Or "Gross" in my dialect:) This is a treat in the Filipino culture....little fishes...usually fried and eaten like popcorn. They smell so bad that cooking in the house is not a good idea. One time my mother-in-law was cooking them outside in the back yard. I came in the house through the front door(at the opposite end of the house) and the smell hit me like a ton of bricks....and she wasn't even in the house! That tells you how bad they smell:) BUT my sweet sister-in-law didn't fry them when we visited this weekend-she baked them so the smell was just a faint odor in the house.
This was the same night as Nate's birthday with all that pizza so the kids had already eaten before this delicacy was cooked. All the adults(except me) were feasting on this and other dishes when Sophia came to me and said "Mmmmmmm....what's that smell?" I knew what she was asking about....the bulad! She is truely a Filipino. She loves this fish, sardines(not the ones in the roll-top can), the pink shrimp paste, and all the things that make me a little nauseated:) She makes her Daddy proud:)
here they are coming out of the oven....not sure what the big pieces are....probably some fish jerky or something like that.
Sophia and the other kids didn't like to eat the heads for some reason. I am sure they taste just like the rest of the fish but how would I know! I think she just couldn't get past eating some animal's head!
yummmm.....give me more!!
here is one before being devoured!
the head removed and ready to eat!
what a treat!
the feeding frenzy!
I have grown to love some really interesting Filippino dishes but this one I just haven't even tried....but I am not a big fish person so that is probably why....oh and anything that smells as bad as this does just doesn't make me salivate. One of my favorites are the dishes made with ampalaya (http://www.ampalaya.com/). It has a certain taste that you have to get use to but it is so good to me now. Richard said they were made to eat it when they were growing up because it had so much iron in it but they hated it. It is 3x more bitter than brussel sprouts but a good taste.
Monday, December 31, 2007
"Bulad" or "Tuyo" depending on your dialect....
Christmas with the Villamor's 2007
We spent the weekend with Richard's family-a holiday tradition for his family. We always have a gathering after Christmas and each family takes turns hosting it. We were supposed to do it this year but with Sophia's baptism and other events we asked if we could do it next year instead. We ended up doing it at Butch and Margelyn's in Albany which was perfect since Butch is recovering from oral surgery and needs to eat every 3 hours....full liquid diet, through a syringe since his jaws are wired shut. It was a low-key event with lots of fun and good food. Here are some pics of the weekend.
The girls came up with a "show" for the evening. Femi sang "Angels We Have Heard on High" while Laurie played it on the keyboard. The other girls hummed the tune in the background. They also decided they should dress in white (to be angels):). Then they did a dance to some song I had never heard....very cute though!
Here are all the cousins with their gifts. We draw names so each cousin buys a gift for another instead of buying for everyone. Then the adults each buy a $15 gift for the "Dirty Santa" game which is always fun. This year we came home with a fondue pot and a TV/Lantern/Radio combo.
Sometime during the night we take pictures of each family in front of the Christmas tree.
Junji (real name James-a cousin), Shiela, JaShiel, and Joseph
Dexter (a cousin), Rosell, Darrick and their twin boys Daniel and David. The older people are Rosell's parents here visiting from the Philippines.
The host family-Butch(a brother-real name Rommel), Margelyn and their girls Laurie and Lea. The Lola on the right is Margelyn's mom. The lola on the left is Richard's mom.
Bobet (a brother-real name Ronald), My-My, Femi (holding Bugoy the dog), Rovic and Kayla
Us:) We always get a picture of the family and then one with the mom (Lola).
(All of Richard's siblings have names that start with "R" and their nicknames all start with "B". Richard's nickname was "Boy" and it didn't stick-so he became "Ricky". The funny thing is his youngest brother is named Richzer....his nickname was "Bobot" but it didn't stick either because we call him "Richzer". Richard's lone sister is named "Rowena" but we call her "Babe". Her husband is in the Air Force and they are currently living in Italy.)
And lots of pizza!
Friday, December 28, 2007
He's 6!
Nate turned 6 today! It is hard to believe he is this old. Before we know it he will be 18 and graduating from high school! ahhhh! It just seems like a short time ago we brought him home! He was a hunk-of-baby-love!! When he was placed with us he was 10.5 months old and he weighed 32 pounds!! So cute and lovable!! He would give the best hugs!!! He is such a wonderful son and we are so lucky to be his parents!
6 things I love about Nate....
1. He is a hard worker. When it is time to do his chores he does them so well. He is focused and gets the job done with little or no prodding from me.
2. He is eager to learn. He does very well in school and is self-motivated. He would practice his sight words on his own...I never had to remind him to study because he already did!.
3. He has a wonderful imagintation. I love to watch him play for hours with his cars, or trains or his most recent obsession-Bionicles. This is definately a child who plays well by himself!
4. He likes to be around little children....although he will deny this:) But when we babysit Nate likes to entertain them by doing silly thing that will make them laugh. I believe he enjoys little children because they idolize him(and they do whatever he says)....but I can also see the caring side of Nate coming through when he is around them:)
5. His love for his family. Although Nate aggravates us so well he really does love his family. He is always giving me ideas I can use with my preschool children and asking me how it is going. He tries his best to make us all happy....well Fia would disagree with this because he is always teasing her....but I know he loves her. Nate does not kiss anyone but he will give hugs. I love to get hugs and kisses before they get out at the school..... but I knew Nate wouldn't do this especially in front of the teachers that are standing there helping the kids get out of their cars(too embarrassing!). So what we do is I kiss my hand and then he gives me a "high 5". Now he makes sure whenever I leave the house(and he isn't with me) that I give him a "high 5" and a hug before I go. So sweet! The other day Fia wanted to give him a "high 5" also but he wouldn't do it. I said they could do the "fist bump"... or whatever it is called....instead and Nate thought that would be cool:)
6. His smile.....he has such a sweet one! I love to see it! And now that he is smiling for pictures again we will have it forever!
Happy Birthday Nate!
A face only a mother could love....
I don't remember how old I was when my mom made this doll for me....probably 4 but this was a favorite toy! My mother took some of my old clothes and stuffed them, added a carefully crafted head(snicker, snicker) and arms and even feet made from my socks to create this fun playmate! Who needs a lifesize barbie when you have.....just what would you call this??? ha! I don't think I named her but she did play football. I remember putting the black paint? (whatever that stuff is athletes put under their eyes) under her eyes. She didn't make the team but i still loved her!
Now the question is what becomes of her now? I think I will pack her up and send her to someone....no....that might be weird:) Maybe it is time to say good-bye. We threw her up in the attic but she somehow made it down(must have wrestled with that spider, huh Mom?) and now I am contemplating just tossing her....but that doesn't feel right either.
But my motto has always been "When in doubt, throw it out" so I guess it is time to say good-bye!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Nate woke us all up at 530am needing to go the bathroom....any other day I could have gotten him back to sleep but not on the day Santa came!! So we started our Christmas morning at 545(like the clock says). It was so fun to watch them open their presents. Sophia was estatic to get her telescope. Nate opened some gamecube games first and his response was, "why am I getting these games...I don't have a gamecube..." and then he realized what was coming. We made our breakfast and then opened the gifts under the tree. It was just a nice, relaxing, lazy day!
I always wonder if we are spending enough time talking about the real meaning of Christmas....enough to drown out the commercialism of the season. We have a few traditions that we carry out throughout the month that focus on just that and read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve but sometimes I wonder if it is enough. But then I think our celebration of Christ's birth doesn't just happen in December. We celebrate it everyday as we pray, read the scriptures, and by living good lives. I think I love the Christmas season because for a short time the majority of the world is focused on Christ and giving....wouldn't it be great if we could take that season throughout the next year?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Christmas Carols
I thought it would be cute to get the children singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and then we went into "Jingle Bells" where Trent really wanted to sing solo! Then Kylie saw her Mom. Too funny! Aren't they so cute!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Look at these cutie-patooties!
I have to be the luckiest gal alive because I get to spend Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
