more wonder than I imagined ...

Well, I've been missing from the blog for a long while, but for good reason! On October 14, 2010 I gave birth to a little girl ... Norah! She is the most amazing little person and I am in awe that she is ours. Motherhood is truly something, and I am reminded of a post I read from an Australian blogger mom that said this about it, "Six billion people on the planet have been born like this, but it still seems like magic to me." And that is so true!

Even in the middle of the night, when she is crying out - I am in awe of how she came into our lives and how it feels to hold her after waiting for 9 months in anticipation of her arrival. I love how at 7 weeks old now, she fits perfectly into my arms. I kiss her little cheeks and smell that soft, sweet baby scent and feel her warmth against me ... she is beautiful. A little more wonder in my life, perhaps? Or maybe a little more wonderful.

image courtesy of mjt photography

babies, dating and dinner parties

Can you believe it? Only 4 more weeks to go before our baby girl arrives! 4 and a little bit ... it's very exciting and unnerving at the same time. Very soon our lives will be changed forever.

I've been reading a book called On Becoming Babywise that a few friends recommended, and it has been interesting to hear that though life will be different, life should still maintain a balance. The author emphasizes bringing the baby into the family unit instead of making the child the center of our universe. This includes remembering that though I will be a mother, I am also still a sister, daughter, friend and wife. He also points out that we should continue to date our spouses and show them gestures of love (like my friend lists here), including spending 15 minutes a day on the couch going over the day's events. Sounds like a given, right? I'm sure I'll have to be very intentional about this once she enters the world!

One other point the author made that surprised me was to purposefully invite friends over for food and fellowship! In essence, have a dinner party with baby! Is it possible? I sure hope so! I will be ever so grateful to have friends over if we can manage it. A few friends have had us over in the first 6 months of their children's lives, and I've been so impressed! Both couples have made dinner for us - one new dad was even able to make homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch! We can only hope and pray that our team work and love helps us to care for this child and for one another. Here we go ...

place setting above: crate and barrel place mat, plates, and dansk flatware, appetite home napkins

missing in paradise

I've been missing here on the blog for the past few weeks since I was preparing to leave work for a while - mostly in part to a fabulously relaxing vacation in Hawaii that we had! It ended with a surprising Tsunami warning, so we were rudely awakened on Saturday at the crack of dawn by an ear-piercing siren that continued for a good minute and a half. Safety first, even in paradise!

Luckily, no one was hurt and the vacation itself was absolutely lovely. Lots of sunning, swimming, and eating delicious tropical delights. A girl really couldn't ask for much more. Shave ice, homemade mochi, banana mac nut pancakes, and some Fighting Eel shopping. Aloha!

image taken at lani kai beach, on the island of oahu

friday photo: happy valentine's day

We don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day on the day of the 14th, but we always go to the same restaurant on February 13th. It's low-key, but wonderful. We just like to focus on spending time with the person you love, making eye contact and laughing about the things that brought you together. Nothing fancy, no huge gifts or crazy things like that. Simple and lovely.

image source unknown (from some lovely blog)

wonder foodie: rolling pins

On an impromptu date night, the Hubba and I made pizza. One of the menu resolutions I made for our new kitchen was to make a white pizza, or pizza bianco if you will. With sweet Italian sausage, mozzarella, creamy dollops of ricotta, mushrooms, lemon zest, and piles of fresh arugula on top. And we did just that. We picked up some pre-made pizza dough, googled how to toss the perfect pizza, and got crackin'. The Hubba is exceptionally good at tossing pizza as we discovered!


Although we had a great time, I had overlooked one thing. The need for a rolling pin to roll the dough out a bit first!
You would never have guessed that it's actually pretty essential to pizza making. But one glance at us trying to roll it out with a can covered in plastic wrap was pathetic, truly pathetic. We also tried it with a bottle, but that didn't quite work either. So, that brings me to the sometimes helpful rolling pin. I have quite a few kitchen gadgets that were lovely wedding gifts, but none included a rolling pin. Simple wood, and sometimes simply lovely. See these below by Herriot Grace, these are just a few of her lovely products that she creates with her father.



So maybe I'll acquire one of these lovely pins before our next date night!

the happiest day: four years later

Here's to the past four years of fun, laughter, and growth. When I look back on my wedding, there are so many things that I would have done differently, but they all have to do with decor or implementation. The heart and soul of it, the marriage itself, is something I would never change. It's crazy to think that the love you had on the day you were married could grow deeper and stronger over time.

When I said my vows, I don't think I realized what I was really saying or how much I would have to commit. I was saying "I Do" to much more than romance, silliness, or emotion. It was an "I Do" to endure. To love unconditionally even in times when I feel as if I can't muster it. It has become so apparent to me that love is a choice, a need, and a gift.

And I really owe learning this lesson to God and my hubba. Thank you for four years, here's to the next ten.

remodel: home and life

I have been up to my ears in remodeling - picking paint samples, numerous trips to the hardware stores for this and that, learning how to properly spackle, how to do demolition without ripping holes in walls, and how to seal granite (three times already!).

We're upgrading our kitchen and bathrooms and it's our first foray into home improvement. So far, so good. It's coming together slowly, and there are lots of little things to accomplish. I realize how much it is causing me to rethink how much I truly need materially, and what luxuries I'm able to enjoy. You don't think about how nice it is to have hot running water until you don't have it. And that makes me more grateful.

It's remodeling my perspective too, you could say.

All in all, I'm glad for this experience and hopeful that the next people to enjoy our place will like the details we've picked out. I mean, it took me a week to make sure I picked the right kitchen color! Can't wait for it to be done, then I'll post a real before and after shot.

japanese inspiration

Fun fun fun - the last two days the hubs and I have been on a mission - to find journals for his Sunday School class for church. We wanted something affordable, portable (about Bible-sized) and cool. So where did we go? Daiso, of course! The store where you can find anything and everything under the sun. Lots of little things, tons of cutesy things, but loads of treasures to be had! Lucky for us there are two that are nearby, so we hit both to find what we needed. I purchased one beautiful pink textured rice bowl as a catch-all for my nightstand, some gray felt (for a future project), and then exercised restraint! But I was still inspired by quite a few goodies, see some ideas below.

Take a look at those wavy white bowls they'd be great to hold jewelry, serve a lovely dessert (a custard perhaps?), or even as a candle holder. And the two graphic notebooks with screen printed stripes on kraft paper? Awww yeah, talk about happy note taking! Almost couldn't hold myself together on those guys, but I reminded myself that I have more than enough (free real estate) notepads at home. A few other great ideas struck me as I was browsing, so I jotted them down in my notebook:

Lace paper doilies (10 pack) - would be neat at a table setting on individual plates, or used on a canvas with decoupage and paint for a one-of-a-kind art piece

Pearlized wrapping paper in pastel shades - wrapping glam gifts for a wedding or shower or lining clothing drawers

Tiny glass jars with cork stoppers - curio jars filled with collections of buttons, beads, sand, or used to store q-tips or cotton balls for the bathroom, mini terrariums

White gingham patterned cellophane muffin cups (a mouthful!) (4 pack) - serve muffins for a sweet brunch in individual servings, fill with cherries and place in a cello bag for favors (tie with jute string)

Thin canvas board and paints - express yourself and go wild, make yourself an art piece for home on the cheap

And the best part about all this goodness? Most everything mentioned is a mere $1.50! Sweet! You gotta love the Japanese. And yes, we did find some cool journals for the hubba.

weekend delights

This weekend was fun. We attended a friend's wedding, visited my parents and fiddled with my dad's vintage camera collection (film! love!), spent Sunday afternoon with friends, and then made a simple dinner of cold soba noodles to enjoy. I love the simple moments in a busy weekend. Here are a few photos:

The soba noodles were on sale at the Korean market and they were organic (asian organic, get out of here) - and the packaging was just so appealing to me. You can't see it in the small version (click to see it larger), but they were the most beautiful colors and had this metallic star pattern printed on the package. It's the little things that keep me inspired. What little things inspire you?

wonder foodie: a delicious summer

So far it has been a summer of delicious food and lovely company - I love that we get to grill, and I think it is by far my favorite season for this reason. Followed closely by the holidays, of course. We had a little picnic in the park with grilled ahi tuna sandwiches (marinated simply in lemon juice, salt and pepper) and orzo with asparagus, sweet corn, and tomatoes. Then a meal of dry-rubbed pork, grilled corn, a mozzarella basil and tomato with orzo salad, broccoli slaw, and carmelized pineapple (not pictured).

And then I had a simple (free) lunch, that I jazzed up with spring greens, dijon mustard and a side of edamame! Mmm yum. And since the hubba loves having cheese and crackers as an appetizer to our meals, I found this wonderful sharp cheddar from New Zealand at Trader Joe's. Cut that up with some crackers and you've got yourself a scrumptious starter. Awwww yes.

And I can't forget my favorite summer food - strawberries! I had some leftover from a farmer's market trip and they were getting a bit overripe. So I added some sugar, let them sit in the fridge overnight, and pureed them. Then I mixed the puree with some freshly whipped cream and topped some almond & vanilla cupcakes a la this recipe. Very light and so easy to make. I think I ate two in one sitting. Hope you're having a tasty summer!

a happy one

Our 4th of July was pretty eventful, I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Duff went on his first boat ride and I got a bit burned/tanned on my neck from being out in the sun. The hubba had his 10 year high school reunion picnic at the lake, and we had great food and welcome company.
More posts to come - my wooden toy post and the design for an invitation that I've been working on!

wonder foodie: a little clammy

Back in May, my sister, her boyfriend, and my husband and I prepared an early Mother's Day dinner for my mom. She was going to go into a long slew of medical treatments the week following, so we weren't sure if she'd be up for a celebration on the actual Mother's Day.

So we quickly got together an impromptu menu and made a four course meal for her, picking from different cuisines and putting our own twist on certain dishes. Here's what we had:

Steamed Manila Clams with Garlic Crostini
Green Chopped Salad with Balsamic dressing
Grandma's Steaks (she made this on the spot, so we had one more course!)
Kimberly's Special Chicken Tikka Masala
Banana Tarte Tatin with homemade Mango Ice Cream

The steamed clams were my favorite dish to make - I had this recipe bookmarked for 4 years ever since we had the clams at the Lahaina Grill in Maui. Finally came an occasion to have it! The recipe is fairly simple, but going into it I had no idea how much clam juice costs! Yikes! I paid $6 for two 8 oz. bottles at my local grocery store. Next time I'll shop around first. That said, it was completely delicious and fed 7 people that enjoyed it. Everything else was delicious and yum, time to do it again!

a little soundtrack: from the hubby

This great little ditty was sent to me by my dear hubby. In this day and age, you can find us IMing each other on occasion when we're at home (funny eh?). So he sent this to me because he knows I love new artists and acoustic and catchy music. Gotta love this girl, and her new album was just released on iTunes! Here's a music video for a song called "Bitter Heart" by Zee Avi from Malaysia. I love the Super 8 quality it has, and her cute vintage dress near the end reminds me of this one. Enjoy! I hope it brightens your day as it did mine.



This video is no longer available, hear the song here

a very special valentine

Tomorrow's the hubba's birthday. So since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought it'd be nice to make him a personalized card based on a joke between us. He likes funny quotes from movies so I'm sure he'll get a kick out of this. So here's the simple card I made (click to see it larger)And of course, I had to have the video playing while I was making it. Here it is in all it's cheesy gloriousness:

Happy early Valentine's Day!