anticipation and thankfulness, or pregnancy and baby showers

Tomorrow is 38 weeks on the baby wait calendar.  And it has made for some interesting personal reflections.  It has been interesting seeing how my thought process has evolved from when I was expecting no. 1.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote this post about my insecurities about being a momma of two.  Since then...I have realized more and more strongly that things will work out.  Not easy, lots of hard work, but exactly how God plans them to be.  I have an amazing husband, supportive family, dear friends, and a heavenly Father who are always with me.

The point is that I am really looking forward to having two.  I am very aware that my time will be even less my own than is currently the case but does it matter when you have another pair of arms to nurture so that they will give me hugs and cuddles like Hito does already?  I don't think he quite knows that he is going to have a sister but that's ok.  =P  He is growing into quite the affectionate, curious, mischievous little guy and I can't wait to have another little person in our house.

Am I being very biased if I say he is getting to be too stinking handsome?

One of the things that I am so thankful for right now are a church family and dear friends who mean the world to me.  These ladies threw me a baby shower about a month ago and that was when it really set in that another baby was going to enter our lives.

My dear friend Kristin (who you have heard me talk about regularly) threw me the shower and did such an amazing job!  I felt so spoiled and loved!  I mean, just look at what she did!  She knows that this book, Jamberry, is one of my absolute favorite children's stories and used it as the theme for the shower - it was to die for!

Kristin used the book as a guest book!  It was the sweetest idea!

And her decorations on the dessert table alone are kind of amazing!  And the food was fantastic too!

Kristin, thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this shower and for your sweet friendship.  You are a huge source of encouragement and love and growth to me and I thank God that He put both of us in the same church with the chance to meet and grow together!  Xoxo!

Check out Kristin's blog for more pictures too!  (As well as her website because she is kind of amazingly talented and makes beautiful bridal and hair accessories!  She even made me a hair piece for the shower - but you have to go check out her blog to see that!)

Have a beautiful day!

Project Pinterest 2013 :: Greek food!

I know it is getting close but I have not forgotten about my resolution to actually do some of the things that I keep drooling over on Pinterest.  And I actually did these two weeks ago but have been doing rather poorly at keeping up on my blogging.  So today, you get a double dose of Pinterest yumminess!

I had two of my best friends visit me at the beginning of the month and decided to make Mediterranean/Greek food for dinner one night mostly because I had seen these two delicious looking pins.

Pinterest via Sweet Paul

Pinterest via Annie's Eats

So I thought it can't be that hard to do this, right?  Well, I was partially right.  =) The first recipe, a feta cheese dip, was so easy and yummy!  Because we were doing Greek food, I had cut up cucumber and bell peppers to dip with as well as the pita bread that we had made (I can also see pita chips going amazingly well with this dish).  Verdict on the dip: excellent (read: make it yourself now).  =)

yeah....so we already started digging in but I had to snap a quick pick of the feta dip especially since it was amazing with this wine: Waipara Springs Riesling

Now for the pita bread.  I am going to be honest here.  We misread the recipe.  =P  So some of our struggles were our own fault.

I love pita bread, ok fine, so  I love bread generally, but can you really beat the deliciousness of warm, soft, barely poof-ed, pita bread?  So I saw this recipe and thought, let's try it!  Turns out the recipe isn't that difficult if you get the timing right.  Which is what we didn't get right.  =P  But I will make two notes on my experimentation with it.  First, I think the recipe could make more than just 8 pieces of pita.  And second, it is possible to make it in less time but you will have a denser pita because you will have fewer rise times.

Other than that, I have to say this recipe does make some pretty stinking amazing pita bread and I would highly recommend it - and read the recipe all the way through before you start.  =P

Have a beautiful day!

P.S. And if you want to see some other Pinterest projects that I have not had time to post about yet, check out my Pinterest board that has them all!

V-Day Mug Swap Swag!

Do you know what I love?  People.  I love people.  Especially ones that I feel I have found a kindred spirit in.  And I also love other people who have made it their job to bring all of us kindred spirits together.

And so today you are getting a lovely little glimpse at a kindred spirit.  Kimber was my swap partner for the #vdaymugswap exchange hosted by Alissa & Caroline (which you should totally get in on next year, if you didn't do it this year).  Anyway, back to people.  Kimber blogs over here and you should definitely take a read.  She has a heart for the Lord that is so encouraging and refreshing.  She is sweet, crafty, and an all-around awesome person to know!  

A little look at all the goodies she sent me (minus most of the candy...I've been in a chocolate/nut mood and that's what she sent me).  =)  But did you know that those fabric pieces are actually tape & tags?  She made them herself!  And she wrote about it on her blog here so go check it out!  I am so excited to use them!

This candle smells good enough to eat.  But I will restrain myself and just enjoy the scent.

There is something spiritual about good coffee in a cute mug.  It inspires the mind and caffeinates the body!

So like I said, I love people and I have loved getting to know Kimber and am excited to stay in touch!

Have a lovely Valentine's Day, everyone!

quietness

This summer has been busy.  Between church events, family, friends visiting from out of town, and the constant requirements of maintaining a relatively clean/organized house, I have been staying quite occupied.  It has not left a lot of time for...a lot of things.

Now, I like being busy.  I like having places to go, people to see.  But in the last two weeks, I have come to realize something else.  There is a lot of value in quietness, being alone.

One of my biggest tasks in the last three weeks has been getting up to speed on two classes I will be teaching for high school seniors starting in two weeks.  I am very excited to be doing teaching and am loving reviewing material and being creative as I work on getting these high schoolers ready for college.  In my preparation, the hubby has been unspeakably helpful to take care of the kiddo (who is getting very talkative and more and more mobile) so that I can go grab a coffee and focus my brain power on what British literature I want these kids to read during the course of the year.  =)

As I have been working on my classes, it has also turned into blog reading time.  And then prayer and journaling time.  We serve an amazing God...He uses technology to connect people around the world who might otherwise never have had the ability to keep know each other or keep in touch.

But in the course of my blog reading, I have come across people that I "know" who are struggling with some very real problems right now.  Two bloggers I regularly follow have babies in NICU.  Others are dealing with recovering from illness or difficult pregnancies/deliveries.  People I know in my area are dealing with incapacitating pain from a variety of sources.  Both the hubby and myself have grandparents who have been in and out of hospitals for the last three months.

Life is short.  And precious.  And all in God's hands.

I realize that there is little I can do in a very physical sense to help these people.  There are doctors who are qualified to do much more for these people.  But there is something of value that I have been trying to do more often.

Pray.

My heart is wretched by all these stories and situations.  I want to be able to hold hands, hug, or make dinners for people.  But I'm not always able to do that.  So I take the most immediate and helpful thing I can do and do it with all my heart - pray.

via Pinterest & here

I know we serve a powerful and listening God.  He can see each of these people and has them in his hands.  What more can I ask for?  The Creator of the world is making sure that each person is given strength in measure for the difficulties in front of them.

That is comfort.

Have a beautiful day and stop to notice - it really is beautiful.

make it better Monday :: play date!

It seems like life just keeps on going and I can't quite seem to catch my breath.  But however poor my time management skills may be, there have been some fantastic little moments that I love having the opportunity to remember while I write this post for make it better Monday!

I have to say, play dates are one of my favorite parts of being a mom.  The kid gets lots of energy out and I get to spend some time with some fabulous women!  These are some pictures from last week's play date!

like my twinsie Kristin from Petal and Thorn.  Yes, I talk about her a lot.  Yes, she is awesome.  Yes, you should go check her out if you haven't already. =)  The hats are from Urban Outfitters if you are wondering.  =)

Hito had the perfect smile right before the camera clicked...  But my friend Jennie looks cute, doesn't she?!

Aren't these mammas beautiful?  It ended up being hat day for most of us.  =P  Their little girls are the  cutest too!

And then we get home and this kid still finds the energy to come home and pull pretty nearly every toy in the box.  =P 

All told, despite getting sick over the weekend, it has been great just chilling with the hubby and kiddo, sleeping, and reading.  All great summer activities even if I was forced to do them because I was sick.  =P  

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

it's the moments that fly by...

Babies and mommies.  I have been blessed to have some great play dates with women in my church this summer.  One of them is the extremely talented Kristin over at Petal and Thorn Handmades (check her out if you haven't seen her work already!).  As I have been spending more time with this wonderful women, I have been blown away by how God prepares things for us before we even get to a situation or a trial.  Life is never static and my other mommas have been such an encouragement to me.

This past week, I actually remembered to grab the camera as I ran out the door to meet Kristin.  Here are some of the pictures that we got from the day (they came out rather well if I do say so myself).

they're going to be super good friends =)

playing in the water

i got a picture with my growing boy!

playing with photoshop  =P

watching the little girl enjoy all the fountains (and Kristin is rockin' the new ring you can find in my Etsy shop!  but she always looks so stinking cute...)

the problem with water is that sometimes unstable little ones can slip - hence the sad face on momma.  Sisi was over it pretty quick though.  =)

 I will never get enough of play dates that involve coffee, conversation, and cute hats.  But more on the hats later.  =)

Have a beautiful day and a wonderful weekend!

Wine Wednesday :: A Dinner to Remember part 2

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  I hope you have wonderful plans for time with friends and family and to remember the great gift we have of freedom and liberties in America.

But here, ladies and gentlemen, I finish the saga of our "Foie-maggedon" adventures.  Last week, you heard me write at length about a great many wonderful dishes.  The best are yet to come.

 And this is the main event.  These two dishes were what we came to see - and more particularly, eat.  The first two pictures are of the foie gras pate and porcini mushroom ravioli in chicken consumme.  You would not believe how amazing that dish was.  Doesn't it look like a simple thing?  One ravioli, a little bit of foie gras tourchon, and chicken soup.  A little taste of what Wolfgang Puck might make for himself when he was sick.  I don't know why you would make this when you're sick but it was so supremely wonderful that you can't help wishing you could get it when sick. =)  


The second dish is the classic saute foie gras.  It is moist, warm, and succulent.  This particular preparation was served over a piece of sweet bread and a bed of cooked peaches.  Along with this classic dish, we had a traditional wine pairing.  Or rather, three...  =)  I have a friend who likes to over do it with wine sometimes.  Ok, not really.  We were celebrating the end of our freedom to eat in California and took advantage of it.  So we had three Sauterne wines from the same maker but different vintages.  Chateau Lafaurie-Payraguey makes some heavenly sauternes.  If the foie-gras wasn't enough, this certainly put us into other worlds.  We had an 1986, 2003, and 2005.  If you have never had a 25 year old bottle of wine at any point in your life, I would highly recommend you try.  If you have never had a 25 year old sauterne in your life....well, I think you might be out of luck because we all went hunting for more bottles after this dinner and came up empty.  But you should definitely try tasting at least some sauterne if you have never had it.  


Wines like sauternes pair wonderfully with rich dishes.  A sauterne is often times more viscus of a wine than your normal red or white.  It has a more honey-like taste and feel.  Often it is complimented with wonderful citrusy and exotic flavors that make it the perfect compliment to something so fatty and succulent as foie-gras or other such dishes (certain cheeses and even fried foods go well).  Or if you just want it for a wonderful dessert wine, this is a good start!

And our journey is almost over.  These last three dishes were the end of our evening (and my camera phone was not playing nice for these).  The first picture is of a corn potash (a thick soup) with shaved black truffles and drizzled in truffle oil.  Holy cow...almost as good as the foie-gras. Almost.  =)  The last two pictures are of our dessert.  Panna cotta.  The food of gods and an amazing finish to this meal.  Vanilla, perfect texture, creamy, and paired with an almond biscotti...we were all about ready to die when we finished.  The last picture is of my new friend, Amelia.  She is one of the owners of Marche Moderne and the maker of this divine dessert.  She came and checked on us and we kind of gushed about everything...Peter wanted a picture with his hero.  =)

All in all, an evening to remember.  Ironic that it is the 4th of July and there is now a ban on this food.  =)

I hope you all have a beautiful day and wonderful bottle of wine!

Wine Wednesday :: A Dinner to Remember part 1

Another hump day but boy do I have a treat for you if you are into quality food.  Of course, it might also drive you a little crazy to see these pictures and hear me talk about it but you'll have to bear with me because this is soooo worth it.  Because we were at the restaurant for about four hours, I've decided to split up our experience into two parts to do all the foods and wines justice.

For the foodies in my readership, you may have heard of the impending ban on foie gras in California (if duck liver sounds nasty, you've got to try it before you knock it).  With that in mind, Corby, myself, and some of our friends with rather gourmet tastes, planned our farewell to this delectable dish.  The chosen location of our last supper was Marche Moderne.  A phenomenal restaurant that you need to visit at least once in your life time.  And while it is definitely more expensive than your average eatery, this place is actually reasonable in their prices and portions for the quality and kinds of food that you are getting (I'll show you more in a bit).

But I do want to mention that I DO NOT EAT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME!!!!  I would love to - don't get me wrong.  I would probably be working 24/7 to support a habit like that.  And I would probably stop appreciating it quite as much as I do now.  But anyway.  I just wanted to share that this was a VERY special occasion and I wanted to share it with my readers.  It is actually one of the ways that I learned a lot about wine pairings with food.  When someone truly knows how to match a good wine with excellent food, the experience will be like this one.

So on Saturday night, this is what I ate and drank.  I almost passed out...I definitely went to another dimension.  Almost.

 The evening started out with an amuse bouche of red pepper soup with brioche toast topped with tapenade and we started our wine tour with an AMAZING 2009 Francois Villard Condrieu.  SOOOOOO good!!!  (If anyone is looking for a high class white wine to wow people with - look no further!) This Condrieu was clean and crisp when you first smell and sip.  But as the evening progressed and it continued to breath, there was an even more elegant nose.  The taste made me think of driving through citrus groves where you can just make out lemon and orange in the air but it almost eludes you.  This wine was probably one of my all time favorite whites.  I am putting that down here in writing.  My favorite white wine to date.

 Our appetizer for the evening were these ridiculously good fried pig ears with crispy brussel sprouts tossed in a vinaigrette.  Whodathunk.  Pig ears, brussel sprouts, and vinegar.  The people at Marche Moderne.  That's who.  Go visit. Eat.  Ok, I'll stop plugging them.  I know the food will be enough. (If you are in the area and want to go visit, hit me up.  I'll come with.)  =)

These two dishes formed our next course.  The top picture is a truffle pizza.  Yes, you heard me.  Truffle pizza.  (Fyi, we are not talking chocolate truffles.  We are talking about the kind that pigs find in the ground.  And they are heavenly.  If you haven't tried any yet...you might want to consider not going there because they are addicting.)  In addition to the truffles (which would have been quite enough), there is prosciutto and burata cheese.  Un-be-liev-able. 


The second dish is a little more complex but just as amazing.  Morel mushrooms surround a red wine emulsion that has a poached egg on top of it.  Those flavors were crazy!  I could have stopped at this point in the evening but we were barely getting started.  

 With those two dishes we had this beautiful Bordeaux.  ' Nuf said.  Bordeaux is quickly becoming my favorite red wine.  Try one if you have not yet had a chance.  I have tried a couple of Bordeaux recently (2009 was a wonderful year for that region in France) and you can get some excellent wines for reasonable prices.  This one though...this one was a little leathery (in a good way) but well balanced with some dark berry tones to it as well.

And I think I will finish the first half of this tale here.  There are still three dishes and wines to do.  You will not want to miss it.  =)

Have a beautiful day!

its still all about the little things

I thought I'd link up today as a celebration of my attempts at getting back into regular blogging!  For those of you who didn't know, right after Christmas I got to go back to Hawaii for 10 glorious days of warmth, humidity, and people I haven't seen in a long time.  So this post is going back from the past two weeks but  I have to share some of these sweet moments that I've had and have been enjoying and remembering and reliving.

1) Hawaii

And the camera isn't really doing anything to how blue the sky was this day.  This is the view from my parents deck...it was lovely.

 2) Baby

Grandma got him a super cool Hawaii shirt!

Let's just say that Grandma and Aunty Judy had a lot of fun shopping before we came to visit.  This hat was also among the things waiting for us when we got there.  =)

 3) Friends

Me and Hannah (one of my oldest friends) and our babies who are just over a month apart.  Mommies were ready for the picture....babies don't seem to care.  =)

and I got to meet the beautiful Lindsay in person!!!  if you didn't know, she's the gal who hosts this link-up party every week! go and say hi! aisletoaloha.blogspot.com

It has been amazing...Hawaii, friends, wonderful conversations...life is good, God is gracious, and you will be hearing more from me soon.  =)

Have a beautiful day!

5th & 4th Deals til Christmas 2011!

We are winding down on this year's Deals til Christmas, everyone!  And so today and tomorrow, you get a two-for-one!

5th & 4th Deals til Christmas!

You get free shipping (use coupon code "merryshipping" at checkout) and when you place an order, get a coupon code for use after January 1st!  Refer a friend to the blog (they need to follow me on GFC) or like the facebook page and get a second code for you and your friend (just leave me a note in either place and tell your friend to do the same!).

snsnsnsibility.etsy.com

Have a beautiful day!

happy birthdays and a happy friday!

It is already November!!!  Yikes!  How did we get here sooooo fast?!  It seems like I just found out I was pregnant and now I have a seven week old baby!  It seems like I was just dealing with last winter and here it is starting to rain and get cold again in Cali!  (Dear God, I will try my best not to complain about the heat next summer.)  =)  It seems like I was just doing this last year and here we are, another twelve months have passed!

And that being said, I am giving a birthday shout out to two of my favoritest bloggers and dear friends that I have come to know through the blogosphere.  There are an abundance of wonderful people out there but I think these ladies are two of the greatest!  Sandy has a great blog full of fashion, food, and she is expecting her first baby soon!!  (so excited for you, Sandy!)  Ms. Megan has an adorable blog with movie reviews, her fav books, and she has two Etsy shops for beautiful cards and adorable little embroidered hoops!

Her birthday was on the first so this is a little bit of a belated shout out!  Happy belated birthday, Sandy!!!

Megan's birthday is tomorrow so swing by her blog and leave some love!

And then my family has kindly reminded me that my birthday is coming up on Sunday.  And I thought this is a great time to have a little sale in the Etsy shop.  

So check it out and get 15% off your entire order with coupon code "happybdayeveryone" from today through Sunday (11/6)!  I added several new items this past week and will probably be adding more this weekend so check it out and pass on the word!  

Have a beautiful day and weekend!

beautiful little things...

I've decided to link up with Lindsay's fantastic link up party again and am loving how it makes me think of the happy things rather than the disappointing or difficult things (if you're wondering what I'm talking about, you can check out yesterday's post...I was having a hard time).  So this is my pick me up right now and I love pick me ups and checking out everyone else's great weeks too!




1) Non-dairy coffee creamerWhile I was pregnant, I admit I wasn't always real great about laying off the caffeine.  I am one of those people who love coffee for the taste - not necessarily the caffeine.  So I was not always paying attention to when I was drinking caffeinated versus decaffeinated beverages (although I really did try).  But when I started breastfeeding, I quickly realized that my baby did not like when I drank milk (which often happens to babies).  So I was bummed I might not be able to drink any coffee (I like lattes and flavor in my coffee) until I was done breast feeding - which was going to be difficult for me because I LOVE the taste of coffee!!!  But my mom and mom-in-law came to the rescue!!!  They reminded me that most flavored creamers from the grocery store are non-dairy and lactose free!  So I can still get my coffee fix!  And this week, I picked up a new flavor.  So now my current fav flavor is Almond Joy from International Delight.  If you like coconut at all, you have to try it!

via International Delight

2) FlowersWhen Hito was born, my in-laws got me an orchid plant (my fav flower!) and it has been holding up beautifully!  There is just a little bit of sun that comes through the blinds by the piano in the morning and it seems to be thriving!  This week, the whole plant seems to have opened up!  I love looking at the rich colors of it - can't go wrong with orchids!

3) Baby time  =)I was texting a friend of mine this week and observed to her that I am liking being a mom.  She responded that she thought it was the best job in the world.  I'm rather inclined to agree.  =)  But I have had the blessing of having so many family members close by to help hold and enjoy baby time too.  It is an amazing and joyful time.

It is a lovely day to remember the little things.  =)  Have a beautiful day!