A Day In The Life

I'm thankful and privileged to get to hang out with these cuties throughout the week:

Isabella agrees:

I wish we could keep him, Mom.  I wish.

Why?

Because - he's just. SO. cute.!

You're a great babysitter, Mom

Thanks, honey.

Mom, what's a babysitter?

It really is awesome -

even when our home looks like this:

The Filipina Superwoman

true beauty

My husband has often commented on how awesome my mom is because she can do yard work like a boss.  I'm not talking about cutting the grass and weed-eating, although she is capable of both.  I'm referring to getting roots out of the ground, ripping limbs from the trees, and getting debris off of the roof type of yard work.

Not only can she do her thing outside, but one can probably eat off the my mother's kitchen floor - I'll even go as far as to say that you could probably eat off the floor in her bathrooms.

She doesn't play around when it comes to housework.

Don't even get me started about my mother's cooking.  Don't like Filipino food?  You will after you taste hers.  She also makes a mean steak, spaghetti, and fried egg - all random.  All delicious.  She doesn't bake these days, but I remember when I was a little - her macaroons are to die for.

Want to make me cry?  Just talk about all this stuff.

I've already started and I haven't even gotten to the best part.  I'm pretty fortunate to be surrounded by some amazingly strong people - my mom included.  She:

grew up in a family of 9 children

was raised part of that time by her aunts

fell in love and married a man who took her to another country to live and raise a family

has me and my sister as her daughters

worked hard to help support our family

then stayed home to raise me and my sister

suffered the loss of her parents while thousands of miles away - only physically

reuniting with her family after those losses

attended every one of our parent-teacher conferences - I'm not kidding you guys,

every. single. one.

loves God, loves my dad, loves my sister, and loves me

is the best Lola to our four girls - she might even beat out their daddy as the favorite one

My mom is as sassy as they come - my sister and I get that trait honestly.  Along with that, we've inherited our mom's ridiculous love for family - behind all of the firecracker is a heart of gold.  My mom would do anything for my dad, my sister, me, and our girls - I bet she would do anything for you, too.  You would be blessed if you got to be friends with my mom - she would be an encouragement to you, and she would make you laugh for sure.

model status

off to the U.S. to reunite with her honey

sister time

the lovely parents

loving on Lola

Happy Birthday, Mom - I'm so thankful for you.

Love you forever.

Tis The Season To Get Your Grill On (A Great Marinade Recipe)

To my girls:

You'll want to save this one for when Daddy and I visit you when you're all grown up - and you want to make us a fast and tasty meal.  That way, he won't raid the pantry in the middle of the night like he sometimes does when I haven't made him an amazing dinner.

Love you forever,

Mom

It seems like spring (probably summer?) has finally arrived,
and the whole family is all sorts of excited. 

Two of my favorites about this time of year are:

(1) Bill (as always) and

(2) his grill

Everything seems to taste better after it's been cooked outside - or maybe I'm just happy because I'm not the one cooking dinner inside?  Either way - the husband is wonderful at the helm, and everyone is typically eager (and happy) to eat what Bill has made.

This is one of our favorite marinades.  I always use chicken breasts, but I'm sure it would work just as well with thighs or wings.  The meat is always tender and juicy - and Bill and the girls eat it up with a quickness.  I love it because it's easy, it's delicious, and it only takes 30 minutes to prep.  You can marinate it overnight for more flavor, but I sometimes forget to do that.  Oops.  I probably let it sit, oh, about 19.8 minutes this afternoon before Bill took it outside.  Still fantastic.  He found this recipe here.

KEY WEST CHICKEN

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 teaspoon chopped garlic (or garlic powder)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

(Sometimes I use more, sometimes I use less.  I usually don't cut them in half.)

In a shallow container - blend all the ingredients except for the chicken.

Place the chicken into the mixture, and turn to coat.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate.

Discard marinade.

Grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Enjoy - it really is delicious!

The Things He Says

all dolled up for Joel & Becky's wedding (Dec 2012)

I've mentioned more than once that Bill and I are complete opposites.

He's thoughtful, sincere, and pretty open about how he feels about me - and everything else for that matter.  I often say things before I even think them through.  However, when I'm upset - I'd rather clean angrily than have a thoughtful conversation.

He has an even personality and is extremely easygoing.  This very much contradicts my up and down demeanor.  Pair that with my intense emotions with regards to whatever I'm passionate about at the moment, and Bill is often in for quite the ride.

Because we are so different, I am typically the recipient of the romantic gestures in our relationship.  On Valentine's Day, Bill put notes in each of the rooms of our home thanking me for this and that.  One of the notes read:

LIVING ROOM

You do it all in here: pay the bills, make grocery lists, plan the calendar, watch kids, play with our girls, teach them piano, relax with me, chat with your girlfriends, and clean up 2000 toys every day.  You are a very talented and gifted woman!

Love you,

Bill

So sweet, right?  However, along with that charm comes blatant honesty.  In response, I usually laugh - but in actuality, Bill really wants me to take him seriously.  Here are some of my favorites:

On hair:

Please don't ever cut your hair short again.

-as I observe and point out cute haircuts when we're out and about.

On social media:

I don't want to be on Instagram (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

-as my hand (on phone) gets ready to take a picture, post a status, or send a tweet.

On humor:

Your "your mom" jokes aren't funny.

-as I bless him with my hilarity during our alone time together.

For the record, I think they're fantastic.

On bodily functions:

Grace, please don't fart on our date.  Seriously.

-wait.  What?

On morning activities:

Roll over, honey.

I want to hold you, but I don't want to smell your breath.

-as I scoot over for cuddle time before getting out of bed for the day.

Here's to always cultivating the love and the candor in all of our relationships.

There's definitely a lot of both in ours.