¡Bienvenidos!

An unwritten blog is like a blank sheet of paper or an empty notebook. I love the possibility of a blank slate, but I am always intimidated to start. Once I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), I feel locked in a direction.

 This blog will be different. I need a creative outlet to talk about EVERYTHING in my life. I'm not sure if anyone will ever read it, or if I'll even want anyone to read it. But it will serve to document daily, weekly, and monthly highlights in our lives.

 Why call it Love and Spice? Well, why not? I was watching Cook's Country today on PBS and Christopher Kimball was visiting a spicy fried chicken joint in Nashville, TN. When asked for the secret recipe, the owner of the restaurant they were visiting said it was made with love and spices. I think that's what life is--love and spice--the variety, events, and changes that are inevitable, but that keep life interesting or "spicy." Plus, I have a Mexican husband who loves spicy food more than almost anything in the world. So it seemed appropriate.

 I only recently got into following other people's blogs. I guess it started withy my college roommate, Aja, who writes one hell of a blog about her family's adventures. She has 4 kids, lots of farm animals, and a really fascinating story to tell every day. Once I was introduced to the world of blogging through Aja's blog, I started looking at blogs about frugality, couponing, daily deals, and how to save money. While I found these interesting, they are very one-dimensional. This is useful when you want to look at daily deals that are available out there. But from these sites, I discovered others written by women who basically just shared their passion for crafting, raising children, and home improvement on their blogs. I started to realize maybe you don't need a specific mission to get people to read your blog.  Nor do you have to have a reason to write down your thoughts. So here I am.

 At this point in my life, I'm interested in quite a few things.

 1. I love cooking and the Food Network. I hope to share recipes and entertaining ideas.  I relish Martha Stewart Magazine, although I rarely if ever cook anything or make anything from her magazine.  I need to change that.

 2. I wish I were craftier. Or better said, I wish I found the time to do crafts more often.  I think I have the ideas and talent, but I lack the initiative to just get started! (Kinda like this blog....)

 3. I like to yard sale and go to thrift stores, but I am not the pro that I want to be. I am so jealous of people who consistently find treasures in these places.

 4. Beer. Enough said. I love trying new beers, especially microbrews. I would eventually love to brew my own.

5. DIY/Home improvement/home decorating. My husband and I bought a condo that needed quite a bit of cosmetic work almost 3 years ago. We've been doing projects around the house and yard ever since. We hope to buy a single family home south of Boston soon.

6. Money, finances, and tightwadding. If anyone's read Amy Dacyczyn's The Tightwad Gazette, I really admire her ingenuity and values. While I think a lot of her book is now outdated for 2011/2012, there is still so much about her life philosophy that is valuable. I have a lot to learn from this woman.

7. I love to explore and do outdoor activities. I discovered mountain biking a few years ago, and I absolutely love it. Last year, my husband and I bought road bikes. I love to hike, camp, and just get out and explore new towns on foot or by car.

8. Raising children and being a working mom. In June, my husband and I found out we are expecting fraternal twins (2 boys!). Wow. What an adventure! I really HAVE to work. I cannot give up my job with the expenses we currently have, so I need to find a way to make being a working mom function--at least for the time being.

9. I'm also interested in raising bilingual children (English and Spanish) since my husband is extremely proud of being Mexican. I've worked more than half my life to become fluent in Spanish, so it seems absolutely ridiculous not to give the gift of a second language to my children right from birth.

 10. Along with raising bilingual children, there is never a dull moment in my life due to the multicultural nature of my marriage. While things have gotten easier as we each have come to understand the other's cultural background, there are still interesting issues that pop up from time to time. I used to write about them online for Mexconnect.com....

11. Traditions and holidays. I LOVE a good holiday, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I love the festivity and tradition associated with each. I also love the Mexican Day of the Dead (Nov. 1) and Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16, NOT May 5!). I have spent a great deal of time since getting pregnant brainstorming about different holiday traditions my family had growing up and how I can adapt or incorporate them into my future life with 2 twin boys and a Mexican husband. I am also thrilled at the idea of being able to come up with our own new family traditions. And not just for holidays. I love traditions for any time of year.

 Perhaps this is a lot to bite off in a blog. But it doesn't mean I will write about all of these things all of the time. But at 32 years old with twins on the way, this is my state of mind and these are my interests. And why not write about what you love?