Recap of Perla's birthday and recipes of the treats we had for her birthday

We had a blast for Perla's birthday! But most of all, we had amazing friends joining us to celebrate her birthday! On her birthday day, since it was a week day, we just had cake and took pictures of Perla trying to touch the candle and smashing her face with cake. Here is only a sneak peak from the pictures my dear friend Ema took of her.

We had invited some friends to join us to celebrate her birthday on Saturday. I was so excited to through this little party for her. I woke up early in the morning and started cooking. Below you will see what I made accompanied by the recipe.

Cheese ball and crackers

Recipe for the cheese ball: 2 8oz packages of cream cheese (set it out and get it to room temperature to make it soft to mix), one can of crushed pineapple (make sure to drain it well, and make sure it has no water), 1 cup of bell peppers cut really fine, 2 tsp of onion salt, and 1 tsp of season salt. Mix it all together and roll it over crashed nuts (I used walnuts, but you can use anything). I made three balls with the mixture. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it cool in the refrigerator until it's time to serve.  

Baked Chicken

You can find the recipe from a previous post. The only thing I did differently this time is that I used dried rosemary instead of fresh. Click here for the recipe.

Artichoke Bruschetta Recipe

1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (any cheese would work), 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion, 5 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 French baguette, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices. Mix all the ingredients together and place on bread slices. Heat the oven to broil and place the bruschettas in pan and in the oven. Let bake until bubbly (5min).

Strawberry Tiramisu

Click the link here for the recipe. Now, I got the recipe from an Italian website. The real recipe is a little bit different from the one I was able to find in English. This recipe asks for coffee. You don't need to use any coffee. Just use the sauce made with the strawberries to brush the ladyfingers. If you understand Italian click the link here for the original recipe that I used.

Muddy Buddies

The recipe I used is the original recipe from the Chex Mix website. Click here for the recipe.

Pasta Salad

1 box of bow tie Pasta, 5 Roma tomaoes, 1 can tuna, a handful of olives, and 5 tbsp crumbled feta cheese. After boiling pasta, rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking, mix all the ingredients with the cooked pasta. Easy peasy! 

I hope you try some of these recipes and like them. I think we really enjoyed them (the empty serving dishes at the end of the party testify of that :))

Enjoy the nice weather outside!

Warmly,
Juliana

Giveaway winner and a sneak peak from the preparations for Perla's birthday

I am always surprised with technology. The software I was using to run the giveaway, actually picks the winner of the giveaway for me. Drum roll.... And the winner is Sam Jessup!!! Congratulations Sam! Thank you all for participating in the giveaway.

Changing topics... From the title, you already know what I am going to talk about next. It is my baby's birthday tomorrow!!!! I have never been so excited for someone's birthday every before! I have tried to keep everything simple, and not go crazy and overboard but it is so hard.
It has been an incredible year for us! We talk about the day we welcomed our angel often. The moment I heard her voice for the first time and the moment I held her for the first time are the most precious moments of all my life. She was so perfect, so tiny, and she was ours. I can go on and on talking about Perla. Anyway, below is a picture of her just a couple of days old.

So, since her birthday is on a Wednesday, we are not going to do anything big. We have a cake and a candle for her, and her mom made her a little tutu and a headband for her to wear tomorrow. It's not finished yet, I am still working on her top. I thought making it would be cheaper than buying it. So here you go!

My next post will probably be again about Perla's birthday, but I hope you will understand. It's not everyday that a girl turns one year old, right?

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for stopping by and please let me know if you like my "creations"! ;-)

Warmly,

Juliana

First Giveaway

As Christmas was approaching, I was looking on Amazon to get the gifts for my family. I came across these cute Hello Kitty earrings which were very cheap (I think I saved 90% on the price) and I decided to get a few to give to some of my girlfriends. Shame on me, I never gave those out for Christmas. So I had a couple of them sitting around in my apartment and so I decided to give one to you!! YaY!!! I am sure there are Hello Kitty fans among my friends! (I know at least one)

The other item I am giving away today, is a headband. The special thing about this headband is that it is handmade by my dear mother. She made a couple for me and I am giving one to you because I love you. *_* You will get to choose either the white or the purple. They are cute and will keep your head warm during the winter.

The only things you have to do to enter the giveaway are follow my Facebook page and follow my blog.

This is the first giveaway of many to come! I hope you enjoy it! I will contact the winner once the giveaway is closed!

Warmly,
Juliana

First Giveaway

What you should not say to your kids

I have a subscription to the magazine Parents, I just read an article about what we should not say to our kids. I agreed with some of them, but there were some that I didn't really agree. So, here you go:

1. "Great Job"

 Research has shown that tossing out a generic phrase like "Good girl" or "Way to go" every time your child masters a skill makes her dependent on our affirmation rather than her own motivation. Instead, be specific and say "That was nice assist. I like how you looked for your teammate".

My opinion: I have read in Brain Rules for Babies that expressions like "Great job", or "Smart boy" is not praising the child's effort but his natural capabilities. So, when he makes mistakes he will think that he is not smart enough, and will refuse to work harder because he won't understand that by working harder he will do better.

2. "You're okay"

When your child scrapes his knee and bursts into tears, your instinct may be to reassure him that he's not badly hurt. But telling him he's fine may only make him feel worse. Try giving him a hug and acknowledge what he's feeling by saying something like, "That was a scary fall." Then ask whether he'd like a bandage or a kiss (or both).

My opinion: Again in the Brain Rules for Babies, I have read that by saying "You're okay" to a child who is crying it's not showing respect for his feelings. We can't tell our babies how or what to feel. Instead, we need to acknowledge how they are feeling.

3. "Hurry up"

Your child dawdles over her breakfast, insists on trying her own sneakers (even though she hasn't quite mastered the technique yet", and is on pace to be late for school-again. It would be better if you say "Let's hurry", which sends the message that the two of you are on the same team.

My opinion: My mom liked to get housework, and cooking finished very quickly. So, when I was little and I wanted to help her clean or wanted to help/ learn how to make byrek (my favorite Albanian dish), she would let me try only a little bit because she wanted to get things done quickly. So, I never learned how to make byrek from scratch. Give your kids the time they need to learn.

4. "I'm on a diet"

Watching your weight? Keep it to yourself. If your child sees you stepping on the scale every day and hears you talk about being "fat", she may develop and unhealthy body image. It's better, to say, " I'm eating healthy because I like the way it makes me feel". Take the same tack with working out.

My opinion: I would never tell my daughter that I am on a diet (even though, I need to be on diet :)). I want to teach her to eat healthy and to work out but not to be skinny, but to be strong and healthy. I will teach her that eating healthy and working out will help her mind, and soul. And I will show her not only with words but also with actions. I hope one day we can be buddies at the gym.

5. "We can't afford that"

It's easy to use this default response when your child begs you for the latest toy. But doing so send the message that you're not in control of your finances, which can be scary for kids. Choose an alternative way to convey the same idea, such as, "We're not going to buy that because we're saving our money for more important things". If she insists on discussing it further, you have a perfect window to start a conversation about how to budget and manage money.

My opinion: I think this is a great idea. However, I don't think that always bringing the money is a good idea. I think, we need to teach our children that they don't need every new toy that comes out.

Tell me what is our opinion about this article. Thanks for stopping by!

Warmly,

Juliana

We heart salmon!

First of all, I want to give a little background about my love for fish. I grew up in a beach town. My father loves fish too. He would bring home fresh (sometimes even alive) fish, sardines, and shrimps several times a week. My mouth is watering now that I think of the fresh seafood I grew up eating. This week we decided to buy salmon. I tried the recipes  below.
P.S We were surprised to see how much Perla liked salmon. I gave her some salmon, avocado and rice (when I made the first recipe below), and she chewed them (or tried to) with her only two teeth. So cute! But she really liked them!!

Grilled salmon with avocado salsa

Ingredients

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix
2. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the grill.
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Grill the salmon to desired doneness.
6. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with lemon, soy sauce and brown sugar

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste (I used seasoned salt)
• the juice from two fresh large lemons
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water (or apple juice if you have it)
• 1/4 cup oilve oil
• one large tablespoon of fresh chopped garlic

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, lemon juice and oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

I hope you try these recipes and like them. Thanks for stopping by!

Warmly,

Juliana

All that matters is what I think

The title of this post maybe a little misleading. As much as I believe that all that matters is what I think, I am aiming to convey something else with this title of this blog :). For Christmas, all the children of our ward received a book titled "You are special" by Max Lucado. I think this book is a must have in your children's library. The first time I read it, I started crying and I am sure you too will be touched by its message. The story talks about some wooden people carved by a woodcarver named Eli. Each of them had a box of gold star stickers and grey dot stickers. The wooden people were called Wemmicks. They went around the village sticking stars or dots to each other. The prettier ones, and the most talented ones got stars the others less pretty and less talented got grey dots. One of them was Punchinello.

Punchinello was not pretty, his paint was peeling off, and he wasn't very talented either, so he got lots of dots. After a while he started to believe that he wasn't a good Wemmick. One day he met Lucia, she didn't have any stars or dots. He asked Lucia why the stickers didn't stay one her, and she told him that she visited the woodcarver, Eli, every day. Punchinello decided to do the same, however, he was a little timid and didn't believe that it would be a good idea. NOW the story gets really interesting. Eli called Punchinello by name as soon as Punchinello entered his shop. Punchinello was surprised that Eli knew his name. But Eli responded "Of course, I made you". When Punchinello started to justify himself for the "bad marks" he was given, Eli responded, "Punchinello, I don't care what the other Wemmicks think. You shouldn't either. What they think doesn't matter. ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT I THINK. AND I THINK YOU ARE PRETTY SPECIAL." But Punchinello was a little hesitant to believe it because he wasn't neither pretty nor talented. After Punchinello's question, "Why do I matter to you", Elia responded, "Because you are mine. That's why you matter to me. Every day I have been hoping you would come". Eli continued explaining that the stickers only stuck if Punchinello let them. Eli told Punchinello that, "The more you TRUST IN MY LOVE, THE LESS YOU CARE ABOUT THE STICKERS". Eli insisted that Punchinello visited with him every day so he could remind him how much he cared.

As Punchinello left, Eli reminded him one more time, "REMEMBER, YOU ARE SPECIAL BECAUSE I MADE YOU. AND I DON'T MAKE MISTAKES". As Punchinello walked out he thought that Eli really meant what he said, and when he did, a dot fell to the ground.

I love this story. Eli to me is Our Father in Heaven (do you see similarities with their names too, Eli and Elohim, :)) who always loves us. And that we are special to him and that is ALL THAT MATTERS! We are all His children. We are all talented and beautiful to Him. We need to visit with Him every day, so He can remind us through the Holy Ghost that we are special, and how much we matter to Him.

Did you like the story? I hope this story inspires you as it has inspired me!

Warmly,

Juliana