dulce de leche

One of my favorite beach snacks-obleas with dulce de leche or cajeta. Made to order on the beaches of Isla de Margarita, Venezuela. On the hunt to find the ingredients here in Spain.

Growing

My garden is growing. Remember when I first posted? Here it is as of today. A few tomatoes are on their way, peppers are blooming, herbs are getting out of control, and my bonsai is coming back to life

!

Changing rooms

I saw this $10,000 room makeover the other day...$10,000. Seriously?? A few stripes? New lamps? New desk? A few rearrangements. My mom, my bff, and I could do that. (Click here for the before and after.)

operación bikini

I'm on the hunt for a new bikini (yes, operation bikini is in full force-although, popcorn and ice cream are still staples of my diet-I read somewhere that popcorn is all fiber and so good for diets and detox, and didn't the got milk people say that dairy products make your waistline smaller? Hahaha. I'm going to believe it.). I love the bandeau tops and the fifties inspired looks...searching for the perfect look and a reasonable price. Hope to update soon!

p.d. only three more days of work...!!

-heart-

I'm still so in love. 27/6/09

San Juan!!

Jump over a bonfire.

Eat grilled sardines.

Stay out all night on the shortest night of the year.

Wake up the next morning and wash your face in flower and herb infused water (you should pick the flowers and herbs yourself.)

Summer can officially begin!!

Attic

Diego and I are always planning what we could do to our place if it was actually ours. A little attic guest room like this would be dreamy. Or maybe for our future beach house?;) (thanks design*sponge)

In bloom

I can't believe it's almost been one year since our second wedding in Michigan! It was so wonderful to have family and friends together from all over the globe to celebrate such a special time with us. We were blessed with perfect weather the day of the wedding and the perfect laid back barbeque at home. We worked hard in the days leading up to the wedding, cleaning, decorating, cooking and planting. It was a family effort with everyone involved. My mom just sent me pics of the perennial flower bed that we planted as landscaping last year. It looks fantastic with pastel tones and green textures, and the best part is that we have a natural reminder of our special day.

the bag...

...that keeps getting away.

How long have I wanted a Marc Jacob bag? This one is lovely in tones of purple and tan. And, I love the plumish-brown nail polish.

See bartabac for the entire look.

ñam, ñam

If I wasn't working tonight, Diego and I would be grilling this tonight, to welcome in summer and watch Spain play. Looks yummy.

ps...the scallop is another popular and traditional dish in Galicia; it's shell is the sign of the pilgrim and the camino.

pss...I love how in Spanish "mmm" translates to "ñamm", I wonder what it translates to in other languages?

sweatsuit?

I love the cotton sweat suit material blazers that are out this year. But, last time I was at Zara I saw trousers of the same material. Cut and presented like formal trousers, but sweat suit cotton. Blazer and trousers=sweat suit suit. I also saw a darling strapless dress with a formal bodice sewn and a cute black and white print, but again in the same sweat suit cotton. What do you think? Do or don't?

Mundial

Have you been watching the World Cup? Spain is favored to win, although after their loss to Switzerland yesterday all of Spain is nervous. Maybe I'm too optimistic, or maybe I've watched to many basketball playoffs where a loss made the next win so much sweeter, or maybe I don't really understand the world cup like the rest of Spain, but I'm not losing hope. I'll cheer on USA too (I mean, we did 'beat' England...), but really, if I'm for any team it's got to be Spain. Anyway, Telecinco is covering the Mundial with special correspondent Sara Carbonera. A very pretty lady (see her style), who happens to be dating the captain of the Spanish team, Iker Casillas (muy guapo too). The media has been having a field day with their relationship, speculating how awkward their interviews will be and so on-oh the morbo- and the press in Britain has even blamed her for Spain's loss (ridiculous). I'm not really to interested in all that, but I do love how she's been wearing simple t-shirts and lots of African beads during the South Africa coverage. Next Spain game is Monday versus Honduras...¡estamos con la roja!

Anillos

I just saw these rings by Indian designer Amrita Singh today on the Spanish blog Comparte mi moda and I'm loving the look and the price. Which color would you choose?

Hay fever

I've spent the last 3 weeks suffering a runny nose, a stuffy nose, popping ears, non-stop sneezing and itchy eyes. After trying to self-medicate myself-which, it must be said, is not nearly as exciting as at home since you have to tell the pharmacists your sympotoms and they go back to the shelves and get even the most simple benadryl out for you-to no avail, I finally went to see the doctor yesterday. It's pretty fantastic to be able to go to the doctor's with no financial worries-and I can finally breathe after she medicated me with some strong antihistaminicos and a spray nasal. Luckily it's not a sinus infection. Also, in case you need to know here are some medical terms necessary for explaining allergy symptoms en español:

My nose is running-Me gotea la nariz or tengo mocos; My nose is stuffy-Tengo la nariz congestionada; I can't stop sneezing-No paro de estornudar; My ears are popping/stuffed-Tengo os oidos tapados; My eyes are itching-Me pican los ojos; and very important, Will this make me drowsy?-¿Tiene efecto somnoliento? or more casually-¿Me va a dar sueño? Let me know if you're interested in any other allergy phrases for future use or just to impress your friends.

Max

I think maybe I'm a little crazy, but I'm still interested in reading some of the books that I never got around to reading during my post-graduate studies. Now, I'm working on reading books on the list that I wasn't focusing on-basically all lit Spanish. Since moving to Santiago, Mr.Valle-Inclan has become must-see stop in the Alameda if you don't sit and take a look at the Cathedral with him? So, I finally decided it was time to read his most important play "Luces de Bohemia" and the beginning of esperpento. A critique of Spanish society at the beginning of the 20th century, when Spanish society was being upheaved by war, monarchy, and dictatorship (all this was the groundwork for the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's), the star of the story, is Max Estrella, a blind poet who we follow as he meets, debates, and suffers through the barrios of Madrid one fateful night. Perhaps not the best book to start with if you haven't got much background in Spanish literture or history, but if you do this is a must. (and just in case you ever play trivial pursuit in Spain-the equivalent of the Tony awards in the US is called the the Max awards in honor of Sr. Estrella.)

Joie de vivre

pretend this coffee is champagne...to celebrate life...
brilliant.

Bienvenidos a...

We're heading to Miami to visit family in August!! Can't wait for south beach, art deco, and pink skies. Calle ocho, cuban sandwiches, and dominos. And, maybe a visit to the Florida Keys to the sunsets my dad dreamed about, or the haunting Everglades.

White summer

I'm going to be living in and out of suitcases this summer...not complaining! I'm so anxious to see family and friends this summer! I'm looking to pack a light suitcase with the perfect white pieces-shirts, bikinis, pants. White is always just right in the summer as these timeless ladies prove. (Speaking of classics...)

Tapear.

Another summer favorite in the city brought to you by the local government: Santiago(é)tapas. A contest discovering the best new tapas in the city. Various locals throughout the city are participating-check out the website linked above to see where and what the 109 new tapas are and head out to taste and vote if you are in the city. We missed the competition last year, but last night was the 2010 kick off and I'm ready to fill my tapasporte with stamps from around the city until July 4th. Bring it on!

Serene

Wow. What a make-over. The little ponds are perfect with all the tiny plants. And I looooove the willow tree and the red geraniums. It looks all looks so serene.

Concurso de balcóns

One of the most charming things about Europe are the flowers falling gently above the streets from windows and balconies. I was so happy to hear an announcement on the radio that each summer the Consello de Santiago sponsors a competition for the most beautiful balcony-one day they even offered free plants to the people who wanted to take part (I would have been there in the blink of an eye-but only residents of the old zone of the city can compete.). The balconies will be available for viewing and voting for from July 1-7. Can't wait to see them!

do norte

I've been meaning to blog this forever, and was reminded yesterday when my BFF told me she was off to a summer concert in the park. In May we went to Festival do norte a weekend music festival getting together some of the most popular Spanish indie music. We went on the second day to see Los Planetas-Granadine legends of Spanish indie that all my friends are crazy about-but we also saw a few others. Top on my list were La bien querida-a singer songwriter with a sweet voice and romantic lyrics, and later in the night a crazy afro-beat, tropical beach, dance band called El Guincho. Who doesn't love to dance to this stuff on a warm summer night...or any night for that matter. Click on the bands to hear more.

coming and going

I think I have a new hobby-gardening. Well, not sure if you can really call it that since my 'garden' is all in pots so making the work much less tedious, no weed picking or creepy crawlies in the dirt. But, I'm seriously loving planting things. We ate our first delicious batch of lettuce this weekend in BLT sandwiches and a salad-and the new lettuce is already sprouting! The parsley, rosemary and mint are out of control, now I'm searching to find some info about how to possibly dry them and have our own fresh herbs all year (maybe not the mint-can you dry mint?). Our tomatoes plants are getting huge and the first blossoms are already sprouting! I'm having so much fun watching them all grow-and I'm getting tempted to buy a few more veggies to try our luck.

But, with all this success, there's also been one failure. My bonsai is dying. It has been growing, green and lovely all year since last July. But then, last week I went to water is and noticed a few of the leaves were brown. I touched it and they all fell off-like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree...imagine the tinkling piano music and my shock. It must have got sick, because in a matter of a few days, all the leaves fell off. It looked like new sprouts might be coming, but they all turned dry and brown. I searched internet-did everything possible, but, no luck. There is now only one little green sprout and 5 sad leaves are holding on for dear life. Maybe there's still hope?

Extraordinario

It's holy year in Santiago. July 25th is a Sunday, and the pilgrims are pouring into the city, bringing with them lots of good vibes after their long camino. Aquarius-a sport drink like Gatorade-is well known for their inspiring commercials. This year they've taken a group of homeless men and followed them on their camino to Santiago. The result is inspiring.