Awefully Sentimental

I have been feeling awefully sentimental. Awefully.

I have been crying everyday. About beautiful things.

Over ornaments that reflect our time as a couple together.

Over commercials that remind me that our little family of three will soon be a blooming family of four. That soon, we will have kids running in their pajamas to open their gifts.

(thank you, wal-mart, your commercial made me cry)

Crying over how beautifully painful it is to watch me and Mr. Mans adjust and learn how to be better partners for each other.

I've been laughing and crying over who taught me how to make cookies.

I've been so awefully sentimental that I even roasted chestnuts, just to see what the song was all about.

It's what this whole season is all about.

Or maybe I am just being an over-emotional preg?

Love,

Paulina

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The Perfect Sugar Cookie

Want a sugar cookie?

In the past, I have made some pretty awful sugar cookies. Cardboard tasting things that shouldn't even be called cookies.

This weekend, I tried a new recipe, and for the first time ever I think I have made THE PERFECT SUGAR COOKIE.

I can't stop eating them. Popping one after another. I even left some unfrosted because the cookie is so phenomenally shortbread-like.

As they were cooling off I found Little One had climbed on the table and was attempting to fit as many in his mouth as he could.

I am kind of tempted to try the same.

If you would like to see how many of these yummies you can fit in your mouth, follow the recipe below, adapted from "Favorite Brand Name 100 Best Holiday Cookies"

Love,

Paulina

I cup (two sticks) of butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar

drizzles of whole milk

Sprinkles

1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add egg. Beat until fluffy.

2. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well blended. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten. Refrigerate for two hours, or until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out portion of dough on a lightly floured and chilled wooden cutting board and with a lightly floured rolling pin. Keep remaining dough in fridge.

4. Cut dough with cutters, place on greased cookie sheet (I used Pam for baking). Repeat with remaining dough.

5. Bake 7-9 minutes (I did 8)

6. While cookies cool, mix up confectioners sugar with small amounts of milk until reached desired consistency and smoothness.

7. Decorate completely cooled cookies!

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I Am So Embarrassed

...Because I have participated in Rihanne's It's a Photo Swap and have completely passed up the deadline on when I was supposed to mail off my roll of film to my partner.

My partner, Carly from A Girl and Her Blog has kept up with the rules, and has mailed me her photos. I developed them this morning and I was so excited, they were wonderful!!!

You can check out the rest here.

But, here is quick glimpse at the roll:

Aren't these great?

Thank you Carly for being my photo swap partner. If you are reading this, I promise, promise promise you will get my roll of film soon!

And Rhianne, if you are reading this, please don't hate me.

Love,

Paulina

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Ready for Winter

I've been known to really dislike the cold. After eight-years of cold, I begged Mr. Mans to take my warm latina blood someplace without a winter. My wish was granted, and we spent the last three winters in sunny South Carolina. We haven't pulled out our winter jackets in a while.

To my surprise, as much as I loved the beaches and the year round flip-flop wearing, Christmas was difficult for me to digest in a warm climate. Our favorite thing to do every Christmas in Charleston was go to 'The Festival of Lights', a drive-though light show that also had a walk-though village area. Each and every year we would drink hot chocolate, even though it would make us sweaty. Even more masochistic, we would stand and perspire by the bonfire and roast marshmallows (and our foreheads) in 60 degree weather.

Now we live in New York.

And it has been surprising to my family, to Mr. Mans, and mostly to myself that this year I am wanting the cold.

Bring it on cold. I am ready for your wintery blast. I am ready for your snow. Oh, cold, didn't you know? I have comfort foods to battle against you. I have a pair of knitted booties, and fleece blankets galore. I have hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, eggnog with whipped cream.

And I have warm homemade bread pudding. Oh, yeah, I went there, cold, I went there.

I am ready for you cold,

Paulina

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Shoes, Shoes

I think my closet's not feeling well.

It just threw up all my shoes.

And I just put Little One down for a nap....

Should I deal with the mountain of shoes lurking in my closet?

Nah, I think I am going to take a nap myself.

Love,

Paulina

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Oh, December

November, you have been sweet. You have smelled wonderful and tasted even better.

I could not have asked for more.

December, I know you will be cold. I hope I can roll around in your glittery snow and cuddle during your colder nights.

Welcome, December.

I am excited that you are here.

Love,

Paulina

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For the Love of Food and Family

If I had the words to explain how important this Thanksgiving has been for me, they would probably still lack the weight.

I was brought to the United States when I was just a toddler, not far from the age of Little One. My mother, brought me and the rest of the family to live in the United States. Our story, is similar to a million other stories.

After being raised in the U.S, I am more American, more "gringa", than any other woman in my family. The North American culture, is and always will be, a part of my very own culture.

This year, for the first time ever, I told my mom to not purchase a catered Thanksgiving meal. I told her that after over 20 years of living here, I was now able to prepare a traditional, and very American Thanksgiving meal.

It is amazing the power that food can hold. Not only as a nutritional substance, but for the meaning behind recipes, the comfort behind certain dishes. The memories that certain smells have the power of evoking. The history, the people and culture, behind every ingredient. The families that have shared the same plate, year after year.

And, I know it has been told, it has been said, it has been done for as long as food has been prepared: the love with which the food is made.

It was evident everyone filled their own culinary contributions with love.

This Thanksgiving tasted different to me. It was the pride to which I took when preparing, cooking, and then displaying the very first home-cooked turkey to my Latin family. It was the laughter that united us even when at times everyone is caught up in family dramas.

My explanation as to why this Thanksgiving was so important remains just a peak through a window; it is the tiny tip of the iceberg while the rest of the story lies floating silently under the water.

But the most important part of the story is told:

it was a success.

Love,

Paulina

Photo credit can be given to this lovely gentleman above, who so lovingly almost read my mind, and "stole" my camera in order to take some great action shots and portraits.

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