Water baby

My niece Bella is a water baby. She was very excited about our dip in the pool today. She would not stop kicking her legs. Below is a video of her excitement. We were all elated she loves the water since we are taking a beach trip to an island near the Philippines in about a week.

Swimming in December!!!!

It was in the mid 80's today in Manila and the sun was out after a few cloudy days. Today we all hit the park and the pool. It was great to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I LOVED the warm weather as I thought about the freezing temps back in central New York. Below are a few of my favorite pics from our December dip in the pool. My little niece Bella LOVED the water and Addie was her general boisterous self.

Giving is better than recieving

Yesterday I had a chance to accompany my sister and Cora (my sister's nanny) to her village in Cavite Philippines. We drove 1.5 hrs outside the city to a more rural area. Our mission: To bring Christmas to the children of her neighborhood. A few days prior we put together bags with small toys and color books to give the children. The expereince was truly humbling. I was in awe at how happy people can be with what little they have. Makes me remember that I have everything to be thankful for. For pictures and a more complete narration of the event see my sisters blog at http://ouryuppielife.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-at-sunny-brook.html.

I made it!

I survived the flight! 15.5 hrs f/ Detriot to Hong Kong was an eternity. I spent all of 40 minutes in Hong Kong before I boarded for Manila. I was a bit disappointed I could not browse the airport and there were some very interesting stores. I arrived in Manila to the smiling face of my brother in law and a sea of people waiting to get ther bags. Mine did not arrive. It was still in Hong Kong. I did not care much as I really just wanted a shower. My first day was blur. I was quite tried. I hit the hay the same time as my 2.5 yr old niece and then awoke at 4:30a. One good thing was that my luggage showed up. Today was good. We went to the doctor for the baby and then did some grocery shopping. There were some very interesting things. I took some pictures. Just remember 45 pesos = $1.

Seaweed, softshell crab and grilled shrimp flavored pringles! Yum!? Cheese flavored ice cream?? We were not brave enough to pay to try it. Red eggs?? Not sure which bird these were laid by. Eggs are stored on the shelf, not in a refrigerated cooler. Here is my sis posing with the eggs. Actually many things are canned/highly processed, especially meats since many Filippinos do not have refrigerators.

My big sis and I.
My sis and adorable nieces Bella and Addie.

4 days...

until the adventure of a life time. My bags have been packed for 2 weeks now. I dusted off the old short, T-shirts and bathing suit and they are all ready to see the warm Filippino sun. It's supposed to be 26 degrees in Syracuse tomorrow, needless to say I'm itching to leave. My carry on is all packed with books, art stuff, mucnhies and my new i-od (an early x-mas present from mom and dad). You'd think I had a child to entertain or something. Nope just a twenty something with a short attention span. Maybe my crocheting will fit too! I bought myself a comfy flying outfit, one of those velvety pants and zip jacket combos. It's super comfy and wont be too sweltering when I arrive. Now I've travelled a lot within the US and Canada but this is my first trip overseas. The logistics are a bit more complicated, for instance if I get delayed after getting on my flight in Chicago I have absolutely no way to notify Sara and Justin. They will just have to look at my flight on line. Welp! That's enoughfor now. I will keep you updated as the adventure get's underway.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was home sick, with a cold, yesterday and bored out of my mind. After painting a cactus with a sombrero on it (I know cinco de Mayo is 7 months away) I decided to make broccoli cheese soup like you can get at panera. I had previously bought some of the ingredients in anticipation of making it someday when I had time. The recipe was simple and the soup tasted oh so yummy! Here is the recipe from http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/1833/Panera-Bread-Broccoli-Cheese-S79119.shtml

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half

2 cupschicken stock or bouillon

1/2 pound fresh broccoli

1 cup carrots, julienned

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar


Directions:
Saute onion in olive oil. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree ( I omitted this step as I like chunks in my soup. Plus it would have taken forever in my mini food processor). Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.
This recipe from CDKitchen for Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup serves/makes 4

Fall in the Northeast.

This past week a took a couple of days off work and made it a 4 day weekend. I got lucky and had at least one nice day where the sun peaked throughthe clouds. Last Friday, in the rain and wind, I ventured out to Tinker falls. The "hike" to view the falls was very short and easy. The difficult part came when I decided to ascend the steep embankment in order to walk behind the falls. With the damp soil footing was tricky but my destination was attained. Not wanting to descend just yet, I pulled out out my trusty waterfall hiking book and read that part of very long trail was accessible at the top of the falls. After a short slippery climb upwards, I found myself deciphering a series of blue trail markers on the Finger Lakes Trail. Another 45 minutes of hiking (mostly uphill) had me sweating in my rain jacket. The rain picked up and I turned back. Before heading back to my apartment I stopped by a local farm and picked up two pumpkins, some pumpkin butter and some awesome heath bar fudge. Next, I had lunch at Panera as I LOVE thier broccoli cheese soup. After a filling lunch I stopped by the Marshalls for some retail therapy. I don't usually buy myself things but today I found some shoes, a winter jacket and a new pair of workout pants. Whoo Hoo! Saturday the sun was out. I headed to a few local parks to see the leaves. They were beautiful.