His

His smile

His deer-in-the-headlights

His grasp

His close-up

His lip quiver

His cry

His personality

His strength

His essence

I'm so full I can barely type this.

We've been indulging on leftovers for the past 48 hours. I've been way too busy eating to blog about my eating :)

Thanksgiving was perfect this year. My mom cooked the entire meal the same way she and my Aunt Nor cooked it for my entire childhood. The same familiar marshmallowy sweet potatoes. The same perfectly spiced stuffing. And the same amount of love went into it.

She even roped the girls into helping her, much like the way me and my siblings helped assist my Aunt Nor all those years.

Tradition can be a beautiful thing.

I was hoping that the 5 hour cook time at 325 degrees was enough to kill off any grimy germs that may have come with my daughters as they slathered that turkey silly.

About an hour into the cooking process, Eugene and I snuck out and treated the girls to the new Disney movie, Tangled.

These girls were so excited. They ran into the theatre. And I mean, RAN!

Both girls polished off their popcorn before the movie even started. Which I knew would throw a huge dent in their turkey plans--but how could I not?

And the movie turned out to be really cute. Except of course for the villian, which scared the cheesus outta Bella. God forbid Disney put out a movie without one. It's like a prerequisite or something.

We arrived home with 30 minutes to spare before the turkey was done. Which, btw? Was awesome! The perfect turkey! Don't you just want to toss it a top hat and watch those legs step-kick to the tune of NY NY? No? Not at all? Not even a teeny bit?





It was as delicious as it looks. Ahhhh, the sippy cups add a touch of glamour to our table, huh?



Thank you Mom for cooking a perfect dinner that reminded us all just how much love we grew up with! Until next year.....

Happy Thanksgiving

There are many things I am thankful for. But I am mostly thankful for my amazing family.

All of them.

The family I had a ball growing up with, the family I married into and the

precious family I helped create.

Together, we all make a pretty amazing team.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wanna Gag?

This one's for Margaret

Following the humble instructions from my friend not to purchase a birthday present for her but rather make a donation on her behalf, I obliged. Cuz' that's what friends do. She mentioned something about a website called Kiva and so I checked it out. I'll never forget that night in 2008, for it has changed me ever since.

Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. Microfinance at it's finest. According to their website, Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

--People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
--The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
--By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.

IT'S A BRILLIANT CONCEPT PEOPLE.

I was hooked from the moment I landed on the website. I planned to donate $50 and got to chose from THOUSANDS of "entrepreneurs" all over the world. I began my search and was haunted and moved and saddened by each and every story. But as a mom, my heart broke open when I clicked on Margaret's story.

"Margaret Essiam is a 34 year old mother of three children who lives in Tema, Ghana. Two of her children are in school. Margaret has been selling items like diapers, bedspreads, and baby dresses for the past seven years. She wants to use her new loan to buy more diapers, napkins, bedspreads and to buy containers to secure her products from theft and weather as she peddles them from place to place."

I stared at the picture for a long time. And couldn't help but notice the dusty roads, and the basket of diapers that must be so heavy to carry atop her head, and that sweet little girl she's holding, tugging on her clothes--a feeling I know all too well. She looks like a good mom, doesn't she? I felt a connection with her. I wondered if her daughter sometimes resisted bedtime the way mine did? I wondered if Margaret, like me, couldn't wait for the diaper phase to be over? I wondered if she's a mom who sings to her kids or overly kisses them, like I do mine? Suddenly, miles and culture and financial status disappeared and there we were, simply 2 moms wanting the best for our children.

Instantly, the thought of someone stealing her basket of diapers or rain ruining her inventory was enough motivation for me and I proudly lent Margaret my $50. I often thought about Margaret and prayed that more people would be moved to help her. And you know what? 28 other people felt the same way I did and put their faith in her. I'm happy to report that a mere 9 months later, Margaret fully paid back her $900 loan. Which is so great, especially since the average annual income in Ghana is $2,643! Apparently, with her loan, she was able to take her business to another level. She bought an increased stock of diapers, bed spreads, baby dresses and best of all, she had secured a place in the market to sell her goods.

No more walking. No more carrying. No more door-to-door.

Look at her proud smile. She's so pretty, huh? I'm so thrilled for her and her children and I'm happy to hear that her little girl is now in school. Isn't this concept so amazing? There are so many other stories like hers. And they all have happy endings. In fact, the entrepreneurs have a 98% repayment rate. It's so astonishing that I'm going to type it again. In caps.

98.95% OF THE LOANS HAVE BEEN FULLY REPAID.

Now that restores my faith in humanity.

Also, 81% of the loans are to women entrepreneurs. Right on! The best part of all is that my original $50 keeps getting lent out. Once the loan is repaid, I could either cash it out or lend it to someone else. In the past two years, I have made 5 different loans---all of which have been paid back. And tonight, I plan to lend even more.

It feels good.

It feels right.

I encourage you to lend to someone. All it takes is 5 minutes for your perspective to be forever changed. Poverty is so unfortunate and so crippling that EVERY LITTLE BIT helps, as proven by amazing organizations like Kiva. Go there. Look at the pictures. Read their stories. Make a difference.

Be a lender.

The Fairy Sprayer

I wonder how many times a day I bend over to pick up a toy or a trinket or some ridiculous little knick-knack that SOMEHOW made its way into our house, onto the floor or stuck in between a couch cushion. In fact, I'm often found cursing profanities under my breath as I make the daily rounds putting away the tea cup or the toy spatula or the godforsaken fairy figurines.

But as much as I complain about the 25 cent yo-yo, they'll play with it. And have fun with it. And make memories with it.

Like this particular morning, when Bella spent 15 minutes at the kitchen table, intensely focused on creating a masterpiece using every little knick-knack within arms reach. When I walked past her, I did a double take and grabbed my phone.



Her imagination makes me smile. I see her do these things every single day but sadly, I don't pay enough attention to them. I let my schedule and my routine take precedence. I should stop and listen more before it's too late, before tea parties and doll houses are "soooooo uncoooool mommmmmmm!"

Until then, go-on girl, spray your fairies!

Happy Halloween!!

I think it was some time in June when we walked out of the movie theatre after seeing Toy Story 3



and Bella informed me that she would like to be Jessie for Halloween. She's hard core like that. Moments later, Mia too started jumping up and down and began howling something inaudible. About 5 minutes later we figured out that Mia was making it clear that she wanted to be Woody. After all, they've had their Woody and Jessie dolls attached to their hip since that day in June. And believe me, these dolls have gone EVERYWHERE with them. Their dolls have made perfect

reading buddies



and dance partners



They can be seen in almost every picture



at every event we've attended since June.



Clearly, we've taken our adoration of Toy Story to the extreme.



Which is why when Halloween came around, it was crystal clear what needed to be done. Introducing the Sergeant, Mrs. Potatoe Head, Alien, Woody and Jessie.




Oh but wait. There's more. Here's Barbie







And did it stop there? Heck no! We drove to my brother's house to meet up with Buzz Sr., Buzz Jr. and Ken!







It was one of the most memorable Halloween's I've had. There was a collective giddyness among us. We laughed at eachother all night. My sister's boyfriend gets the kudos though, since his Ken outift was AWESOME! All day Mia insisted on being called Woody. Even when she was getting yelled at. Bella negotiated different candy choices and even performed a return/exchange at one unlucky house.

Man, I love my family! Happy Halloween!

What's cookin' in my kitchen

Ever been stuck in that ridiculous maze of useless products before you get to the register at Marshalls, TJ's or Home Goods? Yeah? Me too. And what do I have to show for it? A cinnamon bun scented candle, drawer liners and caramel apple mix. Which I thought would be a fun little Halloween project with the girls.



I was so wrong.

Like a good prepper, I layed out all of the goodies that we intended to roll our apples in.



If you ever want to test the willpower of your children just put them in front of 4 candy bowls and tell them not to touch anything.

They were good for about 30 seconds.

And then all hell broke loose. They both began tattling on each other for taking an M&M or for stealing a gummy worm. Then the yelling. And the hitting. Which I could do nothing about because I was too busy stirring 225 degree scalding ass caramel. What the hell was I thinking? TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE DEGREES! This, clearly, is not a project for kids let alone a novice baker. After removing the caramel from the heat, the instructions told me to work quickly so it doesn't harden. I wanted to tell the instructions to kindly kiss my ass, but then I realized it was a piece of paper and that just wouldn't wo...dammit Gina, snap out of it, your freakin' caramel is hardening!

QUICKLY?! QUICKLY?!!!

Quickly doesn't go over well when you have OCD children who want to pick and choose which M&M's get planted on the apple. Quickly doesn't go over well when your children start freaking out that the worm is on the bottom of the apple and not "peeking" out from the top like all worms do. Quickly doesn't go over well when your children lose their mind because you decided to add nuts at the last minute (because you knew if you brought them out beforehand with the other bowls they would outright refuse a nut addition). THEIR CARAMEL APPLES MIA, THEY ALWAYS COME WITH NUTS!!! But again, even my yelling wasn't helping the situation. Oh no.....I quickly realized the best thing was to practically throw the damn candies on the apples until they stuck.

AAGGHHH!!!

My kitchen was a total disaster. I was full of sweat. Chance was screaming. And I had about 5 minutes to get all three kids in the car and drop Bella off at school. Best. Afternoon. Ever.

But ya know what? They were so good--I mean, really really good! Gee, can you tell which one's Bella's? Hah!



Tonight we made some pumpkin bread---and oh my goddess this pumpkin bread recipe was AWESOME!! My fellow blogger friend Megan over at Living the Dream posted this amazing recipe for pumpkin bread that has me wanting to make a loaf a day. Here's the yummy recipe.

Make it today, don't wait--it's that good! Thanks so much for this Meg, it's a keeper.

What's cookin' in your kitchen these days? Any good recipes you want to share?

The best read in a long time....

I loved this book. So poignant and so powerful. I find myself thinking about Aibileen (one of the characters) randomly throughout the day and all I can do is smile. I hear they're making it into a movie, so hurry and read it now.

Anybody else loved it like I did?

MOTO! MOTO! MOTO!

It's not often that I dine in an establishment that doesn't have mac-and-cheese listed somewhere on the menu. And it's not often that I dine in a place where I have no choice over what's being served. Cloth napkins and wine sommelies? Are you kidding me?

Not kidding at all people. We dined at Moto.

Moto, a postmodern dining experience, is at the forefront of culinary innovation. Chef Homaro Cantu and Pastry Chef Ben Roche are the perfect team. Like two kids in a 7th grade science lab, they challenge the way we typically view food.



Using molecular gastronomy, our senses were amazed at every single course. And, um, there was ten of them!

Which is exactly why I'm going to blog about it.

Like in any other restaurant, we were handed our menu. Only this time, it was edible! A yummy garlic and parmesan brioche!



Our first course looked like a snow man. But it was a lime foam with black sea salts over a bed of ahi tuna.



Before the second course arrived, my diet coke was delivered to me. IN A BEAKER. AND IT WAS SMOKING!



How cool is that!!



Our second course was an incredible piece of Hawaiian fish (I forgot the name) that was flown in that day, crisped on the outside and on a bed of roe. Delish!



Next, was their take on traditional crab cakes. Although, there was nothing traditional about it. Playing off of the word cake, they created a sponge cake with crab infused in the batter, topped it with a lemon butter frosting and paired it with fennel and butternut squash ice cream. AMAZING!!!!!



Next up was a maitake mushroom and pork belly dish. Get this---the mushroom that is standing up is actually mushrooms that were vacuum sealed, crushed and then put back together again and formed into the look of a mushroom. Basically, they were deconstructed mushrooms that had the texture of a funyon or a cheese puff. Awesome.



We're not even halfway through yet. Next up was a spin off of the tastes found at a baseball game. Here's the breakdown, breaded quail with a caramel sauce, crushed popcorn and an edible Cracker Jack logo. Definite home run!



Did I mention we had the wine pairing as well? By this time, Mama G was feeling really good!

Our sixth course looked like a big sushi roll, but was actually rabbit wrapped in a risotto roll. Accompanied by an amazing sauce, dehydrated peas and a radish slice--it was perfection!



Up next was what they called a mexican cannoli. Sweet and spicy, this dish had it all. Loved the contrast in flavors here.



Our first of three dessert dishes, was incredible. It was a truffled ice cream cake. Literally, the cake was the flavor of truffles, it was so unique. The flavor, the texture--everything! Who thinks of this stuff? Well, Ben Roche apparently.



Our next dessert was called pineapple and chai. It was so simple and so perfect. I swear, this guy's a genius!



The final dessert was called Tea Time. And it was a chocolate mousse, drenched in cookie crumbs and paired with Earl Grey ice cream. Very impressive.



The meal was fabulous and fun and exciting all at the same time. I felt like I was trapped in a Top Chef marathon hosted by Willy Wonka--and I loved every minute of it!

Before we thought we were done, Chef Homaro Cantu and Chef Ben Roche had one last surprise in store for us. Delivered to our table was a set of lab beakers topped with an edible packing peanut (the ones you fill boxes with). As we all ate the foam peanut, a blast of smoke simultaneoulsy erupted out of our mouths. Laughing, we all took a final sip of a clear soda that I swear tasted just like roses.



It was an amazing experience!