "followers" that would be upset).  But it is always on the back of my mind...and it bugs me just to think that I started this and I have been procrastinating for so long and not sat in front of the computer long enough to post something.  Just for my piece of mind...(if that is possible!)

Ok...enough of the bla-bla-bla! 

And here we go...

For Ella Maria's 2nd Birthday (Nov.5th) I decided to make her at least part of her birthday outfit.  I made this really simple skirt...I got the "pattern" from what has become one of my favorite website for kids clothing patterns.  I want to be able to make every single piece of clothing that they have a pattern for...and one day I will.  I just need to get some extra income to be able to buy all those patterns.  Or maybe I could become one of their "boutique sewers"...I will need some cash for that too...  OK, I know I'm rambling again...
The website is:  http://www.oliverands.com
So I got some brown corduroy fabric for the skirt...I had just got her some "tall" brown boots, and in my mind I had the outfit all figured out.  I wish I would have been confident enough to attempt making her a shirt to match the skirt.
The skirt is called "Lazy days skirt" very simple to make...join ends of panel, fold and press top edge, edge-stitch the waist band leaving 2" un-sewn to feed the elastic through the waist band.  Sew the elastic ends together, and finish edge-stitching the casing's opening to close it.  Sew a ribbon hem to finish the skirt.
Because it was simple enough to make I decided to add a friend to keep Ella Maria company all through the birthday celebration.  I made a small pocket for the front left side of the skirt, made a little owl from some leftover fabric I had from other projects...and attached inside the pocket with some ribbon (so she can get him out and play with it without the risk of leaving him lost somewhere.)
This is how the skirt looks like:    

And here is Ella Maria wearing the skirt...we went to the Aquarium and have lunch at Daddy's place.  We had loads of fun...it was a good day!
Right, I forgot to tell you that we started the day opening presents...and I made a banner to commemorate the day...and to keep with the owl theme.  This is how it looked like (it's still hanging from her closet door, I wonder what is going to happen to it when she turns 3!?!) 

To end the celebration we came back home to sing Happy Birthday and eat home made chocolate cupcakes!
Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!