What's New at According2Meredith?

Hello Again~

A lot has changed!

1. My hair cut
2. Cross Country Move
3. Bought a house in California
4. Beginning a new family endeavor -- H.O.M.E.S.C.H.O.O.L.

1. My new haircut is as pictured... I have longer layers in the back. It's not a new hairstyle. I've been using CreaClip to cut my layers since April of this year. BUT- it's freshly cut and my perm has gotten new life breathed into it. The perm is 1 year old. Not bad, right? My last perm lasted about 2.5 years. How long did your perms last?

2. My husband landed an awesome job in California and so myself and the kids moved out there in August so we could get them started in a great school district for this 2015-2016 school year. We had to live with my husband's grandmother for over 3 months, but it was not all bad. Having that intimate time with her was priceless. She is in her nineties and we know her months are numbered. The kids really stimulated her in a positive way and helped her have a new reason to be alert. My kids learned to be caring towards others. My daughter would give her eye drops at night, my 2yo would bring her blankets to keep her warm and our oldest would sit and watch TV with her to keep her company.

3. We bought a house with a pool in the most desirable school district in the area. The picture above is in my new kitchen. It has granite countertops, an island with a sink and the dishwasher. We bought a brand new refrigerator and washer/dryer set. Let me tell ya, I felt the squeeze on the wallet. Moving isn't cheap. BUT-- then we got a rebate from our title company that almost covered the whole cost of the new appliances. I don't know about you, but I think that is a God thing. =) Either way, we were mightily blessed by that windfall.

4. H.O.M.E.S.C.H.O.O.L. and a new blog devoted to it. So if you wouldn't mind, as the awesome audience you have been through my first couple hundred posts for this A2M blog, please put this new blog on your follow list. I could use some pointers on homeschooling and perhaps my new fresh take on it will inspire some new approaches for you also. Thank you in advance. =)

Breaking up with Public School

So how many of you made tamales this year?

We made 22 pounds of pork, olive, chicharron, and spam tamales this year in over 3 ssessions. It ended up yielding about 10 dozen tamales since we like ours meaty. My husband's family put a lot of trust in me to do the bulk of the cooking and seasoning with their input. Overall, the tamales turned out fantastic. We enjoyed each other's company and even 92yo grandma wanted to participate. It was hard to duplicate the deliciousness that grandpa created with his buckets and buckets of tamales. (He passed away in December 2014.) We have decided to carry on the tradition and remember him with every batch.

I invite you to comment with your best tamale making memories or tips on making it fool-proof and fast... I have a lot to learn as a Korean person learning Mexican cooking!