Friday, April 30, 2010

Oishii: Pork-belly buns


Confession: I didn't actually make this meal; my husband did. But I ate it and it was really good, so I'm going to share!

Chef David Chang of NYC's Momofuku Noodle Bar is famous for his pork-belly buns, so we decided to give 'em a go. Less the pork-belly part. I know, I know, that's the best part, but it required 12 hours of brining and 2.5 hours in the oven and we didn't plan very well, so Mr.M just made the buns and substituted smoked sausage for the pork.


The buns take a little bit of work, but they have such a unique, light taste that it's worth it (easy for me to say--I didn't have to make them!)


You'll need a bamboo steamer for the buns. Kind of a pain to store if you don't use it that much, but we found one at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $15. To use it, just place it over a 10-inch pan of boiling water.


Add some hoisin sauce, green onions and cucumbers and you've got a tasty meal! You can find the recipe here. Enjoy!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

It Melted My Heart

"Mama, I picked you some flowers" was what I heard.
This is what I found:

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Looking Forward to Summer

I know spring is barely here, but after a recent trip to the beach, we are already anticipating summer playtime.




Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Homemade: Napkins

About a year ago our family made the switch from paper napkins to reusable and we LOVE it.  There is something so comforting about the texture of cloth - and we feel good about our small effort to reduce waste.  I have several sets of napkins, but I was thinking I needed another set.  Then I happened to stumble across the blog Stitching Under Oaks.  She had this great tutorial for making cloth napkins and she sponsored a napkin swap.  I jumped on that and it turned out that that the lovely owner and writer of the blog, Lisa, was my swap partner. 



I stitched up a set of napkins for her from this wonderful, sturdy cotton indigo fabric that my mother sent me from Japan.  I sent mine off to her and she sent this to me:


The most beautiful, fiery napkins(almost too pretty to use!) and a few extra homemade treats as well!


My goal in this post is three-fold:
1.  Encourage you to use cloth napkins if you don't already.
2.  Direct you to Lisa's blog Stitching Under Oaks to make your own fabulous napkins.
3.  Thank Lisa for her beautiful homemade napkins and the opportunity to participate in such a fun swap.

I've been thinking Wabisabi Mama should sponsor a swap... any suggestions?

Monday, April 26, 2010

Meditation: Understanding Fear



It is not that you must be free from fear. The moment you try to free yourself from fear, you create a resistance against fear. Resistance, in any form, does not end fear. What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it, not how to resist it through courage and so on.

~J. Krishnamurti

In light of our "Three Things" posts about fear a few weeks ago, I thought this quote was appropriate.

As moms we fear many things because we have so much to lose, don't we?  For my part, I am going to try to concentrate on being grateful for those lovely things in my life, rather than being afraid to lose them.  It sort of reminds me of the parable of the talents; I don't want to be the scaredy-cat servant who buries his one talent in the ground because he is afraid to lose it.  Better to be the wise servant who doubled the investment, no?  



My mantra this week: Embrace Fear!  I don't need to be a fearless warrior mama - I just need to love my little girl the best way that I can and not worry about what I can't control.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Happy Birthday MamaQ!

M: How the angels sang and the heavens rejoiced when MamaQ was born on this day 32 years ago…or was it 33 years ago? Oh, age ain’t nothin’ but a number anyway…

D: It's certainly a good thing that she is the oldest in the family. That way, she had a captive audience of younger siblings to entertain with her theatrics and boss around in the way only an older sister can. And lucky for her, she was smart enough to get away with it. 

M: Despite her brains and beauty, Q sometimes felt a little nerdy growing up. She was a bookworm, wore insanely huge, thick eyeglasses, had braces—the works. But her little sisters never would have known she wasn’t a goddess because we just adored (and still adore) her. Despite a several-year age gap, Q let D and I hang out with her, whether we were going to the mall, playing Barbies or working out to the ‘80s awesomeness of The Firm. She was our babysitter, but she was our friend, too. She’s actually the one who told me the truth about sex when I was but a wee kid. I was probably in first grade when my brother was making fun of me for not knowing what sex was, so I had to tell him that I indeed knew: it was when a man and a woman lie in bed and the woman bends her leg up in the air and rubs it from ankle to thigh. That’s when Elaine burst out laughing and brought me into the bathroom to break the news.

D: I always appreciated how strong Elaine was, though some might call her stubborn. It was a great example to me growing up to see my sister not afraid to speak her mind. She is very opinionated and not afraid to butt heads with someone. I think that age has helped her soften her approach so that she can be agreeably disagreeable when her opinion does differ. But there are so many other sides to Q -- doting mother to daughter Maya, actress/drama queen, loving wife, outdoor enthusiast, activist...

M: She's got the whole package and we're so glad to celebrate her birthday today. Hope your day is great MamaQ!














Friday, April 23, 2010

Oishii: Sithoo's Famous Meat Sauce


Mr. Q's Lebanese mother is Mayumi's beloved "Sithoo" and everytime she comes to visit she makes this sauce for us.  We have it for dinner over several days and still have enough to freeze for emergency dinners in the future.  It is a definite favorite in our house and we'd like to share!

Sithoo's Famous Meat Sauce
Ingredients
4 28oz cans ground peeled tomatoes
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
3 lbs ground beef
6-12 sweet italian sausages
2 yellow onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green bell peppers, sliced
olive oil
oregano
ground basil
2 bay leaves
ground pepper

Directions:
Brown sausages in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
Meanwhile, pour all cans of tomatoes in a large pot and simmer on low with garlic and peppers.
Saute onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil until soft and then add hamburger and cook until brown.
Strain hamburger grease and then add hamburger and onion mixture to the sauce, along with the sausages.
Add bay leaves, oregano, pepper and basil to taste.
Continue to simmer on low for an hour, stirring periodically.
Serve with your pasta preference.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Why I Love the Earth




because it is so beautiful.

Happy Earth Day

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." - Ernest Hemingway

What? You forgot today was Earth Day? I almost did too until my husband told me about how he was listening to one of those obnoxious extremist radio talk show hosts making fun of it...but anywho...

You should celebrate with your kiddos by doing some fun activities that will teach them to appreciate and care for Mother Nature. There are a ton of Web sites out there with free activities, games, crafts and more. Or simply get outside and enjoy this world! Maybe you can pick up garbage, roll down a hill or plant a tree. The possibilities are endless. But don't miss out on this learning opportunity to teach your children to love and care for this beautiful earth on which we live. And when you do, we'd love to hear about it!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Prepared for Dying!

Recently Mr. Q and I have been talking about the rather morbid subject of death. Or more precisely, what would happen if one or both of us should die. It’s been interesting conversation, if somewhat disturbing, but one we feel is necessary to have since now we are parents and we want to make sure that Mayumi is provided for in every way possible. This means looking into life insurance, living wills, and other legal steps to ensure this.

My general philosophy is to be as open and honest in communicating our wishes as possible. This meant having a conversation with my parents about their ability and interest in taking guardianship of Mayumi should something ever happen to us. And working out all the financial and legal stuff that goes along with it.

We’re only in the midst of all this – there is so much to understand – but in light of MamaM’s post about emergency preparedness, it seems that this is one of those things that we should take care of sooner rather than later. So we’re talking to lawyers and trying to get this stuff taken care of.

I share this for a couple reasons:
1. If you haven’t thought of this or if you’ve been putting it off, it is a gentle reminder to get started on it.
2. If you are on top of this stuff, please share resources and pointers for the rest of us!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Meditation: Anonymous acts of kindness


"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out."
~Frank A. Clark

I have no idea who Frank A. Clark is, but I like his thinking!


HubbyM teaches a 45-minute Sunday School class every week at church. It's not necessarily something he enjoys, but he does this because he was asked to. It's challenging and time-consuming for HubbyM to prepare these lessons week after week, but he does it and he does it well. He, however, is often hard on himself and feels that he is a mediocre teacher with much room for improvement.

A few days ago after teaching a class, he felt particularly down about how it had turned out. HubbyM felt he didn't adequately convey his message and that his pupils were bored. So imagine how pleasantly surprised he was when the next day, he found a note taped to our garage door opener thingy that expressed appreciation for what a great teacher he was. HubbyM was touched, but didn't know who to thank because the note was anonymous.

How very kind.

My mother also taught me the value--and fun--of anonymous service. I remember being young and baking lots of pies with my mom (she is an awesome pie maker!), then piling into the car to deliver them to friends and neighbors. She had me put the pie on the doorstep, ring the doorbell, then run away so as not to be discovered.

Such anonymous acts of kindness demonstrate that one is really not doing the act for any recognition, but truly to serve those around them. I've been the recipient of such acts and know I need to do better to pay it forward. And the best part is it can be something as simple as writing a short note to someone who needs it. That's my goal today. Maybe it can be yours too?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

3 Things: MamaD's Fears

I used to feel really together - maybe not the most organized, articulate, or ambitious person in the world but I felt like I had control. But since having a baby (even though it has already been over a year), I sometimes feel like my life has turned upside down and I'm just trying to scrape by - figuring out all over again what gives me meaning in my life and makes me happy. So on the opposite end of the spectrum, what makes me scared took a bit of thought to compile the jumbled mess in my head into some sort of competent post. But here it is:

1. Losing Lucy - Kinda encompasses a lot but included would be any type of injury to her (like MamaM, I often worry about dropping her even though she falls more than I like to admit), her being kidnapped, or having some horrible illness befall her. Yeah, all of the above and every imaginable mishap that creeps into your mind. I try not to let it cripple me, but continue living my life and let her live hers. To a lesser extent, this feeling extends to all the people that I love - husband, siblings, parents, friends - the thought of losing anyone is very painful but the realization that you just don't have control over the choices that people make and fate helps to make the acceptance of it all easier. But I think it can be hard to realize just how much you have to lose when you bring a child into the world.

2. Losing myself - or more specifically, losing my marbles. I don't know about the rest of the world out there but sometimes I feel like I am literally going crazy. And I don't know if it is/was just the hormones, PPD, or life in general. But there are times when I have to ask myself if I am still sane. Maybe this just comes with the territory of being a parent...

3. Losing control - I will admit, I can be kinda a control freak. I like order and cleanliness and organization (although my home might say otherwise) and there are times when things don't go my way that I can lash out irrationally. Sometimes it takes the form of an external outburst (like yelling at my daughter) and sometimes it is completely internal which can be just as scary because there is no outlet. Perhaps in order not to lose control, you have to let go of control a bit and just be more accepting of how the cards fall or when you it's too late to change things.

My fears are more general in nature but it can be really therapeutic to face them in such a way as naming them and writing them out and then figuring out how to overcome them. Why don't you try it?

Post-pregnancy haiku


Tummy like bread dough
Finding time to exercise
Impossible feat

Friday, April 16, 2010

Oishii: Coconut Red Lentil Soup


I've made a new discovery.  My friend, Lindsay, introduced me to 101 Cookbooks and I am smitten with Heidi Swanson.  I am about to purchase her book Super Natural Cooking but her website is a treasure trove of the kinds of food I like to cook.  The other day I made her coconut red lentil soup for my family and we all loved it.  And you know you have a treasure when EVERYONE likes it and gobbles it all up.  Because of copyright issues I can't post her recipe here, but check it out on her site.  Let me know if you try any of her stuff and how it came out. 


It's good to have help in the kitchen.


Coconut curry goodness simmering on the stove.


So tasty with some freshy chopped green onions and cilantro on top of the soup over brown rice.

If you try it out, let me know what you think.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

3 Things: MamaQ's Fears

Confession: I got all sorts of queasy when I saw MamaM's subjct for her three things. I struggle daily with my fears. I am sometimes paralyzed by them. A good friend once told me that I should never make decisons out of fear (as I am prone to do) but out of love, and that has been a sort of mantra for me for the past few years. So I'm putting myself in a vulnerable place here, sharing with you these deep-rooted fears that I should really be working out in therapy!

1. FAILURE: I have this (somewhat ridiculous and unattainable) vision of what I think my life ought to be like and the kind of person I ought to be. I'm constantly striving to find the balance between having high standards and being reasonable and compassionate with myself and my shortcomings. But I am definitey scared of failing as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a human being, and fear is such a soul-sucking, crippling thing. It doesn't help me be the person I want to be!

2. Tempting Fate: Despite my irrational fear of failure I have found a lot of peace and happiness. But somewhere within me there is always this niggling fear that I am tempting the Fates. Once They realize how good my life is, they will swoop in and take it all away. So, you can see that I am afraid of losing what I have.

3. Drowning: I've always been a bit scared of water. I've never been a good swimmer, partly because it freaks me out to have my face underwater. But you will be proud to know that I have been combatting this fear by swimming regularly. Most Saturday mornings you'll find us at the local indoor pool swimming laps. I can only do a 600 right now, but that is a VAST improvement from when I stared about a year ago!

I am a big fat scaredy cat, but I'm working on it.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

3 things

Some of our wabisabi readers have requested that we mamas provide more personal information about ourselves so you can get to know us better. The first tidbit of personal information we'll share: we love to talk about ourselves, so of course we're happy to do this! We'll be starting an occasional series called "3 Things" in which we list any 3 things about ourselves. I'm starting off with this:

3 Things I'm Scared of

1. My house burning down because I've left the stove on or a hair straightener plugged in (could a house really burn down via hair straightener?). I once accidentally left a pot of tomato soup on the burner all night to find a charred pot as all that remained. I have driven to work only to turn right back around to double check that my curling iron wasn't plugged in.

2. Cockroaches--gross! I lived in Hawaii for a few months and even though my apartment was a nice, new place, the cockroaches still came out at night. After our first night there, my roommate and I swore we felt them crawling on us in our sleep. Starting the next night and for the months following, we slept with our lights on because we thought that would deter the cockroaches from bothering us (it did--I think). If we took a trip to our kitchen, we always wore slippers because you never knew if you would step on one. Seriously, they are the most disgusting creatures on this earth and I hate them.

3. Tripping and dropping my baby. I have this unhealthy fear that I am going to drop Olive on the floor and crack her head open. This fear haunts me particularly when I am walking on the slate floor in my kitchen and dining room. I get really mad at my husband when he leaves his shoes scattered on the floor because I am prone to trip on them.

Your turn! We want to get to know you too, so let's hear your 3 things.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Homemade: Lotion Bars

Between the cold, dry winter and all the cleaning and washing that goes on around here, it is no wonder that my hands are unsightly.  Dry, cracked, oh!  They are the Sahara Dessert on my global body. 

I've finally gotten around to making my favorite lotion bars.  These aren't for everyone - some people don't like the "greasy" feeling but have patience and give it a second!  After a few minutes all those natural, nutritious oils absorb into your hands like a soothing drink at an oasis. 


Lotion Bar
Ingredients:
1/2 Ounce beeswax pellets
1/2 Ounce any liquid oil (I like grapeseed or almond)
1/2 Ounce any solid oil or butter (I like shea or cocoa)
a few drops of your favorite essential oil (I like lavender)

Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients except the fragrance and melt slowly on low heat on the stove using a double boiler. Once melted, add fragrance then pour into your mold (cupcake pans work well).
Let this cool completely, it’ll then pop right out of your cupcake pan.
Store in a ziploc bag or airtight container.

To use, rub it between your hands til it starts to melt a bit and rub onto skin as needed.Is lovely for dry hands, cuticles and those tough patches on the bottom of your feet.

Monday, April 12, 2010

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

After assigning each commenter a number (what? we only had nine people enter?) I used the random number generator as an unbiased way of deciding on the winner.  I promise it was completely luck that it turned out to be one of my closest friends...

We are pleased to announce that the winner of our very first giveaway is ... Commenter #3: KATIE!

Katie, I will make sure The Creative Family gets to you within a week.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment - check back here regularly as we will aim to have at least one giveaway every month.  Woohoo!

Meditation: The Wabisabi Philosophy


For most of life, nothing wonderful happens.
If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

~Andy Rooney

This is the essence of the Wabisabi philosophy: finding beauty (and peace and happiness) in the small and simple things - the fleeting things that don't last forever but have the power to make an impression for eternity. Perhaps Andy Rooney was a Zen Buddhist?

But to take this even further, happiness should actually come from within and not be dependent on external circumstances. It takes a certain amount of will to find happiness and to notice the beauty in the world around you. As a mom I want to teach Mayumi not to be disappointed by rainy days, but to find the beauty in it and be grateful for it in the moment. And as a human being I want to embody that kind of attitude.

Hopefully this week, even if you are surrounded by chaos, you are able to notice those small bits of beauty in your life and find happiness in them. And then come back and leave a comment here to share what that bit of happiness was - we could all be uplifted by it!

My happiness right this minute? Okay, I'll admit it - a sleeping baby!


My own little pumpkin


MamaM as a babe.


MamaD as a babe.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Last call!

Only a few more hours until the creativity giveaway ends! Enter by 8 p.m. EST for a chance to win a copy of Amanda Blake Soule's The Creative Family. Good luck!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Oishii: Minestrone

My sister-in-law Erin makes a mean minestrone.  And when she shared her secret recipe with me, I couldn't believe how simple it was!  With her permission, I am posting it here for all moms who are in search of something delicious, healthy, hearty and EASY!  Hallelujah!

Auntie Erin's Minestrone
Ingredients
Box of vegetable stock
15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans tomato soup
2 cans water
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small zucchini, diced
3 carrots, chopped
1 Tb minced onion
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
ground black pepper
garlic salt
italian seasoning
grated parmesan cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

Directions:
Bring vegetable stock, tomatoes, tomato soup and water to a boil in a large pot. 

Add garlic, zucchini, carrots, and onions and reduce heat to a simmer. 

In the meantime, bring another large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni al dente. 

When the vegetables have softened (about 15 minutes?) add the beans and cook for 5 more minutes, adding pepper, garlic salt and italian seasoning to taste. 

To serve, dish out a ladle-full of macaroni in a bowl and pour soup over the pasta.  Garnish with parmesan cheese. 

So easy!  So good!



Thursday, April 8, 2010

Homemade: Eye Pillows

I'm in the process of making some eye pillows to use during shavasana (final relaxation) in the yoga class I lead on Tuesday mornings.  One of my teachers incorporates them in her class and it is so relaxing to have that scrumptious goodness on my eyes.  And making them really is so easy, so here it goes:


I cut out a template for a more "contoured" shape.


After sewing around the edges and turning them right-side-in, I filled them with a mix of rice and lavender.


Blind stitch the opening closed and there you have a lovely little eye pillow.  I used some fabric scraps that mom brought me from Japan, but any fabric would work, don't you think?  I found that the rectangular shaped pillows were easier and just as effective as the contoured ones, so I think I may go with those from here on out.  Just a few more to go and then we all benefit in yoga class.  Namaste!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Sunshine and lollipops

Olive and I took advantage of the first sunny day we've had in a while by taking a stroll outside. As we cut through a parking lot, I saw this smashed into the pavement:


It's a licorice flower!

It made my day. Hope it makes yours.

Breastfeeding study

I ran across this article on CNN a couple of days ago that cited some alarming statistics about the lack of breastfeeding in the U.S. It cited a CDC study that found the following:
  • Only 74% of women even start breastfeeding
  • Only 33% were still exclusively breastfeeding at three months
  • Only 14% were still exclusively breastfeeding at six months
These rates are far below the World Health Organization's recommendation that states infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. The article stated that if new moms would breastfeed for the first six months of life, a thousand lives and billions of dollars would be saved each year. The infant deaths are due primarily to SIDS, necrotizing enterocolitis (when the lining of the intestinal wall dies) and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia. 

So the question is why aren't more women breastfeeding? The article suggests lack of support in the hospital after birth, lack of education about the benefits of breastfeeding and lack of support once a mom leaves the hospital and runs into problems, such as failure to latch.

I can relate to these reasons. After giving birth to Olive in the hospital, I had one great lactation consultant work with me just minutes after Olive was born. But then I worked with another the next day who said Olive didn't seem to be latching and I should just pump. A few days after being home, I ran into more problems with latching and hired a third lactation consultant who saved the day. Had I not known that there were lactation consultants out there that could help, I could easily have given up on breastfeeding. 

It can be frustrating and painful (after two-and-a-half months of nursing, my nipples still often hurt). Many women don't have their female family members nearby to offer support and guidance. And if a mom is returning to work, there are even more challenges. 


At Wabisabi, we are big advocates of breastfeeding. Q was at it for over two years, D is going on one year and I hope to reach at least the one-year mark as well. I understand there are legitimate reasons for not breastfeeding, but I hope we can raise awareness of the important health benefits breastfeeding has on our children so women can make informed decisions that are best for their families. 

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Creative Process: A GIVEAWAY!!!

A big part of the sense of fulfillment I get as a human being is through the creative process. It is so important to me that I devoted my career to the performing arts and the stage. There is something incredibly rewarding about creating something new, and I think that is part of the reason why I love motherhood so much. I mean, birth is the epitome of creation, isn’t it? Can there be a finer work of art than a child?

I see my job as a mother like being an artist. That's not to say I don't need other outlets for my creativity as well. I gravitate towards working with my hands, like knitting, gardening, sewing, cooking, and playing music. But I also crave the process of creating with other people and I find that I miss the theater world and the bonds I made there…

But that is a post for another day. Now my focus is on ways to foster the love of creation in my daughter. One of my favorite bloggers, Amanda Blake Soule of Soulemama, published this wonderful book called The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections and it has turned out to be a nifty little reference for me. She talks about providing good quality tools for your children and finding artistic inspiration everywhere. And she suggests so many hands-on projects and activities that are simple and fun and inspiring! We’ve indulged in several of them, from the birthday crown and celebration garland to art-on-the-go bags and a clothesline display.


So, in celebration of all things creative and as a special thank you to our readers, we’re offering a giveaway (our very first!) of Amanda’s book. To enter, please leave a comment telling us how you support your own creative process or how you encourage it in your children by Sunday, Apr. 11 at 8 pm. We’ll randomly select a winner and post it on Monday morning. And then I’ll send you a copy of the book! I think you’ll love it – we do!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Meditation: Important Stuff

By MamaQ
I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes around worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.
~Isak Dinesen

Worry is almost always a useless activity. It leads to chronic stress, which is toxic for the body. I've found that as I've gotten older and acquired more things and more responsibilities, I worry more and more. Fear has crept into my consciousness and taken this firm grip with its skeletal fingers and sometimes I admit that I make decisions based on what I am afraid to lose. A good friend noticed this about me and wisely counseled that I should never make a decision out of fear, but always out of love.

It's amazing that when you open yourself to love, especially during difficult times, how much more rich life becomes. Rather than gravitate towards complaining and worrying, as I am likely to do, I find my heart bursting with gratitude for the many beautiful things around me. Motherhood becomes less overwhelming. Rather than worry about stains on clothing I can join in the fingerpainting. Rather than worry about my to-do list I can laugh and dance and play with my favorite little person. Things that seem important pale in comparison to enjoying and participating in the joy of childhood and truly connecting with my daughter.

If I die tomorrow I will not regret one single moment I spent loving and enjoying my little girl. But all those other things? Hmmmmm. Life is so fleeting. This is the essence of wabisabi. A little perspective, a few deep breaths, and I'm off to kiss my slumbering angel.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010

Homemade: Family photo album

It is so sad not have my family around me. Besides MamaD, I am a loner out in this vast desert wilderness. HubbyM's and my family are spread across the country and globe, from the isles of the South Pacific to those of the Orient. But I don't want that to stop Olive from knowing them.

To help her recognize the faces of those who love her most, I put together this little photo album for Olive.


All I did was purchase this cheap photo album from WalMart and made a new cover. 


Then I cropped and printed photos of family members, using file folder stickers to label each photo. 



"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family."  ~Thomas Jefferson