
The main cast: Gian, Kale'a, Maile. The supportive cast: mom and dad, Allan and Jennifer, Brandon and Christine, Leilani and Jason. The plot: chewing the cud.Welcome.
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09 July 2009
ROAD TRIP
GO SWIMMING MAMA
During one swimming expedition Grandma Zeny happened to have her camera around and took several shots of what Maile likes doing when she's in the pool. She's such a G.I.R.L. Love it!
SCARY
I've been giving him Tylenol every four hours to fight the fever but it wasn't really working; the fever would spike back up to 102 degrees after the medicine wore off. Sponge bathing him with ice cold water helped to cool him down but after Gian's tenth attempt to run away from me, screaming and crying for his daddy to rescue him, I could barely control my frustration. It's not Gian's fault he's sick, I'd remind myself.
Yesterday morning I checked his temperature. It read 103 degrees. I immediately gave another dose of Tylenol and handed him his homemade fruit smoothie to wash it down. Not even five minutes later I walked back into the living room to see how he was doing. Gian was sitting on the floor, convulsing. He looked at me, his sickly eyes glazed over, and cried, "Mama, help." Scooping him up, I cradled him in my arms, sang to him - and with a free hand - dialed Kaiser. The receptionist found a cancelled appointment so within fifteen minutes { thank goodness I took a shower the night before } Gian was strapped into his car seat with me behind the wheel.
Dr. Hicks - praise the Lord for caring doctors - took such good care of Gian, giving him a thorough check up. With a throat culture in the works and his assessment of the situation we left the office happy, Gian playing with his new sticker and me thinking how pleased I was for having peace of mind that my son, despite being sick, will be all right. And the convulsions? -a normal occurrence when children under the age of five spike high fevers. Phew.
This morning Gian awoke and is almost back to his old self. He's smiling, playing and even eating more. By the day's end I'll most likely be able to take him off the Tylenol. But what's more exciting is that Gian's quarantine is done: we're heading to see his cousins today. Woot woot.
08 July 2009
CHECK HER OUT NOW
My talented cousin, Katrina, just posted photos of our beautiful children on her blog and let me just preffice the post by saying wow, Wow, WOW! You can see her work by CLICKING HERE. Below is a taste of just how talented she is:

07 July 2009
EASY AS 1-2-3
When I bake 98% of the time I make everything from scratch. But sometimes I find myself with limited time to create something that would satisfy my crazy sweet tooth. In her episode, "Giada'a Bake Sale," Giada De Laurentiis made mascarpone mini cupcakes with strawberry glaze and my mouth drooled when I watched those litle cupcakes come into fruition. I've made these many, many times and I must say that this cupcake recipe is versatile, tasty and oh-so-easy to make. Try it.

MARSCARPONE CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY GLAZE
COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES | YIELD: 18 CUPCAKES
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese { about 1 cup } softened
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 box white cake mix { i prefer betty crocker's white cake mix }
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.
Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.