Monthly Archives: November 2015

The HICA Tamale Sale is BACK!

Ready to wear my HICA Tamale Sale t-shirt for tamale pick up day on December 18th! Buy some tamales and come by and see me!

In a previous post, I shared a story and photos about a new way HICA is marketing our tamale sale this year…via YouTube video!!! This may not seem like a big deal to most people in the grand scheme of things, but it’s something brand new for HICA – using video to tell our story, and we are so excited!

As promised, I’m posting the first in a four-part series of videos featuring Salsa Senorita’s Lori Sours who shares a delicious salsa recipe in each. Lori is partnering with HICA again this year and we’ll have a large supply of her salsa on hand for purchase during tamale pick up day on Friday, Dec 18th at the HICA offices.

We also have a new feature for purchase this year. In addition to the 1/2 dozen and full dozen tamales for sale in either pork, chicken or cheese & pepper fillings, you’ll have the option of purchasing something we are calling “All That and a Bag of Chips!” This includes two 1/2 dozen orders of tamales, tortilla chips and a jar of Salsa Senorita – your flavor choice, all in a holiday bag! So for that person who is hard to buy for or who has everything…why not pick up this new item for a Christmas or holiday gift?!

Remember, if you are in the Birmingham area, the tamale sale begins on Thanksgiving day and ends Friday, Dec 11th. Go to www.hispanicinterest.org to make your purchase after you’ve had time to digest all that Thanksgiving turkey you’ll be devouring on Thursday!

Meanwhile, enjoy the video first HICA tamale promo video – created by Jessica Chriesman – and see how Lori makes a fantastic michelada beer cocktail using her very own salsa!

La Virgen de Guadalupe

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Ann Seeley pewter bracelet with the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe that I bought in Albuquerque, New Mexico several years ago.

A few years ago, I found this beautiful and unusual Virgen de Guadalupe bracelet on my way back from a Zuniga family reunion in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was made by artist Alice Seeley, the same artist who made the petroglyph pins I wrote about a few posts back. I didn’t buy the bracelet at the same time I bought the pins and so I was surprised that it was made by the same artist. It’s a heavy bracelet, made of pewter, and some might say its a little chunky. However, every time I wear it, it doesn’t weigh me down…it brings me comfort.

La Virgen de Guadalupe/ Virgen of Guadalupe has brought comfort to so many people for so many centuries. The story of how she came to be the Patron Saint of Mexico begins in the year 1531 – on Dec 12th to be exact – in northern Mexico City. An indigenous Indian boy by the name of Juan Diego was walking toward the Hill of Tepeyac when the Virgin Mary appeared to him. She told Juan to go to the Archbishop and request a church be built at the Hill of Tepeyac. Of course, when Juan went to the Archbishop, he didn’t believe the boy. Instead, he told Juan to return to the hill and ask for a miracle to prove the lady he was seeing was indeed the Virgin Mary.

So, Juan went back to the hill and Mary appeared to him again. She told him to gather flowers from the top of the hill. Now, this was December and this hill was rocky and no flowers ever grew there. But when Juan reached the top, he found beautiful flowers! Actually, he found Castilian roses which are not native to Mexico. He gathered the flowers in his “tilma” (a cloak) and promptly ran to the Archbishop. Juan gave the cloak of flowers to the Archbishop and as they tumbled to the ground, the cloak revealed a miracle – the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe imprinted on the fabric.

The image of the Virgin Mary that was on the “tilma” or cloak that Juan Diego wore. The actual tilma hangs at the altar at La Basilica de la Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico City. It is over 500 years old. (photo from Catholictradition.org.)

There is quite a bit of history about this Marian appearance that involves Spain, the indigenous people of Mexico and the Catholic Church, if you care to read more about it. There is even doubt that Juan Diego existed by some. But like many things we don’t understand or don’t have faith in, we doubt. We want proof of existence. I was raised Catholic and we talked a lot about the Virgin Mary when I was growing up. Attending Catholic school helped! In my case, it was Sagrado Corazon catholic school in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. I remember the Benedictine nuns talking about prayer and one even said “you should pray to Mary for intercession because after all, she is Jesus’ mother and how could He say no to her!” Hummm…that was an interesting concept to all of us little 4th graders at the time!

I choose to believe and to honor the Mother of Jesus. Her image is exquisite in the renderings and art I’ve seen over the years. I also am fascinated by the other stories of the Virgin Mary’s appearances around the world. When I think back to biblical times, miracles were written about and discussed quite a bit! There are plenty of miracles that happen today too, but sometimes we just don’t believe the impossible is possible. It may not be the Virgin Mary appearing before you on a rocky hill, but miracles DO happen in present day.

Juan Diego’s miraculous tilma hangs protected above the altar at the Basilica of La Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico City for all to see. If you read more about the tilma, it has been the subject of much investigation, experimentation and scrutiny to see how it has survived for over 500 years, even when ammonia was spilled on it and a bomb damaged the altar in 1921. In fact, the tilma seems to repair itself when damage occurs! It’s rather fascinating! In 1936, a biochemist analyzed the fabric and stated that the pigments used on the tilma were of no known source – meaning they weren’t of animal, mineral or vegetable.

Pope John Paul II was very devoted to the Virgin Mary. In 1999, he named Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patron of the Americas. She has long been revered in Mexico. Her image is everywhere and I have seen it more and more over the past 15 years in Alabama. She is particularly present at the local Birmingham Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos event. It’s always so beautiful to see her image surrounded by marigold on altars remembering lost loved ones.

El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe became a national holiday in Mexico in 1859. It is a day of much celebration and pilgrimage to the Basilica. It isn’t unusual to see people walking on their knees all the way up to the altar while praying in order to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary. When I visited Mexico City and the Basilica as a senior in high school, I witnessed this. It left quite an impression on me and I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to walk on your knees all that way. I walked into the Basilica with my tour group and made my way up to the altar where the tilma hangs. I remember thinking how beautiful it was and I stood there amazed along with so many other people. I hope one day I can go back and experience this again.

A look at the clasp on my Virgen de Guadalupe bracelet. Such a unique piece and I’m so glad it found me!

Frida and Mary

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First DOD pillow purchase from Earthbound Trading Company at Brookwood Mall. Frida Kahlo surrounded by sugar skulls.

Right before Day of the Dead (DOD), I was at Brookwood Mall and wandered into Earthbound Trading Company. There was a huge display of DOD items and I loved going through and checking everything out. Interestingly, the one item I came home with that day was a pillow. That’s right…a pillow!

There was a large box in front of the display with an assortment of DOD pillows. Of course, there was requisite sugar skull pillows in an assortment of colors, but the ones that got my attention had the images of Frida Kahlo and the Virgin Mary on them. It took me quite a while to decide which one I wanted – mind you – they weren’t on sale. Since it WAS close to DOD, I decided on the Frida pillow surrounded by several sugar skull characters. When I got to the checkout, I remembered I had a discount coupon of 30% via email. YAY! I love a bargain and although I was about to pay full price for this pillow, the 30% off really made it sweeter!

A week after DOD, I was once again at Brookwood running errands when I ducked into Earthbound to see if they had any DOD items on sale. Low and behold…they had ALL the pillows deeply discounted – among other things! I’m talking 65% OFF! Woowhoo!!! So, I came home with TWO more pillows that day! One has the image of the Virgin Mary on it and the other is Miss Frida again.

Virgin Mary pillow from Earthbound Trading Co.

When I got home, I put them on the wooden bench in our foyer…it was the perfect place and I think they’ve found a permanent home. That is…until Christmas, when they take a short hiatus for my Feliz Navidad pillows!

Another Frida Kahlo pillow – this was in square shape – the others are all rectangular.

I think all three of these pillows have found their forever home on my Mexican bench in my foyer…what do you think?

We Ate Some Turkey and then a Football Game Broke Out!

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Odom Family football game – Thanksgiving 2007 – Jasper, AL.

My in-laws used to live in Jasper, AL and had a rather large piece of property behind their house. I remember there was always a sign inside the back porch that said “Odom’s Farm.” It always felt like the perfect place for kids to run around and play and make up games and just get outside instead of sitting in front of the television set.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2007 was a cool crisp afternoon. We had just finished eating turkey and all the extras when one of the kids (the cousins) pulled out a football. Before you knew it, all the cousins – young and old – were outside in the huge backyard and tossing the ball around. First it was just the guys tossing and running after each other. But the Odom girls are pretty darn competitive and quickly joined in! It was one of those spontaneous times in families…we couldn’t have planned it if we had tried and it was the perfect Thanksgiving afternoon. Even Bentley, the dog, got into the act!

Bentley decides football is fun!

Here are a few of the photos I took that day in a slideshow…when I see these, I feel like it’s happening all over again! Oh, and another thing you’ll notice…there is only one cell phone in the picture….those were the days!

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Family Traditions

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Odom cousins – Thanksgiving 2014 – on Mimi’s swing in Jasper, AL.

Family…like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one. I love this quote…

This time of year, I start thinking a lot about family traditions. I’ve often thought that some day I would write them all down from what I remember doing as a child and add all things we did when my own children were little. The one constant though all this is family. Whether the tradition remains today or has morphed into something different…we do these things because we want to connect as a family and make it a part of our story.

Family traditions can bring you comfort and strengthen the bond you have with your family. They teach you the value of immediate and extended family and how to take the time to be together. Creating and maintaining traditions is easier when your children are young. It becomes a little more challenging when they get older and get married or move away. It definitely becomes a juggling act at that point! Some traditions run their course…like breakfast with Santa and going to the annual lighting ceremony at the local mall. These traditions are driven by age. Others change because the dynamics of your family change.

For my Zuniga family, Thanksgiving has always been the major holiday to celebrate. Before my parents moved to Alabama, I would make the trip to Chicago every Thanksgiving to spend the week with my sisters and parents and do so many of the things we always did together over the 10 years that I lived there. Traditional activities ranged from shopping at Oak Brook Mall and hoping there would be a little snow, getting up to watch the Macy’s Day Parade while the turkey was still cooking, then fighting to get the first taste of stuffing from the turkey. This was always a battle with my youngest sister. I would sneak into the oven with a spoon and sample the dressing when no one was looking – beating my sister to the punch – although I’m sure my mother knew! At some point during the visit, we would watch WGN’s family classic movies. Those movies were the staple of every Sunday afternoon in the Zuniga household when I was in high school. Certain sounds and smells bring it all back. Certain music does too as we would gather around the piano and play and sing along. All the Zuniga sisters were in choir and we all knew the same music. My grandmother used to say we could have been the Lennon Sisters – she and my grandfather loved Lawrence Welk!

My husband (Eddie) has always been adamant about attending the traditional Odom family Christmas lunch each year. It was the one time of the year we got to see his father’s extended family all at once. The lunch was originally pulled together for his grandmother (Mama Odom), and when she passed away, the Aunts decided to continue the tradition. Eddie made sure we were represented each year. If one of the kids had a conflict due to sports or scouting activities, he would take the kids available and make the trip to the lunch and see everyone. Now so many of the children are married with children of their own – a whole new generation of Odoms are enjoying the gathering. I do hope it continues…

My sister Kanista with my girls, Emily and Anna Marie – Thanksgiving 2004 in Birmingham, AL – having a girls lunch at Cantina at Pepper Place.

On the Zuniga side, when all my sisters used to travel to Alabama for Thanksgiving with their young children, we would spend Wednesday before Thanksgiving having lunch and shopping and then come home to get things ready for our big dinner. The husbands would take the kids to a movie and spend the day with them and give he moms a break. As the nieces and nephews got older my sisters began staying home – they all live out-of-state. Soon it was just me, my mother and my aunt (mom’s sis) and my girls having lunch and doing a little shopping. When my Aunt passed away, we just stopped going. It just didn’t feel the same. In recent years, my mother has mentioned missing the “old days” when we all used to spend that day together. I understand her longing for something that held such great memories. It’s hard to move on sometimes, especially when something was so enjoyable. We resurrected the tradition a bit these past few years with mom and my girls and added something new. We’d come back to my house and get turkey preparing lessons from mom. It’s been fun for my girls and I know my mother has been thrilled to pass along her turkey making expertise to all of us!

Making Thanksgiving turkey with Nana! My girls learn how to make stuffing!

One of the first Mimi Swing Photos I took of the Odom cousins…

When my youngest child Emily was just a year old, a major tradition emerged with the Odom children. I began taking pictures of my three children (Charlie, Anna Marie and Emily) and my twin nieces (Kate and TJ) on their grandmother’s outside swing. We would take “the Mimi’s swing” picture at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas – any holiday when we’d all get together. But for some reason, Thanksgiving was the one holiday that really stuck. Over the years, we’ve added the older Odom grandchildren, great-grandchildren and significant others to the photos. This year at Easter, we even added my niece TJ via iPad when she couldn’t make it home. It was that important for the kids to have everyone present and accounted for on the swing no matter what the holiday. I love this swing tradition so much and especially at Thanksgiving! Seeing the way the family has changed and grown over the past 21 years is priceless to me and I know it is to my brothers-in-law too, as we all get older and look back.

The Odom cousins in Mimi’s swing – Thanksgiving 2014 – TJ, Kate, Anna Marie and Emily – Charlie always standing in the back!

One thing is for sure, family traditions evolve and change, that is a given. But I have a feeling we will always be taking a swing picture of the Odom kids at Thanksgiving. And for that, I will always be thankful…

Ten years of swing photos – I had this framed for my mother-in-law (Mimi) and it hung into her house until she passed away in 2011.

Leaning how to make mom’s Thanksgiving turkey with my girls in 2013. Mom and I had just finished stuffing the turkey!

Thanksgiving turkey making shenanigans with Nana…although I don’t think my mom knew what they were doing in the background!

Getting Organized…

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My to-do list this weekend was rather long. My main goal was to get my daughter’s room organized. Since she got married in April, I’ve been slowly moving things it her room so I can use it for a photography room. Unfortunately, I didn’t even step into the room this weekend!

Our Thanksgiving table is set!

Instead, I worked downstairs in the family room, kitchen and dining room. It’s been awhile since I’ve pulled everything out of the cabinets and closets and reorganized! In the process, I packed 5 boxes of “stuff” to drop off at The Salvation Army. It just felt so good to reorganize so I kept going this afternoon. I got all my Day of the Dead items returned to their storage spot in the basement and decided to pull all the Thanksgiving décor out. I always love going through my decorations every year. For Thanksgiving, I have a few special items I like to use every year. In particular, there is a candle that my son Charlie made in Kindergarten that we put on the buffet every year. There is also a prayer “cut-out” that my daughter Anna Marie put together one year. There is a pilgrim couple and an Indian couple that my mother used to use every year when we lived in Chicago. I’ve added those to my décor each year. I still need to add the Thanksgiving tree. It’s something we started several years ago where family members write what they are thankful for and put it on the tree. I’ll explain more about this in a separate post.

Anna Marie’s made this cut out craft prayer one year in grade school.

So, now the dining room table is set and decorated for Thanksgiving, although I’m not sure if we will be enjoying the table this year. We are heading to my brother-in-law’s house in Jasper this coming weekend for the Odom family Thanksgiving celebration. It’s a big transition year for our family with my daughter Anna Marie getting married in April and my niece Kate getting married in May. My niece TJ also moved to Florida for a job opportunity. So much transition in one year. It’s exciting for these young people but also means we need to adjust our traditions to accommodate the newlyweds and everyone who has moved away. Bittersweet is the word that keeps coming to mind…

Charlie made this Thanksgiving candle in kindergarten.

On the bright side of reorganizing, I took our former computer cabinet and turned it into a bourbon bar for my husband! I remember when we bought this piece of furniture…it’s a large and heavy piece and I loved the dark wood and storage it provided. When we got rid of our desktop computer, it became a dumping ground for odds and ends. It was driving me crazy so cleaning it out this weekend was liberating. My husband sent a photo of it to a consignment store to see if we could sell it but meanwhile, I thought – wouldn’t this be a cool bar for his bourbon collection?! I mentioned it and he loved the idea…so voila! It’s now a bourbon bar!

Eddie’s new bourbon bar created from our old compute cabinet!

I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving week when I’ll be off work and can really get some organizing done. And Christmas decorating for me begins the weekend following turkey day! Just in time for my annual Cookie Exchange party…more on that later!

Prayers for Paris

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Image of Eiffel Tower from Lovelyplanet.com

Friday night I was watching the coverage of the terrorist attacks in Paris, France. Trying to get make some sort of sense out of what was happening. But seriously, how do you make sense out of terrorist attacks? So senseless and so heartbreaking…

I was feeling so helpless watching all this. Then a story emerged about the soccer match between Germany and France and how as the stadium was being evacuated, the fans began singing the French national anthem – “La Marseillaise” – (click here for the video.)

It’s interesting…I heard that song and immediately began singing along. All the words and the melody came back to me immediately. I was in 3rd grade attending a private school called Cupeyville Elementary in Puerto Rico. As a 3rd grader, I was learning Spanish as a first language, English as a second and French as a third. One of the things we learned in French class – the French national anthem.

So…Friday night after the news coverage…I found the anthem on YouTube and decided to sing along – in solidarity with the French and offering prayers for healing.

Vive la France!

Sojourns Fair Trade Store

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This afternoon I stopped by Sojourns Fair Trade Store in downtown Birmingham. This place is such a treasure! I mean, I seriously never leave this store without dropping a chunk of change but I just can’t resist all the beautiful things! From jewelry and clothing to lovely pieces of art from all over the world…if you are looking for unique gifts, this is the place!

When I arrived, Melissa Kendrick, my friend and owner, was busy getting new clothing merchandise ready to display for sale. She greeted me with a big hug and began telling me about the clothing and a pop-up shop she is preparing to open in Montgomery. I still remember the first time I met Melissa. It was at her first location just down the street from her current location – 2017 Third Avenue North. I went in at the recommendation of two friends who worked nearby and immediately fell in love with the place! I remember having the nicest conversation with Melissa and thinking how wonderful to have a store like this in Birmingham!

Sojourns was the first wholly fair trade store in Alabama. They offer unique items produced under fair trade standards from 57 countries. For more about what fair trade is, visit the Fair Trade Federation website. A sign in the store shares that fair trade wages are designed to provide fair compensation based on the true cost of production and are not based on any developed world wage standards. Fair wages are determined by a number of factors including the amount of time, skill and effort involved in production, living wages where products are made, the purchasing power in a community or area and other costs of living in the local context.

Over the years I’ve purchased quite a number of items for my home and as gifts. A few years ago, I took my daughters with me and I was oohing and aahing over a wooden salad bowl set and they surprised me with it for Christmas! I was recently in the store with my mother and bought quite a few Day of the Dead items to add to my growing collection. I have a collection nativity retablos too. Today I was looking for a few more nativities and there were quite a few from all over the world. It was hard to decide!

One of the Day of the Dead items I bought recently at Sojourns.

Melissa told me today that she wants to maintain a Day of the Dead section in her store as well as a Christmas section too. She is expecting quite a few large shipments just in time for Christmas. If you are looking for something different and something that you can feel good about purchasing, stop by Sojourns and take a look around. I guarantee that you won’t leave the store without an item or two! Here are a few photos of the store from my recent visits in a slide show. Seriously…go visit Melissa at Sojourns soon!

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Meeting the Janes…

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A few weeks ago I wrote about Scott Dinsmore and how his website and a workbook he published helped lead me into the direction of becoming a blogger. Part of this planning process involved doing some research and finding people and information on how to do this.

During my research I discovered something wonderful…I discovered See Jane Write. I had heard about this network – and The Janes – through my friend Nicole Thurston (Destination Unknown) a few years ago. She is a blogger and attended one of the See Jane Write conferences and wrote about it. I remember tucking that bit of information into the back of my mind for some reason. Now I know why I did that.

After the self-assessment I did with Scott’s workbook, I went online and looked up See Jane Write and started reading. I also noted that there was a mini-blog conference coming up at Homewood library. I couldn’t wait to sign up for this conference! I signed up and anxiously awaited that Saturday in July 2014…I was ready to meet The Janes and see what I could learn from them!

As I began gathering information about the conference and who the panelist and speakers would be, I dug a little deeper. I looked up their blogs, took note of their blog design, read through some of their stories/posts. I really wanted to get a feel for what they were saying and how they were saying it. I didn’t know at that point if there was really a specific way to go about blogging. I also found all these bloggers on Instagram. Since I love photography, you know I LOVE Instagram! So I began following the panelist and looking through some of their photos to get a feel for their personalities and their lifestyles.

Then the night before the conference, a photo popped up from panelist – Chic in Academia (aka Bertha Hidalgo) and I commented on it. She mentioned how excited she was to be a panelist at the conference. Now, how many times have you commented on an IG photo of someone who has thousands of followers and you get a reply right back? That had never happened to me but it did with Bertha! I commented that I would be attending and she immediately followed up and said to come see her and say hello! Wow! I was fascinated!

So….I did! I got to the conference fairly early – I’m always an early bird and I quickly took a seat on the front row. Can you tell I was eager? I was excited to see Chanda Temple (Chanda Temple Writes) there and we sat next to one another on the front row. I took a walk around the room a little bit later to explore, checked out the vendor tables and hen there she was…Bertha was sitting with two other panelist. As I remember it, we made eye contact and it’s as if we already knew one another. She jumped up and hugged me and I tell you, it made me feel wonderful! We chatted for a bit, she asked me about my blog – which I hadn’t launched yet – and I told her my ideas and what I hoped to accomplish. She was so encouraging to me that day and continues to be as I take this journey.

Meeting Chic in Academia – Bertha Hidalgo – at the See Jane Write Mini-Conference.

As I met and spoke to other bloggers that day and shared my vision for Southern Senora, they were all so encouraging and liked my blog concept saying there really wasn’t anything like that “out there.” I still had work to do to narrow things down but it made me feel good that everyone was so willing to share their experiences and offer advice. I had come to the right place, for sure!

Morning panelist…

That day I learned so much and the mini-con also confirmed a lot of things that I had researched and discovered about blogging and myself in the process. In addition to hearing from Bertha, I loved hearing from panelists Erica Bunker (Erica B’s DIY Style), Vanessa Culpepper (Budding Fashionista) and Heather Brown (My Life Well Loved). Later in the day a great panel discussion took place featuring Carla Jean Whitley of Birmingham magazine, Tanya Sylvan of All in Stride, Williesha Morris of My Freelance Life, and Alexis Barton of Same Chic Different Day. Alexis also gave the opening keynote speech and then Megan LaRussa Chenoweth of Southern Femme closed the conference out by sharing her success story. What a day!

Afternoon panelist

And all this was possible because of the vision of one woman – Javacia Harris Browser – founder of See Jane Write. Javacia is quite simply a rock star! I am forever grateful to her for creating this organization that has given me access to such wonderful and encouraging people. Thank you, Javacia!

Meeting the Janes has been a highlight in my blogging journey…

The Fabulous Zuniga Men

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Photos of my dad (center) and his two brothers – Lorenzo and Felix – from my Day of the Dead altar.

Today is Veterans Day.

It’s a work holiday for my office. I decided to stay at home today and take down my Day of the Dead altars. While I was dismantling and gathering all the photos, I put aside the ones of my dad and his brothers in their military uniforms.

The Zuniga Brothers…Praxedis, Lorenzo and Felix….

All the Zuniga men were Veterans. All so handsome. All so ready to serve in some capacity. Today I reflected on these photos and those that my extended Zuniga family posted on social media. Today I took some time to reflect upon their sacrifice for our freedom.

Thank you dad, Uncle Lencho and Uncle Felix…so proud of you all.

My dad…Praxedis Sotelo Zuniga

Uncle Lorenzo Zuniga

Uncle Felix Zuniga

Uncle Lencho and my dad – Praxedis Zuniga

Southern Señora

Sharing the Southern Hispanic lifestyle in Birmingham, Alabama!

Monthly Archives: November 2015

The HICA Tamale Sale is BACK!

La Virgen de Guadalupe

Frida and Mary

We Ate Some Turkey and then a Football Game Broke Out!

Family Traditions

Getting Organized…

Prayers for Paris

Sojourns Fair Trade Store

Meeting the Janes…

The Fabulous Zuniga Men

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