Harper's Baptism

A summer full of weddings, baptisms, showers and BBQs...it's neverending.  It was not in our plan to make it to South Carolina for Harper's baptism but Norm and I decided last minute to drive down to Buffalo, hop on a plane and make an appearance.  We're glad we did because we had a chance to spend time with family as we prepared cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels, fruit pizza and even my 12 year old cousin Josh contributed by preparing a beautiful fruit tray. The reception was a success.  They had two food stations:  filipino and southern.  I went straight for the southern station and filled up on shrimp with grits, sweet potato hash and fried green tomatoes. Usually my trips to South Carolina consist of shopping but instead I traded it for a trip to the beach. It was perfect.  Norm was happy. And besides, I managed to sneak in some shopping in Buffalo on our way home...

Cupcakes galore!

I spent most of Thursday morning baking cupcakes.  I was a little nervous not just because it was my biggest order, but because it was for Sally's wedding.  We didn't actually sit down and discuss all the details.  Their only request was to make them vanilla and Sally wanted me to incorporate their monogram.  Everything else was up to me.  Where do I go from here?
As you can see, my designs are fairly simply.  I piped pink flowers and added silver balls to the white cupcakes.  To the pink cupcakes I made white chocolate disks and added their monogram.  
My finished product.  I added fresh pink roses and white orchids to add some freshness.  To top it off, I had bobbleheads of Sally & Ron!  Special thanks to Ev for her cupcake stand, to Charissa for the cupcake boxes, and to Norm for his help.  A special thanks to Sally & Ron for allowing me the honour of making their cupcake wedding cake!  

Mr & Mrs Padua

Brian & Bernice definitely know how to throw a party.  The wedding party introductions was amazingly different and very much a B&B production.  Anthony & the rest of the Neil McNeil boys created an awesome video of the brotherly romance (aka "bromance") that these guys share.  Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gys7kedId0  It was an awesome night with my Dame girls, including my girl Diana. As the house music played I could see old house moves come back to life.  I tried to bust out my old TriUnity moves but I quickly realized that I was getting too old.  I couldn't slide the way I used to but I sang my heart out as I danced in one spot.  It was a great wedding and a wonderful reunion.

Congrats B&B!

Mr & Mrs Soriano

On July 17, 2009 Sally became a Soriano!  Sally is definitely the toughest gal I know (besides myself) and she proved it by walking and dancing the whole day & night with a broken ankle! Nothing stops this girl. If anything, it makes her stronger.  But behind her tough demeanor, I recently discovered her sweet, sensitive side.  At the end of her speech she thanked her husband and poured her heart out in front of all their guests.  This is not the Sally I know but it is certainly something that I can get used to. I hope the two of you continue your outwardly affection towards each other. Love is definitely in the air...and it's contagious!

Congrats Mr & Mrs Soriano!  Have fun in Italy!

Zoe July 13, 2003 - July 9, 2009

Zoe Licious Umali Barrientos born on July 13, 2003 third youngest of a litter of 13.  Zoe was a big part of the Barrientos family.  She will never refuse a snack no matter how big or small. Often found perched beside Seyla awaiting any loose pieces of chicaron.  Loved to lick any salty surface. She is known to 'sleep around' but especially loved to sleep in the perfect space between Great-Grandma's bow legs or on Timmy's beer belly.  Wins over the hearts of all - especially with her sweet demeanor and gentle kisses.  She will be missed by big brother Cisco, parents Cecile & Vic, best friend Seyla, Godparents Mel, Norm, Tim, Lou, Fran, Trae, Paul & Cha,   Grandparents Nitz & Virgilio, Great-grandparents Purita & Tim and the whole Barrientos clan.  Zoe will remain always in our hearts.  May you rest in dog Heaven. 

Roadtrip 2009

Roadtrip!

Norm and I usually kick off the summer with an anniversary trip so this year we packed our Subaru and took the streets of Montreal, the rolling hills of Vermont and the seaside city of Boston.  Here are some highlights of our trip:

Montreal

We stayed in a boutique hotel called Saint Sulpice in old Montreal.  Our suite was as big as our condo and we were steps away from the old Montreal square and behind us was Notre Dame cathedral.  For dinner, we found a beautiful Italian restaurant called Da Emma which was off the beaten path, about a 15 minute walk from the square.  Normally you would need reservations but Norm used his charm and managed to get a table after sitting at the bar enjoying a much deserved drink to kick off our vacay. The food was absolutely incredible and the atmosphere was perfect.  It was located in the basement of a building and although I was a little worried as I walked down the stairs, it was a pleasant surprise to see a restaurant so alive and full of people (mostly Italians) who share the same love as we do:  food!  The next day we visited Jean Talon market where we enjoyed merguez sandwiches - lamb sausages in a french bagette.  Very tasty and it was the perfect snack to tide us over to our next stop...Vermont.

Vermont

What a beautiful, green state!  The highways were lined with little green mountains.  I say 'little' because it does not compare to the rockies in the west coast, but still they were a pretty sight and i can only imagine what the fall foliage would look like.  Our first stop was Burlington, Vemont.  If you sneeze, you'll miss the main square - which was closed off to cars and offers visitors a selection of shops and restaurants. An hour away is a little town called Warren, Vermont - home of Sugarbush ski resort and the town of 'covered bridges'.  Unfortunately the rain would not stop so we had to forego our hiking, zip trekking, and waterhole swimming plans.  Instead we woke up early, had a wonderful breakfast at a local cafe and headed south east to Boston.

Boston

I was glad to turn the wheel over to Norm right before the Mass turnpike.  I'm not a fan of tunnels so imagine driving in one?  Here we stayed at the Fairmont Battery Wharf at the north end of the city.  It was walking distance to Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, little Italy and of course, the Barking Crab.  Norm was excited to revisit this place and was so pleased with the lobster that we came back on our second night for another round of lobster and sangria.  We took the the Duck tour that takes us around the city and ends up in the water (similar to TO's Hippo tour).  If you ever visit Boston, I highly recommend the Duck tour as it was a great history lesson and the best way to see the city both on land and on water.  I also want to mention another great find - Mike's pastry.  There was a long line up that was out the door so naturally what would you do?  Get in line!  I wasn't sure what I was lined up for but I knew it was something good.  As it turns out, they had the best cannoli's you can find in Boston!  Sweet ricotta cream creations - with the perfect cookie shell.  We revisited Mike's pastry for breakfast, lunch, snack and a late night dessert. 

The trip home was a long haul but i managed to find some "rest stops" - conveniently located at the outlet malls. All in all, it was a great trip - especially since we made frequent stops to visit different places.  Personally, i would rather fly.  Norm, however, loves the freedom of driving. I guess it's not so bad as long as we get to stop, shop and explore along the way.  

Sally

Only 2 more weeks to go until Sally gets hitched.  Here are some pics of the fun we had over the last couple of weeks.  Yes, the cougars were loose in the city of Toronto - but it was fun and well worth the aching feet and pounding headache the next day.  Looking forward to your big day Sal!  

Sally's Pre-wedding Adventures

Welcome to the family

Congratulations to Paul & Charissa who got married on June 13th, 2009.  I know you have been waiting patiently for me to post pictures so here they are!  Enjoy!

Charissa & Paul tie the knot!

Carrot Cake

Norm and Mikey had a slice of carrot cake before I had a chance to take a picture.  Although Norm thought that the carrots were real, they were actually made from almond paste.   Carrot cake is one of my favs and I can't wait to refine the recipe to my liking.  The cake itself was light but the icing needs to be a tad sweeter.  Once I perfect it, I'll be sure to save you a slice Ev!

Hello Kitty

These cupcakes were a special request from one of my biggest cupcake fans.  Marianne celebrated her 5th birthday with a Hello Kitty theme.  I was a little nervous making these cupcakes because I had the idea all planned out in my head, but as we all know, not everything goes as planned.  This was my first time using fondant. It was fairly easy to use and very forgiving.  I tried to incorporate kitty's whiskers but I decided against it because it looked like a scary kitty.  In the end, I think Marianne was happy with the end result and that's all that matters.  Happy Birthday!

Magic Oven

Di & I decided to check out Magic Oven to try out their wheat-free, gluten-free pizza & pasta. I tried the "Euporia Magic" pizza which had herb tomato sauce, grilled chicken, spinach, mushrooms, red peppers, caramelized onions and organic mozzarella all on a gluten-free rice flour crust. It was...well, what you expect a gluten free pizza to be. The toppings were great but the rice flour crust tasted like cardboard. I guess nothing can compare to a "real" pizza. It was also very expensive but I guess that is also a given for organic mozzarella cheese and preservative-free chicken breast. Di, on the other hand, gave the pasta a try. She quite enjoyed the pasta as she is on Day 6 of a wheat & sugar free diet. Our bill was a tad expensive but I guess we can take their menu ideas and recreate them at home. Good luck Di. I know how hard it is for you to give up bread. I heart bread, too!

Hayden's Birthday Weekend

Friday night was spent at Mega Fun with 14 kiddies.  Five year olds have a ton of energy and we were exhausted after only 2 hours of supervising.  Thank goodness we took a break for pizza and cupcakes.  Hazel helped me make Sponge Bob cupcakes.  They were a hit!  The party continued with a Sunday afternoon barbeque. The weather was wonderful and the steaks were delish!  What a great way to end a week.  Pictured here are clown cupcakes that I made for the Hayden's family birthday celebration.  I made them for the kids but the adults went nuts for them! I guess there's a kid in all of us no matter what age.

Zoo time

On Saturday we headed over to the zoo with the family.  It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky but at 5pm it suddenly became dark and windy.  We were in "Africa" which was a fairly long walk away from the exits so the rain eventually caught up to us.  The trails leading to the exit was surrounded by tall skinny trees so the howling of the wind and the falling trees freaked us out and hurried us along faster than normal.  As you can imagine with a mass exodus we waited another 30 minutes inching ever so slowly for our turn to exit the parking lot.  The evening was spent at our place as we relaxed and we were entertained by Ella.

Mikey's Danceoff

A lot of memories came flooding back when we went to Notre Dame for Mikey's Danceoff Competition. We walked up and down the hallways and laughed at our old graduation pictures. We even said hello to an old teacher who apparently remembered us (yeah right). The Danceoff consisted of 13 groups representing different schools. We were thrilled and beamed with pride when they announced that Mikey's group one 1st Place. Awesome job, Mike!

Random Pics at Edward's Gardens

Enjoying the beautiful weather 

The future Mr & Mrs

Mr & Mrs Cantillas

Seyla & Ella found a tree to climb

Grandma & her apo enjoying a day at Edward's Garden

A Harry Rosen ad. 

55 Days to go

Saturday afternoon was spent at Casa Manila for Paul & Charissa's wedding shower/meet the family gathering.  There was a Bob Marley impersonator who kicked off the karaoke with No woman no cry.  Norm is not one to sing in public but thankfully he had some practice the night before (with the help of Patron).  It was also a day I realized that the Dancing Queen can not only dance but she can sing, too! Thankfully we have some key performers (Ate Car & Kuya Boyet) who never fail to represent. We continued the beautiful day at Edwards Gardens where we took Grandma for a spin up and down bridges.  Seyla and Ella enjoyed skipping rocks on the stream, climbing a tree and chasing ducks.  This is just the beginning of summer days ahead. And only 55 days to go until the wedding...

Thinking of you with Love

We thought of you with love today,

but that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday,

and days before that too.

We think of you in silence,

we often speak your name.

All we have are memories,

and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake,

with which we will never part.

God has you in His keeping,

we have you in our hearts.

It broke our hearts to lose you.

But you didn`t go alone.

For a part of us went with you...

the day God called you Home.

~Author Unknown

Thanks Pampered Chef

Thank you Pampered Chef for my pie accessories.  I did not use the pie stoneware since I am transporting this and fear that I might not get it back...so I will save it for Easter! One thing is for sure, there's nothing better than the smell of fresh apple pie.  Off I go to visit the Grandparents...

Field Trip

Our acupuncturist recommended that we start replacing our Greens+ with Wheatgrass juice so she sent us on a road trip to Stouffville - home of Life Up North.  We called the night before to check their hours of operation and told Tom, owner of Dynamic Greens, that we would be there at 9 am. It was raining in Toronto but snowing in Stouffville. Thank goodness we still have our snow tires on. To my surprise, Dynamic Greens is located on a farm. Tom & his wife graciously opened their home to us.  It was like we were old friends coming over to visit. After an hour chat with him we drove down to the farm and admired his Irish Wolfhounds, all 8 of them.  They greeted us with a very warm (and loud) reception. I love dogs but it was a little overwhelming since they were as tall as me.  Tom then threw me some egg holders and led us to the chicken coop where we gathered some fresh (warm) eggs. It was like a field trip to the farm!  I was not prepared for such an experience.  Picture me standing in the middle of a chicken coop with skinny jeans and a trench coat.  It was quite a sight. I didn't want to disturb the chickens as they sat on their eggs so Tom was nice enough to shoo them away so that we can collect our fresh farmed eggs. I don't think he does this with all of this clients. We showed interest in his dogs and mentioned we didn't know what an Irish Wolfhound was so he was eager to show them to us.  In the end, we went away with a 40 day supply of wheat grass juice (which was tastier than Greens+), a dozen eggs, and my first farm experience!

Since we were in the area, we went to see Rachel's lovely new house.  I worked my reverse psychology and my godson finally warmed up to me. He even called me "Ninang" and got hugs and kisses when we left.  What a perfect start to the weekend...