It's been a while...

So much has been going on in our lives, that I need to write it all down, especially to make it real...solid.

Life in 2013 was close to unbearable. With not having a place to call our own, being in and out of the hospital from post-partum complications and braking my ankle, to the loss of both my parents, I especially have barely had a chance to breathe.

I kept praying that things would get better, and when things kept getting worse, I had to shrug it off and have faith that God's purpose would shine through.

After dealing with the past year, I had the mentality that nothing worse could possibly happen. So far 2014 has been very good to us. We are now financially stable that we are able to buy our very first home! Not only that, but the house we are buying are from our dear friends/family from our church and community group.

Cyrena has grown up in this house as I am pretty much inseparable from my best friend, Erika and her family. I have even taught my friends some Tagalog. Cyrena now calls Erika and her husband, Nate, Tita and Tito, which means Aunt and Uncle. She even addresses their kids as Kuya, big brother, and Ate, big sister.

Cyrena is growing up so fast. I can not believe that she will be 2 this October.

So much can change in a few weeks, let alone a few months or even a year. God's blessing towards us has been phenomenal. I never have to wonder about His love towards me. I see His love through my daughter, my husband, as well as my friends and family. He never left us alone through our difficult times. I felt the need to reflect and share this.

I cannot wait to see what he has in store for our future.

Chicken Noodle Soup

One of the very first recipes that I learned growing up, was our family recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup.  This is one of the most delicious and filling dishes I have ever made. I did make some adjustments to make it my very own recipe. What is also fantastic about this dish is that if you ever have a cold or feel sick, this recipe really hits the spot and recovery from the cold is very quick. I have friends who have tried the soup when they were sick and can attest to this.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of chicken
• 10 cups of water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped (optional)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 daikon, sliced
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (patis) or 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups small shell noodles

Directions:

• Boil 10 cups of water, then add the chicken, bouillon cube, fish sauce or salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. Boil until chicken is cooked.
• Add the carrots, daikon, and celery.
• Take chicken out and shred, and then add back into pot.
• Add the small shell noodles and let cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Turn off heat, and serve alone or with rice.

This makes about 6-8 servings and took about 30-40 minutes to make. The soup is very easy to make and is also very delicious. Just try it out and let me know what you think.

The Beginning

Hi! My name is Allie. Originally from Los Angeles, California, my husband and I decided 2 years ago to start a new life here in New Hampshire. So much has changed transitioning from a culturally diverse city to a city that is not quite as diverse.  I am now a stay-at-home mom.

Last October, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Cyrena. The Mom Life is pretty awesome in that I am able to be with my daughter all the time and watch all the changes that she is going through. It is a bit strange though, because compared to how I was raised, this life is completely different.

My entire childhood consisted of being around all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. My cousins and I were all raised together. We are the first generation born in America, so all my cousins and I had grown up with traditional Filipino values. However, with all the American influence, some of our culture did not really stick with my generation. I am the only one among my cousins who can really understand Tagalog (Filipino language), but none of us can speak the language fluently.

Now that I am older, it saddens me of how much was lost. Now that I have Cyrena, I want so much for her to know part of who she is, and where she comes from. So here in lies the main objective of this blog. I have a desire to learn more about my cultural background, from language to cuisine, as well as other Asian cultures. I want to teach my daughter all that I have lost and want her to be proud of her heritage. So here begins the Filipino-American Mom.