Faith

In which what was lost is found (and something else is lost)

This week has flown by. My friend and neighbor (and Kristin Bell doppelganger) Stephanie had some time off from work this week so we got to hang out together during the day which was a rare treat.

Besides being a lot of fun to be around and being adored by my children, Stephanie has more can-do energy in her little finger than most people have in their entire body. After spending time with her for a few days magically my kitchen cabinets are covered in several more coats of paint, all the junk in my car has been cleaned out, AND I am back in possession of the little diamond band that N gave me for our 10th anniversary last year!

I lost the ring last October and as the months went by without it turning up I became resigned to it being gone. But it turns out that all this time it had been tucked under some junk in my car (of which, admittedly, there was a lot). When Stephanie pulled it out of the car and showed it to me we had a full on Oprah-“everyone-gets-a-car!”-type hugging and shrieking fit. I was ELATED. So elated in fact that I’m not bummed about losing my drivers license any more.

Yes, that’s right–the reason we were cleaning out my car was that I had put my drivers license in my pocket when we were running errands and (predictably) lost it. (I know, I know–it’s okay, you can groan out loud, goodness knows I have.) Apparently pockets and I have a deep-seated antipathy. But let’s not focus on that; I have my ring back!

After all, this time I’ve totally learned my lesson.

A Delicious Weekend

We had a lot of great food this weekend. On Friday night I grabbed some Indian food with friends and then on Saturday our family stopped by House of Tibet for the lunch buffet.

It’s a good thing House of Tibet is quite a drive from our house or else we would be there ALL the time. Their chili potatoes and momos are so good and most of their menu is dairy/egg/nut-free so it’s great for E’s food allergies.

And then after all that, we also had some birthday cake 🙂

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law! We love you!

For your Friday

Behold the power of 80s pop music! It can bring together North Korean musicians and Norwegian shipwrights!

We have an exciting weekend ahead of us. We’re on pins and needles waiting for the arrival of a new nephew who’s going to be born today(!!!) and then tomorrow we’re celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday (and getting a cake from our favorite vegan bakery)!

So yeah, a new baby + yummy cake = awesomeness (and an excuse for lots of !!!)

Have a lovely weekend!

Lately in woodworking class

A new semester of the woodworking class I sometimes take started a few weeks ago. This time around I’m working on a few small projects rather than a big piece of furniture. So far I’ve been having fun making some pens.

I hadn’t used the lathe before so I’m enjoying learning something new. Another nice aspect of making pens is that I get to use some lovely exotic woods that are too expensive to use for larger projects.

And perhaps most rewarding, turning a pen comes as close to instant gratification as you’ll find in woodworking–it only takes a little over an hour to make each one. I love leaving class with a finished project in my pocket.

Mimi’s Rainbow Quilt

I finally got around to taking some photos of the first quilt I made, this rainbow zigzag blanket for Mimi. (Thanks for the reminder, Megan!)

I have to admit that so far this is my favorite of the quilts that I’ve worked on; I love the fabrics and the cheery colors.

I pieced the top and then took it to a local quilting shop and had them machine quilt it for me. I smile every time I see the words included in the stitching.

If you’re interested, here are the posts from when I was planning and working on this project:

For Your Friday

Yay for 3-day weekends! This weekend E is attending his very first friend birthday part and then on Monday N and I and my in-laws are going to take him to see the new Miyazaki movie, The Secret World of Arrietty. I’m so excited!

And of course I’ll be squeezing in some cabinet-painting in there somewhere 🙂

Before you start your weekend there are a few things I wanted to share with you.

-If this was our local weather guy I would definitely watch the local news more often:

-Not quite sure what’s the big deal about Jeremy Lin?

-Would you want to have your picture taken with a camera as big as a New York apartment?

-I really enjoy blogging but sometimes it can make me feel a bit insecure. (Does that happen to anyone else?) I thought this was well written and keeping it in mind might help.

That’s it, guys. I hope you have a lovely long weekend!

Japanese Valentine

Even though I told N not to get me anything for Valentine’s day (I’m counting the kitchen update as my own Valentine’s day/anniversary/birthday present), he surprised me with a set of the English translations of Oishinbo!

I know, what a sweetie, right? I received the first volume of Oishinbo for my birthday last year and ever since then I’ve been wanting to read more.

Oishinbo is a popular, long-running Japanese cooking manga with over 100 million volumes in print. The story follows a young journalist and gourmand who has been assigned the task of creating the “Ultimate Menu,” a meal which will encompass the very essence of Japanese cuisine.

But our young hero’s father which whom he is estranged is working on creating a competing menu and they have all sorts of impassioned arguments over different aspects of Japanese cuisine.

I really enjoyed the first volume and I can’t wait to read the others. These English translations are compilations organized around a specific theme so sometimes the plot jumps around a little bit but VIZ has done a good job overall of editing the content together into an entertaining story.

They’re fun to read and when you’re finished you’ve actually learned something. If you’re interested in Japanese food at all I think you’ll like Oishinbo.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

photo by Sister72 on Flickr

Happy Valentine’s day! I hope you have a lovely day and someone nice makes you feel special.

After we had a horrible experience with an overpriced fixed Valentine’s day menu a few years back I swore off fancy Valentine’s day dinners. Instead I’m heading to the grocery store in a few minutes to pick up the ingredients for a simple steak dinner at home. And then hopefully this weekend or next we’ll make it to a nice restaurant for a leisurely kid-free meal.

I know I don’t talk about him a lot here, but I’m grateful for my Valentine. N is the best sweetheart and friend a girl could ask for. He’s funny and thoughtful and dreamy and kind. He supports my various endeavors and inspires me to be the best person I can be.

And on top of all that, he bought me new countertops for Valentine’s day! I’m a lucky girl 🙂

My Second Quilt

Last night I finished the binding of this little baby quilt, the second I’ve made. It was really fun to work on, mostly because the top went together so quickly. The pattern is quite simple (it’s billed as “a beginning sewing pattern”) so I figured it was the right speed for me.