kimberly ah

Aug 23 2013

The Mustache & The (Accidental) No TV Week

This month, while I was waiting for my book club book to come into the library, I filled the time with the novella, The Mustache by Emmanuel Carrere. It was recommended to me by one of the ladies in my book group, and she warned me that it was interesting and “very disturbing” at the end. That was enough to get me interested, but the premise was really intriguing as well: Curious to see people’s reactions, a man decides to shave his mustache on a whim. When no one notices, he becomes annoyed. Then, when his friends and family claim he never had a mustache, things unravel.

I normally only read old books (pre-1950s for the most part). I know I’m missing out on a vast array of good literature by being this way, but new things just don’t strike my fancy the way old things do. But I’m really glad I tried The Mustache…the story was fast-paced and completely unexpected. I can’t tell if it was truly a page-turner or if I was rushing through it in anticipation of the “very disturbing” end. Either way, the closing pages did not disappoint!

Apparently the movie ends very differently (from what I can tell from Wikipedia). I am still interested in seeing it though, especially since it is directed by Carrere and the music is done by Phillip Glass…I’ll be adding it to my list of things to watch once the weather gets cold.

Speaking of watching things, I haven’t had my TV on at all since last Monday. If you know me at all, you know this is huge… I often have the TV on during the day in the background for noise. It’s usually a cable news channel rehashing the same old stories, the same old Washington drama, the same old political fights. At night, especially if Naoto is working, I often spend the evening half working on a project and half watching Big Bang Theory re-runs. It is a silly waste of time. I didn’t make a conscious effort to turn the TV off, I just got busy working on things and didn’t turn it on. I’ve been listening to crazy-awesome music instead. Eleven days later, I feel like I haven’t missed a thing. Now, if only I could give up the internet for awhile…

Tagged books

Aug 22 2013

2 Comments

celebrations, crafty adventures, handmade=happiness

(Belated)

Today I’m making the drive down to shop and have lunch with my parents. I haven’t seen them since they came up to visit with my grandma (and I didn’t have the Mother’s Day gift ready then) so I’m finally delivering the gifts for both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

I worked on this embroidery project over the 30 Days of Creativity in June. The pattern is from Mollie’s blog, Wild Olive, and can be found here. I really loved stitching it–it was a nice mix of back stitching and French knots (I love stitching those knots!) and I finished it in an evening. Yesterday, I typed up a little message on blush paper and pasted it on the back of the embroidery hoop. I know there’s a nicer way to do this (where the fabric tucks around the larger hoop and the paper backing goes back into the smaller hoop), but sadly, I cut my fabric just a bit too short to make it all happen. So, I glued the fabric down to the back of the hoops and glued the paper backing on top. It looks fine, but the perfectionist in me is annoyed at the fact that it could be better. But, the important thing is, the front is lovely, the back is fine and the gift is (finally) going to be delivered this afternoon!

Here it is all wrapped up in a flat paper bag with some twine, a Martha Stewart flower sticker (from my huge sticker stash, collected over the years) and with a tiny piece of tape from Oh Hello Friend. Simple.

And, in case you’re curious, for Father’s Day we got my dad a Blackhawks cap and these fancy County Fair Field Notes (the Illinois ones, of course!)

Off to central Illinois for some thrifting and dining!

Tagged adventures, celebrations, crafts, diy, holidays, parents

Aug 21 2013

5 Comments

Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, summer manifesto

Garden Update: CUCUMBER!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cucumber!

This was great cause for celebration on Saturday afternoon at the garden. Because we didn’t care for our vine plants properly (hence the Wild West title for that part of the garden), they’ve only managed to become a tangled mess of cucumber and watermelon vines intertwined with fallen peas and lima beans and a wayward Juliet tomato plant. We kind of gave up on that section, chalking it up to our rookie year (and a little bit of laziness for not building a little vining contraption sooner).

So, when we were digging around looking for red Juliets, I came across the little guy above and shouted, “LOOK! A CUCUMBER!!!” Thankfully, we were the only ones at the garden, because I’m pretty sure I sounded like a crazy woman…but if you can’t get excited about growing a vegetable, what can you get excited about?In other good gardening news, our red pepper is getting bigger and starting to turn red. It’s often overshadowed in the garden by the crazy tomatoes, so I’m glad it’s plodding right along to redness. While Naoto weeded, I harvested another large bag of tomatoes (along with a yellow squash from Haig). I gave a few pounds to the book club ladies on Saturday morning, and by Saturday afternoon, our kitchen counter was full again.

Tomato takeover!

Tagged food, forest park, garden, gardening, summer

Aug 20 2013

Pleasant Home Movies on the Porch: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

On Friday night, I dragged Naoto to see a silent movie.

Pleasant Home, a historic home/museum in our neighborhood, is hosting Silent Movies on the Porch this month. The porch is huge, the summer nights are mild and there is live piano accompaniment! It felt like a real old-time theater experience! I have never seen a silent movie (sad, I know!) so I thought watching one on a porch with live music was a great place to start. At least if the movie lost my interest, I could appreciate the piano, right? Well, the movie never lost my interest…even Naoto had a great time!

Friday’s movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1920 German horror film. The movie was kind of weird, kind of scary (though not scary by today’s standards). The set was charming–characters walked among jaggedly painted buildings and hills, they opened oddly-shaped doors and windows, they congregated in tiny, spare rooms… The actors were fun to watch…great facial expressions, great hand motions…without the captions, you could still get a feel for what was going on. There was a plot twist at the end. (I love a good plot twist.)The best part about this particular movie on the porch, though, was that the pianist, Thomas Holmes, wrote his own score for this movie! (You can read more about that here.) Apparently, the movie’s original score was too string-heavy to duplicate with just a piano, so he decided to write a new one…no big deal, right? His music really made the movie come alive–the suspenseful scenes were so much more effective with the piano behind them! There were several extreme close-ups of creepy Dr. Caligari during the movie, and Holmes’s music for these scenes was perfect to set the creepy mood!

The movie on the porch was so much fun that I think we’re going to do it again. This week Pleasant Home is showing Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality. I’ll be spending all week talking it up to Naoto…but we all know he’s going to enjoy it, right?

Tagged adventures, Pleasant Home, summer

Aug 19 2013

2 Comments

adventures, Honor Flight Chicago

A Bears Game Double Date

Last Thursday, my friend Barb and I had the pleasure of escorting two World War II veterans to a Bears game. That’s us above with Bill and Bill. As far as dates go, Barb and I hit the jackpot. The Bills were perfect gentlemen and we all had an amazing and special night. The activity was an Honor Flight Chicago event. The Bears gave us tickets to the game that included access to the United Club, a “hospitality area” in the stadium that serves amazing cocktails and beer and gourmet food that you could either eat in the (climate-controlled) dining area or take to your cozy cushioned seat. We all felt a little spoiled by the services, the amazing food (hello freshly carved barbeque beef brisket on a challah roll!) and the spacious seating. We ate inside before the game, and then came back inside to meet up with the other volunteers and veterans at half-time. Otherwise, we were outside enjoying a great game (lots of scoring and a WIN for the Bears!) on a perfectly cool August night in Chicago. I mean…isn’t that a gorgeous view?During the game, George McCaskey came over to thank Bill and Bill for their service to our country. Both veterans were floored at this visit…as were all of the people around us. It was a really great moment in their night. Our “seat neighbor” during the game has been a season ticket holder for five years. He was so kind to Bill and Bill. He helped us safely assist the two Bills up and down the stairs and chatted to them about their service and Soldier Field and he was just a downright great guy. Thanks Season Ticket Holder Section 311 Row 6 Seats 13 & 14!

One really funny/scary moment in the night occurred as we were entering Soldier Field. We were going through the ticket gates and (tall) Bill didn’t have his ticket. He explained to the ticket-taker that Barb had it. Barb had already gone through the gate and I reminded Bill that I had given him his ticket in the parking garage. He shook his head and said that I hadn’t given him a ticket. For a moment, I was questioning my own sanity, but then Barb came over and said she had seen me handing off the ticket to Bill. We thought maybe he had dropped it by the car or something. We had all entered through the gate but Bill, and you can’t re-enter once your ticket has been scanned, so we had a small moment of panic. No one wanted Bill to walk alone all the way back to the car to look for his ticket. I felt regretful that I had allowed Bill to be a gentleman and let me go first. But then, Bill went into his pocket and protested, “This sheet of paper is the only thing you gave me outside!” IT WAS HIS TICKET!! He just didn’t realize it was a paper-printed ticket (instead of the “real” tickets he was used to). The ticket-taker hugged him, I hugged her and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief that we were able to go inside without anymore drama and worry.

We all had a great time and I really felt honored to be able to spend the evening with Bill and Bill. When we dropped them off, they hugged us both and thanked us for choosing them to go…it was the least we could do. We have so much more to thank them for.

Tagged adventures, Chicago Bears, Honor Flight Chicago

Aug 16 2013

5 Comments

crafty adventures, Office Supplies, snail mail

Office Supplies from Japan

Remember the wonderful care package from my sister-in-law? I finally got a chance to try out these fun office supplies that she tucked in between the amazing snacks and sweets. First up are these pretty little flower and bird page flags. They are tiny sticky notes that I can include on catalogs and my calendar to remind me of things I love or want to remember for future reference. I tried to stick the “My favorite” on one Presley (who was sitting near-by during the photo shoot) but she wasn’t having any of it. (She’s still my favorite.) The flags came in the cute little canister, which makes them handy for carrying around or just looking pretty on my desk. Next up are these fun Deco Rush patterned tape runners. They are like regular tape runners, except they are only sticky on one side and they have fun patterns printed on them…kind of like clear washi tape in a handy dispenser. They have a little clicking mechanism, similar to a retractable pen, so the runner part is protected in your bag (or when the cat knocks it around the floor). And, they are refillable, too, so once you have the “case” you can buy all sorts of refills and interchange them to fit your mood. Hisae sent two cases–hearts and hippos–and a refill–chicks.So far I’ve used the hippos to mark a couple of events on my calendar. They are bright and fun and help make special nights–like a date with Billy & Angela–stand out in my week. And I started a little wave pattern of chicks on this envelope for one of my pen pals who actually raised some chicks this spring. The chicks in the wagons are killing me just a little bit. I’m excited to use these in card-making and mail art and to pick up a few more refills when we go to Japan next month.

Thanks, Hisae, for adding to the crafty goodness around here!

Tagged crafts, mail art, office supplies, snail mail, washi tape

Aug 15 2013

Honor Flight 50

Last Wednesday, Honor Flight Chicago flew its 50th flight of World War II veterans to Washington DC. I’m not sure if the women who founded the Chicago organization in 2008 ever thought it would take off and grow the way it has. Now, over 4,000 World War II Veterans have been honored with a trip to see their memorial in DC and we have many more on our waiting list to fly on future flights. The urgency of our mission is not lost upon any of us…

Most of you know that I’m in charge of collecting and organizing the “Mail Call” surprise on the flight. (If you’re new around here, please feel free to click the link for more details.) We are always looking for extra letters from both kids and adults to fill out the mail packs of Veterans who don’t have family to write mail. If you’re a letter writer or a card maker and you’d like to participate in thanking a veteran, please feel free to send the mail to our new Honor Flight Chicago Mail Call address below. (I used to get the mail sent to my home, but now we have a mailbox at the local UPS store to collect things…I enjoy having a tiny bit less mail clutter around here lately!)

Honor Flight Chicago Mail Call

c/o Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa

159 N Marion St #375

Oak Park, IL 60301-1032

Logo and 50th flight picture courtesy of the Honor Flight Chicago website.

Tagged celebrations, Honor Flight Chicago, snail mail

Aug 14 2013

1 Comment

Forest Park, Oak Park, gardening, what's for dinner

Tomatoes Are Red, Limas Are Green…

Are those not the most gorgeous tomatoes, You’ve ever seen? (Sorry…I cannot resist a cheery rhyme about vegetables.)

On Saturday, while I was baking a cake, Naoto was harvesting tomatoes. There were a LOT of bright red ones! And, while he was at the garden, he ran into Haig, a fellow gardener, who added to our tomato bounty.Needless to say, our neighbors got tomato deliveries and we made caprese salads and panzanella this week. (And, if you live close and would like a tomato or two…please don’t hesitate to ask!) On Saturday afternoon, we finally cooked up my lima bean harvest…what you see above is the tiny ramekin that held my lima snack… Yes, we steamed a giant pot of water for less than two dozen tiny beans! I would love to try to grow limas again next year because they are soooo good when they are fresh! Even Naoto (a self-described lima hater) enjoyed one!

That’s about all of the harvest for now…still waiting to see if we will have a cucumber or a watermelon…in the meantime, it’s all tomatoes all the time! No complaints here!

Tagged food, forest park, garden, gardening

Aug 13 2013

2 Comments

snail mail, Sweet Tooth, Those Were the Days

Sweet Tooth Part 2

I’ve been on a little bit of a vintage candy kick again lately. It all started with a Twitter conversation with Danielle about ZotZ. About a week later, I had a package full of ZotZ delivered to my mailbox! (Thank you, Danielle!) On the outside, ZotZ look like a regular hard candy. But when you bite into one, there’s a powdery inside made of acids and sodium bicarbonate that react with your saliva and create fizziness. It’s a little bit of a shock at first, but then you grow to anticipate the fizzy fun. ZotZ have been around since 1968, which seems like a long time considering how technologically advanced they are. They are pretty sour and a lot of fun! I’ve been enjoying/hoarding them, choosing a new bubbly flavor to try each day or so.

Recently, Naoto and I were perusing World Market and I bought a couple of candies that I enjoyed as a child. The first, Chick-o-Stick–a long orange stick of candy made from hardened sugar with peanut butter and coconut. I loved these as a kid and I was happy to eat this one up again without the help of Naoto. (He hates coconut.) For those who have never had one, it is kind of like a butter finger, but sweeter and without the chocolate. Chick-o-Sticks have been around since the Great Depression…I love thinking about eating a candy that my great-grandmother may have eaten!

And of course I had to pick up some Fruit Stripe Gum. Fruit Stripe is just as I remembered…super fruity and tasty for about ten seconds, then flat, no flavor. Womp. Womp… But it’s still delicious, and well worth the $1.25 I paid. Fruit Stripe has been around since the 1960s (when apparently no one cared how long the flavor in their gum would last). It really does evoke the best childhood memories…no matter how fleeting.

We are thinking about bringing some vintage American candies to Japan for our omiyage (souvenirs associated with location, as customary in Japan). I only have a few more weeks to collect some good ones for Naoto’s mom and sisters and their families. Can you think of any “must have” American candies we should take?

Tagged food, snail mail

Aug 12 2013

6 Comments

adventures, crafty adventures, homemaking

Shark Week Cake…& Party

As I mentioned Saturday, we went to a Shark Week Party this weekend. So much fun! Shark-fan Stacy decked out the apartment with hundreds of paper fish, shark decorations, shark-themed food and drinks, Sharknado! on the ceiling (if you haven’t watched it…you should!) and a shark-themed Brett, who sported these fabulous shark footie pajamas. Pictured above is a blurry Naoto at the Bloody Mary bar…he was studying the shark poster for the quiz later that evening.

Ever since the Shark Week party of 2011, I’ve been filling up a Pinterest board of all my favorite Shark Week ideas in preparation for another party. I fell in love with the idea of this cake*. So I spent Saturday baking a cake and making frosting. I never bake, so it always makes me nervous that the cake won’t rise or it will taste terrible…and cakes are especially stressful because you don’t really know how bad or how good things are until you cut it open at the party…

Thankfully everything worked out and the cake was quite tasty. I made this cake. I’ve made the cake a few times (but never the Cloudburst Frosting). I always use Hershey’s Extra Dark Cocoa Powder. It makes a nice, deep, dark chocolate cake that works well with all sorts of frostings. I decided to be daring and try to make the Cloudburst Frosting for the first time. It was surprisingly easy, though it did take all day because of waiting for the milk/flour mixture to cool down. But most of that time was waiting, not hands-on. The frosting was good–not too sweet or too buttery–like a slightly elevated buttercream. And it really was easy enough to become my new go-to recipe. (You know, for when I bake again next year…)For the toppings, I used Teddy Grahams, gummy sharks, vanilla wafer cookies, peach gummy rings, cocktail umbrellas and a toothpick with a typed BEWARE OF SHARKS sign. I giggled the whole time I was creating the little shark scene…Sigh…every week really should be Shark Week…

*Sadly, I cannot find the source for the original cake…both inspiration pins (here and here) only go to a picture. If you know the source, please contact me and I will include it!

Tagged adventures, celebrations, diy, food, homemaking, Shark Week