So-niele

Holiday Eats

There are certain things we eat on certain holidays. I think I love Thanksgiving the most. Standard fare in our family consists of what we had yesterday: turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread casserole, and stuffing (which often varies year to year, as my mom likes to make the Chinese style sweet rice stuffing and I don’t care for that much). We lack the green bean casserole tho and I actually really like that stuff. I need to remember to make that next year. Oh yeah… and the mister decided that we would host Thanksgiving in our house next year. I’m not too hopeful about that one. Lol. It’s a lot of work, but we’ll see how that goes.

On Christmas we normally have prime rib. YUM! We also have mashed potatoes and my sister’s cornbread casserole. I’m looking for a recipe for creamed spinach, so holler at me if you have one. And maybe some sort of buttered corn. I can’t wait. I’m getting excited already. I need to stock the freezer tho and start rolling lumpia again.

Easter we have ham, which doesn’t excite me. At. All. Unless of course it’s a Honeybaked Ham, which it hasn’t been in a long time. Ham just bores me. It’s the after part that my mom does with the ham bone that actually DOES excite me. I think I have a love affair with mungo beans b/c she makes a stew type dish with spinach and greens. LOVE.

Birthdays we have standard fare pancit. We have the random Pilipino dishes every now and then. We used to do something for New Year’s and I’m not sure what or if we’ll be doing anything. Probably some pancit again.

I ♥ food.

Posted in babbles, cooking, eating, ohana, work, celebration | No Comments »

Thanksgiving 2009

A few minutes shy of the “holiday” but we survived.

This year was very low key and absolutely perfect. No uncomfortable “unwanted” family members. No forced situations. Just good people. Good company. Good food. With the people that matter the most, save for Mama.

Mama was s’posed to be home on the 19th but extended her stay so that she could take care of some things before her extended stay here. As much as I miss my mom, I’d much rather her take care of that business and stay longer than rush back right after the holidays, which was the case last year. So with that news we were at a scramble as to what we were going to do this year.

We threw around the idea of going out somewhere to eat. But then it dawned on some certain football fans that they’d much rather be in close proximity of a television. Then the idea of purchasing a whole meal and forgoing all the hardwork was thrown around as well. MollieStone’s, Boston Market, and Honeybaked were big contenders… but in the end it was homemade teamwork that won out…. and it was all for the better.

I ran around looking for a damned turkey with my brother. We hit up 3 different places. LMAO! And we ended up getting it at our 1st spot and with a bigger bird than he anticipated.

What was on the menu: roast turkey, fried turkey legs and thighs stewed in duck fat, corn bread casserole, Sto.ve T.op stuffing (my fave ), mashed potatoes, lumpia, spinach salad, rice, gravy, pumpkin flan, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. And I’m sad to say, as much as I love me some Thanksgiving eats only ONE plate was had. But it was good eats!!! And plenty of leftovers were taken home to be enjoyed for the next few days.

What am I thankful for:

1. My siblings, we might not always get along or agree (b/c really who does) but we work and we know how to work together. If it weren’t for the 3 of us getting along then today would not have happened.

2. My family, they keep me grounded and they make me appreciate the people I have in my life.

3. S, b/c he’s ever so supportive and allows me to watch our kids and stay home with them. A luxury that some can’t do and as much as I complain about the kids I love them to death. S is also my best friend and for as many years as we’ve been together he can still make me laugh even when he’s being stupid. And even though most of the time he’s being stupid and I’m not laughing on the outside, I’m certainly laughing on the inside (just don’t tell him.)

4. My kids, they make me who I am today. They make me proud, they make me smile, they bring joy to my life… as well as aggravate the hell out of me… but I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. They. Are. My. Life. Not to say I don’t have a life outside of them but I love what I do and I know for certain I am not perfect at my job, I think I do a damned good job sometimes.

5. A roof over our heads and the small (and big luxuries) that we have. Food on the table, warm blankets, electricity, running water, cable tv, and cellphone service to name a few. I take for granted of them all the time and I could certainly be content withOUT some of the things we have but I am VERY thankful for them.

6. Friends old and new that make me laugh, make me cry, and make me remember some of the good and bad times in life but they give me an outlet outside of my kids and the mister and my family.

7. Waking up every morning and thanking God that I’m alive to be thankful for all these things and experience them another day.

I was trying to go for top 10 but those are the things I am most thankful for. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving… I did learn something thanks to FB today, there are quite a few people who do NOT like turkey *gasp* WHY NOT??? They must not have had a good turkey and with that thought I have #8. To my parents for always making us good food to eat and the appreciation of a good plate of food. It’s no wonder I am so pudgy. Not only do I looooooves me some food but damn I can cook up some good eats too.

Posted in babbles, keiki, cooking, eating, lil man, lil miss, ohana, work, celebration, complaints, funnies, big mister, baby M | No Comments »

*Hot Date*

Just got home from a “hot date” Yes a day date and not with the Mr. Lilmiss had been asking all morning where were going and I told her that I had a “date” only I didn’t tell her who it was with. Oh yeah and both girls came along with me.

As we were walking to our destination she kept asking who my “date” was and so I told her it was my friend. And she kept saying “He” and “Him”. And then to her surprise (and disappointment maybe) it was my old college roomie, a girl. Despite living so close we haven’t seen each other in quite some time and don’t hang out on the regular. Hectic lives and such.

We just hung out at the mall and played catch up. Walked around and had lunch. And I will have to say that it was a good time. I always enjoy my time with her catching up. It’s no wonder we lived together for 2 years.

I also ran into an old grammar school and high school friend who I haven’t seen in awhile either.

Old friends are always nice to catch up with.

Posted in babbles, out&about | No Comments »

OPERATION PT

The PT, well that will stand for potty training!

Today I bought a box of diapers at Costco. That’s 180 diapers not counting random diapers we have around the house and in the car and diaper bag. babyM has graduated to size 4. We’ve been having too many leak out the side mishaps with the size 3s so I’ll finish those off first and then graduate to size 4.

I have been steadily prepping her and myself for potty training. If she ever requests to sit on the toilet, I make sure I put her on there. 3 out of 5 times something actually does come out of her. YAY! When she wakes up in the morning, it’s right to the toilet she goes. Before bed, while we’re brushing our teeth, she sits on the toilet. 5 out of the 7 nights of the week she will wake up with a dry diaper. The poop tho… that’s another story. I can never read her “signals”. Lilmiss would grunt and turn colors. Lilman would hide. babyM she just does it, as if it’s nothing. But once she done… she’ll come over and tell you, “I caca.. Change?!” And before even her times would be predictable… now not so much. UGH! So frustrating.

So I’m hoping this will be our last box of diapers that we have to buy. EVAR! As sad as I might be that she is our last baby… I can’t wait to be done with diapers!

OPERATION PT! I am hoping to be done before she turns 2. I have 3.5 months to go. READY! SET! Goooooooooo!

Posted in babbles, work, baby M | 3 Comments »