Spreading the Christmas Cheer

ENJOY!
Merry Christmas, and a healthy and prosperous New Year to everyone!




PS: This is NOT our house ;o)

Sami Niggi Naeggi

Last Saturday, December 6th, I was lucky to take Sofia to meet the "Samichlaus" for the first time. Samichlaus is the Swiss version of Santa and he comes on December 6th. I had bummped into another Swiss lady at the grocery store, who heard me speak Swiss to Sofia and so she approached us and invited us to come to this event. It was hosted by the Peninsula Swiss Club When we got there, there were already quite a few Swiss kiddies running around, and all I could think of was, how cool it was to be able to have Sofia experience a true Swiss tradition. Something I grew up with I get to share now with her, all the way over here in the States! I have to admit, I got a little choked up at the thought. Before Sofia was born, I never thought of joining a Swiss club, because I didn't feel the need. But now that I have her, it just makes sense. It's really wonderful, because they also host a Fondue night and an Easter egg hunt in April, as well as the traditional 1. of August celebration, which is something like 4th of July.
Here she is meeting the "Samichlaus":




At home (in Switzerland), he comes on December 6th, usually once it's dark, and nocks on your door, or you might hear a bell ring somewhere in the distance. If you're lucky, he's alone, but sometimes he'll bring his helper the "Schmutzli" who's dressed in a brown robe rather than a red one, and he'll help Samichlaus take you away to work with him in the woods, if you were naughty during the year. I know, it's pretty scary. He also carries a big golden book with him, where he reads about everything you've done during the year, good and bad. Usually, he makes you recite a poem or sing/play a song, too, so adding to the already existing nervousness you'll have performance anxiety as well! He'll usually give you a good scare, but of course he'll always say, that you've been good and then gives you a little bag filled with nuts, chocolates, and mandarines and then he leaves again. As you can tell, he's not really the jolly, big, white haired man, with plump red cheeks and a friendly smile on his face!

Ah yes, I have fond memories of being scared $#!%less the day of and freaking out because I had said bad things about him...my mom still teases me with it and I'm sure once Sofia is old enough, she'll get to hear that story, too! It's all good, because in the end Good always prevails, and the kids catch on to it very fast.

She also got to taste a "Grittibaenz", which is basically a sweet bread dough, shaped into a little boy figure and decorated with raisins, little sugar drops, and almonds. In this picture she's eating the one she got that day and this made me want to make our own. So I think this weekend we have to have a "Grittibaenz" baking day!



Ah yes, the holidays are great when you have children. I can already tell, that this year it will be more than ever about unwrapping presents and we've started the tradition already with an Advent Calendar for her. I bought cute little holiday boxes and filled them with little goodies and small toys. And each morning the first thing I hear is "Open number two, mommy?" because that was the first box she got to open (No, it DOES start on December 1st, you're right, I just wasn't ready that day...so we started on the 2. instead), and even thought we've been telling and teaching her about the numbers and that they change each day as we approach Christmas, she still calls it the #2 box, very cute! We give her a square that has the same number on it and she gets to find the box by comparing the two numbers. That way she'll have to work for her present a little, too ;o). She loves it too, she can't wait to find the right number and color (I also color coded, to make it a little easier for her). It's fun for her, and we get a kick out of it too, I have to say. But I'm already worried about what will happen once there aren't any more boxes left... so I've been prepping her already that once Christmas is here, there won't be anymore boxes after that. We'll see how it goes. Here is a picture of her Advent Calendar:




I'll be sure to post some pictures of our Grittibaenz bake day soon, so come back to see them! Until then I say toodles and stay warm!

B

'Tis The Season To Be Thankful

Whew, a lot has happened the past two and a half weeks! Where to begin? Maybe I'll list them first and explain later:

~Sofia got a nasty virus on the 14th
~Getting Sofia potty trained
~A nice date with Joe
~Having Joe home for a week and Thanksgiving
~My sister's 30th birthday
~Painting the dining room

So on the 14th, Sofia got really whiny and clingy, and I thought to myself 'She must be going through one of her "separation anxiety/teething" spells. But it got worse and on Sunday we took her in to see the pedi, which was a good thing! She had stopped eating, didn't want to drink her milk, had sleepless nights, and was generally just not herself. I was worried, thinking that maybe she was getting another ear infection, because she was also running a cold at the same time.
I also thought that maybe she was acting up, because I decided to potty train her that same weekend. I know! Great timing, mom!! I don't know, I just thought 'Hey, I have a whole weekend availabe (completely disregarding the fact that I had signed up for hosting free play at Gym Ventures, being invited to two birthday parties for Sofia, AND having planned a date movie with Joe that Sunday, but what the hay...) and for those of you who have gone through potty training know, that once you start, you CAN'T stop!
So we took her in Sunday and the guy looks at her and said "Oh yeah, she has a virus! It's all in her mouth (little red blisters with a white center, gross I know TMI!) and a red rash all over her body. What kind of virus he didn't say. Umm, ok. Maybe I could have asked, but right then and there I was just glad it wasn't another ear infection. So much later I learn she had what's called, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease! Not Foot and Mouth Disease, apparently that's only for animals like cattle and such. No wonder she was feeling like $#!& poor baby! He said, there was nothing we could do, other than giving her lots to drink, avoiding anything spicy or sour, and maybe give her Tylenol/Motrin. My mom had a good idea to give her Chamomile tea, to swish around in her mouth. The problem was, how do you teach a two year old to swish liquid in her mouth? You can't. So she ended up swallowing it, which wasn't a bad thing altogether, but she got tired of the taste fast, which I didn't blame her for.
She's all better now, thank goodness, but I had to keep her home for a week, because she was considered contagious.
And what ever happened to the potty training, you wonder? She is diaper free during the day since that weekend!! What a trooper!

Joe and I got to go on our date afternoon the following Sunday, the 23rd. We saw "Quantum of Solace" the new James Bond. I won't go into detail, because I'm not a film critic. I'm easy to please. Anything that will get me out of the house together with my husband and without Sofia, is fabulous, no matter what, because it's just so darn rare!! It was great, we had a wonderful time, and got to have Turkey at our friends house afterwards! What friend babysits AND cooks dinner for you anyways? That's just the best of both worlds! Thanks again Andi and Ken!!

Then, I was blessed having Joe at home for a whole week! I enjoy having him around for obvious reasons, but waking up knowing we get to spend the whole day together again and again is really precious to me. Plus, Thanksgiving was near, so we got to go shopping for a turkey and all the trimmings together and set the house up for our guests! I cooked my first turkey (with Joe's help), made my own stuffing and cranberry sauce, and Joe made two pumpkin pies! We were 12 people altogether. I invited my new Swiss friends Birgit and Angela (they are sisters), too. It was very nice, like celebrating a real American tradition with a little bit of Switzerland!

I am still in shock, that my sister has turned 30 on the 24th of November! My little sister is growing up! Isn't it funny that even with her having been married way before me and having three (!) kids already, doesn't make her seem more grown up as realizing she turned 30? And how funny does that sound "turning 30". You don't "turn" older, but you turn a certain age...we just say "became 30", I think it's a much nicer way of saying, but that's just me. Anyway, we called her and sang 'Happy Birthday", especially Sofia, who loved it, and I sent her beautiful flowers, which she was excited about, so it's all good! I mean, she's in Switzerland, it's always harder to do something nice, especially if you're a person like me, who waits until the last minute! Thank god for the internet, is all I can say!

The last bit we did together that week, was painting our dining room, and though it's a lot darker in there now (we still don't have lighting set up) I absolutely love it! It's so much warmer and cozier and it looks a lot more sophisticated now! Joe said, it now looks like we actually live in here, rather than just stay...very true! How do you like the new do?





Joe also put up our Christmas lights this past weekend and again, we're in competition with our fellow neighbors! Some of them go really crazy with their decor, and I love it! I like our white lights but I can already tell that we need to maybe add a little something to it. Or not, either way, I love taking a walk in the dark around the neighborhood now with Sofia and look at all the decorations!

So there you have it. Long post, but what do you expect when you don't write for two weeks??
Love, Bettina

Phenomenal Woman

I just heard this poem by the fabulous Dr Maya Angelou and wanted to share it with all of you, because I love it and I think every woman out there should love herself and be proud of herself - you are a woman, phenomenal!

Please enjoy:

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Doesn't that just make you real proud to be a woman? Goose bumps everyone!

Fantastic Spicy Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

OK, I just HAVE to share this recipe with you! It's sooo yummylicious you are not going to want to put them down! It's also a perfect Autumn/Thanksgiving dessert to bring to a party! Here is the link to Martha Stewart's website, where I found the recipe, but I also copied and pasted it below for your convenience:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pumpkin-swirl-brownies?lnc=5a79cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=cf_link

Ingredients:

Makes 16

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Ta Daa!



OMG, heavenly deliciousness!

As Promised I Present To You...

...my daughter's ELMO cupcakes!

They turned out really cute and I am just a little bit proud of them!

So let me give you the step-by-step on how I (with the help of my dear hubby who lovingly formed and colored the mouths at 11:30pm at night for me the night before the party) I came to create this cuteness!

I chose a really nice ready to bake chocolate cake mix by "Pamela's All Natural" I think it's called. I wasn't going to make the cake myself, just because I knew the faces would take up enough time to create. That cake mix is the bomb, by the way, the fluffiest and most chocolaty ever, much better than the Betty Crocker mix! I filled them into individual cupcake cups, not the cupcake pan, just because we made over 30(!) of 'em. Now, let me ask you: Am I obsessive/compulsive for making 30 cupcakes, if there are only 19 at the party?
So this is what it looked sans decoration:



I know, not that exciting yet. But wait, I'm building up to it! I decided to make it an all edible face (which was a bit traumatic for our youngest ones, who didn't like the idea of "eating" ELMO's face...) ELMO's nose and mouth were made of Marzipan, tinted orange and black respectively, and for the googely eyes I chose white Fondant (no, that's not wine), which turned out to be really easy to work with (I've never ever worked with Fondant and it turnes out to be a great medium!).
And here we have a very spooky looking assembly of facial parts:




And here I dear hubby, getting really into it! Thanks again for all your help, love!



For the frosting, I decided to make a cream cheese frosting, but added some Raspberry puree to it. Yes, I made that one from scratch, cooking, then pureeing it, in order to get all the seeds out. At first, I thought it would be easier to tint them red in the end because it's already red (which it did), but then I found out that it gave the frosting a really nice, tangy flavor, too! BONUS!! I wish it would have made the red a real ELMO red, but to tell you the truth, I was worried about putting that much food coloring into it...even though it's safe to eat, it just goes against my thinking. They did turn out a nice shade of red, just not THAT real ELMO red. I used a pastry bag for the "fur look". What a messy job!!

So this is one half of the final product. Cute, eh?





We had a lot of fun doing this, but it was a LOT of work! So please, don't come asking for ELMO cupcakes any time soon, OK?! Haha

Toodles,

Bettina

Does A Chicken Need A Rooster To Lay Eggs?

Call me stupid, but I just didn't know! Two weekends ago, we were invited to a 2nd Birthday party from one of my daughter's friends. It was on a huge farm in Los Altos, CA, called Hidden Villa. If you're in the area, or you live close by, you should visit once, it's a really nice place.
So we're there and we're getting a private tour to see all their animals, including their chickens and roosters. I was fascinated by it, because I've been dreaming about having my own couple of chickens in my backyard for fresh eggs. So I thought 'get all my answers straight from the experts', right? First, we got to feed the chickens, which was totally cute, I even have a video of it below!



Then, the friendly guide led us into the chicken coop, where we got to see where the hens lay their eggs and how they hatch them! This was my time to really embarass myself by asking "Do Chickens Need A Rooster In Order To Lay Eggs?" And the answer I got, and I don't believe I heard wrong, was "Yes"... I immediately saw my little chicken coop dream disappear, because of course, since we live in a residential neighborhood, I don't think it would be wise to have a rooster in my backyard! Nor would I want to have to live with the cock-a-doodle-doo day in, day out!!! I don't need fresh eggs THAT badly!!

Well, I did some 'research' of my own, and it turns out: You DON'T Need A Rooster For Your Hens To Lay Eggs!

Now, of course I don't feel so stupid anymore! And it turns out that you really can't ask stupid questions after all! HA!

So, I just asked my dear hubby if he could please build me a chicken coop of my own...well, yeah, you guessed his answer...it was no, but not a definite no, more like a "Not today or tomorrow, hon" kind of answer.


I have hope...

PS: As for the friendly guide...well, I guess I could go over there and educate her on her hens, but instead I thought I'd post this topic on my blog for all of you to read.

In Honor Of My Daughter's 2nd Birthday

She will be two years old (!) on Monday the 20th! Wow, I can almost not believe it!
But anyway, we are going to have a little birthday party for her this coming Sunday (not at our house, because as you may remember, the backyard is now torn apart from digging those darned roots!). It will be an ELMO theme, well, you know, we'll have ELMO decorations and party favors and of course ELMO cupcakes! I will be making the cupcakes and please come back to see the pics beginning of next week. I found a really fun way to make his face, but I'll explain once I've got the pics. I was going to have pizza with it (because it's ELMO's favorite food), but decided against it and go with Hot Dogs instead. We'll have all kinds of crazy toppings, such as guacamole, sour cream, tomato, bacon, chili, baked beans, as well as the traditional relish and sauerkraut! Yum! It's a fun way to get the people involved with their food and more fun to present than just pizza. But again, I will go into more detail next week.

So, while I'm starting to stress out over this party (because that's what I do, I'm a perfectionist...) I still somehow find a way to entertain myself! With this You Tube video about ELMO, which is so fitting... Enjoy!




Now, wasn't that fun??

Ross the Intern...gotta love him!

I just have to share this one with you guys! I blurted out "Pineapple! Pineapple" one time, I can't remember why, and ever since then I can't stop but think about this video with Ross the Intern (Jay Leno) when he meets Steve Irwin! I was never a big fan of Steve (rest in peace), meaning I never really followed his shows or anything, but after having seen this one, I'm sad I never did. Well, just go ahead and enjoy this one, it will make you laugh no matter how hard you try not to! God, I love this one:

Have You Ever....

...tried to get rid of a tree stump and its roots? No? Well, let me give you one piece of advice: HIRE A PROFESSIONAL!! Seriously, unless you have a LOT of time and energy, get someone else to do this particular job!

My dear hubby and I (well, mostly I) have decided to take on this task ourselves. Because I felt like SOMETHING needed to be done at least SOMEWHERE in our new house, we went out and got some shovels and what not and started digging... this is what it looked like when we started:

Two weekends and a lot of sweat later, this is what it looks like now:

I KNOW! Not much different, huh? And look at those roots! it's amazing how long they are. They just keep going! I now have a love-hate relationship with this tree, I'm serious! As much as I like doing all that stuff, meaning, I don't mind getting down and dirty, but you just never know where those roots will take you! One moment you think "Aha! This one must be the one that's surfacing again over on the other end of the backyard." But NO! That one completely disappears into the ground, impossible to be dug out, and the one you though it was, is well, connected to one you haven't even figured out its origin yet!! AHRGG!!

Dear hubby has now drilled holes into the stump (which is still sitting there, because for that one we REALLY have to get a professional), and poured bleach into it. My mother-in-law gave him that tip. Supposedly, it will kill it, because right now, it wants to sprout more, and we really need to get rid of it (sorry my dear tree, but you HAVE to go!)

Sofia had a lot of fun "helping" and kept asking for the "hands", which are my gardening gloves:

Oh well, it won't be finished for Sofia's Birthday, but that's ok. I am learning to accept that I can't have everything done at once, as much as I want to.

I'll keep you posted on how everything is coming along!

Toodles,

B

Chicken Curry Recipe ~ To Die For!

Hey all!

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I'd like to share some recipes with you. Well, here is the first one! I'd love to hear your comments on it if you decide to try it!!

The recipe is for four people, but you can easily adjust it by cutting it in half. I try to use organic ingredients whenever possible, but that's totally up to you. You can also subsitute the chicken with prawns! I made this last night for dinner and my hubby thought it was super delicious! So i think it's worth sharing with you all! Here it goes:

• 1 cup of your favorite rice (or Couscous works well, too!)
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or if you buy it fresh from the butcher, they might give you a whole breast, which is actually two)
• 1 Apple
• 1 medium can of Pineapple (about 8 slices)
• 1/4 cup of Pineapple juice from that can
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 Tbsp. Sour cream (you can use low fat, if you like)
• 1/2 cup of Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp. of your favorite Curry
• 1 Tbsp. Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Salt to taste

Cook the rice (or couscous) according to directions on package. I used brown Jasmin rice, which worked beautifully.

Cut up your chicken into stripes (like you would for a stir fry) and brown it in a frying pan. Meanwhile, peel and cut up your apple in bite sizes, but not too thick. Open your can of pineapple and make sure you save the juice for later.

Drain the chicken if necessary, return to pan and dust it with the flour and curry. Stir well, making sure everything is evenly covered. Then add your chicken stock, the pineapple juice and the apple slices. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce and cook uncovered for approx. 20 minutes.

Stir in your frozen peas so that they have enough time to thaw (about 5 minutes). TAKE YOUR PAN OFF THE FIRE and add your sour cream just at the end. You don't want to heat it up anymore after you added the sour cream, it will curdle! Add salt to taste.

In a separate frying pan add the butter and heat, then add your pineapple slices and brown them on each side. Put on top of curry chicken and serve with rice. Voila! Bon Appetit, or En Guete, as we say.

It's Day Two Of My Workout Regime

I have started working out again after an umm, maybe 5 month hiatus. We have been really busy, first my daughter and I went to Switzerland to visit my family for six weeks (hubby followed us and stayed with us for the last two weeks, then we got all caught up in the house search, which, I am happy to report now, has ended in acutally moving into our "new" house mid August! Yay, for us! I'm saying "new", because it's actually a fixer-upper, or what's called "Starter Home" in Real Estate lingo. It's acutally in pretty good shape, but I'm sure I will find time to give it a whole separate section in my blog.

So, I have visited my local YMCA this week and got settled in today so that I can use their nifty Fitlinxx program. It's cool because it records my work out and logs my progress automatically! I am very excited about it, because my daughter seems to like the child watch, that's available! phew! It's so much easier to work out, knowing she's having fun, I'll tell ya!

I've been using the elyptical machine and the treadmill, plus some weight lifting machines, but what I'd really like to try out (and I'm going to this Sunday) is their Zumba class (I hope to be looking like the gal with the cut off shirt and blue bra showing off her fabu abs in NO time, folks!)! It is suppose to be great aerobic exercise, as you can see if you click the link. Anyway, I have more possibilities up my sleeve, but I will try these first.

So wish me luck! I have to lose about 20lbs...hmpf

Und nun auf Deutsch!

Hallo meine Lieben!

Herzlich wilkommen zu meinem Blog! Hier koennt Ihr mein Leben hier in Kalifornien mitverfolgen, da ich leider nicht immer Zeit habe mit Euch allen zu telefonieren. Ausserdem, ist es eine gute Uebung fuer mich in Deutsch zu schreiben. Ich merke es schon jetzt, dass es mir schwer faellt. Oh jeh!

Kommt bald wieder und seht wie sich mein Blog so entwickelt und seit so lieb und schreibt mal wieder, ja?

Liebe Gruesse, Eure

Bettina

Hellooooo World Wide Web!

Tadaa! Here I am! First of all I must give Janine Evans a shout out for inspiring me to start this blog. Unfortunately, I have no clue whatsoever at this point, whether I'll be acutally be doing this on a regular basis or not. I'd love to, but I know myself too well. In fact, this is not my first blog, I've tried it before and failed miserably after about three entires, because I all of a sudden realized that everything I write in here can actually be SEEN by anybody, yikes! So I guess I have to get over it, because after all, that's what blogging is all about! And since my husband and even my daughter Sofia have a blog, I really don't have an excuse.

So, what is my purpose here? To tell you the truth, I don't really know. I think what I'd like to share with all of you is my ideas, craft projects, recipes, mishaps, photos, and whatever else is going on at the casa Fernandez.

I will periodically post in German so that my family and friends in Switzerland can follow my life, since I'm very bad at calling them...

Well, I guess that's it for now, so thanks folks, for reading and feel free to comment, but please be polite, this is a G rated blog!

luv,
B