Halloween Sneak preview

I finally finished Elena's Cinderella dress this morning. Most of the time I was working on it, I had two or more kids hanging on me and Lolo loves the pedal to my Bernina so he would crawl really fast over to it and push down hard sending the machine (Matilda--named after Pablo Neruda's wife) into convulsions. I had to work it with my hand up on the table a lot of the time. Anyway, Elena looks really cute in it. Take note of the black cat too.

Corn Chowder and Tortilla Soup--for Suzy and Dad

Corn chowder--
I cut up a red onion and rinse it in water and then saute it in olive oil. Then I add 4-5 ears of corn (I cut the corn off, but add the ears for flavor). I also cut up 4-5 potatoes chopped into little pieces. I saute that a little bit and then add water. In the mean time I chop 3-4 tomatoes and add those. I add garlic and cumin and salt to taste. I try not to over cook because I like the potatoes a little bit firm. I whip up a couple of eggs and add those and I also add a little soft Mexican cheese. I let it cool off after the potatoes are just done and I add 2-3 cups of buttermilk. Then at the very end I add cilantro and green peppers. Be sure to squeeze a little lime. Make sure you have enough salt.

Tortilla soup
I boil the chix breasts with the skin and bones and then I save the juice and strain it. I also save the chix and shred it. In the food processor I put some garlic, a can of tomatoes with green chilis, a little bit of a cerano pepper an onion and a bunch of cilantro. I puree this and add it to the chix juice. I add salt and cumin to taste. I also thicken it with a little corn starch and add a half a can of tomato sauce. I fry corn tortillas in olive oil and then put them in the bowls with Monterey Jack cheese and the shredded chix. I pour the broth over and squeeze lime and cut up avacados. This is so good. Pat gave me the recipe. Did I forget anything Pat?

Our little pumpkin

Playing in the leaves on Saturday

We raked leaves in a field by our house on Saturday. When we got to the field, a cute neighbor boy was already raking. We asked him if we could join him and he let us. We got the biggest pile. It was so much fun. We also used Mr. Tidwell's wheel barrow which came in handy. I think the kids had fun and I love the pictures of Lolo. He would sit at the top of the pile and then inch himself downward. It was way cute. I love the picture of Ollie flying.

Frightmares on Friday Night

We had such a jolly time at Lagoon Friday. We stopped at the cemetary and visited my dear brother's grave as the 24th marked the sixth year anniversary of his (as Pat would say) "metamorphosis." I miss him more now than ever. His spirit lives on. He left a tremendous legacy and I know he loves his nieces and nephews fiercely.

After we left the cemetary we doubled back and picked up my Mom who is always game for an adventure. We then went to Modern Display where the Halloween decorations are super expensive. Then we headed to Laura's where she outfited me with a red baret. We grabbed a couple of pizzas and caravaned up to Farmington. The first thing we saw was a hot pink hurse (cadillac). It was all decked out--see pic. There were tons of jack-o-lanterns and monsters walking around. We took the kids to the cutest spook alley where they were able to trick-or-treat. We also went to a more big person spook alley. We covered Lolo's head with a blanket and he fell asleep and Nena buried her head in my Mom's bossom. Addy and I went on Collosus (sp?). It was a riot and absolutely no lines. Ollie and Noah went on a lot of kids rides together. Elena figured out how to work the planes finally--after going on the ride three times. Great times were had by all.

This is the Eternal Flame sculpture

Arts Night at Farrer Elementary on Thursday

We had an arts night at Ollie's school on Thursday night and my Mom and Dad came down to demonstrate their art. They were a real hit. My Dad worked on a study of a picture he took up in Brighton canyon. I will post a picture of the study in a later blog. It's so amazing. It reminds me a little bit of Yellowstone. Needless to say, Ollie got in good with his principal, Mr. Dowdle. Bonnie Callis was awesome. She had a lot of hands on activities like collages, sculpting, watercolor, drawing, sketching, etc. I was so impressed with how she coordinated everything. My Mom's art project included a handprint of Lolo's and her creativity of keeping Nena and Lolo alive while I was helping with the collages and making sure Ollie was getting around to all of the tables. It was a magical night complete with apples, grapes, cheese and crackers--lovely music and wonderful talent. Thanks Dad, Mom, Bonnie and everyone else there. At the end of the night I was commenting on a sculpture and I said, "I like how it reaches upward like an eternal flame." This girl overheard me and said, "That is the name of the piece." Doo doo doo doo--twilight zone.

Naui's parents left to go back to Ecuador

It was a very emotional goodbye. Naui wasn't here when they left, but we were all crying. Kenedy said it was the same when they left to come here. Everyone down there was crying. Unfortunately, the doctors here weren't able to do anything to restore Agustin's eyesight. We had a lot of fun though despite the circumstances. Zoyla mostly and I made some arroz con camaron and ceviche and we had a nice visit with some friends from Ecuador. I think that cheered Agustin up. I'm so glad they were here for Lolo's blessing and for Elena's birthday. They were so nice.

More from the Capitol Theater Extravaganza

Last Friday night in Salt Lake

We had so much fun on Friday. My Mom told us they were doing tours of the Capitol Theater and then showing the silent film version of Phantom of the Opera. I realized that I would probably be able to do the tour somehow, but that the kids wouldn't sit through a silent film. We talked Addy into coming with us which was great!!! We picked up Addy at Skyler's Dad's house and then headed for the big city. We stopped at Sees Candy in Draper where we saw a Ferrari and a Mazarati (I think the Mazarati is my new favorite car). Then we went to Pirate O's to get a carrot cake (I went off my no sugar diet for a little while while Naui's parents were here. I'm getting back on track today!!!) The guy in Pirate O's was a little uptight when Lolo was on the floor and when Ollie wasn't listening to me when I told him we could share a drink and Ollie wanted his own. I can't wait till he has kids of his own!!! Then we went to the Hello Kitty store and just loitered at the mall for quite a while before my Mom showed up. We saw another Mazarati at the mall--dark purple!!!! Interior immaculate! The interior of my car looks like a tornado just hit. We picked up my Mom and went straight to the Capitol Theater. We found a great parking spot right across the street. I took Lolo and Nena while my Mom, Addy and Ollie went on the first tour. We ran into some street dancer/pedestrian interpretators which was cool. Then I came back to the Capitol and pawned my kids over to my Mom and Addy while I took the tour. It was so awesome!!! We went back stage and down below the stage. We saw the set of Madame Butterfly and all the dressing rooms and the lounge where the VIP's party during intermission. Wow. I had no idea what all was back there. We learned about George--the ghost. He threw a paper airplane at a security guard one night. I believe in ghosts although I have yet to see/feel one first hand. I loved the tour and seeing the walls with the autographs downstairs. The tour guide was so artsy and fun. It turned out that Ollie and grandma watched the whole film while we Addy and I took Lolo and Nena to the Cinnegrill for a lovely dinner. We rode the train and had so much fun. We brought some food to Ollie and grandma. On our way back to Provo we stopped at the spook alley at Ikea. It was a 3-D type of thing for small children. I was laughing so hard. I should have known by the sign NO REFUNDS that it was going to be a little cheesy and nothing like the Haunted Forest or Rocky Point. My Mom came too. We got done with that at 11:30 p.m. so needless to say the kids were a little tired!!!! What a great time we had!!!!

Lolo's Look-alike...Furbie

Halloween at the Zambrano's

We love Halloween at our house. We went to the corn maze at the Vineyard Nursery on Friday and on the way there we got the corn stalks, straw and Cinderella pumpkin. On Saturday we went to Gardner Village for Nena's birthday and took a ride with the witches. I just had to dress up.

Lolo's Baby Blessing

Nena's Birthday