Sadness

Posted on December 15, 2012 by themercadoproject

R.I.P.

Charlotte Bacon, Feb. 22, 2006

Daniel Barden, Sept. 25, 2005

Rachel Davino, July 17, 1983

Olivia Engel, July 18, 2006

Josephine Gay, Dec. 11, 2005

Ana M. Marquez-Greene, April 4, 2006

Dylan Hockley, March 8, 2006

Dawn Hochsprung, June 28, 1965

Madeleine F. Hsu, July 10, 2006

Catherine V. Hubbard, June 8, 2006

Chase Kowalski, Oct. 31, 2005

Jesse Lewis, June 30, 2006

James Mattioli, March 22, 2006

Grace McDonnell, Nov. 4, 2005

Anne Marie Murphy, July 25, 1960

Emilie Parker, May 12, 2006

Jack Pinto, May 6, 2006

Noah Pozner, Nov. 20, 2006

Caroline Previdi, Sept. 7, 2006

Jessica Rekos, May 10, 2006

Avielle Richman, Oct. 17, 2006

Lauren Rousseau, June of 1982

Mary Sherlach, Feb. 11, 1956

Victoria Soto, Nov. 4, 1985

Benjamin Wheeler, Sept. 12, 2006

Allison N. Wyatt, July 3, 2006

http://newtown.patch.com/articles/police-release-the-names-of-20-children-six-adults-killed-in-newtown?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D246363

I have no words. Just sadness in my heart and mind. Can’t stop thinking about this. Can’t stop reading every article, every last detail. Makes no sense at all. Rest in peace.

Please take good care.
Until next time…

Something is better than nothing

Posted on December 14, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. It’s a fact that exercising is great for your health, mind and body, but let’s be honest, some of us (I’m raising my hand right now, way up high), just don’t want to do it. Why? Well, for me it’s quite simple, I’m lazy. There I said it. It’s the plain truth, but I do try my best to look for ways to incorporate some type of exercise in my life. For example, on my way home after dropping off my daughter at school, I either speed walk or do some light jogging. People do look at me with a confused/weird look on their faces like they’re wondering, “why is she jogging?” Um, hello people it’s called exercising. You can do it whenever or wherever you want.

At home, I love to just drop on my floor, anywhere in the house, and do push-ups, military style. It was my favorite at boot camp because whenever the drill sergeants made everyone drop to do push-ups, most females couldn’t do them or had bad form (butts in the air). Not me. I busted them out with great form, shocking most drill sergeants and loving every single second of it. I also love doing jumping jacks and when my daughters see me, they start doing their versions, which is cute and we have a blast.

During the summer, I got more exercise in by walking to the playground with my daughters and running around with them. Since it’s cold now we’re homebound, so in order to incorporate some type of activity at least for my oldest, I’ve started taking her scooter with me when I pick her up from school.

Olivia kicks and glides her way home, while I speed walk after her with Sophia in the carriage. By the time we’re at our front door she’s usually huffing and puffing, but with a smile on her face because she loves her scooter. I love the fact that she’s getting some type of exercise almost every day.

Her sister, Sophia, desperately wants to learn how to maneuver the scooter. She has the concept down, but she’s too small. 🙂

I’m definitely going to work on my lazy attitude, but for now something is absolutely better than nothing.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

The day after

Posted on December 12, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I had a wonderful birthday. At first, it felt like any other day until I started receiving numerous text and phone calls wishing me a happy birthday. I was walking back home after dropping off my daughter at school when my mother called me to say that she loved me and that she wished me a very happy birthday. She then started crying. I said, “Ma, don’t make me cry. I’m outside. I will call you when I get home. Love you.” 🙂 I definitely didn’t want to be walking home with tears coming down my face. Once I got home, I called her back and we laughed about it. She’s the best!

Then, in the evening my darling husband brought home dinner from one of our favorite restaurants, Bamboo Garden, along with a lovely and delicious cake. My daughter desperately wanted to keep the cake a secret. She told me not to look in the refrigerator. Then she said, “Mami, sit down and close your eyes because Daddy is coming with the…” She stopped herself before she uttered the word “cake” and placed her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide and I couldn’t help but laugh, and my daughter said, “I almost told you the secret.” So sweet and innocent. She ran back to the kitchen to help her daddy bring in the surprise.

Surprise…my yummy butter cream marble cake. It was delicious!

I gave my youngest a small slice and she finished it off fast. So fast, that she asked for more, saying, “I want more cake. Cake, cake, cake.” That was definitely the sugar speaking there. We finished my special day with gifts and then like every other day, it was back to our normal routine, bath time and bedtime. Thank you my sweet family and friends for a great birthday.

One of my gifts from my husband. I’ve been eyeing this piece from Lisa Leonard Designs. If you want something bad, you have to drop some hints! I love it! Thanks hubby!

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

GUESS WHAT?

Posted on December 11, 2012 by themercadoproject

EVEN BETTER, WHEN THE DAY IS YOUR ACTUAL BIRTHDAY.

HELLO EVERYBODY!

I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE WELL.

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! I’M 36 YEARS OLD AND I’M OK WITH THAT! 🙂

WHEN MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING, I TOLD HER THAT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY AND SHE LOOKED UP AT ME WITH BIG OL’ EYES AND A SMILE. SHE PROCEEDED TO SING “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” TO ME AND THAT WAS WONDERFUL. I’M GOING TO ENJOY MY DAY AND MY FAMILY TO THE FULLEST.

PINS COURTESY OF PINTEREST, OF COURSE!

ENJOY YOUR DAY AND THANKS FOR FOLLOWING AND VIEWING!

STAY ALERT, STAY ALIVE.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

Frank Sinatra

Posted on December 10, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I don’t exactly remember when or what movie or even the song that was playing that made me fall for Mr. Frank Sinatra’s voice. What I do remember though is that it was a long time ago, about a decade, and at twenty-five years old, I was loving what I was hearing and I immediately bought a compilation set of his hits. That was a wonderful purchase. I played those CDs over and over until I moved on to my next obsession.

My love for Frank never died though and just the other day while cooking in the kitchen and hearing music stations via Pandora on my iPod, a thought occurred to me, “maybe I can listen to Frank Sinatra.” I quickly stopped what I was doing and got all excited. His name popped up even before I finished typing it and the image above appeared on the screen and my kitchen was filled with Mr. Sinatra’s voice singing, “I got you under my skin,” which is one of my favorites.

Frankie baby was back in my life, but this time around I’m being introduced to other great voices like Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole, and the list goes on and on. I told my husband that I was amazed at how much I liked this type of music since I wasn’t raised around it. My husband simply, but brilliantly said, “great music surpasses time and absolutely no one say anything negative about it because if it’s good, it’s good.” I agree with him wholeheartedly. Enjoy what you’re listening to.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

A pin about motherhood and a lasting marriage

Posted on December 7, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I came across a couple of pins on Pinterest that completely resonate with the way I think and feel about motherhood and marriage. I wanted to share them with you and see how you feel.

I have two little girls, ages five and two, and we have a night time routine implemented since they were babies and we do our very best never to break it, even on vacation. They are so used to the routine that if we don’t keep up with it, they get very CRANKY! Bath time starts at 8 PM and by 8:30 – 8:45, the girls are in their beds and mommy is very happy! 🙂

I completely agree with this pin and have always thought this way. Hence why I’m happily married to my high school sweetheart. It takes two to build and keep a lasting relationship.

Back in August of this year, we celebrated 19 years together since the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. In 1993, Angel came over to my house and presented me with a rose and we declared that day to be our dating anniversary. My mother suggested I place the rose in a book so I can keep it forever. Always listen to your mom, because I have that rose, from 19 years ago, framed on my wall today. From the beginning of our relationship, we told each other what we expected from one another and we respected that. Respect and acknowledgement of each other’s importance in the relationship are key to a lasting union.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

Personalized Jigsaw Puzzles

Posted on December 6, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.

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Here’s the countdown at my house.

My cousin, Janice, sent this little Santa chalkboard to my oldest daughter when she was about 1 or 2 years old, but she wasn’t old enough to grasp the concept so I stored it away. I found it the other day when we brought out all of our Christmas decorations. I showed it to Olivia, who’s five now, and explained what it was. She absolutely loved the chalkboard and the fact that it was going to show her how many days until Christmas. Thanks cuz!

As for gift ideas for children I absolutely love jigsaw puzzles, especially personalized ones because they can teach your child how to spell their own name. There are many places where you can get a personalized jigsaw puzzle, but I like the web site www.frecklebox.com. They have many personalized items (I also love their story books) and I have given many gifts from this website. Sign up to receive emails so you can get discounts on their merchandise, which is very helpful if you’re on a budget. Here’s a couple of their puzzles with my daughter’s first and middle name, which I got a long time ago. They have a glossy finish to them and currently my youngest daughter is having fun putting these together. I will be getting one with her name soon for Christmas.

Once my girls are done playing with these I’m going to tape the puzzle together and frame them.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

A year round gift

Posted on December 4, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I can vividly remember the first time I gave my mother a custom-made family calendar as a Christmas gift to her. She started crying! It was of course tears of joy, but I wasn’t expecting her to cry. Be overjoyed, yes, but not cry. Needless to say, she absolutely loved it. She completely immersed herself into the calendar. It was as if the world around her suddenly disappeared and it was just her and this gift that she couldn’t wait to see. I watched her intently. She paused at each month and you could see her eyes darting here and there, taking in all of the images. A loving smile would appear on her face and I knew she was looking at pictures of herself with my daughters, her only grandchildren, so far. A small laugh would escape her when she saw the funny pictures. I got a few “Oh my gosh,” and when she reached the end of the calendar, she let out a big, “I love it!” Sweet music to my ears.

There are many places and web sites where you can make a calendar. So far, I’ve made mine on www.shutterfly.com because they offer great promo codes and free shipping. The calendars always come out great. Since I like to include more than one picture, it usually takes me more time to assemble them into place. Once you’re done and you complete your order, the calendars are on your doorstep fast! My cousin loves taking her pictures to Wal-Mart and making her calendar there herself! She’s the one who gave me the idea to give a calendar as a gift because she sends me one every year. Another tradition that we’re forming and I love putting it on my kitchen wall and looking at my gift year round.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

Christmas Tree

Posted on December 3, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well and getting ready for the Christmas countdown. It has begun and yesterday we put up and decorated our little (four-foot tall) faux tree. I’m not a big fan of cutting down real trees. No offense to anyone. I grew up with reusable ones. I prefer not to hurt our environment and I like to save some money wherever I can so after I got married I went and bought my very own tree and it’s been serving us well for eleven years. I might get a bigger one in the future, but for now this tree is perfect because I’m able to situate it high up where my darling two-year old, who loves to touch and doesn’t like to use her listening ears, can’t take any of the ornaments off. My sweet cousin, Janice, started a tradition a long time ago of sending me an ornament each year so my tree is decorated with those cherished embellishments. Some are handmade by her using pictures, while others were purchased signifying special moments in my life for example when we were expecting and our children’s birth facts. I do have a love/hate relationship with decorating the tree. I love displaying it, but kinda of hate the time it takes to decorate it, even if it’s four-foot tall, because I can be a little stubborn with where the ornaments have to be specifically placed. I did give in a lot this year because I didn’t put up all of my ornaments. I just wanted to finish, fast! And we did. So the tree is up, now it’s time to wait for Santa to bring the presents and place them under the Christmas tree, which I take down the night before and place the presents around so my kids think that Santa came to our house. This year my daughter became aware of placing cookies for Santa so she wants to do that for him. 🙂 It’s cute. I love it and I hope you guys have fun decorating for the holidays.

Mercado Christmas Tree 2012

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

Jell-O No Bake Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted on November 29, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. The other day, my darling husband was grocery shopping and something caught his eye. A lemon meringue, no bake pie and what sealed the deal, it was on sale. Enough said, into the cart it went. All you needed was butter and cold water. That’s it!

Inside the box you have three mixes (crust, filling, and whipped topping). For the crust, you add the butter and for the filling and whipped topping, you add cold water and stir. Refrigerate for two hours before devouring. Easy peasy. How did it taste?

My hubby and I, both agree it was DELICIOUS!! This is definitely a repeat purchase.

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…