Homemade Ice Packs

Growing up I was not very active, I barely got through High School P.E. by the hairs of my chinny chin chin. I hated physical activity and only earned credits through the grace of God when one of the PE Teachers created a PE Dance class. Thank you, Mrs. B! The most active I have ever been in my life, until now, was when I belly danced and we went through great lengths to warm up and protect our bodies to prevent injury. Then, I started going to the gym after that part of my life was over and I came to fall in love with weight lifting and jogging but never made the time to stretch because it was boring as I was training by myself. Apparently it's more fun to stretch with belly dance music blasting, while you're wearing hip scarves, and surrounded by your sisters. Okay, mini trip down memory lane. But while in the gym, I went balls to the wall with my workouts. So naturally, I would end up injured in some capacity making ice and ibuprofen my best friends.

At home, I only have two ice packs that are meant to be wrapped around an ankle or an arm and that is it. That makes it hard to use on other parts of the body because of its small size. With injuries such as my lower back, I need something bigger. I could have someone place all of my lunch ice packs on my back but working with frozen pieces of naturally hard plastic is a chore and a half and awkward.

So I took to Pinterest and began to search for ways to prevent injuries and like a Godsend I came across a pin for homemade ice packs. You can make them with two simple ingredients and a third optional ingredient which I recommend. 

Items Needed and Recipe

Quart or Gallon Freezer Ziploc bag (change recipe according to freezer bag size)

1 part Rubbing Alcohol 

3 parts Water

Optional but recommended 

Blue Food Coloring 

**If you have kids or have a strong inner child throw in some glitter!

For example, In a quart sized bag I can fit in 1 cup Rubbing Alcohol, 3 cups water, and some blue food coloring and it is the perfect size for my knees or my tendinitis in my right ankle. My next ice pack will be in a gallon sized freezer bag and will fit perfectly on my lower back. Oh yeah! But the best part of this recipe? These ice packs mold to your body.

"Why is that Captain Ron?" Sorry, we quote that movie line a lot in my family, lol. 

It molds to your body because the rubbing alcohol prevents the water from freezing completely so it is more of a thick slush that you can mold over your knee or elbow covering your injury perfectly. Imagine trying to use an ice pack from a lunch box on an elbow, it would not cover everything evenly, boo! I always place a thin towel to protect my skin from the ice.

Food Coloring Encouragement 

The food coloring really is not necessary but in my house it is. You can use any color of food coloring to match your personality Generally the ice packs I have received from the Doctor are generally blue, so I am guessing blue is purely medicinal. 

Let me share a story with you as to why I need to make new ice packs and with food coloring.

My brother was in need of ice for an injury and I had just made some ice packs. When his injury was healed I asked him for the ice packs back for my ankle. I even offered to let him keep them if he still needed them and I would make a new set but all I received was a funny facial expression and a confession that he had tossed them because he thought it was just a bag of water. Face, meet palm. I explained to him how they were a little different and he apologized and felt horrible but it is all good. No harm. I just made more but ever since then I made sure to add food coloring so people knew it was a little different then a bag of ice.

In hindsight, I could have labeled them with the recipe or something along those lines but since it is not 2005 anymore and I no longer burn mixes on CD's black sharpies are just not important in my life anymore, lol. In fact, I could not tell you where a sharpie in my house is these days.

I hope this recipe helps, Pass this link around and share the link with your friends. Happy and quick healing to you. Stretch, rest, and be kind to your bodies. Use your beast mode responsibly. 

6 Ways to beat the Bah Humbug's!

This topic came into my mind one evening last week and I have been trying so hard to ditch it ever since mostly because it is uncomfortable. However, I have never been one to hide or skip a chapter of my story and when something nags at me, no matter how badly it reflects on me, I have to share it. So here we go.

In middle school, I cannot remember which grade, I learned in my health class that the holidays could be tough for some people. We are talking statistics here, folks. Depression, stress, suicide. Words cannot begin to describe how confused that made me feel. I mean, it is Christmas!

Who does not love the smell of a real Christmas tree in their house? The evenings I would turn off the TV and the lights and only had the Christmas lights on and look at the tree as the soft glow illuminate the room. You cannot forget about the Christmas music, movies, and caroling. Driving around town to look at all the houses with decorations and Christmas lights on them. How about the community events where Santa Claus would be attending? I think I would always ask for a puppy, silly. Who else remembers those torturous Christmas Eve nights when you had to go to sleep but you could not because you were anticipating Santa?! Then, when you would wake up waaaaaaaay too early and had to figure out how to fall back asleep. But nothing beats that mad dash for the living room with your siblings when your parents gave you the green light. We would have gift wrapping paper flying up into the air and moved onto the next gift before the gift wrapping paper hit the ground. You could not even see the floor by the end because there was wrapping paper, boxes, and bows (oh my!) all over the place.

How could any of that make someone sad?

Ignorance is bliss.

Well...life happens.

Parents divorce. Loved ones die. Families are divided because of grief and pain. Bills. Stress. Little money. More stress. Those are just some things that were hard for my family growing up. Some people had it worse! Everyone has a story. Everyone reacts differently to their hardships. Some people are very sensitive and others just go with the flow. Some people get stuck and others bounce back.

It was not until the last 8 plus years that Christmas really began to mean something different to me. I was battling with my own depression to begin with because my boyfriend at the time was just a big tortured jerk. He hated Christmas and for whatever reason he did not have it in him to make an effort for me, someone who loved it in spades. I began to really stress out when my girlfriends would share what their partners got them for Christmas. Some gifts were homemade, modest, or extravagant. When it was my turn to share, I had nothing. I was happy for them but I felt embarrassed and hurt. In my culture, having a man that showers you with gifts is a positive thing. It signifies that 1) they can financially do so and 2) they can take care of you 3) It is just thoughtful, period. I try not to focus on materialism but it bugs me when no gestures are made and no traditions are created. On top of that, the holidays always made him lash out at me.

Our last Christmas together he finally did something grand and he flew me out to meet his family. It meant a lot to me and felt like great big step and it was my first time on an airplane. He took care of everything I needed while I was out there but when we said goodbye it felt off and within a few months we broke up. The following Christmas he broke my heart all over again when I found out he was not only dating someone for months (he told me he needed to be single for a while, liar) but he was also taking her back home to meet his family and friends. From then on, I could not listen to certain songs or movies because it hurt too much and I simply just did not care what we did for the holidays.

Then I just continued to date guys that hated Christmas and they never wanted to do anything on New Years Eve. If there is one thing I cannot stand is life passing me by! I would have loved and still want to meet someone who does not get down because of the holidays. Someone who wants to go to parties, dance, laugh, sing, eat good food, and be around great company. Instead, I just stay at home. It sucked and I just learned not to get excited or hope for things because my expectations would never be met and I would be so sad.

Two years ago the man of my dreams (who turned out to be the biggest fake ever) absolutely crushed me right before Christmas. It was a different kind of pain that I had never experienced before in my dating life. Maybe because I was now older and wiser and knew what I wanted. It took me practically a year to honestly heal from that experience. Last year my entire family were sick as dogs! I did not even get a chance to stress or worry about the holidays. In fact, we rang in the New Year with the East Coast because we were so sick. It seems like I have a bad Christmas one year, a whatever Christmas the next year, then bad, then whatever, then horrible, then whatever. However, this year, I decided that I was going to take back Christmas. Enough is enough.

Happiness is a verb after all!

I have to say first off that I am, by no means, a professional! For some reason, you graced me with your time, and for whatever reason this topic interested you. We all experience some real loses and pain in this life. I am sorry if you are trying to deal with the loss of a loved one, have had your heart broken, experienced illness, financial troubles, etc. Sometimes it helps if you first figure out what you truly are experiencing. This post is for those pesky, preventable, in comparison minor holiday blues. I truly encourage you with a warm hug to find out if you are in fact feeling those pesky holiday blues or actual depression. Click here and speak to your doctor if you are experiencing any of those symptoms and much love, light, and healing to you.

With that said, here is my rule and 6 tips to beat the Bah Humbug's this year!

New Dating Rule: No more men who hate Christmas. If you cannot have fun. Get out of here! That is now on the deal breaker list!

1. Make the choice to take Christmas back! This one has helped me out tremendously this year. Create playlists of your favorite Christmas songs, watch the movies you enjoy, decorate the house. Get psyched! Talk about it! Take pictures and share with your friends of how you are making the choice to have a great holiday.
2. Service. Sign up at a soup kitchen, gather donations for the hungry and the homeless, play with puppies or kittens, help a neighbor. There is nothing like service! Forget yourself and get to work.
3. Socialize. Call up people you feel safe around and do something fun. Buy a package of sugar cookies and bake/decorate. Bonus point if you deliver some to the cute guy next door! Go out Christmas caroling with friends. Meet up at Starbucks for some peppermint hot chocolate and have girl talk or stay in and watch some movies with your friends at your house. Whatever you do, do not stay at home alone to bottle it up. Doing nothing makes it worse, I know from experience. There is nothing wrong with alone time either but make sure it is healthy. Self-care is always productive. 
4. Focus on your health. I know I drink a lot less water during the winter. My skin does not get a lot of sun anymore because I bundle up and stay indoors. Not to mention the days are shorter which has always bummed me out. All these things wreak havoc on my health. So eat healthier, workout regularly, drink that high quality h2o, get lots of sleep, and try to take advantage of the sun. However, you are talking to a spoiled California girl here and I am sure that is much easier for me compared to other parts of the country/world. Besides, you never know who you will meet at the gym, on the track, or in the produce section. Maybe a new best friend or a handsome gentleman. 
5. Gratitude. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Gratitude is so powerful and is a game changer. Without gratitude you miss out on so much happiness, joy, success, growth, etc.
6. Change or make new traditions. Maybe, for whatever reason, some things are just too raw for you right now. Maybe you lost someone very dear to you and I am sorry for that. Maybe someone moved away and now things are not the same for you. Mix things up and do things a little differently so you are still celebrating but in a way that will not hurt your heart.

That is my list and I am sticking to it. I am also going to let expectations go this year. It sure has robbed me of a lot of joy but that is another blog post!

Thanks for reading!

Establishing A Nightly Routine

I have fantasies of being a morning person. In these fantasies I wake up early enough to pray and read my scriptures comfortably in bed, followed by yoga/stretches before taking a glorious shower. I would come out of said shower feeling refreshed and wide awake as I get dressed into a cute outfit that was picked out the night before. I would do my makeup and would know how to do any hairstyle with ease and confidence. But wait, there is more. I would still have time to cook and eat breakfast with a cup of my trusty warm honey lemon water and then make my lunch before leaving the front door, cool as a cucumber. There may or may not be birds chirping as I walk to my car too. That would be fantastic.

In reality, lol, I wake up and play on my phone a bit before I notice the time and head straight to the shower in a frenzy. I search through my hamper of clean clothes, wrapped in a towel which is the worst if it is cold, looking for something that hopefully matches and covered in wrinkles. I may or may not put on makeup, depending on time, and I definitely settle for putting my hair up in a pineapple bun. I then head to the kitchen to boil water for my warm honey lemon water as I frantically pack my lunch bag and grab a energy bar as I race to the car.

What a difference, right? I wish I could start my day with purpose, completely rush free but I am not there yet. I tried, for a week, to wake up an hour earlier and it made a huge difference but it left me completely exhausted once 2:00 o'clock came around. Granted I did try this right after Daylights Savings Time and my body is still adjusting to the time change, it actually may be doable once I feel human again. I also do not consume caffeine often and if I do, it is coca cola related. Power naps are dangerous for me; I just keep going and two hours later I am refreshed but then screwed come bedtime! So I finally decided until I feel more like a morning person, I may just have to end my nights with purpose and prep for the next morning.

Here are 10 things I do every night to make for a better tomorrow

After dinner time:

1. Start a load of laundry and head to the kitchen but make sure to keep an eye on it
2. Clean the kitchen: Load the dishwasher, clean the sink and counter tops, sweep, and take out the trash
3. Tomorrow's meal prep: Put together your breakfast/lunch/snacks for the next day. Put anything that does not need to be refrigerated into your lunch bag immediately. One final counter top clean up!
4. Set up your morning coffee/tea/protein shake/hot chocolate/warm honey lemon water station for the next morning. We are talking every single item you need to make your cup of happiness out on the counter top. From ingredients to travel mug. So when you come out in the morning, it is all there, no need to go through all your cabinets.
5. Pick out your outfit for the next day. Work and gym clothes. No mental checks here, folks! Physically go through your closet and dresser and put your work outfit together and hang it up in the bathroom! Grab your gym bag and make sure all of your essentials are in there. Another post on this later! Also, while you are at it make sure you have your purse and keys next to your gym bag too. I have spent so many minutes of my life looking for my purse and/or my keys in the morning.
6. If you are like me, hello, did you not read my morning reality?! You probably did not make your bed in the morning, so make your bed nice and comfy because you are diving into that bad boy later.
• Gather your towel and pajamas we are headed towards the shower.
7. Shower time! Wash your hair, wash your face (get rid of all that makeup and blood, sweat, and tears you put into your day. You rock!), exfoliate, shave, etc. You know what to do. Do not forget to put some castor oil on those over plucked eyebrows, Julia! Hurry, your show is about to start!
8. Limit Screen time (TV/Social Media): I do not care if it is Cable, Hulu or Netflix, keep it in check. You will also probably be on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and/or texting during this time too which makes time fly by. Make an effort to be plugged in for less than an hour. I mean, we are plugged in all day long, are we not? Really try to stick to this rule because it will help you sleep better. It helps me if 15 minutes before my show is about to end if I start wrapping up conversations and social media posts.
9. Make a cup of Chamomile tea and Brush/Floss teeth: I get up out of bed/couch (usually bed) and make a cup of something warm now that the nights are getting a little chilly by California standards. I also need some honey in my tea or else I will not touch it. So after that sweet cup of goodness, I brush my teeth and floss before I get back into bed. 
10. Dim the lights, play some relaxing music, and get a good book/plan the next day: For me I have been reading my scriptures, a magazine my church publishes with amazing articles, The Best Year of Your Life by Debbie Ford, or The Secret. Sometimes I do not want to read, maybe I am too tired or my mind is running a mile a minute. I will bust out my Passion Planner and plan the next day. Work stuff, appointments, errands, goal, to do lists, workouts, etc are all at a glance and puts my mind to rest.

There you have it! That is what I have been doing lately and it has been working nicely! It seems like a lot and it is a lot. It takes up most of my evening after dinner but it sets me up for a great day and what has it really taken up? Netflix binge hours? Swiping left, right, up, or down on my Smartphone? My house is a little bit cleaner and I have shaved off a lot of time doing unnecessary things so I am happy about that. 

Tonight my screen time has been writing this post so after this I am signing out and going to read more out of The Best Year of Your Life and going to bed, I am so tired. Zzzz. What are your nightly routine tips? I always like to learn new or easier ways to do things. Let me know in the comment section!

Good night, friends!

Rainy Days and Mondays

When it rains I always sing, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down!" by The Carpenters. It happens to be raining and a Monday neither of which are getting me down. California needs the rain desperately and Mondays are my easy day at work. No, I am not down because of blessings and work; I am down because I am not feeling very well and I am sick in bed.

My mom spoils me so much, I am not complaining, and this weekend she went above and beyond. She bought me a calming coloring book (I now have two), a much needed storage tray, and a Bella Triple Slow Cooker, in Red. Each slow cooker is 1.5 quarts. It was on sale and that was all she needed to know. I just looked online and it is normally $69.99!

Originally I wanted a tray for my various remotes because they just hide in my covers (I should really make my bed more often) or I kick them off the bed during the middle of the night. I have not been able to find one anywhere. They are either too big or too small. This one I will admit is too big for just remotes but it fit my room too perfectly and I knew I could figure out what else to put in it. When I got home and put it on my nightstand I thought my coloring and favorite books (The Secret, The Best Year of Your Life, and my Scriptures) were perfect additions to my tray and it helps my desire of wanting to read more in bed versus nightly Netflix binges.

I am curious...
What do you have on your nightstand?
What are your nightly rituals?
Do you like your nightly rituals to be productive or mindless (sometimes that is so nice, lol)?

It would seem that we have a little bit of a storm brewing! I just heard some thunder! Mother nature is clearing her throat so I am going to hop off the laptop and relax. ***UPDATE*** We got a great lightning and thunder storm. That was crazy cool and I am glad I am in bed. Be safe out there friends. Time to turn on the heating blanket and watch movies.

In Progress: Over plucked eyebrows + Castor Oil = ????

Hello there, 1990's!

I had the pleasure of being an 80's baby and 90's kid; what a great time to grow up! During my 8th grade Spring Break my cousin said to me, "Hey, let's pluck your eyebrows!" I called my mom at work and asked for her permission because I had never plucked before. After being told just to pluck some of the strays and that was it (or else!), I got the thumbs up and my cousin went to town.

THE PAIN! Why do women do this?!

My cousin did great and she followed my mom's instructions because she knew better. What I continued to do after that sealed my fate. Seeing as my cousin plucked the obvious hairs that were not part of my natural brow line, I saw no dramatic difference. However, when I returned to class the following week the guy that sat next to me in math class said, "Hey, you look different. Oh, you plucked your eyebrows. They were more bushy before Spring Break." Hahaha. Who says boys do not pay attention? I had no idea I had bushy eyebrows before.

So yes, I grew up in the 90's. One of the negative sides of the 90's, fashion and beauty wise, was the fact that women's eyebrows were very thin; it was the thing to do. In retrospect, I had no idea that women waxed their eyebrows. I did not know there were professionals for such a thing so I did it all myself. I did it to my own damn self, lol. You know what comes next...I am over plucked and I have been that way for a while for far too long.

Several months back a friend said something funny/sarcastic to me and I raised just one eyebrow at her. She started to giggle, I gave her a questioning glace, and she continued to laugh as she explained, "I'm sorry, I just love how little your eyebrow looks every time you do that."

Little? I went from bushy to little. What have I done to my poor eyebrows over the years?

After that incident, and if I am being honest, whenever I got around to plucking I remembered what she had said. I raised my eyebrow to see what she was laughing at and I saw it. If you look at the picture of the eye you'll see the eyebrow is broken up into 3 parts: a, b, and c. My "A" game is strong for the most part, my "B" can use a little work, and my "C"? I am lacking a lot in the C department, which is what my friend was talking about and she was right. LOL. In the last couple of years when I look at pictures of my face (profile) I could see how thin and nonexistent my eyebrows are but I did not know what I could do about it until recently.

A couple of months ago I saw that there was a "restore" serum sold at the place of business I get waxed at. I am almost done with it and I am have got some exciting results but I am not all that crazy about the price compared to the amount of serum that is sold. So, I have been doing some Pinterest searching for a homemade alternative and came across something that was more satisfying budget wise.

Castor Oil.

There are a lot of different benefits to castor oil that I highly recommend you research for yourself. If you are interested in improving the health and growth of your hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows: use castor oil. I feel a little weird putting the oil on my eyelashes but seeing as they are naturally long and curly, I will skip that part. This morning I went to CVS, as all other women have stated in their blogs, and bought Castor Oil. It was $6.49 for 4 fl oz compared to $20 before tax for 0.12 oz tube of restore serum!

My eyebrow BEFORE picture.

Over the last few weeks, with the serum I am finishing up and not plucking, I have been painfully growing back these bad boys. I feel like Oscar the Grouch or like two caterpillars are just sitting on my forehead but they have been growing back and I have been carefully shaping and grooming them. So as of November 5, 2015 this is my eyebrow BEFORE picture. I have a promising foundation and cannot wait to continue properly grooming my results as my eyebrows grow back with the use of Castor Oil.

While I do not have a before and after photo just yet I will be checking in from time to time. How have you mended a bad eyebrow wax job or turned back the hands of time on your over plucked eye brows? Please tell me there is hope?

Warm Honey Lemon Water + Receipe

Cheers to your health!

Gratitude Log: It rained today for the first time in who knows how long. It was so soothing when it woke me up in the middle of the night. I welcomed the early wake up call (it usually annoys me) but then I realized I had to use the restroom. So out of my warm blankets I went, lol. I am thankful for the rain because California desperately needs it and I am thankful for my job but I longed to be back home in bed cuddling with the dog and listen to the rain as we watched movies.

My mom also made albondigas yesterday and I took some to work for my lunch. My belly was pleasantly full and my body was warm from the inside out because of her willingness to cook. Okay, I bugged her! For weeks. I begged and I hinted and she would laugh in my face. Finally, she agreed. I guess it was not so willingly on her part but very much appreciated by her kiddos. Thanks, Ma!

Most mornings I will come to work with my Warm Honey Lemon Water (WHLM) but today I made it at work. My client asked me if I would make her some too because she has seen how it has aided my health and she loved the taste because I have made it for her before in the past. 

Let us time travel back to February of this year. There was an article that was persistently circulating like crazy. That is the filter I use when it comes to articles and videos on Facebook. If people share the crap out of it, 9 out of 10 times that means it is worth my time. This one article in particular (click here to read it) was a piece about how a lady drank a glass of warm honey lemon water every single day for a year, how it went for her, the health benefits, and the recipe.

At that time I must have been on my second round of illness. The cold and flu season was on steroids and was going around since December. That's right. I was sick from December until the very beginning of March. Oh man, it was terrible. As I stated before I kept seeing, "I Drank Warm Honey Lemon Water Every Morning for a Year (Here's What Happened)" on my NewsFeed. I figured it was a weight loss thing, which you know me, I am always trying to lose weight!

BUT! It was so much more.

One of the claims was that the writer never got a cold, flu, or gastro illness that entire year. That sounded like a dream come true and I needed a miracle! My poor mother suffered along with me. In fact, every time she got sick, a week later I would join her. Misery loves company, eh?

When I read this article, I was dealing with post nasal drip for a couple of weeks and my head felt super congested. But I began drinking WHLM anyway, there were still many health benefits to it, what could it hurt? Well, all of a sudden I could not hear out one of my ears. What the crap? How is this me getting better? Obviously this stuff DOES NOT WORK. I would give it some credit though, my head was no longer fuzzy, but I had turned into Lil Wayne. When my family and I were talking around the dinner table I kept saying, "What?!" over and over again because I could not hear and my brother would reply, "Yeah!" and everybody would laugh. That brat! Go listen to any Lil Wayne songs, it is his trademark.

So for a week or two I tried to unplug my ear with essential oils and other methods but nothing got better. I do not have patience when it comes to my health so I went to the doctor on March 9th (my birthday). The nurse told me that what probably happened is when I was ill I probably ran a fever in my sleep a high enough that it melted my earwax and that is why I could not hear. So my ears were flushed out and from then on out it was smooth sailing, except for my mom. She got sick and I got pissed. I just knew that within a week I would get sick again. 

Guess what happened? I did not get sick. In fact, I continued to get better.

I try to go organic when I can help it and I began doing some more research on raw and organic honey. I came across something new: the benefits of local honey. One of the benefits being that local honey helps out your allergies. I also like to support local farmers because it helps pay their rent for their farms, it supports their families, and it is better for the environment as it does not require being driven long distances. I am a really big geek when it comes to sustainability. Sometimes I tell myself that my geek is showing too much. But I will geek out in another post. 

These factors piqued my interest. I walked to my cabinet, reached for my jar of honey, located where it was from: INDIA. Well, that was not going to help out my allergies and that needed to be more than just driven to my grocery store. So, I set out on a mission to get some raw local honey the moment I finished it. Sadly, Trader Joe's was not the answer. I tried a couple of other stores but nothing really screamed "local" until I got to Whole Foods. I found a company that is from my hometown and for $16.99 I bought a 2 pound jar of delicious honey. That is the most I have ever spent but it lasts for months! 

Recipe: 

• A mug*
• Boiled water
• Half of a fresh lemon (I recommend organic and thankful I have two trees on my property). If half of a lemon is too sour for you, it also depends on the type of lemon you use, squeeze less of it or build up to half of a lemon.
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) of Raw Honey (I recommend local). The sweetness will depend on where your honey comes from. So if it is too sweet, use a little less.

I like to make a cup and read, relax in bed, talk with my family, or fill up my traveling mug and go for a walk along the ocean. Sometimes, there is no time to relax and have fun/be in the moment so it goes into my travel mug and goes to work with me but I still get it done. 

I hope you will try it and I wish you health and prosperity!

* = I think it is so much fun to always use your favorite mug or go out and splurge on a cute new one. Pick something that relaxes, inspires, and motivates you. For me, it is currently my vintage pyrex milk glass mug. For my mom, it's her Princess House cup. Everybody is different. I am on the hunt for a new cappuccino style mug with lemons and sunflowers on it!

Dia De Los Muertos Altar

This year I unexpectedly ended up doing two altars. The first altar was outside for our Dia De Los Muertos inspired party. Then the second one my mother and I put together in our kitchen. We must have put this altar together for almost an hour. 

Our altar has grown in size over the years. In terms of presentation and sadly with new pictures but the love always remains. 

I am glad that my mom and I did this together. It was a great time and lots of laughs. She even made me albondigas (meatball soup.) Yum!