easter reflections

Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend, friends! We had a great time at two weddings (hubby and daughter went to one, I went to the other) on Saturday and then took off for a night and a day at the beach house! Some sweet family friends offered it, so we took them up on the generous gift. Though it was very very windy at the coast, it was still beautiful.

So beautiful that I got up to take it all in! If you know me, I'm a woman who loves her sleep ... but even so I found myself wanting to sit by the waves even in the early morning hours. So while everyone else was asleep, I snuck out to the beach and sat on a driftwood log to enjoy the waves and gulls in the foggy gray. It was a perfect way to think on and reflect on the true meaning behind Easter. Not all the eggs and bunnies, but of Christ's love for us. As a new mom, I feel like I have a better understanding of the sacrificial and pure love that God has for us, at least in a small way. Each night before I put Norah to bed, I look down at her in my arms and I am overcome by love. It's nothing like I've ever known. All my life I've chosen to love others -- my husband, my friends, even my family. It is a conscious decision to love them. But when I look at her, something just stirs within me when I see the child that I've carried inside and given birth to. She is someone that I immediately loved and had no choice about loving. The love I have for her just IS. It is full and deep and hits me right at the core of my heart. When they placed her on my chest after she took her first breath, I was moved straight to tears. I could not hold them back, and from that moment on, she was the most precious thing to me.

So I can't even wrap my mind around how much God loves us! Or that He would give His Son! It is overwhelming. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.

poppies for norah

Before Norah was born, I used some poppies from this post to make a headband for her. It was on one of those sleepless nights that I stayed up preparing our hospital bag. I took some elastic that I had in my sewing kit and carefully attached the bright red poppies to create it. I also sewed one bloom onto a side-snap onesie. My nesting instinct was in full gear with this project! She didn't end up wearing them at the hospital, but wore them one month later.

I love making things for my little girl - it reminds me of when my mom used to make clothing and ornate Halloween costumes for my sister and I. She is great at sewing, and I hope that I can have skills like that one day. Until then, my hand sewing will have to suffice!

wonder foodie: cooking with grandma

During the past few weeks I've been making many calls to my grandmother to enlist her help in making some of the dishes of my childhood. It's great to have her instruction on how to properly steam yook beng (meat cake) or how much water is needed make lan fan jook (a thick rice porridge).

It's the feeling of passing on a legacy, and being reminded of all the great dishes you ate and loved while growing up.

My favorite feature on Chow is the Cooking with Grandma segments. Each one highlights a grandmother cooking with her grandchild -- and even though the measurements are not exact, the love and history in the recipes are overflowing. Love it! This most recent feature is one of my favorites - Cooking gnocchi in a tomato-porcini sauce with Grandma Paola! Mmmm, I think I'll try this one soon.

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!

my day of birth

I had a simple and lovely birthday, I can't believe that another year has passed. This year consisted of many little moments, with lots of sweets in between.

It started off with dinner the night before with the hubba at a Japanese tapas place - we had an assortment of dishes, including a delicious ochazuke finished off with green tea creme brulee for dessert. On my actual birthday, my co-workers took me to my favorite local creperie and I had a strawberry and nutella crepe with fresh whipped cream. Then my dear mom and sister surprised me and came to work with chocolate filled cupcakes and a singular balloon. And after youth group, we celebrated with two of our good buddies over homemade strawberry shortcake. And to finish off the weekend, one of my youth kids surprised me with some freshly baked white chocolate macadamia cookies while others made handmade cards. Not to mention several amazing friends who left messages and calls for me. How sweet it is to be loved! Twenty-eight, you're off to a great start.

birthday card by simplesong

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.

been a while

It's been a bit of time since I last posted, and for good reason. In the last two weeks our family had to pull together to support my mom at the hospital while she's been receiving chemo treatments and a bone marrow transplant. It has been a taxing journey and I haven't really been in the blogging state of mind, but I am thankful that we got through it.

The whole time we were at the hospital, we had lots of art projects to do, all thanks to the great Art for Health program there. We were able to create fun signs to encourage my mom and ourselves. She's at home now recovering, so that's something to be thankful for.

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?

toys with imagination round up

Here's the post that I've been waiting to do forever! So as I was looking at those fun felt letters on Etsy, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed my fabric and wooden toys as a child. I'd love that for my children as well - natural fibers and natural elements to spur on the imagination, no need for bells, whistles, and crazy toys that play songs and make noise.

Nothing is wrong with those toys of course, but I just remember those times when my sister and I would make up games with the simplest toys. We stayed at my grandparents house after school for 4 days out of the week, and all we had to play with were old Berkeley Farms milk crates and a few stuffed animals. It remains one of the outstanding memories of my childhood. Here are some natural and wooden toys that I really like:

From top: Wooden Car from Stillpoint Woodworks, Safari Set and Hippo Teether from Little Alouette, Muji New York City in a Bag from the MoMA Store, Carrie Kitchenette from ImagineThat Wood Shop.

felt toys

As a child, I had this beautiful handmade wall hanging on the back of my door, with 26 pockets on it. Each pocket had a hand-sewn alphabet letter on it, and inside was a stuffed felt item that began with that letter. A for apple, B for book, C for car, and so on. When I came across these felt letters at Etsy shop MiChiMa, it was just so nostalgic! I love the idea of bringing back what's old as new again. These are adorable for learning how to spell or even to hang as a mobile. Coming up, a post on wooden toys! Oh, to be a kid again.

images via michima

spiros

Many times in the middle of the night, I'll lie awake and all these great ideas will come to my mind. Then I'll jot them in my notebook, so I won't lose them.

One of my recent ideas reminded me of spirographs, from when I was a kid, remember those? The graphic patterns they made as your pen or pencil went around and around the pieces? Sometimes if you drew too fast, the spiros would get all messed up, and you'd have to do it again. What a great toy it was. Hope I get to show you what I plan to do with these fun geometric shapes!

image via wikipedia

best little buddy

I haven't introduced my dog on this blog yet, even though he's a big part of our lives. We rescued him almost a year ago from the HSSV and now he goes with us as many places as we can take him. He goes with me to work everyday, rides with us to visit my parents, and to the Saturday Farmers Market. My favorite time is sitting with him while we eat at a cafe outside, and he can watch the world go by. He makes life a little happier, and really causes me to appreciate the simple things. Warm sun, freshly cut grass, playing outside - oh, the life of a dog. Happy Friday, everyone!

beaded fun

I saw these fun necklaces that were in the spring lookbook for Madewell, I want to try to make them myself sometime for the summer. They have a handmade feel that reminds me of this necklace I convinced my mother to buy when I was around 8 or 9 years old.

We were at the Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale, which is like a gigantic yard sale and antique show, and I came across this colorful necklace which was made of all different wooden beads and various seeds and nutshells. It was pretty eccentric now that I think about it, but she still bought it. I saw it in her house the other day and couldn't believe she still had it.

Can you imagine what a fun project this would be? The necklaces are completely unbalanced, slightly off-kilter and perfectly imperfect.