ay mi familia

Oof I have approximately three blog posts drafted and I never published any. And judging from the fact that I barely even started those, I guess it's just one of those years. And hey, I'm off for a few weeks and have been for awhile so here I am! Ok life since July when I last posted was a whole. lot. of work. Work work work work work. Great jobs, ok jobs, sucky jobs, travel job, inspiring job. All the jobs. Each one was very different from the last and they were all on top of each other so taking a few weeks off was on purpose and very needed. And with the jobs was all kinds of LIFE things where I scarce believe I even did those things. Like at some point, I was in Oxnard for a retreat. And the crappy thing about when things are all on top of each other is that you forget those little things and I was constantly fighting with myself to stay in that moment. To just breathe and focus on what's right in front of me be it playing with a kid or listening to a speaker. Try not to think of all the things I should be doing instead. Let me tell you I didn't do great at it but I was aware of it and I tried. And since I'm still learning how to be a non-shitty individual, I'm giving myself a pass this time. 

Not a ton of home decor stuff has been going around the farm to note. We are in talks and thinks and plans to refi on the house and then do some remodeling like new kitchen and such and such and I'll have a LOT to talk about later but for now you get seasonal decorating 'cause that's cheap and easy! My family doesn't really celebrate the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos but this year I was like what the heck and since our good friends at Target decided to embrace Dia de Muertos and hooked it up with a few things I got myself like a skull garland (you know I can't resist a garland and since it's gonna be the name of my eventual party business I like to buy garlands to add to the collection)...

a door hanger thing...

this cute little frame and skull (our friend Laura gifted us this Mickey Ear ornament Coco, you kidding me? I cried when I opened it)...

and this skull tablecloth.

Then I just brought into the office, which seeing as the holiday is so much about color and life it fit in PERFECTLY in here anything Mexican I had which was more than I realized! Here's Pepita from Coco.

I had purchased this sarape runner for the retreat since I imposed Mexican food on my gringa leadership team and I put it on the tv stand in here and it looks hella adorable.

Mixed in with marigolds and some loteria books and a Mexican cookbook and the little shoe shine box my dad made for the kids and Alexa gave us these Mexican dolls perfect timing.

I found a sombrero and hung up the Coco guitar purse my mother in-law made.

And a few other Mexican bags and accessories and had the kids decorate skulls too.

I decided to do the altar thing but not quite the spiritual part of it more of the remembering our past loved ones part of it. Less magical alebrijes more practical storytelling? But man oh man did my grandmother's wedding photo fit perfectly in there. It was like straight out of Coco.

It was such a sad and sweet project I gave myself. Crying while printing photos of my grandmother, Matt's grandmothers, what wonderful women made me who I am. My paternal grandmother Patrocinio, my Tia Adela, mi abuelo who I never met Ines, my beloved nana Adelaida.

My cousin Balam, my "uncle" Walt...

Matt's maternal grandmother Virginia, paternal grandmother Rosemary, my Tia Lupita. Just so lovely to see them together on the shelf. Remembering their voices and stories and laughs.

I told the kids about the women and men up on that shelf and even though they barely acknowledged it, I think with age and practice they'll understand more. And they're so full of love that I know it will mean a lot to them to learn about their familia.

But as it is Mom's Solo Sundays, a new practice where I take Sunday nights to myself be it a night in my office watching Golden Girls, Scrubs, Downton Abbey, or Sex and the City plus wine and cheese or as the case will be shortly: a bath and wine and face mask or journal or book, that's all she wrote.

Except to write the lines of my favorite song from Coco...

Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente
Canten al coro, let it be known
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón